Monday, September 30, 2019

Why I chose to study Japanese


I first encountered Japanese at my high school as a second language. I had some interest in Japanese but did not have the time and chance to learn more about it. Then I heard from couple of my friends that language classes at Columbia University are prominent and they were worth taking. I am excited about learning a language that can be useful for me as a person from a neighboring country of Japan and learning from the best. The most challenging thing during four weeks of class is the amount of time and effort that I need to put in compared to other classes. I am looking forward to speak Japanese fluently as my third language.  

23 comments:

  1. My name is Hina Yokota. I am Ritsumeikan University student. I study English now, but I have few chance to write English to foreign people.I am looking forward to contact with you.

    わたしのなまえはよこたひなです。わたしはりつめいかんだいがくのがくせいです。わたしはいまえいごをべんきょうしていますが、がいこくのひとにえいごをかくきかいがあまりありません。わたしはあなたとれんらくをとれることをたのしみにしています。

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    1. Hi, nice to meet you. My name is Tom Lee and I am currently a sophomore in Columbia University. I am also looking forward to contact with you.

      初めまして。わたしわトム・リーです。いまコロンビア大学の二年生です。わたしもあなたと連絡を取れることを楽しみにしています。

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  2. I definitely agree with you that the time commitment in this class is pretty significant. Good luck this semester, and I hope you reach your goal of making Japanese an additional language that you're fluent in!

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    1. Hi Matthew! Read your post about why you are studying in Japanese and that you are into Japanese ramen. Hope you get the most out of our Japanese class and reach your goal working at a Japanese tech. FYI, there is an amazing ramen place near Time Square if you haven't try it let me know lol.

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  3. Hi Tom!! I sympathize with you on the time commitment as well, especially the daily quizzes and homeworks. I had a similar experience too, where I have always wanted to study Japanese but never had the time to. I really love our Japanese class so far and I think we will learn a lot by the end of the semester. 一緒に頑張って!

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    1. Hi Cynthia! Definitely agree that our Japanese class is awesome and we are improving a lot. I also hope we can have the skills to speak only in Japanese by the end of this class! Can already feel our dialogues in class composites more Japanese than English 😊. 頑張ってね!

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  4. Hey Tom! I can relate to needing to put more effort into this class than others, especially since we have a quiz every class, and class every day. Also, I'm curious, are there many Japanese speakers in Korea since it is so close to Japan?

    By the way, I love how you decorated your blog page, it's such a vibe.

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    1. Hi Justin! To answer to your question, there are some decent Japanese speakers in Korea since we learn Japanese or Chinese as our second language in our middle/high schools. Also, there are people who learn Japanese so they can study or get a job in Japan. Feel free to ask always ready to reply!

      Thanks for the compliment lol.

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  5. Your blog reminded me to go back and make mine look nicer, so thank you for that. I'm also writing this while I should be studying for our quiz today--but then again, I get the sense that I should always be studying for this class since, as you said, the workload is considerable. Nonetheless, I am sure that it'll be worth it in the long run, since I already feel that everyone in our class has made significant headway in Japanese since starting the semester. You'll likely be speaking Japanese fluently in no time--at least, earlier than I will, for sure.

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    1. Hi Henry! Can surely feel that our class has improved a lot and agreed that we will be fluent in no time. Same here, I should be preparing for the midterm but I'm here writing replies lol. I believe what we are learning won't go anywhere and there will be lots of chances where we can apply our Japanese skills in the future.

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  6. Nice to meet you!
    よろしくお願いします!

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    1. Hi! Nice to meet you!
      よろしくお願いします!

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  7. I am meber of scuba diving cicle in the university. What is your hobby?
    私はダイビングサークルに所属しています。あなたの趣味は何ですか?

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    1. My hobby is meeting my friends. Usually like to play soccer and computer games with them. And go on a trip with them.
      わたしの趣味は友達にあいことです。だいたいサッカーとコンピューターゲームを一緒にします。そして旅行に行きます。

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    2. I love travelling too. Where did you trip in the world?
      私も旅行に行くことがとても好きです。あなたは世界中のどこに行きましたか?

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  8. Hi again Tom, Columbia's Japanese department is the best in the country and I'm really happy for you to have an opportunity to study under the professors here. The downside to that is the courses are very fast, very hard, and they take up a lot of your study time.

    I hope that you can visit Japan and use the knowledge you acquire here. Your efforts can pay off!

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    1. Hi! Didn't know that Columbia's Japanese department is the best in the country, and after knowing this I should definitely put more effort to soak in everything our sensei is teaching us. I visited Japan couple of times and I hope I can speak to natives fluently next time I visit!

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  9. にほんごはむずかしですが、おもしろいですね! I hope you'll get to use it a lot in the future!

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    1. Hi Kate! わたしも日本語がむずかしいですが、おもしろいですね!一緒に頑張ってね!

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  10. こんにちは、トムさん。TAの あけみ です。トムさんは かんこくご と えいご と にほんご が できるのですね。がいこくご(a foreign language) の べんきょう は たいへん ですが、日本に いくことを たのしみに して べんきょうを がんばって くださいね。I think when you are learning a foreign language, the thought of visiting or living in the country where the language is spoken motivates you greatly.

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  11. こんにちは、トムさん!にほんごのべんきょうがたくさんあります。でも、I almost feel like it helps keep me on track with everything else, because my mind is always active :)

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  12. せいいっぱいにほんとをべんきょうしましょう〜!

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  13. トムさんのブログはハンサムですよ!トムさんのブログがだいすきです。このブログをどのくらいかけましたか。

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