Ojaru-maru: Ojaru to Okeiko Aiueo DS isn't necessarily made for adult learners of Japanese as a second language. In fact, it isn't. It's made for children. But the first thing you learn from trying to learn a new language is that being illiterate is pretty much the same experience whether you're 4 or 40. Materials designed to help kids learn to read in their first language are pretty useful for adults learning it as a second language. Unless they're too hard.Ojaru-maru DS helps you learn to speak and read very basic Japanese. It contains games that train kids on how to read and write the kana syllabaries, and pick the correct numeral classifier for counting different varieties of objects. There are also speaking exercises that require you to pronounce phrases into the DS mic. It's made for Japanese native speakers, but this vaguely approaches the idea of a My Japanese Coach. It could come in handy for at least learning how to read the Media Create listings every week!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-05-2007 @ 6:00PM
Vast said...
Um.... that's Hiragana, not Katakana.
And yes, I would know.
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12-05-2007 @ 6:09PM
Superstar90 said...
Umm... Katakana and Hiragana combined form the Kana. That's why it says "Get your KANA on..."
Oh yeah.... and you DON'T know
12-06-2007 @ 11:40AM
Greyseal said...
I'm totally importing this... just started learning Japanese a few months ago, and this might help me speed up my kana sightreading (I'm... so... slow... right... now...).
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12-06-2007 @ 12:41PM
ssrgc said...
There's a homebrew app that I love.
Project JDS: http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/31/learn-japanese-with-homebrew-ds-app/
Joystiq is kinda selling it as a Japanese to English, but IMO it's better used for English speakers who want to learn Japanese. I've been using it daily now. It's got Hiragana and katakana alphabets and you can hear each one pronounced with a touch of the stylus.
I think the meat of it is guessing which syllable matches the English letters. You can adjust it to your "skill" level. You can turn on and off columns of the alphabet and it will only test you on those you choose. You can also practice writing them, but JDS doesn't grade you on it, so it's just purely a writing tablet. There's a few other options that I don't feel like getting into. You can check it out on your own.
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12-08-2007 @ 9:44PM
Anonymoooo said...
So, um, will this teach much actual words, or just kana?
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