Live & Learn Japanese
Home>>Language Index>Japanese Audio Lessons You'll find all the resources you need to learn Japanese language for free right here. Recommendations which on audio lessons are best, which software to use, the best dictionaries and exercise books, and much more... However if there is something you would like to know but can't seem to find it through us, please let us know - we will be happy to do some research and do our best to dig it up, and improve the site for you. The comment box is at the bottom of this page. Language SynopsisThis language is spoken by over 140 million people around the world, with the majority of them living in Japan. The grammar of the language seems to reflect a society that puts, or at least used to, put alot of emphasis on heirarchy. Thus when speaking it is made clear what status the speaker or listener is. Generally, the language is written with the use of either of three different types of script. They are kanji, hiragana, and katakana. In addition, Latin letters are also used, called romaji, which can be used for foreign words, company names or products. Below is a table showing the Kana script, which is syllabic and phonetic... making it probably the easiest for a foreigner to learn. 
Useful Phrases Hello - konnichiwa How are you? - Genki desu ka? I'm fine - Genki desu What is your name - Namae wa nan desu ka? My name is Mike - Watashi wa Mike desu Nice to meet you - Hajimamashite Goodbye - Sayonara See you later - Mata ne I don't understand - Wakarimasen Please - Kudasai Excuse me - Sumimasen Sorry - Gomenasai Yes - Hai No - Lee
Learning Live OnlineThere are lots of avenues to learn Japanese language online for free... cheack out LiveMocha is an online language exchange community whereby you can connect with others learning your native language and by conversing half in one and half in the other, each can practice the other's native language. It is completely free to belong to this online community! BBC Course Also try this as it's a great way of guiding you through the learning process! Japanese Culture CornerCultural Quirks: Go to our Body Language page to see a video and more information on gestures and codes of physical behavior in Japan. Very interesting! National Dishes and recipes: Everyone seems to know about Sushi, and everyone seems to associate it with raw fish. Although it often does come with that, the term "sushi" is abit like the term "pizza" in that you can make sushi with almost whichever components you'd like! Generally it is formed using a Bamboo Sushi Mat Miso soup is another classic dish, probably as popular as tea in England. And get a load out of Ramen noodles... they have to be eaten quickly so as to enjoy them at the right consistency and this means making slurping noises a must! For more ideas at home and tips for making this style of cooking easier, check out Let's Cook Jap Food!: Everyday Recipes for Home Cooking
Music: Check out some traditional Japanese music using the box below:
Help Others Live & Learn LanguagesAre you learning this amazing language? If you are, we'd love to hear about any suggestions you may have about learning the language. Which resources have you found useful? Which haven't proven that great? Please e-mail us your findings using the form below. Your shared language learning experiences will save other language learners' time, energy, and money. In fact, that is the the mission of Live & Learn Languages!
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, sheets of dried seaweed, sticky rice and rice vinegar. The filling ingredients after that are really up to you! You could put tuna, sliced omelette and sliced cucumber for example. Try making this at home and enjoy it with pickled ginger slices and the infamous Wasabi sauce, our favorite at LLL!
. This book provides super easy recipes and takes the mystery out of Japanese flavors by enabling you to replicate them easily! Written by an American who married into the Japanese culture, alot of recipes have been made meatier, for those Americans with a tooth for meat, but they can easily be turned into vegetarian dishes aswell.
