Japanese

we had in the uni, some special learning books
a yellow general book, with conversations ect (everything in japanese, not one english word XD)
and a big book with all important kanji (zusammengestellt udn vorgestellt vom theorie-lehrer, ach war er stolz drauf)

since I stopped very at the biginning, I learned just 50 kanji or so
but very easy one, like Berg or so...
I didn't have a special way of learning :/

talking swedish - way easier then takling french XDD

... just change the topic name to "languages" XD
No rly.. I'd like to participate but other than nachplappern what I heard in anime, I have no idea of the language... (But I know the kanjis for "human", "love" and..."water" - Maco-Kanjikurs ^^)
so yeah... nothing more to say *drop*

french reminds me of my drunk french teacher lol..

some/alot? of jap kanjis look the same as chinese characters and even mean the same xD.. too bad that i cant rly read chinese characters qq

I couldn't even start to pronounce one word XD
Where do you learn it now?

@ Orovingwen:

if you want to lern Kanji, I can only suggest kanji learning cards. There are very great cards for free download at the japanologie forum (japanologie.at).

I don't know which method is the best for remembering 2000 kanji but I think that differs from person to person anyway^^

You can't really say that they "teach" kanji in Japanese studies XD
In the first year in "Praxis" the teachers used to write the kanji once so we could see how it is written (but that were only 100 each term^^)
Otherwide you're only told: "lern kanji!"

why didn't I see the otehr comments before my last reply?

@Huddy
愛　人　水　I love the conversion tool. Just typing the words e voilà nice kanji appear
well you can always ask question - that way we would also never run out of things to talk about.

@Elliiy
50 is more then I can *g* But a book in all Japanese? how is that suppose to help?
山 is in the "simple" group. Not many composita. I hate it when they have so many little things put into one Kanji. there are also a handful other kanji that look alike and you have to be very careful not to mis-read it.

*hehe* I image. French.. all those ` and ´ are too confusing leave alone that it doesn't sound at all as that what you write down. Japanese is much easier. You write what you say. How is that is Swedish?

@melon
Kanji are Chinese characters. The name itself 漢字　actually says it. 漢 = China 字 = character
And even the Kaana are simplified Chinese characters.
"Sowohl Hiragana als auch Katakana wurden aus den Manyôgana entwickelt, einer Auswahl chinesischer Schriftzeichen, die nach Aussprache und nicht nach Bedeutung verwendet wurden. Die Katakana entwickelten sich durch das Weglassen von Zeichenelementen aus der Regelschrift, die auch als „Männerschrift“ (男手 otokode) galt. Gleichzeitig wurden auch die Hiragana entwickelt, allerdings aus einer anderen kalligraphischen Form, der ästhetischen, geschwungenen Kursivschrift, der sogenannten Grasschrift oder auch Frauenschrift (女手 onnade). In der Grasschrift fließen alle Einzelstriche eines Zeichens zu einem einzigen zusammen, was auch in den heutigen Hiragana noch erkennbar ist."
source (incl. Hiragana table)
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katakana#History]Katakana with table/url] (German wiki sadly doesn't have that nice table)
In short: Japan got their writing system(s) from China

@Joruri
I have flashcards. look And a book and lists and and and. I have enough material. But thank you (I cannot download it anyway)

the teacher didn't tell you more about the kanji? no kun- or onyomi? meaning? radical?

@Orovingwen:
np^^

well, yes, they did. They still do... but mainly our "Theorie" teacher... and well, let's say it's almost impossible to listen to him for a longer period time XD Also many things he tells us aren't really that helpful... or even slightly understandable XXD
But we can ask our teachers anytime if we have any questions (theoretically XD)

lol ahh.. that explains alot lol. i never bothered asking me y it was the way it is xD. learned something new again xD

jeez, did I put a LOT of typos in my previous post *hide in shame*

@Joruri
sounds not like a good situation to me.
how advanced in your studies are you?

@melon
well Kanji = Chinese characters is mentioned all the time so then I was curious about Kana and why use foreign characters at all. And then I discover the Japanese didn't have any writing system of their own! who need writing anyway, right?
I find it highly fascinating that a country that is not all pro foreigners actually changes it's society (from oral to literal) based on what foreigners introduce to them. But at the same time they change is so much that it is more Japanese then Chinese. Even the Kanji are used differently. Not only addition (and changed) readings but also usage based more on phonetics then meaning if I remember correctly that last part.

@Orovingwen:
well... yes XD but beside that our language lessons are really intense ^^"" kanji is something which we are supposed to learn on our own to show commitment or interest or whatever (I suppose XD)
right now, I am in 4th term which means in june we (should) know all joyo kanji and pretty much most grammar.