Learning Japanese

I’m determined to learn Japanese.

I’ve traditionally been quite bad at learning new languages – I just barely passed Spanish class back in high school – but I’m very determined this time. As a fan of things like anime and manga (and Japanese culture in general), I’d love to understand more of the language. And someday I’d like to go to Japan – which means knowing even just rudamentary Japanese would be very helpful.

Just today I ran across a site that might help me learn Japanese – it’s called iKnow, and I ran across it thanks to Twitter user dannychoo (he also has a website, dannychoo.com, which is very nice if you’re interested in Japanese culture).

I had tried other language-learning software and found it cumbersome to use, and difficult to stick with (which is key for learning any language). But this iKnow site seems much better somehow – it’s difficult to say why. (Interestingly, the site supports OpenID, which is really nice!) I like it, and I’m going to give it a try – and really try to stick to my goal this time.

We’ll see how it works out. If you’re interested in learning Japanese, give it a try!

By Keith Survell

Geek, professional programmer, amateur photographer, crazy rabbit guy, only slightly obsessed with cute things.

2 comments

  1. Hey! My own favorite Japanese learning site, although expensive, is http://www.YesJapan.com. I’ve been going there for years. They not only have language lessons, but music and educational and entertaining videos. I definitely want to check out this one though. It’s new to me!

    Ganbare!!

  2. I like iKnow because it has a nice lesson planner in it – it helps you stay “on track.” Or, at least, it helps ME stay on track by forcing me to do my lessons each day!

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