Hi, This is Naga-san.
This time I would like to try the second English article. And this time, I would like to introduce a free Japanese learning site provided by NHK, a public broadcaster in Japan.
Perhaps I think it is a famous site for Japanese learners world wide because it is created by Japanese public broadcasting.
Now it consists of 6 programs and seems to be aimed at beginners to intermediates.
However, if you can master this content, I think you will be able to reach a level where you will not be inconvenienced in everyday Japanese conversation. There is no doubt because it is said by a native Japanese me ! (^-^;
So, I would like to explain the following 6 programs by a native Japanese me.
Easy TRAVEL Japanese
This "Easy TRAVEL Japanese" introduces useful expressions for those who are traveling to Japan for the first time.
The expressions picked up here are:
・ II DESU KA? (いいですか？)
・ SUMIMASEN (すみません)
・ DOKO DESU KA? (どこですか？)
・ ONEGAI SHIMASU (おねがいします)
・ DAIJOBU DESU KA? (だいじょうぶですか？ )
・ DOMO（どうも）
・ ONOMATOPOEIA ：Fuwa fuwa(ふあふあ), Kira kira(きらきら) etc..
For the time being, if you remember this expression, your first trip to Japan will be manageable.
Certainly, even if you don't understand Japanese at all, if you remember the expressions introduced here, it's really quite so.
Eight videos (3 minutes each) are explained in an easy-to-understand manner, so if you are traveling to Japan for the first time, you should take a look at this program first.
When Japanese people watch this video, we can see that the expressions we take for granted are difficult for foreigners to understand. In the videos of SUMIMASEN and DOMO , I thought "I see".
Well, I think there are some different meanings even in English with the same expression, but it's the same in Japanese right?
Japan-easy
Now, next is a program called Japan-easy.
In this Japan-easy section, there are two programs, "Japan-easy" and "Japan-easy II" , each with 24 lessons. Unlike Easy TRAVEL Japanese, this is a lesson for learning everyday Japanese conversation.
Simple Japanese grammar is also explained, and I would like you to take a little time to watch it. You can start with either "Japan-easy" or "Japan-easy II" , but I would like you recommend starting with "Japan-easy".
I think this program has a solid structure and is easier to learn. Each lesson in "Japan-easy" has five videos that explain the topic of each lesson in detail.
Each lesson also has a video explaining the origins of kanji, which makes us Japanese think "I see!". We Japanese are not conscious of the origin of kanji, so I felt fresh about this commentary .
And at the end of each lesson, an exercise is prepared so that you can check what you learned in that lesson. "Japan-easy II" also has 24 lessons, but compared to "Japan-easy", the video time is shorter and the explanation is simple. Therefore, I think it is better to study "Japan-easy" firmly.
However, "Japan-easy II" has a section called "Japan-easy VOD", which has 24 videos. Each video has about 15 minutes long, but it's structured to supplement the content of "Japan-easy II", so I think these videos are worth watching for many Japanese learners.
New Easy Japanese & Easy Japanese
Introducing the "New Easy Japanese" and "Easy Japanese" programs.
"Easy Japanese" focuses on master of basic grammar, and "New Easy Japanese" focuses on conversation. Also, "New Easy Japanese" and "Easy Japanese" have 48 lessons, and each lesson is explained using a lot of video and audio, so it takes a lot of time.
It doesn't matter which one you start first, but I think it is a good idea that you can try each lesson a little and start with the one you like.
I think that it is easier to work on conversation-oriented "New Easy Japanese" but "Easy Japanese" also explains the grammatical content with English (voice) in detail, so I think this is also a good program.
Both programs are rich in content, so it is recommended that you practice while repeating and shadowing. Well, these are the same ways as we Japanese study English right? 😀
Easy Japanese for work
Until now, the programs have focused on daily conversation, but "Easy Japanese for Work" is designed to be used for work.
Currently there are 22 lessons, but it seems to be increasing regularly.
The structure of each lesson is as follows.
・1-2 minute video,
・An explanation of the Japanese script being spoken,
・A simple quiz of what you've learned.
Each lesson has an on-demand video separate from the lesson. In this video, you can see a foreigner who is actually working in Japan experiencing the contents of each lesson.
It is not necessary to watch this program in order from the beginning. I think you should learn by watching the lessons that interest you.
You can learn Japanese honorifics here, so I think this program is for intermediate learners who can speak Japanese to some extent.
Weekly News in Simple Japanese
The last is "Weekly News in Simple Japanese".
This is a program where you can listen to news using easy Japanese. This program broadcast a week's worth of news every Saturday, which takes about 10 minutes.
The NHK announcer speaks in the correct grammar, so I think it's very easy to hear. I think it's the same image as we Japanese listening to VOA's easy English news.
Still, it is natural, but it would be meaningless to listen to it unless you have some basic of Japanese. (For intermediate Japanese learner)
Also, under this program site, there is a button called NEWS WEB EASY, and if you click here, you can read the news written in easy Japanese.
Hiragana is also written in all the kanji used in this news, so I think it can be used to learn kanji.
By the way, this time I introduced NHK's Japanese language learning site "Learn Japanese", but since the site of NHK WORLD JAPAN where this "Learn Japanese" is located has a lot of information for learning Japanese and Japan, I think it's worth bookmarking for those who learns Japanese.
See you then．．． 