Richard Siken, A Primer For The Small Weird Loves

hi i really want to learn kanji/katakana but i dont know where to start

Hi! Yeah, Japanese can be really daunting at first because it feels like there’s so much to learn and many places to start. I’m not sure whether or not you know hiragana already, but I’m going to list the way I started with Japanese kana (hiragana + katana) and then moved on to kanji. ლ(╹◡╹ლ)

Anything in bold is something I use/used/highly recommend!

1. LEARNING THE KANA ALPHABETS (HIRAGANA + KATAKANA)

I personally recommend learning the alphabets separately. Master one alphabet (I recommend hiragana first because it’s what you’ll use the most), and then move on to the next. I spent 2 days learning and mastering hiragana, and then slowly mastered katakana over a period of a few weeks because hiragana is everywhere, but katakana wasn’t an immediate concern for me. Obviously you need to learn both, but if you know hiragana you can jump into grammar, kanji, and other lessons while slowly mastering your katakana skills and becoming familiar with that alphabet through katakana vocabulary.

Here are some kana resources to try out!

Learn Hiragana: Tofugu’s Ultimate Guide *

Learn Katana: Tofugu’s Ultimate Guide *

Hiragana Drag-n-Drop

Katakana Drag-n-Drop

StickyStudy (phone app; on-the-go flashcards for learning kana)

Real Kana (quizzes you in different fonts to help you get used to different styles)

Practice katakana with Pokémon

* I’m not personally a fan of mnemonics, but I know a lot of people swear by them so it’s worth trying them and seeing if they work for you!

Both kana alphabets will become easier with exposure, so just keep practicing them over and over! 

2. KANJI

Okay, so I’m going to be honest – everyone learns kanji differently. Some people benefit from just writing them 100 times, other people need flashcards, and some people can see them 2 or 3 times and remember them forever. You’re going to have to find the best way to learn for you, but the following resources will at least get you started. The rest is up to you ^^

Japanesetest4you – a good way to learn kanji is in vocabulary words, so once you’ve learned hiragana you can jump right in to learning new vocabulary and mastering kanji along the way! I love this websites way of splitting vocab into JLPT levels

StickyStudy (phone app) – this costs ~$9.99, but is unbelievably useful because it has kanji split into grade levels, allows you to decide how many you see everyday, and so on. I also like that I can use it on the go!

MindSnacks (phone app) – also lets you practice kana, but can expose you to kanji in a fun, game-like format

WaniKani – people have mixed feelings about this website because it works for some and not for others, but the first 3 levels are free so you can get your feet wet and decide if it’s right for you!

Memrise courses

This N5 verb list – a good start to basic, common kanji you should learn!

TEXTBOOKS + BOOKS

Genki – as far as I know, this is one of the most popular textbooks for learning Japanese and I can vouch they’re really good. They teach certain amounts of kanji each lesson and expose you to those kanji continuously, eventually removing the furigana to force your brain to remember the kanji reading + meaning alone!

Basic Kanji Book – I’ve personally never used this, but I see it everywhere on langblr and it seems like a popular way to start learning kanji

When it comes to kanji, I think it’s important to understand how to read them and understand how they work in Japanese. Almost every kanij has multiple readings. Kunyomi (訓読み) is the Japanese reading and is generally used when one kanji is by itself, while the onyomi (音読み) is the Chinese reading and appears in compounds.

For example: the kanji 話, when by itself, is read はなし (story), or はな (as in the verb ‘to speak’ - 話す, hanasu). However, when found in a compound such as telephone (電話 でんわ), the kanji is read as わ/wa. I recommend reading Tae Kim’s Guide on kanji to further understand them! Understanding how kanji operate in Japanese was really helpful for my own learning.

I think it’s also important to remember that even Japanese people didn’t learn kanji all at once! They learned them by grade, learning anywhere for 80-140 kanji per year until they were in high school. These are called The Jouyou Kanji (常用漢字) and are essentially the 2,000+ kanji Japanese people are expected to know by the government. You can learn more about them here and here.

Good luck with your studies and I hope this helps! 

my monthly spreads! then v. now :)

DIY Study Supply: Customizable Acrylic Board


Click on images for better resolution


Hey everyone! So I’ve recently been seeing acrylic board planners like this one circulating around social media, and I thought there could be a better way to implement the same thing - more customizable, more versatile, cheaper. Here’s one of the ways you can make a customizable acrylic planner for yourself! I have one of my own and it’s been a wonderful productivity tool. Hope you like it <3

Here’s a link to my printables that you can use as templates!

student reset routine - how to get back on track ⛅

hello everyone. in today’s blog post i’ll be sharing with you tips to reset and prepare yourself for a new week! 

planning and productivity

catch up on any incomplete homework 

declutter old papers from your folders

plan and schedule for the week

write your notes and do your worksheets

empty out the trash in your bag

finish up all your tasks

digital declutter

unsubscribe from pesky newletters

delete useless photos

clear your inbox

delete unused social media accounts

turn off unnecessary notifications

turn on ‘do not disturb’ mode

uninstall miscellaneous apps, if possible

personal wellbeing

do some stretching or light yoga

drink water

turn on the diffuser and put some lavender essential oil

go for a walk

take a shower

wash your face

i hope you enjoyed this post - and have a great week ahead! 💖

p.s let me know what you think of my new content! how can i improve? let me know in the comments section below, thank you! 

JULY 19 / 2019 

me: hey bud u have a lot of work to do 

also me: its fine i can watch netflix

me later: *gets stressed over the work i ignored*

me: :0 

thinking about “you haven’t met all the people who will love you” and like!!! you also haven’t found all the things that will make you happy!!!! there will always be new authors and musicians and artists whose work you will one day discover and love!!!! there will always be new hobbies and skills for you to learn and feel fulfilled by!!! there will always be new things around the corner that will bring sudden and unexpected happiness!!!!!!!!!!!

Free Digital Library & Reading Tracker Notion Template

It's Day 5 of the 12 Days of Giving! As someone who always wishes they could read more, I thought a space to store all my owned books, finished books, to read books, etc would be wonderful. This Notion helps to add detailed info to all your books and make organising and planning your reads manageable. Included fun features are built in genre & recommendations collections, and a "reread" suggestion date!

Download Free Here

Check back in each day for a new free item! Hopefully they're all useful and a fun way to end the year 🥰🎁

Lovely things to include more in your life: 

walking in the rain

waking up feeling refreshed

turning off your phone

hugging your friends

complimenting people

museum visits

taking photos of yourself and people u love

planting flowers and fruit trees

ice-cream in summer

songs to dance to

learning things because it interests you

walks in the middle of nature

cute pens and notebooks

cooking your own meals

potted plants in your room

sleeping on fresh linen

eating fruits

writing poems or diary entries

riding a bike 

dancing to songs you like

scented candles

make bucket lists and goals

watching classic films

swimming in the ocean

enjoying solitude

getting lost in a book

singing without worrying how you sound

smiling 

jewellery that has a special meaning to you

warm knitted sweaters

starting conversations

visits to the beach or park during sunset

making your bed

planning your day

freshly baked bread

drinking enough water

having a tidy room

decorations, like fairy lights and posters

words and books that inspire you

doodling and writing in a journal

exploring your city

being the friend you needed when you were younger

Thursday November 7th

Hope everyone is having the best dayyy, here with some notes from the other weeks in pink as always 🩷

Using kokuyo campus notebook <3

- ̗ ̀ study break ideas  ̖ ́-

if you have 5 minutes...

watch a TED talk

light a candle

paint your nails

put on a hair/face mask

splash your face with cold water

walk around your house

stretch

have a small snack

make a cup of tea/coffee

clear your desk

if you have 10-15 minutes...

watch a longer TED talk

watch a youtube video on studying/something educational

do some yoga

go for a quick run

have a shower

make a smoothie

power nap

workout

organise your desk

if you have 20-35 minutes...

watch a longer TED talk

watch one short episode of a tv programme

do a longer workout

go for a longer run

go for a walk

bake something

call a friend

if you have 40-60 minutes...

watch a documentary

watch one longer episode of a tv programme

go for an even longer walk/run

have a bath

have a one hour nap to help you remember things