English: One Million

For my friends fighting through finals and midterms this month and next month. Good luck fam!

住む vs.暮らす

Both of these verbs means “to live” but there is a slight nuance in meaning.

住む「すむ」simply means to live somewhere, the act of of you residing in a house, apartment, etc

暮らす「くらす」means to live but focuses on the 生活 (daily life) and interactions with the place you live

例えば：

僕は東京に住んでいる。This sentence simply means that I live in Tokyo, that I existence and take residence in Tokyo.

僕は東京に暮らしている。This sentence means that I not only reside in Tokyo, but my daily life and interactions are in Tokyo. May imply that I also work there, my whole life is in Tokyo, more than just a place of existence. 

Both words are interchangeable, so if you use one in place of the other it’s totally fine, they only really matter when you want to imply something more in the meaning. Also, 一人暮らし「ひとりぐらし」 is a noun that means to live alone or have a solitary life. Thought you guys might find that word useful!

Guide to Self-Studying Japanese

A large proportion of Japanese learners self-study. Finding places to learn Japanese in a classroom environment can be difficult and expensive. Here’s a guide on how you can learn Japanese for free and from the comfort of your sofa.

When learning Japanese, the most important step is to learn Hiragana and Katakana, the writing alphabets of Japanese.

The best way I’ve found to do that is to make flashcards. Make sure you practice writing as well as recognizing them, this will not only be a great skill to have but will also reinforce the shapes in your mind.

Resources:

[Hiragana 42], the best guide I’ve found to learn the Hiragana (in a day!) [Hiranana and Katakana Quiz Site] [Kana Invaders Game] [Anki] An amazing program that will make sure you never forget any Kana….

The next step is to start learning vocabulary. Where can you find what to learn? Use a site like Memrise to find word lists (for example, there is a word list for all the vocabulary in starter textbooks like Genki), and use the amazing interface to learn them and keep them in your long term memory.

Resources:

[Memrise] as mentioned above to find and learn vocabulary lists. [Most Common Words List] [Anki] An amazing program that will make sure you never forget any Vocabulary….

While encountering vocabulary, you’re likely to be coming across super-complicated-looking Kanji. You can learn Kanji through Memrise as above, but there are some other websites that may be of interest.

Resources:

[Kanji Damage] A great site where you can learn Kanji through mnemonics. [WaniKani] by the same people who make TextFugu can help you learn Kanji from scratch. [Anki] An amazing program that will make sure you never forget any Kanji….

The next step is to apply that new vocabulary to grammar points and start making sentences.

If you can’t get your hands on textbooks like Genki, don’t fear! There are a lot of great online grammar resources.

Resources:

[TextFugu] a highly rated ‘online textbook’ which will guide you right from the beginning of learning Japanese. [Guide to Japanese] another online textbook with a lot of grammar points and excellent explanations.

So you probably started to learn Japanese because you have some interest in Japanese media. Time to start using it to your advantage!

Aside from the obvious watching Anime, J-dramas and films, why not try Reading Japanese News? Watching Japanese TV? Just make sure you are making these activities productive - note down new vocabulary, add them to Anki, and keep learning! It’s much easier to learn things you’re interested in.

The most important but difficult part of self-studying Japanese is getting your own compositions checked. Utilize all that grammar and vocabulary and write a short piece, it could be a diary entry or a short essay. Get it recorded for you by a native on RhinoSpike, and checked for grammar and consistencies on Lang-8.These sites also give you the chance to connect with Japanese natives, and perhaps start up some language exchanges!

For more resources, take a look at my Ultimate Resources List

Any more tips? Please submit them here!

Hakone Japan - 2017

Shot by Sony α6300

More images on www.instagram.com/valiantjapanese

blue surface with white fog by takay Via Flickr: and autumn colors. Matsudai,Niigata,japan.

Ready for a writing session today?

If you’re seeing this, consider either:

Writing for 15 minutes or

Brainstorming for 15 minutes!

With November coming up, I know quite a few of us intend participating in NaNoWriMo and/or tackling a writing project. This weeks writing session is dedicated to whatever you want to do to prep! 

PSA! I plan on holding a write in during the upcoming week, so keep a lookout for that announcement here on this blog, eggletine.tumblr.com or on my twitter (you can find me @Eggletine) 

N5 verb list

会う　（あう）- to meet

開く　（あく）- to become open

開ける　（あける）- to open

上げる　（あげる）- to give

遊ぶ　（あそぶ）- to play, to make a visit

あびる - to bathe, to shower

洗う　（あらう）- to wash

ある - to be, to have (inanimate)

歩く　（あるく）- to walk

言う　（いう）- to say

行く　（いく）- to go

居る　（いる）- to be, to have (animate)

要る　（いる）- to need

入れる　（いれる）- to put in

歌う　（うたう）- to sing

生まれる　（うまれる）- to be born

売る　（うる）- to sell

起きる　（おきる）- to get up

置く　（おく）- to put

教える　（おしえる）- to teach, to tell

押す　（おす）- to push, to stamp

覚える　（おぼえる）- to remember

泳ぐ　（およぐ）- to swim

降りる　（おりる）- to get off, to descend

終わる　（おわる）- to finish

買う　（かう）- to buy

返す　（かえす）- to return something

帰る　（かえる）- to return, to go back

かかる - to take time or money

書く　（かく）- to write

かける - to call by phone

貸す　（かす）- to lend

借りる　（かりる）- to borrow

消える　（きえる）- to disappear

聞く　（きく）- to hear, to listen, to ask

切る　（きる）- to cut

着る　（きる）- to put on 

曇る　（くもる）- to become cloudy/dim

来る　（くる）- to come

消す　（けす）- to erase, to turn off

答える　（こたえる）- to answer

コピーする - to copy

困る　（こまる）- to be worried

咲く　（さく）- to bloom

差す　（さす）- to stretch out, to raise

散歩する　（さんぽする）- to stroll

死ね　（しね）- to die

閉まる　（しまる）-  to close, to be closed

閉める　（しめる）- to close something

締める　（しめる）- to tie

知る　（しる）- to know

吸う　（すう）- to smoke

住む　（すむ）- to live in

する - to do

座る　（すわる）- to sit

掃除する　（そうじする）- to clean, to sweep

出す　（だす）- to put out

立つ　（たつ）- to stand

頼む　（たのむ）- to ask

食べる　（たべる）- to eat

違う　（ちがう）- to differ

使う　（つかう）- to use

疲れる　（つかれる）- to get tired

着く　（つく）- to arrive at

作る　（つくる）-to make

つける - to turn on

勤める　（つとめる）- to work for someone

出かける　（でかける）- to go out

できる - to be able to

出る　（でる）- to leave, to go out

取る　（とる）- to take something

撮る　（とる）- to take a photo or film

鳴く　（なく）- to chirp, roar, croak etc

無くす　（なくす）- to lose something

習う　（ならう）- to learn

並ぶ　（ならぶ）- to line up, to stand in line

並べる　（ならべる）- to line up, to set up

なる - to become

脱ぐ　（ぬぐ）- to take off clothes

寝る　（ねる）- to sleep, to go to bed

登る　（のぼる）- to climb

飲む　（のむ）- to drink

乗る　（のる）- to ride, to get on

入る　（はいる）- to enter, to contain

はく - to wear, to put on trousers

始まる　（はじまる）- to begin

走る　（はしる）- to run

働く　（はたらく）- to work

話す　（はなす）- to speak

貼る　（はる）- to stick

晴れる　（はれる）- to be sunny

引く　（ひく）- to pull

弾く　（ひく）- to play an instrument

吹く　（ふく）- to blow (wind)

降る　（ふる）- to fall (rain, snow)

勉強する　（べんきょうする）- to study

曲がる　（まがる）- to turn, to bend

待つ　（まつ）- to wait

磨く　（みがく）- to brush teeth, to polish

見せる　（みせる）- to show

見る　（みる）- to see, to watch, to look

持つ　（もつ）- to hold

休む　（やすむ）- to rest

やる - to do

行く　（ゆく）- to go

呼ぶ　（よぶ）- to call out, to invite

読む　（よむ）- to read

練習する　（れんしゅうする）- to practice

分かる　（わかる）- to be understood

忘れる　（わすれる）- to forget

渡す　（わたす）- to hand over

渡る　（わたる）- to go across

★　猫の手も借りたい (neko no te mo karitai) literally means “I even want to borrow a cat’s hand.” ★　You use this kotowaza when you are so busy that you feel like you would even take help from a cat. みなさんはどんな時に猫の手も借りたいですか？ ‎ฅ'ω'ฅ　 http://www.punipunijapan.com/neko-no-te-mo-karitai/

Here’s some weapons for your essay writing arsenal!

Hemingway Editor Calmly Writer  The Most Dangerous Writing App Purdue O.W.L. One Look Thesaurus JSTOR Google Scholar

Reply with your favourite or other great websites I didn’t include!

そうじゃないの？

そう　じゃない　の？

That’s not it?