Toujin No Negoto　★　唐人の寝言

まる書いてどんどん覚える驚異のつがわ式漢字記憶術 maru kaite dondon oboeru kyoui no tsugawa shiki kanji kioku jutsu

Also see here for an older post related to this.

I've talked briefly about this game before, but please let me explain again. This is a game for the Nintendo DS aimed at a primarily Japanese audience. It's basically a kanji-teaching game, but its done in a unique way.

Basically, what Professor Tsugawa (I'm pretty sure he's a professor) thought one day was, hey why don't we just circle the areas that are the hardest to remember, use all out mental energy to focus on that one spot and remember it that way?

Yeah sounds like a poorly designed X-men power, but surprisingly it works. So in this game, you can go through a few random categories, like business, or everyday life. Only problem with a kanji game like this is that it's not great for beginner to intermediate foreigners, though great for the upper level students.

So why go out of my way to praise a game that I've already talked about before and don't really recommend to all?

Let me explain. Along with this title, the same creators made another game, that was not as widely available (read: there was no downloadable ROM image *ahem*). Now this version is the beginner or lower intermediate's dream. It'll take you through kanji from the beginning of the Japanese elementary level to the end of junior high.

This really is great. You have an actual start and finish! And if you finish this game, then you can go ahead and start on the original version.

For those of you who own a DS and the appropriate hardware, I will just give you the following information. I can't openly condone ROMs, but I will note that the original version's release number is 1305 and the new one is 3454. Good hunting!

I stumbled onto this program quite a while ago, but because of some errors on my part I neglected it until recently. It's basically a flash card application for the DS. A flash card system on the DS has a few advantages over the traditional flash card system: for one, there's the sheer hassle of carrying around sets of flash cards. Also DSLearnJ makes use of the DS's touch screen; you can write the kanji you're trying to remember and compare once you flip the card.

To use it, you don't need an instruction manual. Once you load it up, you choose the flashcard file to open, which parts you want hidden (for example you can hide the English meaning, the kanji, or the reading, or any combination of such), and off you go.

The word will be shown on the top screen, you can write it on the bottom screen. Simple. Press the lightbulb or the X button to show the hidden portions. Compare it yourself, and either mark it as right with the green circle or the A button, and continue, or mark it wrong with the red-X or Y button, and it gets put back into the deck.

Making the decks is not exactly brain surgery, but it can be tedious. You should use the program called JWPce. You have to make a .jis file, with the contents in this format:

Ｅｎｇｌｉｓｈ　ｉｎ　ｆｕｌｌ　ｗｉｄｔｈ　ｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｓ、、よみ、、漢字
Ｓｅｃｏｎｄ　ｗｏｒｄ、、にばんめのよみかた、、二番目の漢字
Note that the commas are Japanese style commas, and there must be two of them. Each section can be up to 28 characters in length I think. I guess you could swap the sections around if you wanted, I've never tried it though.

The main problem I had was that I used Microsoft Word instead of JWPce. It made buggy .jis files that sometimes worked sometimes not, and oftentimes made crazy spastic characters show up. Nowadays I write the flashcard files in word and just save them in JWPce.

A very simple, yet effective little application that has unfortunately been abandoned by its creator. The latest version out at most places is version 0.5, which is a completely stable and good version. Things that this version lacks however, are both the ability to scroll through multiple screens of flashcard files, and also it's missing a round-up summary when you complete every flash card. You can get this version from the official site here(link dead), which may need to be patched to work on your DS's card (you need one of those fancy schmancy DS cartridges that can read SD cards). If you have a newer SD cartridge, like R4, M3 Simply, TTDS or the like, you probably don't need to patch it.

After a little searching, I found some old posts by the creator where he uploaded his final version before calling it quits. This version makes some vast improvements over the previous version. It's version 0.6 and is hard to come by but I have it here for ya. But wait, there's a catch. This one has been pre-patched to work with the R4. It works with my TTDS, and I would guess the M3 will run it too, but it may not work on other cards.

The file is here:
DSLearnJ_0.6-R4.zip

I'll also share some of the flashcard files that I use. Some of them have minor mistakes, or vocabulary so old that even Japanese people don't know them, but for the most part they are very educational.

Kinosaki Ni Te Big.jis is made up of about 200 words that show up in Shiga Naoya's short story Kinosaki Ni Te. Expect these words to be rather old, as the story was written in 1917.

Koukotsu No Hito Big.jis gathers words I didn't know from the first chapter of Ariyoshi Sawako's Koukotsu No Hito (1973). A little newer, so words are perhaps more relevant than above.

Senbazuru Big.jis has words from the opening chapter of Kawabata Yasunari's Senbazuru (1951). Some words relating to tea ceremony here.

Yoji.jis collects a few various four-kanji combinations.

Grammar.jis includes some JLPT Level 2 grammar.

*UPDATE* 20/04/09

General1.jis some words largely relating to fish and describing fish.

General2.jis contains some words relating to sporting.

*UPDATE* 30/05/09

Boku To Issho.jis is made up of words mostly from the manga 僕と一緒 boku to issho.

Vagabond.jis has a lot of words from the first chapter of Vagabond.

Kihon.jis has some random words in it.

Anki 2kyuu.jis has some words I had to learn from Speed Anki.

Medical - The Body.jis An ongoing series of medical Japanese words.

*UPDATE* 4/06/09

Mecial Foot.jis contains words relating to the foot.

Medical Face.jis contains words relating to the face.

Medical Hand.jis has a few words about the hand.

Medical Illnesses and Medical Conditions.jis has a list of some common medical conditions.

Medical Inside The Body.jis contains words for organs/bones etc.

Medical Other Vocabulary.jis has some miscellaneous medical words.

Medical Skeleton.jis words relating to the human skeleton.

Medical Symptoms and Injuries.jis Some medical symptoms and injuries.

Medical The Senses.jis A small set containing words relating to the five senses.

For the purpose of time management, and efficient study, it may be a good idea to split large files into smaller ones. That way you can tackle a portion a day or so. I'll keep this list updated every time I make a new flashcard file.

It's not often that I do, or can, watch the same drama or movie twice. If I can, it must really be great. Hana Yori Dango is one of the dramas that I'm now watching for the third time. It's a love story, sure, but it's pretty damned cool. It stars some big names, such as Jun Matsumoto and Mao Inoue (who is beautiful I might add).

Anyway, I'm watching through the episodes now, and I came across a tacky, but cool metaphore that could be used to wow some native speakers at some point. Here goes:

The situation: Yuki has just found out her boyfriend is dating other girls, and she's sad. Soujiro (who is a tea ceremony expert), is consoling her over a cup of tea.

雪：苦い
ソウジロ：でしょう！俺もガキの時初めて飲んで、「これは人間の飲み物じゃない」と思って・・・　でも・・・実はこの苦さがいいの。　（中略）　恋愛も一緒。　辛くて、苦い恋があって、人は成長する。　雪ちゃんには今回の恋は必要だったんだよ。　次は間違わないよ・・・ね？

Yuki: nigai
Soujiro: deshou! ore mo gaki no toki hajimete nonde, "kore ha ningen no nomimono janai" to omotte... demo... jitsu wa kono nigasa ga ii no. (chuuryaku) renai mo issho. tsurakute, nigai koi ga atte, hito ha seichou suru. Yuki chan ni ha konkai no koi ha hitsuyou dattan da yo. tsugi ha machigawanai yo... ne?

Yuki: It's bitter
Soujiro: Isn't it? When I first drank it as a kid, I also thought "this is not a drink for humans..." but, actually, it's the bitterness that is good. (Middle ommitted) Love is the same. People have tough, bitter love, and they grow. You needed this last experience. Next time you won't make a mistake... right?

苦い nigai bitter
ガキ gaki kid, child, brat
人間 ningen human
恋愛 renai love
恋 koi love
成長 seichou growth

Japanese has a strange type of word that are not found in English, that have an interesting form. Called 擬態語 gitaigo and 擬音語 giongo, these words are usually made up of four syllables, with the first two repeated. My explanation sucks, but you'll get it soon. These words are not usually written in kanji.

Gitaigo are words are used as actions, adverbs, nouns, or adjectives. I guess the best way to show you is with examples. The gitaigo is in bold:

★ だらだらするな！ daradara suruna- Don't be lazy!
★ あの子のりのりとダンスしてるだね ano ko norinori to dansu shiterun da ne- That girl's really dancing in high spirits (as an adjective).
★ ますます好きになってます masumasu suki ni nattemasu- I'm coming to like you more and more (adverb).
★ だんだん好きになってきた dandan suki ni natte kita- I gradually came to like you (as an adverb).
★ ばらばらになった barabara ni natta - It fell apart (as an adjective).
★ うるせぇ、もじゃもじゃ urusee, mojamoja- You're really annoying, shaggy-hair (used as an insulting nickname).
★ 涙で顔がくしゃくしゃになった - Her face went gloomy with tears (used as an adjective).

On the other hand, giongo have the same repeated syllables, but express instead sound words (or onematopeia). For example 'bang bang,' 'knock knock,' 'thump thump.' In this way, sometimes they can be used as verbs aswell. Because they are onematopeia, you will often find them written in katakana, especially in manga.

★ あの人に近づいたらドキドキします ano hito ni chikazuitara dokidoki shimasu - when I get close to that person, I get nervous.
★　ドンドンとノックした dondon to nokku shita - He knocked with a bang bang.

I'm not even going to try and touch on how many possible combinations there are. If you ever go drinking with a Japanese person, shoot some random syllable combinations at them (e.g. Does guchagucha mean anything? How about taratara? or biribiri?). You'll be surprised and annoyed at how many there are.

Gitaigo and giongo are actually my weakest section in the JLPT, so maybe others also have trouble with this phenomenon. For you guys, check out this site, which has a lot fo various sound effects (not limited to giongo).

If you want a more detailed and technical explanation, along with some other examples, check out theWikipedia page on it.

There is a gitaigo/giongo dictionary online here.

Nintendo's innovational little, entertainment offering handheld box of technology is something to awe at. In thissss day and age of LCD screens, wireless internet and brain implants, Nintendo has delivered to us a blessing with a touchscreen.

Allowing interaction on a whole new level, the DS unlocks a great potential for sprained muscles and cramping fingers, but also learning (which of those sounds more painful?).

The Japanese realised this potential a long time ago. Games such as Brain Age have made their way over to the US and Europe form Japan. The object of the game is to become faster and faster at solving mathmatical or spatial problems using the DS's touchscreen to write or touch at the answers.

Anyway, it wasn't long before the Japanese started to create games aimed at increasing one's proficiency in language. Various TOEIC games have been released (which I've played, and actually got questions wrong ) for training English, with a Japanese interface. There are also games for learning and remembering kanji! Unfortunately these games are basically all in Japanese, and noone has picked up on the insanely huge market there would be for a kanji game aimed at foreigners.

The one I play most of the time is called:

〇書いてどんどん覚える：驚異のつがわ式漢字記憶術
maru kaite dondon oboeru: kyoui no tsugawashiki kanji kiokujutsu

Aside from being a possible runner up for the title of longest game title, the game itself is quite a good one. You can choose from six categories of kanji: fundamental, business, daily life, common sense, boasting kanji (for showing off), and kanken kanji (from the national kanji examination).

This game uses what is called the Tsugawa method. Basically, Mr (Dr?) Tsugawa says that if you circle the parts that you find hard to remember, your brain will better... remember them. I think it works. I've managed to get some 200 extra kanji under my belt thanks to this game alone, some of which Japanese people have difficulty with.

It is recommended for at least intermediate level students though, as it can be quite tough, though that said, it is probably the easiest of the kanji games I've tried so far.

I really can't do justice the number of kanji games out there, so I'll share a link with you: A blog aptly named Learn Japanese DS has (I think) a small review on every Japanese learning game out there.

*UPDATE* Naruhodo! has a good blog about Japanese DS games.

漢字そのまま楽引辞典
kanji sono mama rakubiki jiten

Can't dish out $400 dollars for an electronic dictionary? That's understandable. That's when this nifty little game comes in handy. It'll set you back about $30, and it provides the barebones of what you'd expect from a dictionary. You can look up Japanese→English, English→Japanese, and also Japanese→Japanese.

But how does one enter the characters with only 8 buttons at your disposal? Don't be stupid, you write them of course. The kanji-recognition system is the big selling point for this kind of dictionary. Even if you have no idea of the meaning or reading of a kanji, just write it in and it'll show up for you. Some people suck at writing, so it can also suggest other kanji that you may have meant.

An invaluable tool, but not foolproof. Of course you'll get a better experience from a real electronic dictionary, but it's pretty darn good if you ask me. Which you didn't.

But using these educational tools is not th eonly way to enhance your Japanese! They say the best way to learn a language is through immersion. So why not replace those boring English games on your DS with their Japanese equivilents?

This'll be easier if you invest in an M3 or R4, a device that lets you download the games from the internet and play them on your DS. With a 4GB memory card you can fit about 60 games.

Some games are better than others at contributing toward improving your Japanese reading/comprehension. One of the best would have to be:

ゼルダの伝説：無限の砂時計
zelda no densetsu: mugen no suna dokei

A very fun game with quite nice graphics. It is aimed primarily at children, so the Japanese isn't so hard, but there's an extra feature that is really, really useful: If you ever have a point where you can't read one of the kanji, just tap it with your stylus, and viola! It'll change to hiragana. When used in conjunction with a dictionary, this game should not stress your brain too much. Though I have to admit, even the English version of the game baffled me for a while at times.

The game itself is like any other Zelda, hack and slash really, with no real RPG elements. You collect gems of some kind, so its a long quest. Using the boomerag is cool though! Movement is done via the touch screen. Learning to control Link can be a bit tough, but you'll get the hang of it.

*UPDATE* In reply to a comment, the games are apparently importable from Play Asia.