[ShingekiDay]

Hi guys,
I'm about halfway through Transition year now and I've started learning Japanese by myself at home. I have a great interest in the language and Japanese culture. I also like anime and manga ect.

I'm considering doing Japanese for the leaving certificate and I plan to do it all by myself. I know this will make the oral and aural exams difficult but I'm willing to give it it a shot. I actually enjoy studying Japanese and find it easy when I put enough effort in. I also study German but I have no interest in it at all and I don't enjoy learning it. I got a higher level C in the Junior Certificate.

Is there anyone else who did Japanese for the leaving certificate using self study and what books did you use?
I also use online resources and dictionaries.
I've heard about the Genki series and I'm interested in buying that, but there is also a Japanese Leaving Certificate book called Nihongo Kantan (and Hiragana Kantan and Katakana Kantan).

ありがとうございます!!

Also does anyone know what JLPT level these books or your books bring you up to??

[sheep?]

Hello! Not sure how much help I can be, but I'll answer what I can:

The fact that you've started already is great! Get all the kana down and in your head as quickly as is comfortable for you.

The genki books are quite good, I enjoyed going through them. You can get them quite easily online if you search in the right places (if you catch my drift!). :-O

Do you have any contact with a native Japanese speaker, or someone who is quite fluent in it? Even once a week. Speaking, listening and replying are integral to language learning and I'd highly recommend getting a bit of practice in this. There are many things online that can help with this.

What online resources do you use? italki is handy for getting corrections from native speakers, and HelloTalk is an app that'll connect you directly with native speakers. Just off the top of my head.

On the topic of doing the LC course, can you speak with a teacher to discuss the exam and what is expected of you in it? That should be your first port of call, get an idea of the structure and percentage divisions in the test. They may also be able to tell you what JLPT equivalent the higher level exam is. (Unless someone here knows this).

I'd also aim to do a JLPT outside of the LC, it'll only help you. There are specific book levels for this, I personally found the Nihongo Challenge ones for JLPT 4.

probably more suited people on this forum to give you answers, but I hope I helped a little! がんばって！^_^

[ShingekiDay]

Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I looked around on the internet for the Genki books but they are so expensive. So I decided to have a look on amazon.co.jp and you can get genki 1, it's workbook and the answer key for about about 50 euro. I'm just worried about custom duty charges!

No I'm not in contact with a native Japanese speaker at the moment, but I have bookmarked italki on my laptop for future use. I'll probably start using it during the summer before I start 5th year.

I use Tae Kim's guide to learning Japanese, Japanese Pod 101, Memrise, Anki, some dictionary apps and I've recently discovered NHK world. I also hear lingualift is amazing but after the 14-day trial it's extremely expensive.

Japanese is not taught in my school but we have a careers guidance Councillor that can help with subject choice and she can help me to get started I hope. I have researched the Japanese LC syllabus and it seems achievable to self-study.

I hope to take the JLPT N5 test in December. To be honest I do hope to live in Japan when I'm older so I want to take JLPT tests and the LC as an extra push factor and motivation. A lot of people see those who take LC Japanese as silly Otaku's who just want to watch raw anime. But I genuinely have an interest in Japanese culture and I'd love to be able to speak their language.

Thank you so much for your help!!

[sheep?]

Regarding Genki, I'll PM you.

Tae Kim is great! And Anki is like a fifth limb for me at this stage. In a queue: Take out anki. Waiting for a bus: take out anki. You get the idea. ^_^

These are good sites I like to look at for info:

http://japaneselevelup.com/

http://www.tofugu.com/learn-japanese/

http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/

Whatever works for you, works for you. Definitely get used to speaking it out loud though, even if it's to yourself.

Many people live and work in Japan with very little Japanese (I was one of them! ). So going over with anything before hand is very handy. (Also, I personally despise anime, so I completely understand.)

[ShingekiDay]

Thank you!

Yeah I started off using Tae Kim's guide and I love Anki because I can use in anywhere.

Thanks for the links I'll have a look at them.
Yeah I used to practice every phrase I could remember when I started using Japanese Pod 101 when I was alone haha.

I want to work there when I'm older so I'd love to get a head start now.

I respect your personal opinion regarding anime, it's not for everyone