Japanese Language Help...

[Aka-chan]

Otaku no baka ja nai

"ja nai" is a less formal form of "de wa nai" or "de wa arimasen". So the speaker, were one to be literal, is saying" I'm not an idiot otaku." Depending on the tone of voice, though (and this shows up predominatly in conversational Japanese--not formal) actually makes it an emphatic agreement with the statement preceding the "ja nai". So it may mean something like "Isn't he such an idiot otaku!" I'd have to see the situation and here it spoken...

[Cuddles da Bear]

This may be a bit presumptuous of me but I've been learning the Katakana alphabet and I've been doing some practice with it. Certain Japanese words that I know I've been attempting to write them in Katakana and the attached image is the result. I figure that it's probably wrong even though I think it's just a matter of using the letters to form the word but even if I am wrong it is a good exercise for me. ^_^

http://www.deviantart.com/view/34461270/

[Myoti]

Okay, I just recalled another one:

When is the article (is that the right word?) "na" suppose to be used? From where I've seen it, it seems like it has a similar meaning to "no," but... for different kind of nouns or something? O_o

[Aka-chan]

Good practice, Cuddles! Keep it up! Do you want corrections? (It is, overall, quite correct and looks REALLY good, but there are one or two that are a little off.)

Okay, "na" is much like "no" but you pretty much just use it with adjectives that don't end with an "i" (there are a few "i" adjectives that are exceptions--"kirei", pretty, comes to mind). It just connects the adjective and whatever it's describing. "Rippa na egao" (a fantastic smile) or "Iya na no wo suteta" (I threw away the ones I didn't like.)

[Cuddles da Bear]

Aka-chan: Yes please, I would sooo love corrections and would appreciate your assitance in any way possible. I want to get the Katakana down 100% before I move on to Hiragana.

[Myoti]

Okay, "na" is much like "no" but you pretty much just use it with adjectives that don't end with an "i" (there are a few "i" adjectives that are exceptions--"kirei", pretty, comes to mind). It just connects the adjective and whatever it's describing. "Rippa na egao" (a fantastic smile) or "Iya na no wo suteta" (I threw away the ones I didn't like.)

Ah, I see now. Arigatou.

I want to get the Katakana down 100% before I move on to Hiragana.

Nani? You did Katakana first? O_o

[Azier the Swordsman]

You should learn hiragana first. Katakana is only used for foreign loan words or for exclamation, so it's not used much.

Hiragana is used for writing 99% of the written Japanese language itself, (excluding Kanji) thus making it the more essential system to learn first.

[Myoti]

Yeah, that's what I thought.

I still need more practice on Katakana. I know it, but I can't recognize/remember it as well as hiragana yet...

[Neko Niisan]

"ja nai" is a less formal form of "de wa nai" or "de wa arimasen". So the speaker, were one to be literal, is saying" I'm not an idiot otaku." Depending on the tone of voice, though (and this shows up predominatly in conversational Japanese--not formal) actually makes it an emphatic agreement with the statement preceding the "ja nai". So it may mean something like "Isn't he such an idiot otaku!" I'd have to see the situation and here it spoken...

Ta much! (Situation here if your interested...)

[Azier the Swordsman]

Yeah, that's what I thought.

I still need more practice on Katakana. I know it, but I can't recognize/remember it as well as hiragana yet...

It takes a while to get used to katakana, since it's not used as often.

Try this book:
Remembering the Kana by James Heisig.

He provides a great method which makes the characters a lot easier to remember.

You could also try making flash cards of katakana words and drilling them, which is actually more efficient than drilling the single characters themselves.

If you were a member of Yes Japan, they have some great practice games...

[Myoti]

Well, it's only a couple. I KNOW all of them, I'm just still trying to work on them, that's all. =p

[Cuddles da Bear]

What?! Hiragana is easier to remember than Katakana? Somehow I don't think so...maybe I'm just weird, lol. But I'm actually playing Knuckles in Chinaland and they went through Katakana first that's why it's the only alphabet I know so far and I didn't want to move on to the next one 'Which happens to be Hiragana' until I learned Katakana completely.

[Aka-chan]

One generally learns hiragana first, but with Japanese being like it is today with all the gairaigo (foreign loan words), I find you become equally proficient in both hiragana and katakana. I don't think it matters too much.

Unfortunately, I'm currently traveling, so my internet it slow and sporadic. I'll try to keep up with answering questions. Images take forever to load, though, so I'll have to post katakana corrections later and check out the "ja nai" situation, too. Gomen ne, Cuddles and OtakuX.

[Cuddles da Bear]

But...doesn't Hiragana actually have like 100= characters in the alphabet? ;_; I'm very intimidated. I have a bad memory too, lol.

Take your time Aka-chan, enjoy your trip!

[Aka-chan]

Hiragana corresponds exactly with katakana; both are phonetic, they just use different symbols for the same sounds. And many of them look surprisingly similar (there are reasons for that, but I will spare you the character etymologies.) If you've breezed through katakana the way it sounds you have, hiragana should give you no trouble.

Kanji, on the other hand, has several thousand characters. =P

[Azier the Swordsman]

Hiragana and Katakana both have the exact same character count each. (Around 100).

Niether one is neccesarily easier than the other, depends on you.

Hiragana is typically learned first, because it is more neccesary.

Learning Katakana alone will only give you the ability to read 5% of the language or less.

For example: This is how you would see a kana only sentece:

わたしのなまえはクリス。　きみは？

As you can see, while katakana is ultimately neccesary, it doesn't do you much good at all to learn it first.

[Myoti]

わたしのなまえはクリス。　きみは？

Watashi no namae wa Burado. o.o/

Dang, I need to get that kana program (when I get the new computer; putting it on this one would kill it...).


And I believe there's 71 hiragana/katakana (each):
-Vowel line (5)
-K line (10 counting 'G')
-T line (10 counting 'D')
-S line (10 counting 'Z')
-H line (15 counting 'B' and 'P')
-N line (5)
-M line (5)
-R line (5)
-Y line (3)
-W line (2)
-'N'

[Cuddles da Bear]

Ohhh, okay. Well I need to keep practising then ^_^

[Azier the Swordsman]

Watashi no namae wa Burado. o.o/

よろしくお願いします。　俺クリス。CAAは凄いね。

[Myoti]

ACK11!!11!1

Don't attack me with kanji yet! /x.x\

[Azier the Swordsman]

ACK11!!11!1

Don't attack me with kanji yet! /x.x\

死ぬ、外人！

ハーハーハーハーハーハー！

[Cuddles da Bear]

Umm...

ha ichi ha ichi ha ichi ha ichi ha ichi ha ichi !

[Myoti]

死ぬ、外人！

ハーハーハーハーハーハー！

Stop laughing... kisama aho desu. >_>

(Why are the insults always so easy to learn...?)

ha ichi ha ichi ha ichi ha ichi ha ichi ha ichi !

When using katakana, the line (what looks like "ichi") is meant to extend the last sound.
I.E.:

Wa N Pi- Su

Would be: Wan Piisu.

*waits to see who knows what I'm referencing... Xp*

[Cuddles da Bear]

Ohh, thanks for pointing that out. And are you referencing One Piece?

[Myoti]

Hai. That I am. And you're welcome. =D

[Cuddles da Bear]

Okies! ^_^

By the way, would you happen to know what Batteyo means. I hear Naruto say it all the time and some fans say he's saying 'Believe it' but other fans that actually speak Japanese says he's not saying 'Believe it' but it's just 'something he says'.

Could he be saying it like a slang term like 'you know' or 'like'? You know, like how some people talk...you know...like me?

Anyway he says it like every 5 minutes and it's driving me crazy, it's been on my mind the WHOLE day. I MUST know what it means...I MUST!


By the way, your umm...thing under your avatar, 'So HIP to be "Square!" What does referenceing someone to a square mean? I heard it means they are a nerd.

[Myoti]

"Dattebyo," you mean? o.O
From my understanding, yes, it actually means "Believe it," so all those fans complaining about don't know what they're talking about. Xp

By the way, your umm...thing under your avatar, 'So HIP to be "Square!" What does referenceing someone to a square mean? I heard it means they are a nerd.

Yes, it does. I was using that as a joke for what's in my avatar (the square giraffe guy; loooooong story XD ).

[Cuddles da Bear]

Riiight Dattebyo, that's what I meant >.<

That's a giraffe?? O_O Actually, I can see it now.....scary. If the story isn't too long, maybe you'd like to share it.

[Aka-chan]

??????

?????????????

I think you want "shine", btw, not "shinu" in the way you're using it--as an imperative. Man, if this comp had kana/kanji capabilities, I would so answer in like.

Now, now, Myoti, let us speak kindly to one another, even in Japanese. =P (Nah, the insults are the most fun--and the easiest to learn, as you said! XD)

As for "dattebayo", I've never run into it outside of Naruto, but as far as I can tell, it's mostly an emphatic that he uses a lot to highlight what he's saying. "Believe it" does basically the same thing, but is not a literal translation (I don't think there is one.) I've looked at a number of translations for Naruto, and "believe it" never showed up before the dub, so I'm inclined to say it's just the way the dubbers translated the spirit of the pattern, not it's literal meaning. In a way, "believe it" kind of works because it's unusual to hear (especially tacked on to every sentence) and ends up sounding a little strange and somewhat awkward.

[Myoti]

Now, now, Myoti, let us speak kindly to one another, even in Japanese. =P (Nah, the insults are the most fun--and the easiest to learn, as you said! XD)

Ha, gomen. It's just too much fun. XD


About "Dattebyo":
What I've really heard is that the later part ("-ttebyo") is suppose to be closely resemble "believe it" or such (or the "spirit" of it, as you said), but the word itself is just made-up gibberish in itself. :p