こんにちは! This blog is going to be about my thoughts and experiences while I learn 日本語. I decided to study Japanese after I went to Japan in June 2013 for a course, part of which involved learning some Japanese. I became really interested in learning more of the language because it was such a complex and different language from English. Not only are there three writing systems with over two thousand characters to learn, but the word order is different (and very flexible), and the sound system is fairly different as well. I also made some friends while I was in Japan, and I want to be able to speak with them in Japanese a little better than I could when I left. At the same time, this is the first foreign language that I have had any exposure to actually learning, and I thought it would be best if I learned a foreign language.
I am really excited about getting to know Japanese and be able to read some of the souvenirs I brought back from Japan. In addition, I'm looking forward to making new friends in the class and being able to converse with other friends who have taken Japanese previously. I'm hoping that I will be able to develop handwriting that is better than my English handwriting, and possibly improve my ability to draw a little.
During the first few days, I have not found much to be difficult - but this is because I already had six weeks of education while I was in Japan. I do remember that learning to read and write Hiragana and Katakana were challenging, and getting the sounds right can be difficult.
I'm looking forward to a fun year of Japanese! I'll post updates every so often about what I'm learning or how I'm applying it!
じゃあ、また！
ダグ
