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Japanese for Leaving Cert

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  • 15-02-2016 12:09pm
    #1
    sh247
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭


    Hello,

    what books are needed for learning Japanese in the Leaving Cert? How should this learning be gone about (ie start with kana or kanji first?)

    Are there Japanese classes available in Galway (City), and if not, is it possible to sit the exam without ever actually attending a Japanese class? (ie self-study online, books, exam papers etc.)

    Thanks!
    Tagged:


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    #2
    sh247
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭sh247


    Also, would the essay for the Leaving Cert need to be written in hiragana/katakana or kanji? Or a combination of them all?


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    #3
    sh247
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭sh247


    A response on this would be greatly appreciated...


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    #4
    sh247
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭sh247


    Anyone at all?


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    #5
    eviltwin
    Registered Users Posts: 17,495 ✭✭✭✭eviltwin


    My daughter did it for LC, I will show her your questions later and see what she says. What I do know is that she's never attended a Japanese class in her life, she is self taught using Memrise


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    #6
    Konata
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,164 ✭✭✭Konata


    sh247 wrote: »
    A response on this would be greatly appreciated...

    OP, this is a very quiet forum, you'll need to be patient to get any responses.

    No idea what the recommended book is for the LC but the most important thing to do would be get a copy of the syllabus and then use whatever book you want (good beginner ones are the Genki series or Minna no Nihongo series) and make sure you cover every kanji/grammar point etc. etc. that appears on the syllabus.

    You need to learn kana first, then kanji. The essay would be written using a combination of all three.

    It's possible to teach yourself but remember that there is an oral component to the exam so some practice with a Japanese speaker would be extremely helpful for that. Listen to as much Japanese as possible to practice for the aural part and to make sure you're pronouncing words right if you don't have frequent access to another speaker.


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    #7
    Fifii
    Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭Fifii


    Im currently doing Japanese for the LC(Im only in the 1st year of the 2 year course so I am not the best source of information but...) so hopefully I can shed some light on the course. The books used are the Nihongo Kantan series by Ursula Zimmermann. My teacher uses the textbook, 2 workbooks (so far) called Katakana Kantan and Hiragana Kanatan and ALOT of handouts.
    I had planned on studying Japanese outside of school like you, and managed to buy the textbook online second hand. I have not seen it being sold by the bookshops like O'Mahonys or Easons, and my teacher ordered my classmates their books at the beginning of the year so you may have trouble getting your hands on it. Its published by The Linguistics Institute of Ireland, if thats any help.
    I would recommend starting with Hirigana and Katakana before Kanji. There are really great apps for this, I use Obenkyo (android) and these apps can help with Kanji too. I learned Hiragana and Katakana this way 100%.
    In regard to the essay, it is written in a combination of the scripts; Kanji, Katakana and Hiragana. Take into account that there is also an aural and oral section. I don't know if there are any classes near you but if at all possible I would advise it because I tried self study and the book is a bit tricky to follow (?).... But the subject is really great and very doable if you have an aptitude for languages and determination!
    Good Luck!


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    #8
    sh247
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭sh247


    eviltwin wrote: »
    My daughter did it for LC, I will show her your questions later and see what she says. What I do know is that she's never attended a Japanese class in her life, she is self taught using Memrise

    And how did she find it?


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    #9
    sh247
    Registered Users Posts: 14 ✭sh247


    Anyone else have anything to add? Japanese LC-takers seem to be few and far between so any help is appreciated.


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    #10
    vene.e
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭vene.e


    Fifii wrote: »
    Im currently doing Japanese for the LC(Im only in the 1st year of the 2 year course so I am not the best source of information but...) so hopefully I can shed some light on the course. The books used are the Nihongo Kantan series by Ursula Zimmermann. My teacher uses the textbook, 2 workbooks (so far) called Katakana Kantan and Hiragana Kanatan and ALOT of handouts.
    I had planned on studying Japanese outside of school like you, and managed to buy the textbook online second hand. I have not seen it being sold by the bookshops like O'Mahonys or Easons, and my teacher ordered my classmates their books at the beginning of the year so you may have trouble getting your hands on it. Its published by The Linguistics Institute of Ireland, if thats any help.
    I would recommend starting with Hirigana and Katakana before Kanji. There are really great apps for this, I use Obenkyo (android) and these apps can help with Kanji too. I learned Hiragana and Katakana this way 100%.
    In regard to the essay, it is written in a combination of the scripts; Kanji, Katakana and Hiragana. Take into account that there is also an aural and oral section. I don't know if there are any classes near you but if at all possible I would advise it because I tried self study and the book is a bit tricky to follow (?).... But the subject is really great and very doable if you have an aptitude for languages and determination!
    Good Luck!

    HI! If you still have your books, do you mind if I can get them second hand from you?


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    #11
    vene.e
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭vene.e


    sh247 wrote: »
    Hello,

    what books are needed for learning Japanese in the Leaving Cert? How should this learning be gone about (ie start with kana or kanji first?)

    Are there Japanese classes available in Galway (City), and if not, is it possible to sit the exam without ever actually attending a Japanese class? (ie self-study online, books, exam papers etc.)

    Thanks!

    How did your exam go? Was it higher level hard? And what about the oral?


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    #12
    Nagikami
    Registered Users Posts: 300 ✭✭Nagikami


    You can check out past Japanese exam papers and their marking schemes at examinations.ie and they also have an email address you can contact for information about orals.

    Here's a rundown of the Japanese Oral exam: https://www.examinations.ie/schools/Japanese_Leaving_Certificate_Oral_Examination.pdf
    Note that whether you do Higher or Ordinary, the content of the oral remains the same, so it's far better to aim to for Higher (which is not at all hard compared to, say, French or German)


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    #13
    asuna_cpl
    Registered Users Posts: 21 ✭asuna_cpl


    I would suggest Genki, as all of my non-Japanese friends seem to have gotten good value out of it. :)


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