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Japanese is Possible!
Week 26

The Purpose of JIP

It's been months since this was last discussed, so I'll bring it up again here. Japanese is Possible! was started to help Anime and Video Game fans learn Japanese. Readers of JIP are encouraged to search out countless other means to round out their study. Anime (both VHS and RealPlayer clips), manga, Japanese language books, Japanese music, magazines, websites, import video games, (and a lot more) are all great sources for Japanese practice.

JIP intentionally "simplifies" some of the grammar, (at least the first time an item is introduced) so that no one will be intimidated. Much of what JIP has taught so far is only the beginning. Many endings, forms, particles, etc. have a lot more to them than what we have discussed here. To learn what a "good Japanese sentence" sounds like, you have to read hundreds (and literally, thousands) of them yourself. You then start to get a "feel" for what sounds right, just like a native speaker.

JIP is not just an introductory course. JIP is now on part 26, but we're probably still in the first 5% of the total Japanese is Possible! course. Actually, there is no planned end in sight right now. Regardless of how long JIP will continue, we are definitely in the introductory stage right now. As time goes on, we will revisit old endings, and flesh them out a bit. You will be taught new ways to use them.

Since Maktos.com is only one website, there is only so much we can do for the Anime community. If you ranked all the people studying Japanese on a given day, you'd find 1000's of different levels of ability. You'd also find 1000's of different sub-topics they are interested in at the time. One person is interested in learning more on the -chatta ending, another might want to learn hiragana. One person might be interested in the polite form, another might want to learn Pokemon words so they can play Pokemon Gold. JIP will eventually cover all these areas. However, since it may be a while before some of them are covered, we recommend that you find other places to learn as well.

In the spirit of helping each other to learn Japanese, I recommend you post something on the Japanese is Possible! message board. Although there haven't been many posts in the last week (November 19-26), I assure you that a large number of people are "lurking", or browsing the message board. People are quick to respond to a post, and keep a conversation going. The problem is STARTING a conversation! I would recommend that you think of the grammar item you're the least sure about - and ask a question about it. For one thing, the feedback is valuable for the success of JIP. It can then be determined what should be covered in more detail. For another thing, almost every message posted so far has been answered at least once.

Also, if you've been following JIP for a while, you may want to review the words you've been given so far. A comprehensive list has been compiled, and it is recommended that you know all the words on this list. If you are new to JIP, I would learn these words at your earliest convenience. They are the words that give you the highest "return" on the time you invest studying. In other words, you are going to see these words in almost every Anime and Video Game. These are the first words you want to learn! You will want to learn the less common words (eventually), but no words are going to be as popular as these!

Example Sentences

pikachu no kiryoku wa sonna ni hikui desu ka?
pikachu ('s) energy (subject) that much low is?
Is Pikachu's energy really that low?

zenigame to no kyousou wa zutto hoshikatta n desu.
zenigame with ('s) contest (subject) throughout wanted is.
I always wanted to have a contest with Zenigame.

nido to hanasanai ze!
again (and) won't let go!
I won't let go again!

nido to aeru nante, sadame ka na?
again (and) meeting (thing such as) destiny perhaps?
Meeting twice like this, I wonder if it's destiny?

iwaaku wa yowaku nai kara, taihen me ni atta yo.
iwaaku (subject) not weak because, horribly suffered !
Because the Iwaaku isn't weak, (I) had quite an ordeal.

kimi no koto wa suki dakara, ki ni suru na.
you 's (thing) (subject) like therefore, don't worry
I like you, so don't worry about it.

anata ni michibiite, kono basho wo mitsuketa.
you (by) lead (and) this place (where) found.
Under your direction, I found this place.

hayama no ie wo mitsukeru to wa kiseki ka?
hayama 's house (what) to find (such as) miracle ?
Finding Hayama's house...isn't that a miracle?

From a Dragonball GT song:

sekaijuu ni chirabaru nanatsu no yume otte yuke yo
throughout the world scatter seven dreams follow (and) go !
Follow the seven dreams scattered throughout the world!

warui yatsu ni watasu na
bad guy (to) hand over (don't)
Don't hand (them) over to the bad guys.

Useful Words

Nouns

kiryoku - energy, vitality
kyousou - contest
nido to - again, a second time
sadame - destiny
kiseki - miracle

Adjectives

hikui - short, low
yowai - weak
nanatsu - seven (items)

Verbs

ki ni suru - to mind, care about
michibiku - to lead
chirabaru - to be scattered about
watasu - to hand over

Misc

sekai juu - throughout the world