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Language Learning Resources: Japanese

Language Learning Resources at Willamette University

こんにちは!

Looking for language learning help? You have come to the right place!

Regardless of your language level, we have something for you!

Join My Japanese Space on WISE for resources and help documents . You can sign up for tutoring through WISE. For a step-by-step on joining WISE sites and signing up for tutoring, check out the document on the home page of this guide.

The DLS offers various software programs such as TellMeMore and Rosetta Stone for your independent language learning.

Planning on studying abroad? The DLS has put together a list of helpful resources and ideas of things you can be doing now to prepare you for your perspective country (below).

Bring some friends and come over to the Digital Learning Studio (Ford 101) to check out our new Japanese board games!

Japanese Resources

Blogs about Japan

Tofugu A wild and wacky Japanese blog ran by former WU grads. Features a fresh approach to learning Japanese.
Neojaponisme An academic look into Japanese pop and alternative cultures.

General Culture

Japan Reference A good starting location for a wide variety of Japanese cultural topics.
A Country Study: Japan Library of Congress' collection information on Japan.

Fashion

Style Arena Tokyo Street Style fashion blog, with photos categorized by city section.

Misc

Brovision Free streaming video clips about life in Japan.

Games

Coolest.com with "Kanji Trainer Penpen" for Windows Collection of old but useful webpages and software (Windows) to aid with studying Japanese.
Japanese Prefecture Quiz Brush up on your Japanese geography!

gogen-allguide.com - A dictionary that provides the etymology, or origin, of Japanese words.
Denshi Jisho - jisho.org: Three dictionaries in one! Traditional En-Jp/Jp-En dictionary plus a kanji dictionary that lets you look up characters by radical or stroke count AND an example sentence dictionary to help you learn words or phrases in context.
tangorin.com: Comprehensive example sentence dictionary. Make a free account and you can create and save vocabulary lists of words you study.
オンライン辞書・辞書リンク一覧 : For intermediate/advanced students. A collection of Online Japanese-Japanese Dictionaries
The Counting Dictionary, a Dictionary of Japanese Counters Useful for studying how to count in a language without plurals.

Quizlet.com - Quizlet is a flashcard website where users may either create their own flashcards or choose from millions of other sets already created. There are several ways to study your flashcards, including multiple choice tests or study games. You can even add images or listen to audio files for individual words. It is easy to create and share material and Quizlet is good for studying almost any subject!
Kanji
- Kanji Alive
- Kanji Worksheet

POPjisyo.com and Rikai.com - Surf Japanese web pages with a study tool that will translate the text you put the mouse over into Hiragana (if it is Kanji) and then give English explanations.
Rikaichan: Browser Add-on for Firefox users. Similar to popjisyo.com and rikai.com, this add-on gives you a quick and easy way to find out the reading or definition of Japanese text. There is also a names dictionary available. Download at:www.polarcloud.com/rikaichan

In the DLS - The computers in the lab have been equipped with a keyboard layout with different input options for Katakana and Hiragana that is helpful for word processing when you are writing a paper, class presentation, or researching on the Japanese web.

Nakama 1 and 2

Nakama 1 Learning Tools

Tutoring - Get essay help, ask grammar questions and practice your language skills with native Japanese speakers! Click “Sign-up” on the left side of WISE to schedule an appointment with your language assistant.
Online Japanese Language Study Materials
NIHONGO eな - Portal for Learning Japanese - A collection of online resources for Japanese Learners. LOTS of stuff here! Covers all levels of study and a wide range of areas. http://nihongo-e-na.com/jpn/
Mixxer - Through Skype, you can be matched up with a native speaker, who is also interested in learning English. Don’t stress, you’re both sharing and learning!