How to Read Japanese - Lesson#1 - Introduction: Three types of characters

[ChefdeEpique]

That's right, because romanji is for NEEEEWBZZZ.

[ChefdeEpique]

My name is _ and I'm Japanese.

That made me LOL and ROFLcopter for some reason O.O

[Tigon1023]

So, if I were to go to Google Translator and translate something into "Chinese (traditional)" it would essentially be the same as Japanese Kanji?

[binary0011]

Hi Hidetchi, you can speak very good English.

[TheImperiousIchigo]

It took me a whole hour to watch... Why?

’Cause I took notes!

[KolaCooler]

@TheImperiousIchigo same here ^^

[Xp5930]

Would it be easier to learn japanese if your a chinese?

[Regginyaga]

I just got traded a pokemon from japan and I'm trying to figure out what its name is

[BadAssJames69]

I need to learn japanese because most of the anime to manga conversions I want to read, are in Japanese not in english. People who are planning to comment, no I do not want to read manga online because there is a different feel to it than in reading the actual manga. just my opinion. :)

[mello1801]

@BadAssJames69 plus if read it online you have wait to get in translated

[BadAssJames69]

@ShiroKado what dating psp sim game? is it school days your talking about?

[Ms21Night]

i like your videos this really helps me a lot :) thank you

[EddieTheLightbringer]

@HIDETCHI Your English pronunciation is excellent!

[Burrblair]

whats used more in anime 1.hiragana 2.katakana 3.kanji please respond

[nickd1200]

@Burrblair

I'm guessing you mean manga which are the comics in which case all 3 are used interchangeably in a sentence.

[Burrblair]

the reason im wanting to read japanese is so i can read to love ru <3 Lala

[ZayLong]

i need to learn japanese so i can read Histeria Hyrule

[willie22233]

erm, by the way, 爱人means lover in chinese

[willie22233]

no no no, 手纸is not toilet paper

[iPodTouchAngel]

Japanese culture is the best! Anime, origami, sushi, the best kind of art ever... so many things that make me want to move there :)

[Clintimtired]

Hello I am trying to learn how to read Japanese so I can use MMD software and do other things. I think this will work. It's kind of exciting! I have a question for you do you think it's easier for a Japanese person to learn English than it is the other way around in your opinion? Oh yeah I think that Chinese Kanji for "love" looks like a lady with a hat on XD THANKS for doing this. this is going to be fun!

[AltairEgo1]

Very interesting. I had a feeling the kanji symbols were meant to look like pictures. I just never guessed that they actually were.

[royfox2010]

So basically to read Japanese, you need to learn what the kanji symbols stand for, the sounds the hiragana symbols stand for, and the same for katakana... and then you need to learn what, as an example, "neko" would mean?... Eep...

[linkmaster561]

wow transcribe audio has really gotten better

[snappleboy16]

What program are you using to write/draw?

[snappleboy16]

@snappleboy16 Nevermind, it's Corel Painter.

[kayserface]

Thank you. This will help alot. I love Japanese. The sound of the language, the culture, everything. Have a good day. :)

[DBZfan569]

what character do they use more in japan??

[Fluffypopcicle]

So is manga written in Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji? I just got into a manga called Little Jumper (pretty interesting concepts in this one. I recommend it to anybody who likes weird concepts and funny characters), and only the first 2 volumes are translated into English. I want to learn Japanese so I can read the other 5 volumes and finish the series. I don't really care how long it takes, I have always wanted to learn Japanese anyways.

[noxus418]

@Fluffypopcicle Depending on the Manga, but usually its a mix of all three. Child Manga is usually Hiragana+Katakana without/barely any kanji. Teen-onwards Manga contains mixture of all 3 usually.

[Fluffypopcicle]

@noxus418

Thanks.

[noxus418]

@Fluffypopcicle No problem. =]

[poke678900]

more Games

[BuddangaLaw]

Actually in chinese.

These are 1 character but.

The left side can be used for more characters.

The left is the main.

the right is the detail.

like hiragana exist of 2 things.

But with 1 it doesn't mean anything.

In japanese it's considered 2 characters.

While kanji is considered 1 cause they wanted to :p !

i guess ....

[spazitude80]

Ohhh one more thing and than I'll stop spamin your video. another good place is called I think japaneselesssons com or something like that

[spazitude80]

an awesome book on kanji is pict-o-graphix by Micheal Rowley it shows pictures and stuff to go with the kanji. I reccommend it

[gogomon4]

Arigato :)

[spazitude80]

animal grass and field bro

[spazitude80]

@spazitude80 or wait I think that first symbol means dog the top means grass and the bottem one means field I think if I remember my kanji correctly.

[olizelda]

that's a GREAT cat drawing :3

[MarshmallowKeyblade8]

you draw very good for da painting app

[icemillenium]

omg i love ur handwrittin its so kool im totally jealous XD ya ik it has nuttin to do wit the vid but i couldnt stop omging over it XD

[sourcheesepringles]

why are there 3 types of jap characters? do all japanese know the 3 types?

[Falcondick69]

im here so i can buy and play mother 1 2 and 3 in original japanese

[ultimademon3098]

Thanks alot!

[AppleSweetRose]

Holy crap! Thank you so much :D

[girotube]

Hey! DOMO.. I was looking for some samples of how to read.. well in which direction that is.. I've seen manga books and they start from the "back to the front"

So, my Q is, have the characters "evolved" to be read from left to right starting from the top Left now days??

Is it ok to write Hiragana characters from L to R >> like western writing.???

If I want to write Hiragana vertically, can I do the same thing.. L to R starting from the top Left??

THANX

[blueberryblossom1]

how long does it usually take to learn to read Japanese? i just got a new game but dont understand it..... hehe... the only thing i recognize is the "no" symbol *circle thingy*

[deathelixer]

My Academics has greatly increased! (P3 reference)

[iamSketchH]

Thanks so much. I've been having some problems learning to read because I never understood the different alphabets, but this helps much. Thank you. ♥

[sedohrable]

random thing i figured out...

when i type stuff in google translator in japanese, the words come out to be Katakana. But when i type a japanese that is translated into english, it comes out to be Hiragana. is that strange or what?

also, i haven't gotten far in the video, but i already like it. :D

[devdude53]

Thank you so much I've been studying to learn japanese

[sam9072000]

your handwriting is really nice.....

[ShiroKado]

Kanji look like Hanja( Korean Chinese characters)

[ShiroKado]

I need to learn how to read Japanese so I can play Japanese dating sims on my psp :) speaking I do pretty well

[robin922]

@ShiroKado hah, pretty much how i came here but not for sims only (A) want to play the valkyria chronicles 3 that was resently released in jap only : <

[warhawkfan1234]

I've got a question though, I've been recently looking up things like this because I've been using Rosetta stone to help me pronounce the words, and then I try to spell them using Hiragana, and it works with them, then I attempt to spell titles of things, and the pronunciation of the word, is way different! How do you remember all of them? I mean, you have english in your vocabulary as well, obviously.

[pokemonmaster049]

naruto :) i watch it

[RetroPlaya786]

IST LESSON IM SO CONFUSED

[thrashfan911]

i acually got into japanese pop culture by godzilla and gundam when i was little ahaha

[SkyFallXIII]

I want to go to college in Japan, and I sot of need to know how to read and speak Japanese

[123rasen]

i need this because i want to get a book in japanese origami book thank you so much!

[horsesrmylife54]

i wanna learn to speak because the english tokyopop is closing down!! no more gakuen alice in english! :,(

[number1yugihofan]

i wanna learn because of soul eater

[nitrome29]

wait i dont under stand so there are like 3 seperate japanese languages? how do they tie together? you should do a how to speak japanese too



[ProjecktDieTraum]

This is very interesting, good sir! Thank you for teaching this, it's very useful, and I'm actually learning something. You put things very simply, so that I actually CAN understand it, lmao. Thank you, once again!!

[dustintheslayer]

i want to learn japanese,for tales of the world radiant mythology 2,and other games

[ufogoat29]

Omz! Cat in Chinese means cat in Thai!

[TheSimsxForever]

Thanks for teaching basics. My dad is half-japanese and he is teaching me how to talk japanese but not read. Thanks!

[Warhiji]

LOL!!! I always thought "love" to be complex! this proves it! xD

[NeKoCuTiE2]

why are you giving me the finger :(?

[RedGuhren]

nice handwriting there...... even i cant write a perfect "T"......

[MetalMan1227]

I am watching this because I plan on buying Mother 1+2 and it is very difficult to play RPGs in a language that you don't understand.

[Nickj109]

@MetalMan1227 why exactly are you buying it in japanese (unless you live in japan)?

[awsomebleachfan]

hey do you know the literal meaning for Bankai........idk i tried to look it, up but theres always different meanings to it...O.O

[Nihonimo]

I like his pink dot.

[Kibibobo57101]

ushi=cow

inu=dog

neko=cat

hitsuji=sheep

buta=pig

kuma=bear

sakana=fish (alive)

nezumi=rat (in the house)

Just a few animals lol enjoy~

[langoknight75]

@Kibibobo57101 what about bunny

[Mr420rush]

@langoknight75 Rabbit in Japanese is usagi (うさぎ)

However, if you wish to say bunny, which is kind of a cuter form of rabbit you can shorten it to usa or usa-chan (うさ) or (うさちゃん).

[langoknight75]

@Mr420rush thanks

[12oliviapanda]

hey what program is this I could really use it to practice writing Japanese

[jaidonl11]

*snore* this would take me hella long to learn this.................. but now i know how to say cat in Japanese! WOOOOO

[rawrlz]

@jaidonl11

Neko is how you say cat.. and its not niko, its "neck-o"

Inu is dog

[zoraroxas]

i want to learn to read japanese so i can understand Kingdom hearts Birth By sleep Final mix cuz im planning to buy it..

[SuperHer0Fan]

Actually most people got to know Japanese chess from an anime called "Naruto". Yeah.

[qqiuyu]

thanks for the video.. but just for everyone's info, Chinese characters have more detailed meanings.. not because it resembles a cat. but each individual words, like the kanji (neko)-you see in the video, one of the stroke can actually represent other animals like dog,wolf etc.. doesnt really mean because the character resembles a cat.. :)

[zeido5]

Hi - What program and hardware are you using to draw this?

[LOLanjello]

Hey just wanted to thank you for these videos!..NOW I WILL BE ABLE TO PLAY THE TALES GAMES THAT ARENT RELASED HERE WAAHHH!!

[lampshades120]

i love asians! and pokemon

[themonkeyboy831]

i want read japanese so i can read the 3ds

[MrMaikuru]

i have a neko its called bigfatbobbycat

[MrMaikuru]

i just wanna know so i can play pokemon

[violetacomillas]

did you say you're japanese? why did you say narutow? instead of naruto. or nekow instead of neko? when do we use hiragana, katakana and kanji? thanks!

[HelloRiani]

08:46 = Mountain < Penis. Bahaha.

[chromeney]

who here want to learn japanese for the main reason of:

>more games to play

>more anime

>more manga

[vastolordes0]

@chromeney more anime

[HesDaryl]

@chromeney i like those but recently ive been getting into japanese comedy shows and stuff

[goatsandhos]

@chromeney

gyakuten saiban ftw

[crispsfromouterspace]

@chromeney i went to this vid straight after i got bored of reading eng subs in BRS

[EternalAbyss100]

@chromeney Yep i recently found out that Phantasy star portable 2 Infinity may not be being released in the West so i got the Japanese version, which incidentally has more content anyway, i recognise most of where things are because i played PS:P2 to death but would be good to read what's going on to !!

[EarthlingChild]

@chromeney LOL :D THIS COMMENT IS GREAT!

[RunescapeUtber]

@chromeney This sums up everything for me ESPECIALLY MANGA

[101Bijou]

@chromeney yeah all those and to practice to become a manga artist for me!!!! :)

[KenjiVEVO0]

@chromeney Ture true and true...But The reason Im learning it cuz Im schooling in japan in 2 years...and I dont want to go their asking everyone if they speak english

[6LettersOnly]

Karate originated from Korea than when Japan captured us Koreans you stole the martial art Karate.

[AlesanaSweetBerry93]

@6LettersOnly

LOLWAT SO TRUE

[lavamaster530]

Which is more commonly used in stuff like Japanese Games and Anime? Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji?

[xXTeRiYakiBOYXx]

@lavamaster530 Hiragana and names are in katakana

and for the im-super-sei-gun-poses Kanji

[lilkitten1218]

holy eff i was watching then anime naruto while doing this i paused the vid and came here xD

[olleryokel]

Try the Kanji Wordsearch iPhone app! Fun, and it tracks your progress.

[TheAwesomeEclipse]

I thought Hiragana was spelled Hirigana. O.o

[totopoo123]

ahhh man i wish japan stuck to using hiragana and katakana and china stuck to kanji, it just makes things much harder to remember =(

[jachis08]

Great Video! Loved it!

thank you!

[peacetaco96]

i just want to know what that characters mean so i can play a soul eater cgame, but i have no understanding at all of hpw some of hat stuff looks like its definition, like a hand? i just dont get it

[taitinpo]

very good lesson, I like it very much!

[nintendorascal]

Everyone is watching this for pokemon black. Admit it.

[xXTeRiYakiBOYXx]

arigatou shimas master sensai ;D

[AnielleLeeThe4]

I'm here to learn how to translate some manga!!

[theproisback]

im here to learn jap for pokemon too!! thumbs up if your also here for pokemon black and white!

[GregtheGreat191]

what program was that

[GaBiLicIoUS16]

Hi HIDETCHI. I was just wondering... would these videos be convenient for us people who want to learn how to read japanese, but can't speak it at all? Like for example learning to read Japanese to understand Japanese video games? Please take your time to answer this? - gaby

[Necromasty]

Very helpful! Thankyou :D

[NintendoMaster77]

This made my day...well, its night here right now, so maybe I should say 'This made my night!' haha.

Thanks for showing the video though, I love Japanese!! :D

[chilliwilly1000]

the reason why i want to learn how to read japanese is because of Pokemon! :D

[kingdomkey1412]

umm shogi from naruto? thats ....

[Mik9805]

@kingdomkey1412 shikamaru plays shogi alot, prolly got it from that

[inlove470]

I LOVE NARUTO MAN!!!

[crazywithbraces2121]

非常に私を助けていただきありがとうございます！

[ZeldaWolf2000]

thanks man this is awesome :)

[dragonriderrosa]

:O tutorials to read japanese.... shooooot you just got another subscriber!

I'm studying to be a doctor and I would like to know at leaste three languages for my profession. I thought Japanese would be alot more fun than spanish or something. ^^

[illlovepierre]

hand+paper= toilet paper? XDDDD

[crazytaxizoo]

I am a Taiwanese,too. but I think 手紙 did means toilet paper in" China", we just don't use that term in Taiwan^_^. And.., i think, 愛人 doesn't really close to SPOUSE, I think it's more closer to boy friend/girl friend^_^, your videos are goood, I want to learn japanese

[natsoy]

hope this video helps me read japanese when playing some japanese psp games. LOL. anyway. thanks a lot. :)

[KiraLovesEmoBoys]

@isuckatguitar12 not really I know hirigana and some katakana and it's not that hard to read it anymore =)

[isuckatguitar12]

would japanese language/writing be hard to learn? i mean if you really dedicated to it would it still be really really hard to understand?

[sportychick092]

you write really good, considering you're using a mouse!

[Aar0nDavis]

Hey guys, watch this with closed captions!!! It's really really funny what the captions say compared to what he says.

(No offense, HIDETCHI)

[TheFlipzPride]

@Aar0nDavis ye it's funny.. it's always like that on every videos.. so different.. even when Americans are speaking..

[treblig1995]

thx for this im 14 and i want to learn japanese by the time I graduate cuase soon im gonna be a freshman in highschool and it would be nice to have this with me through it.

[Devilmon484]

From an anniiimmme called naaaruuuuuto lol u cracked me up when u said those XD

[LOLkimmiLOL]

thank you SO much.

this is very interesting and don't worry, you're not so bad at drawing xD

[MrGamerhelper98]

I have a question what if you were to write the word business in kanji theres no picture of business like that, what if there is no picture of a word you want to write like if you wanted to write the word you how would you write that in kanji? i want to go to japan and i think i would be lost if i went

[BobombX]

This was a good tutorial. I want to learn Japanese so I can buy import games and have a basic understanding of what they are about without needing to look online or use a reference.

[deedeeH88]

@BobombX Same goal man.

[iMOSKUL]

hey man very informative atleast to me. reason being im trying to learn japanese cause i got bored one and and thought id learn a language that looks fun so yea very good tho bkeep the videos rolling please

[Rsnail101]

I'm here because I might pre-order Japanese Pokemon Black or White, so I wanna learn how to read Japanese. :)

[Aar0nDavis]

@Rsnail101 Why not wait for the American releases.

[Rsnail101]

@Aar0nDavis Yea, I'm just gonna wait for the American release

[cashoverass]

yea cat i can japanese pussy

[PurpleKitty47]

Arigatou gozaimasu! lol this helped alot

[pinkcalculators]

i love your drawing of the cat .

[skategod17412]

do japanese read left to right or left to right

[nintendovspcuniverse]

i know how to speak English, Japanese, and Chinese as a first language because my dad is japanese, my mom is american and i was born in china

[ShinigamixXXx]

can u simply just use 1 character ?? example katakana

[MrGameposter]

I can barely write those characters with a pencil. How you manage to write them on a computer is beyond me.

[Bixsar]

hey I want to read manga in japanese but which alphbet is best to learn for this (like which alphabet is used more?)

[mysuckylife]

its ironic that a square could mean anything in an asian language XD

idk about chinese but i think there is a square word or part of a word O_o

[ThePokemonFever]

will this help for reading the pokemon games in japanese because that's what iwant and need to learn thanks! please let me know!

[ninjabean17]

@ThePokemonFever i need to know tht too lol cause i want the japanese version of black and white =)

[ThePokemonFever]

@ninjabean17 yeah dude but no worries SOMEONEs gunna translate!

[Jman9828]

im tryn 2 learn da same thing just 4 naruto

[Chargersball1]

how long will it take actually be good at reading japanese

[BerryHeartTV]

thanks for posting... you are awesome

[strikerofear]

great vid, thanks so much

[strikerofear]

great vid, thanks so much

[LILAKAPHATPHAT]

hai arigato gonzanimasu

[yalniz19998]

Can i ask Question But not about the lesson?

What is the name of the paint you are using it is soo cool i want to downlaod it :- )

[yalniz19998]

Can i ask Question But not about the lesson?

What is the name of the paint you are using it is soo cool i want to downlaod it :- )

[yalniz19998]

Can i ask Question But not about the lesson?

What is the name of the paint you are using it is soo cool i want to downlaod it :- )

[yalniz19998]

Can i ask a question??but not about the lesson :-- )

what is the name of the paint which you are using while teaching all the lessons?