Japanese
After taking an great interest in the culture, I thought it would be beneficial for me to learn Japanese. This was also something that I wanted to do out of interest and general appeal of the language. I would also spend part of my free time watching Japanese anime, which only furthered my interest in the language. However, because the language is so vast, it was difficult to find a place to start. I discovered that there were three different transcripts used in the language including, Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. Within a few days, I was able to read all of the Hiragana and Katakana characters, and even as of right now, I am working through the Kanji, as there are over 2000 characters in total.
Why Japanese?
As aforementioned, the culture was something that intrigued, and I was already passivley learning the language from the various TV shows that I was watching, although I would not recommend this method for actually learning the language. In school and college, I would spend whatever free time I had practicing Japanese in a small notepad. This way I was able to keep myself busy outside of my own home where I would do most of my studying. During this time, I would also watch educational videos on both learning about the Japanese language and culture.
Work and Resources
After learning the fundamentals of the language, I decided that I would look for ways to further my understanding of the language. It was during this time that I learned about the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). The JLPT is a testing service which is used to measure an individuals level of understanding of basic Japanese. Since a certificate is awarded after passing the test, I thought that I should put myself to the test and apply for it. Towards the end of the this year, I will be applying for the JLPT N5, which is the entry level exam.
Some of the materials and notes that I using to practice for this test can be seen below.
