Benny Lewis's Blog, page 58

Japanese Onomatopoeia: 84 Sounds to Express Yourself in Japanese

Today, I’m feeling pretty わくわく (wakuwaku: “excited”)! Are you うずうず (uzuzu: “itching to get started”)?

Because today we’re learning onomatopoeia!

You may think, why do I need to learn onomatopoeia? Maybe you’re thinking of American onomatopoeia, that seems to be only in comics (“bang” and “kaboom”) and children’s books (“woof woof” and “meow meow”). But Japanese onomatopoeic expressions are so common! You will be doing a serious disservice to your language skills if you don’t at least learn the basics. You’ll be hearing them every day!

Plus, you can level up your Japanese conversation skills by expressing yourself with Japanese onomatopoeia.

Japanese sound effects are used in everyday speech to not only describe sounds, but also feelings. Many people think Japanese is vague, and to an extent, it is -- until you get into onomatopoeia. With thousands of onomatopoeia, Japanese feelings and true meaning are uniquely expressed through sound effects.

Feeling いそいそ (isoiso: “enthusiastic”) now? Let’s get learning!

What is Onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia are any words, expressions or phrases that aim to imitate or recreate a sound or feeling. As I mentioned above, we use these words in English to express things like noises and animal sounds. We often see them in comics and children’s book or even make the noises while playing with our kids. Sounds like “moo moo” for a cow, or “vroom vroom” for a car.

Japanese takes this to a whole new level, though. In Japanese, the onomatopoeia have a lot of nuance to express sounds of animals, nature, and inanimate objects, as well as feelings and movement. The five types of Japanese onomatopoeia are:


Giongo: Sounds made by non-living things, like cars or the wind.
Gitaigo: Sounds that describe states of being, like feeling sticky with sweat or muggy weather.
Giseigo: Sounds from living things, like animals and people.
Giyougo: Sounds that express descriptive movement that we would normally think of as verbs in English. Expressions like falling into deep sleep or walking around without purpose.
Gijougo: Describe feelings, like a shiver down your spine when you get an eerie feeling.


To simplify, you could think of only two forms. Giongo and Gitaigo -- words that express sounds, versus words that express feelings/conditions.

Getting Started with Japanese Onomatopoeia

The first question you may have is, “How do I write onomatopoeia in Japanese?”

The rules are pretty loose with this one. But generally speaking, words that copy sounds are written in Katakana (so most Giongo), and words that express feeling/conditions are expressed in Hiragana (most Gitaigo, etc.).

Sometimes it depends on the type of sound, too. The look of Katakana are all very hard and square-like, while Hiragana is rounded and soft. So to that extent, sometimes the tone of the word is associated with the type of Kana -- Hiragana are used for softer sounds and Katakana for harder ones.

But, like I said, it’s a mixed bag how they are written. The good thing is, this means you don’t have to worry so much about writing it correctly! And if you need help getting started with learning Kana, check out this guide to Hiragana vs Katakana.

The other thing you should know is that Japanese onomatopoeic expressions have three main grammatical forms:


Double form: わくわく (wakuwaku, excited), ぺらぺら (perapera, fluently speaking). This form expresses a continuing state of the sound or feeling, like how you speak fluently the whole time you have a conversation, or you feel excited for quite a while. When it’s doubled and the vowel is lengthened, it means the sound drags on, like グーグー (gu- gu-, snoring).
と form: はっと (hatto, gasp), ぞっと (zotto, shivers down your spine). This form expresses a sound that is short, quick, and cut off. Like how a gasp comes out quickly or the shivers down your spine last only a second.
り form: のそり (nosori, to walk lazily), しょんぼり (shonbori, crestfallen, dejected). り form is used when the sound or action is slow and drawn out. It’s the opposite of と form, like how you walk slowly or feel dejected for a while.


Some words end in ん (or ン in Katakana), which is used to express an echo or length to the sound, like ゴンゴン (gongon, banging).

Grammar and Tips When Learning Japanese Onomatopoeia

So how do you use Japanese onomatopoeia in sentences?

When paired with と before a verb, they become an adverb. For example:

突然、風がビュンビュンと吹き始めた。(Totsuzen, kaze ga byunbyun to fuki hajimeta)
“Suddenly, the roaring wind began overhead.”

They can also be used to quote someone making that noise, like a laugh:

テレビを見ている間、旦那さはゲラゲラと笑いました。(Terebi wo mite iru aida, dannasan wa geragera to waraimashita) “While watching TV, my husband laughed loudly.”

Sometimes the onomatopoeia use に (ni) before a verb, especially when describing a state or condition. It makes the verb more descriptive, like:

母はカンカンに怒りました。(Haha wa kankan ni okorimashita.) “My mom was furious.”

怒る (okoru) means “to be angry” but when you add カンカン (kankan) it becomes “to be furious.”

You can also turn onomatopoeia into a verb with やる (yaru) or する (suru), both of which mean “to do” or “to be in a state of.”

明日はとても難しいテストがあるので、ドキドキする。(Ashita wa totemo muzukashii tesuto ga aru node, dokidoki suru.) “I have a big test tomorrow, so I feel nervous.”

And like other grammatical structures with adjectives or nouns modifying nouns, you can use の to describe a noun:

今日はむしむしの日ね。(Kyou wa mushimushi no hi ne.) “Today’s weather is humid, huh?”

The last tip I have for you before we get to the Japanese onomatopoeia list? There are a few little cheats to help you understand onomatopoeia you don’t know.

For instance, words that include the two tiny marks called dakuten or the tiny circle called handakuten are considered harsher words in Japanese. In fact, I was told that they’re considered more masculine because they sound harsh and less feminine. So if a word has dakuten or handakuten, you can expect them to be loud and noisy sounds.

As an example of this, compare how to say “laughing” in Japanese: クスクス (kusukusu, giggle, chuckle) versus ゲラゲラ (geragera, laughing loudly, guffaw).

Now, let’s get started with some Japanese onomatopoeia!

Japanese Onomatopoeia for Animal Sound Effects (Giseigo)

Let’s learn some cool animal sound effects - like how to say roar in Japanese! (It’s ガオー, gao-)


ワンワン (wanwan): Woof-woof (dog)
ニャーニャー (nyanya): Meow-meow (cat)
モーモー (mo-mo-): Moo-moo (cow)
ヒヒーン (hi-hin): Neigh-neigh (horse)
ブーブー (bu-bu-): Oink-oink (pig)
コケコッコー (kokekokko-): Cockadoodledoo (rooster)
ケロケロ (kerokero): Ribbit-ribbit (frog)
ウキウキ (ukiuki): Oo-oo-ah-ah (monkey)
ブーン (bu-n): Buzz-buzz (bees, or flying insects)
コンコン (konkon): The sound a fox makes (because -- What does the fox say?)


Japanese Onomatopoeia for People Sound Effects (Giseigo)

What kind of sound effects do people make? All kinds! Learn creative ways to express your actions, like how to say “cry” in Japanese. (Try ギャアギャア, gyaagyaa, “to wail or cry loudly”, or シクシク, shikushiku, “to whimper or cry softly”).


コホンコホン (kohon kohon): A light cough
ぐうぐう (guu guu): Snoring loudly
クシュ (kushu): Sneezing
ワイワイ (wai wai): Children playing, or a group of people talking noisily
コソコソ (kosokoso): Secret whispering
キャー (kya-): Screaming
ズルズル (zuru zuru): Slurping loudly
ニコニコ (niko niko): To smile (at something funny)
ジロジロ (jiro jiro): To stare intently
ガブガブ (gabu gabu): To guzzle a drink


Japanese Onomatopoeia for Inanimate Sound Effects (Giongo)

Ready to learn the sound effects you see in manga, like how to say “bang” in Japanese? (バンバン, ban ban)


パラパラ (para para): Light, scattered rain, or flipping through the pages of a book.
リンリン (rin rin): The sound of ringing, like a bicycle bell ring.
コンコン (kon kon): Knocking
ゴロゴロ (goro goro): Thunder rumbling, or large objects rolling loudly
ザーザー (za- za-): Heavy rain
ゴボゴボ (gobo gobo): Gushing water
ガタンガトン (gatan gaton): The sound of a train clacking along
ガシャン (gashan): Crash
カタカタ (kata kata): Click-clack, or typing
サワサワ (sawa sawa): Rustling


Japanese Onomatopoeia for States or Conditions (Gitaigo)

How do you describe the feeling of something or a state you’re in, like sweating (カラカラ, kara kara)? What about how to say fluffy in Japanese? (フワフワ, fuwafuwa -- it’s also furry, or fleece.)


キラキラ (kirakira): Sparkling
グルグル (guru guru): Dizzy
ぺとぺと (peto peto): Feeling sticky with sweat
びっしょり (bisshori): To be soaked
ピカピカ (pika pika): To shine
ムシムシ (mushi mushi): Humid, uncomfortable hot/sticky weather
ピリピリ (piri piri): Spicy, hot sensation
べとべと (beto beto): Sticky
ダラダラ (dara dara): Lazily
ほかほか (hoka hoka): Steamy, warm food


Japanese Onomatopoeia for Emotions and Feelings (Gijougo)

Are you feeling ドキドキ (dokidoki, heart racing with excitement or nervousness)? Or ウキウキ (ukiuki, “cheerful”)? Express your inner feelings with more color!


むかむか (muka muka): Nauseous
いらいら (ira ira): To be irritated
びっくり (bikkuri): Shocked, surprised
のろのろ (noro noro): To feel lazy
ぼろぼろ (boro boro): To feel mentally drained
ぞっと (zotto): To have a chill go down your spine, usually from a gross or scared feeling
むすっ (musu-t): Pouting
るんるん (run run): Humming happily
やきもき (yakimoki): So worried that you can’t calm down
むくむく (mukumuku): Thinking up an idea, inspiration hits


Japanese Onomatopoeia for Movement (Giyougo)

What does running sound like in Japanese? (だだだだだ, dadadadada）Let’s describe movements!


グルグル (guru guru): To spin around
ゆっくり (yukkuri): To do something slowly
コロコロ (koro koro): Something rolls
ウロウロ (uro uro): Wandering around
スタスタ (suta suta): Brisk walk
こてっ (kote-t): Nodding off to sleep
カバっ (kaba-t): Waking up with a start
ガチガチ (gachi gachi): Teeth chattering
しばしば (shiba shiba): Blinking rapidly
カバカバ (kaba kaba): Quickly chowing down on your food


Express Yourself at a Whole New Level -- and Have More Fun, too!

While learning Japanese onomatopoeia may feel a bit like learning a whole separate language, it can add a lot of color to your speech!

And the words themselves are fun, cute Japanese words to use. No more boring “水を飲みした” (mizu wo nomimasu - “I drank water”). Now you can say “水をガブガブ飲みました” (mizu wo gabu gabu nomimashita - “I guzzled water”)!

Why not practice with your Japanese language exchange partner?

What are your favorite onomatopoeia? Did we miss your favorite on this list? Let us know in the comments! But most of all, have fun with your Japanese sound effects!

The post Japanese Onomatopoeia: 84 Sounds to Express Yourself in Japanese appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Japanese Onomatopoeia: 84 Ways to Express Yourself in Japanese with Sounds

Today, I’m feeling pretty わくわく (wakuwaku: “excited”)! Are you うずうず (uzuzu: “itching to get started”)?

Because today we’re learning onomatopoeia!

You may think, why do I need to learn onomatopoeia? Maybe you’re thinking of American onomatopoeia, that seems to be only in comics (“bang” and “kaboom”) and children’s books (“woof woof” and “meow meow”). But Japanese onomatopoeic expressions are so common! You will be doing a serious disservice to your language skills if you don’t at least learn the basics. You’ll be hearing them every day!

Plus, you can level up your Japanese conversation skills by expressing yourself with Japanese onomatopoeia.

Japanese sound effects are used in everyday speech to not only describe sounds, but also feelings. Many people think Japanese is vague, and to an extent, it is -- until you get into onomatopoeia. With thousands of onomatopoeia, Japanese feelings and true meaning are uniquely expressed through sound effects.

Feeling いそいそ (isoiso: “enthusiastic”) now? Let’s get learning!

What is Onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia are any words, expressions or phrases that aim to imitate or recreate a sound or feeling. As I mentioned above, we use these words in English to express things like noises and animal sounds. We often see them in comics and children’s book or even make the noises while playing with our kids. Sounds like “moo moo” for a cow, or “vroom vroom” for a car.

Japanese takes this to a whole new level, though. In Japanese, the onomatopoeia have a lot of nuance to express sounds of animals, nature, and inanimate objects, as well as feelings and movement. The five types of Japanese onomatopoeia are:


Giongo: Sounds made by non-living things, like cars or the wind.
Gitaigo: Sounds that describe states of being, like feeling sticky with sweat or muggy weather.
Giseigo: Sounds from living things, like animals and people.
Giyougo: Sounds that express descriptive movement that we would normally think of as verbs in English. Expressions like falling into deep sleep or walking around without purpose.
Gijougo: Describe feelings, like a shiver down your spine when you get an eerie feeling.


To simplify, you could think of only two forms. Giongo and Gitaigo -- words that express sounds, versus words that express feelings/conditions.

Getting Started with Japanese Onomatopoeia

The first question you may have is, “How do I write onomatopoeia in Japanese?”

The rules are pretty loose with this one. But generally speaking, words that copy sounds are written in Katakana (so most Giongo), and words that express feeling/conditions are expressed in Hiragana (most Gitaigo, etc.).

Sometimes it depends on the type of sound, too. The look of Katakana are all very hard and square-like, while Hiragana is rounded and soft. So to that extent, sometimes the tone of the word is associated with the type of Kana -- Hiragana are used for softer sounds and Katakana for harder ones.

But, like I said, it’s a mixed bag how they are written. The good thing is, this means you don’t have to worry so much about writing it correctly! And if you need help getting started with learning Kana, check out this guide to Hiragana vs Katakana.

The other thing you should know is that Japanese onomatopoeic expressions have three main grammatical forms:


Double form: わくわく (wakuwaku, excited), ぺらぺら (perapera, fluently speaking). This form expresses a continuing state of the sound or feeling, like how you speak fluently the whole time you have a conversation, or you feel excited for quite a while. When it’s doubled and the vowel is lengthened, it means the sound drags on, like グーグー (gu- gu-, snoring).
と form: はっと (hatto, gasp), ぞっと (zotto, shivers down your spine). This form expresses a sound that is short, quick, and cut off. Like how a gasp comes out quickly or the shivers down your spine last only a second.
り form: のそり (nosori, to walk lazily), しょんぼり (shonbori, crestfallen, dejected). り form is used when the sound or action is slow and drawn out. It’s the opposite of と form, like how you walk slowly or feel dejected for a while.


Some words end in ん (or ン in Katakana), which is used to express an echo or length to the sound, like ゴンゴン (gongon, banging).

Grammar and Tips When Learning Japanese Onomatopoeia

So how do you use Japanese onomatopoeia in sentences?

When paired with と before a verb, they become an adverb. For example:

突然、風がビュンビュンと吹き始めた。(Totsuzen, kaze ga byunbyun to fuki hajimeta)
“Suddenly, the roaring wind began overhead.”

They can also be used to quote someone making that noise, like a laugh:

テレビを見ている間、旦那さはゲラゲラと笑いました。(Terebi wo mite iru aida, dannasan wa geragera to waraimashita) “While watching TV, my husband laughed loudly.”

Sometimes the onomatopoeia use に (ni) before a verb, especially when describing a state or condition. It makes the verb more descriptive, like:

母はカンカンに怒りました。(Haha wa kankan ni okorimashita.) “My mom was furious.”

怒る (okoru) means “to be angry” but when you add カンカン (kankan) it becomes “to be furious.”

You can also turn onomatopoeia into a verb with やる (yaru) or する (suru), both of which mean “to do” or “to be in a state of.”

明日はとても難しいテストがあるので、ドキドキする。(Ashita wa totemo muzukashii tesuto ga aru node, dokidoki suru.) “I have a big test tomorrow, so I feel nervous.”

And like other grammatical structures with adjectives or nouns modifying nouns, you can use の to describe a noun:

今日はむしむしの日ね。(Kyou wa mushimushi no hi ne.) “Today’s weather is humid, huh?”

The last tip I have for you before we get to the Japanese onomatopoeia list? There are a few little cheats to help you understand onomatopoeia you don’t know.

For instance, words that include the two tiny marks called dakuten or the tiny circle called handakuten are considered harsher words in Japanese. In fact, I was told that they’re considered more masculine because they sound harsh and less feminine. So if a word has dakuten or handakuten, you can expect them to be loud and noisy sounds.

As an example of this, compare how to say “laughing” in Japanese: クスクス (kusukusu, giggle, chuckle) versus ゲラゲラ (geragera, laughing loudly, guffaw).

Now, let’s get started with some Japanese onomatopoeia!

Japanese Onomatopoeia for Animal Sound Effects (Giseigo)

Let’s learn some cool animal sound effects - like how to say roar in Japanese! (It’s ガオー, gao-)


ワンワン (wanwan): Woof-woof (dog)
ニャーニャー (nyanya): Meow-meow (cat)
モーモー (mo-mo-): Moo-moo (cow)
ヒヒーン (hi-hin): Neigh-neigh (horse)
ブーブー (bu-bu-): Oink-oink (pig)
コケコッコー (kokekokko-): Cockadoodledoo (rooster)
ケロケロ (kerokero): Ribbit-ribbit (frog)
ウキウキ (ukiuki): Oo-oo-ah-ah (monkey)
ブーン (bu-n): Buzz-buzz (bees, or flying insects)
コンコン (konkon): The sound a fox makes (because -- What does the fox say?)


Japanese Onomatopoeia for People Sound Effects (Giseigo)

What kind of sound effects do people make? All kinds! Learn creative ways to express your actions, like how to say “cry” in Japanese. (Try ギャアギャア, gyaagyaa, “to wail or cry loudly”, or シクシク, shikushiku, “to whimper or cry softly”).


コホンコホン (kohon kohon): A light cough
ぐうぐう (guu guu): Snoring loudly
クシュ (kushu): Sneezing
ワイワイ (wai wai): Children playing, or a group of people talking noisily
コソコソ (kosokoso): Secret whispering
キャー (kya-): Screaming
ズルズル (zuru zuru): Slurping loudly
ニコニコ (niko niko): To smile (at something funny)
ジロジロ (jiro jiro): To stare intently
ガブガブ (gabu gabu): To guzzle a drink


Japanese Onomatopoeia for Inanimate Sound Effects (Giongo)

Ready to learn the sound effects you see in manga, like how to say “bang” in Japanese? (バンバン, ban ban)


パラパラ (para para): Light, scattered rain, or flipping through the pages of a book.
リンリン (rin rin): The sound of ringing, like a bicycle bell ring.
コンコン (kon kon): Knocking
ゴロゴロ (goro goro): Thunder rumbling, or large objects rolling loudly
ザーザー (za- za-): Heavy rain
ゴボゴボ (gobo gobo): Gushing water
ガタンガトン (gatan gaton): The sound of a train clacking along
ガシャン (gashan): Crash
カタカタ (kata kata): Click-clack, or typing
サワサワ (sawa sawa): Rustling


Japanese Onomatopoeia for States or Conditions (Gitaigo)

How do you describe the feeling of something or a state you’re in, like sweating (カラカラ, kara kara)? What about how to say fluffy in Japanese? (フワフワ, fuwafuwa -- it’s also furry, or fleece.)


キラキラ (kirakira): Sparkling
グルグル (guru guru): Dizzy
ぺとぺと (peto peto): Feeling sticky with sweat
びっしょり (bisshori): To be soaked
ピカピカ (pika pika): To shine
ムシムシ (mushi mushi): Humid, uncomfortable hot/sticky weather
ピリピリ (piri piri): Spicy, hot sensation
べとべと (beto beto): Sticky
ダラダラ (dara dara): Lazily
ほかほか (hoka hoka): Steamy, warm food


Japanese Onomatopoeia for Emotions and Feelings (Gijougo)

Are you feeling ドキドキ (dokidoki, heart racing with excitement or nervousness)? Or ウキウキ (ukiuki, “cheerful”)? Express your inner feelings with more color!


むかむか (muka muka): Nauseous
いらいら (ira ira): To be irritated
びっくり (bikkuri): Shocked, surprised
のろのろ (noro noro): To feel lazy
ぼろぼろ (boro boro): To feel mentally drained
ぞっと (zotto): To have a chill go down your spine, usually from a gross or scared feeling
むすっ (musu-t): Pouting
るんるん (run run): Humming happily
やきもき (yakimoki): So worried that you can’t calm down
むくむく (mukumuku): Thinking up an idea, inspiration hits


Japanese Onomatopoeia for Movement (Giyougo)

What does running sound like in Japanese? (だだだだだ, dadadadada）Let’s describe movements!


グルグル (guru guru): To spin around
ゆっくり (yukkuri): To do something slowly
コロコロ (koro koro): Something rolls
ウロウロ (uro uro): Wandering around
スタスタ (suta suta): Brisk walk
こてっ (kote-t): Nodding off to sleep
カバっ (kaba-t): Waking up with a start
ガチガチ (gachi gachi): Teeth chattering
しばしば (shiba shiba): Blinking rapidly
カバカバ (kaba kaba): Quickly chowing down on your food


Express Yourself at a Whole New Level -- and Have More Fun, too!

While learning Japanese onomatopoeia may feel a bit like learning a whole separate language, it can add a lot of color to your speech!

And the words themselves are fun, cute Japanese words to use. No more boring “水を飲みした” (mizu wo nomimasu - “I drank water”). Now you can say “水をガブガブ飲みました” (mizu wo gabu gabu nomimashita - “I guzzled water”)!

Why not practice with your Japanese language exchange partner?

What are your favorite onomatopoeia? Did we miss your favorite on this list? Let us know in the comments! But most of all, have fun with your Japanese sound effects!

The post Japanese Onomatopoeia: 84 Ways to Express Yourself in Japanese with Sounds appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

My Add1 Story: Caitlin’s Intensive 90-Days of Japanese

I thought I had good study habits.

I’ve studied Japanese for some time. I took it in college, then continued to study it after I graduated. I studied most days and even met with Japanese language exchange partners.

But… I had stopped growing in my Japanese ability. I wasn’t sure why. I kept doing the same things every day, expecting new results.

So, when I signed up to take the Add1Challenge for Japanese, I expected to improve. But I didn’t realize the impact it would have. After all, I was already studying most days. How could it affect my studies that much?

Well, it did. And I was blown away!

What is the Add1Challenge?

The Add1Challenge is a community of passionate and like-minded language learners. Everyone has the same goal: A 15-minute conversation in their target language in 90 days! It includes mini-challenges, assignments, fun and light-hearted competition, and real-time support.

The accountability in the challenge helps push you to learn your language on a deeper level. The assignments and challenges make you think about your study habits. You analyze them in a way that helps you narrow down what works and what doesn’t. It forces you to focus on areas where you’re weak, or too nervous to try on your own -- like speaking. The community is incredible and there’s always someone around to help you. They even answer questions and jump on a Skype calls to study or practice speaking with you.

In short, you’ll get over your fears and build successful study habits. And you'll maintain your motivation to actually start speaking and conversing.

My Add1Challenge Story: Starting at Day 0

For the Add1Challenge, I first had to record my Day 0 video. That meant speaking for up to two minutes in Japanese.

One thing I learned right away? It's easier to think up things to say in a natural conversation than it is on my own. But also that speaking in conversation helps me along. If I'm struggling with a word, my language partner steps in to help finish my sentence. That’s a natural thing to do in even our own native languages, but it does make speaking on your own more difficult.

Even though I was studying a little bit every day, it hadn’t been enough to maintain the progress I had made since taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test last year. When life had become hectic this past spring, I had cut back my study time.It showed.

I found my Day 0 video embarrassing because I made so many little mistakes in a short 45-second video! I even called my son 娘 (musume, “daughter”) instead of 息子 (musuko, “son”). Ouch.

httpvh://youtu.be/wFZL8bs4438

Right off the bat, I realized that despite practice and language exchanges, I was rusty. It was time to step up my game!

Challenges with Time Commitment & Finding My Joy in Learning

The biggest problem for me with the Add1Challenge was the time commitment. I had committed to 6 days a week, for at least 30 minutes each day. I had a difficult time working it into my day, and at first, it felt quite stressful. I wanted to learn, but I felt like I couldn’t make time on top of my many other commitments. I would often fit it in right before bed, barely managing to make my time commitment before I fell asleep.

But once it became habit to study every day, it didn’t feel like that anymore. I started to do it earlier in the evening or even in the afternoon, and I learned much better that way.

About halfway through the challenge, I started including my son in my daily practice. That helped me add a lot more study time, and it was fun for us both.

I also stopped watching Friends and Parks and Rec (my favorite veg-out shows) every day in my spare time, and found I loved Terrace House. Japanese became my outlet for “me time” again.

One of the people in my study group, Rodylyn (whom I interviewed about her Add1Challenge experience!), helped encourage me to find native resources that were fun and entertaining. A big part of my problem was that I had gotten bogged down in Anki flashcards. I had been studying Japanese like I was in school again, which can be boring. Once I started watching TV and reading in Japanese, I enjoyed it. I even discovered some amazing new Japanese music and busted out Pokemon Sapphire in Japanese!

I think this is a common problem. A lot of language learners plateau and don’t see results. We get caught up in the studying instead of the playing. Learning to enjoy Japanese was a slight mental shift, but one that had a huge impact.

Day 30 Showed My Hard Work was Paying Off

By Day 30, the improvement in my ability to speak off-the-cuff was pretty amazing. Taking it seriously again for only 30 days had already gotten me through my plateau. Immersing myself more in native Japanese resources had improved my natural speech!

I recorded one video right before Mother’s Day as practice:

httpvh://youtu.be/oiB3m6f5tAg

Then on Day 30, I talked about the new workout routine I was doing:

httpvh://youtu.be/XZI4J3karb4

I remembered to say musuko this time!

There are still errors, of course, but I spoke for much longer and more smoothly than in my Day 0 video. I was surprised that the Add1Challenge and the community had helped push me to that level so fast. Like I said in the beginning, I thought I already had good study habits. But talking with others and the assignments in the challenge showed me what I needed to work on. It made a big difference in just 30 days.

Working My New Grammar Into My Videos

Day 60 came around, and I pushed myself to use much more of the new vocab and grammar I had been learning. I still struggled to remember what I wanted to say how I wanted to say it. Even still, I could definitely communicate my thoughts more clearly. I more than doubled the length of my Day 30 video!

httpvh://youtu.be/YktZdMQpFpk

Right before the end of the challenge, we had a bonus assignment to do a tutorial video. Since I love makeup, I decided to try my first ever Get Ready With Me video (very popular among beauty bloggers) all in Japanese.

httpvh://youtu.be/W1ixlWZQA_o

This was so challenging! Even though many makeup words are loan words from English, I realized I didn’t know certain body parts or verbs that went with it. Explaining how to “blend the foundation” or “apply to your crease” was difficult! It was even more difficult to explain it in my target language while also trying to actually show how to do it. It was a fantastic mental challenge, even if I feel I failed at doing it well. Now I know that I need to learn more words about topics I am passionate about, like makeup and fitness!

The Final Challenge: My Day 90 Video!

The Day 90 video for the Add1Challenge is a 15-minute conversation with a native speaker. My language exchange partner, Hisako, agreed to record the video with me. We usually meet on Saturdays for an hour and split the time between English and Japanese. But I was happy that we actually talked for a whole hour in Japanese. (I ended up cutting the video off halfway because we had talked for so long.)

httpvh:// youtu.be/roFHRtM1Aio

Although I messed up the recording and misunderstood at a few points, I realized my mistakes afterward. I'm still proud of myself for how far I've come. I can communicate my thoughts so much better now!

How the Add1Challenge Works

The Add1Challenge worked for me because it motivated me to push past my comfort zone.

The community is so helpful, and offers tons of insight into study habits, resources, and language learning. I loved receiving encouragement and also sharing encouragement with others.

Chatting in my study group gave me ideas for new things to look at for learning. Ultimately, it's what helped me find a balance between studying and playing that worked well for me. I think the difference between my Day 0 and Day 90 speaks for itself.

The best thing about the challenge is that it gives you enough structure to benefit your learning. When you study in a classroom environment, you study for a grade and to pass. You’re not studying your specific language needs, because the pressure is on. You have to study the exact material for the test as fast as possible. It limits your freedom to focus on how you study best. Plus, the people in the class may not be motivated to speak the language. So you may not speak as much in your target language as you'd like if those around you aren’t willing to push themselves.

But that doesn't happen with the Add1Challenge. The assignments and mini-challenges are insanely helpful for figuring out what’s best for you. They're sometimes difficult, but they push you to learn new things in new ways. And yet, they never dictate what you have to learn. You can go about it in whatever way works for you.

Plus, you’re surrounded by people who are all there for only one purpose: to speak. Even if they weren’t learning Japanese, the goal was to push each other to speak our target languages. There was no time wasted -- your goal is always the focus.

My Language Learning Skills are on FIRE

The Add1Challenge forced me to actively think about, analyze, and reanalyze my language learning tactics. Because of that, I was able to identify what works and what doesn’t. I learned, for instance, I can’t be lazy and only use flashcards. I don’t remember the words or kanji unless I see them repeated in content or I use them. So, I learned that any day I learn new vocabulary, I then need to get in reading practice. Paired together, I remember vocabulary and kanji so much better.

I also learned that watching TV is NOT a waste of time as long as I watch it without subtitles first. I learned so much slang and natural speech patterns that I didn’t know before from watching Terrace House, dramas, and YouTube videos.

Creating videos was helpful because I could realize my mistakes and work to fix them. I learned that to have an impact, my studying needed to work for me and 10 minutes a day wasn’t enough. I needed to actively think, “Today is vocab and reading, and tomorrow is listening comprehension and speaking.” And I learned to have balance in my studies so that it became more enjoyable.

Will I keep tweaking my study habits? You bet. As I grow, I know I’ll need to make adjustments. But I loved learning through the challenge so much, that I’m taking it again! This time, I’m taking Japanese as part of Add1Advance, which is more intense with weekly videos and new challenges.

Learning to Learn and Having Support Go a Long Way

Having the tips, tricks, and helpful knowledge to analyze my routine helped me break past my plateau. Having the support system and community to talk to for advice helped keep me motivated. And I accomplished my goal of speaking for over 15 minutes in only Japanese!

What do you think your biggest language learning challenges are? Let me know in the comments. And make sure to check out Add1Challenge.com to learn more about joining the Add1Challenge. Maybe I’ll see you in the next one!

The post My Add1 Story: Caitlin’s Intensive 90-Days of Japanese appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

The Shy “Delusion”: Stop Being Shy and Just Start Speaking!

This is another post that is going to ruffle some feathers, but it has to be said.

Unless you suffer from a social anxiety disorder or experience severe, constant shyness, YOU ARE NOT SHY. Stop describing yourself as such.

If you do suffer from severe shyness or social anxiety, then this blog post is not aimed at you. So please don’t feel that I’m attacking you. This post is for the majority of the population, who think they’re shy but in reality aren’t any more shy than the rest of us.

How can I be so bold as to claim that the majority of the population is not actually shy? Well, because everyone says they are shy. Sound contradictory?

When pretty much everyone says it, the meaning of the word gets watered down to nothing. (Which in turn does a disservice to those of you who truly are at the extreme end of the shyness scale.)

People's tendency to identify with shyness and/or introversion comes from something similar to the Forer effect, where a vague personality description is identified as “very accurate” by the large majority. It's the basis of the entire astrology industry: sell people a generic description that sounds accurate “only” about them and they'll buy it.

The original test run by Forer, and repeated by many others like Derren Brown (click to see the video) had the following or similar text (among other suggestions) that almost everyone gave a 5 out of 5 rating for accuracy:

“At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved.”

Besides heaps of scientific research to show how almost everyone would rate this description as spot on, my own experience in talking to people confirms that they will produce the same generic description of themselves when I meet them. This makes it totally meaningless and they may as well burp in terms of telling me anything about themselves.

The “Total Extrovert” You’re Comparing Yourself to Doesn’t Actually Exist



It would seem that in our own heads we have a typical idea of what a complete extrovert is – the “life of the party” guy/gal who strolls in and confidently talks to everyone and who everyone loves. They never doubt themselves and don't ever have moments where they too would retreat into their head or feel that they just don't want to be social at times.

This mythical creature doesn't exist (unless they have undergone some intensive social de-programming). I have met many people who are the stereotypical social party animal and you know what? They identify with the exact same Forer description as above. Party animals tell me how shy they are and compare themselves to even higher-level party animals who would likely do exactly the same thing.

Everyone doubts themselves and everyone is “shy” in a situation they are not comfortable with. If everyone is shy, it means nothing. It would be like saying “everyone is short”.

People's ability to judge their own level of introversion/shyness is horrible. They use an exaggerated basis of comparison, not realising that the rest of the planet is doing precisely the same thing. If we were to all compare ourselves to Michael Jordan, then of course “everybody” would be short. Using the extreme as the basis of comparison, rather than a middle average, is worthless.

“I Don’t Like Shallow Conversations and Need Some Me-Time”

Do you feel more comfortable in certain situations and much prefer to talk to people about particular topics? Do you prefer to have some time alone to do your own thing? Are you uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings and sometimes worry about what people might think of you? Do you prefer quality and depth rather than quantity and shallowness of conversations?
Do you also breath air and drink water? Congratulations – you're just like everyone else.

This post was inspired by a topic on extroverts vs introverts on the How to Learn Any Language forum, and I found it frustrating to see how many generic attributes (as listed above) people used to describe themselves as an introvert. Introversion and shyness are different (a ‘shy' person may actually desperately want to be social, whereas an introvert takes more pleasure out of non-social interactions than extroverts would), but because the end result of less socialising is more-or-less the same they have a lot in common.

You May be Genuinely Shy or Introverted (and that’s OK)…But More Likely, You’re an ‘Ambivert’

Of course, I'm not saying that the entire concept of shy vs extroverted is in our heads. There are people that truly do get more energy out of social interactions than others, even if occasionally superficial, and those that prefer to be on their own most of the day. There are also some on the autism spectrum who really cannot participate easily in social interactions.

This is totally fine. I completely acknowledge that some people do fit squarely at one extreme or the other (either very shy/non-social or very outgoing).

The problem is that most people identify with the extreme end of introvert/shy even though they’re actually in the middle – “ambiverts” if you will – and yet label themselves as introverts or shy.

To summarise: if you sometimes feel shy, introverted or unsociable, and sometimes feel at home socialising in a group, then don’t define yourself as “shy”; that’s not shy, it’s just normal. Rigidly defining yourself as shy is not only inaccurate but can even have negative consequences…

How a Definition Can Define You

So what's the big deal? Why am I bringing this up at all?

It's because identifying with this definition of yourself (which is not what is actually unique about you, if almost everyone else claims it too) will predetermine what your limitations are. When you are sure that you are shy or an introvert, then whether it's true or not, it will become true.

It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Why can't you walk up to that stranger and say hi? “Because I'm shy,” you answer. So you don’t do it. You don’t even try. This identification with being shy is stopping you and limiting you. Some people have legitimate reasons for not wanting to trust strangers, and that's fine, but “I'm shy” as an excuse only serves to paint yourself into a corner. Now you can't talk to that stranger because you have decided that you’ll always be too shy to do it.

How can I so arrogantly presume how many people's minds work? Because I used to identify with shyness. I thought it was an inherent part of my being and personality – encoded into my genes. Or perhaps going to an all-boys Catholic school followed by studying an intensive technical subject and not socialising much sculpted me into an introvert who preferred the company of books and TV to people.

And you know what I've realised over the last many years on the road? If I had to give you one piece of advice to gain confidence in socialising with more people, it would be to stop trying so hard to convince yourself that you’re “too shy”.

Once you realize that sticking to the conviction that you’re shy is imposing false limitations on yourself, you’ll be in a position to do something about it. You can stop being scared to meet new people. You can stop thinking about all the things that can go wrong if you talk to someone, and stop reminding yourself how shy you are. You can just go right up and speak to them!

I'm not saying introversion is “wrong”. There are things that people who spend all their time with others can't appreciate about self-reflection, focused studying and even just down time to be quiet. But the reverse is also true: there is a movement of proud introverts who snub social people as superficial, and I find this arrogant and blanket judgement nothing less than hypocritical.

There is only so much you can learn from books and from going into your own head. Sometimes you just need to spend time with others and can't learn more about what you want – in my case, speaking a language fluently – without doing this.

I’ve now learned to embrace my extrovert side (while still being OK with feeling unsociable sometimes, since I no longer let that side of me define me as a whole). And yes, I do want to convert more people to being confident and social more often. Why? Because it’s so wonderful to see what people are capable of when they reach their full social potential.

Reaching Your Social Potential isn’t as Hard as You Think

When I'm out with a “shy” person, I make a point to see who they'd like to talk to and push them (sometimes literally) into that group. They never regret it. I met a shy girl in Berlin and showed her my “amazing” glass clink trick. She talked to me for several minutes about how shy she was and so I grabbed her glass as she held it, walked her up to someone she wanted to talk to, clinked it and ran away before he had time to see me. I gave her an initial boost, (which technically was just moving her arm muscles for her – no words needed) but the rest of the night she tried it and made many many friends.

It was that easy. I'm writing about this so confidently because I have done this so many times. I have made shy people very social by action rather than psychologically analysing them.
When someone says “I'm shy” to me, what I actually hear is “I just need a tiny nudge and then I can be as social as you”.

Speak, for Heaven's Sake!

The reason this point frustrates me so much is because it comes up repeatedly in a language learning context, especially since my advice is so communicative and relies on speaking with others.

Too many language learners convince themselves that some hardwired, inherent personality trait is the reason they can’t learn a language. “But I can't, I'm too shy – what will they say when I make mistakes?”

Believe me when I say this: you can overcome it!

I’ve seen countless language learners do it, and I’ve done it myself. I can talk to any stranger not because of conquering some non-existent psychological trait. It's because I stopped thinking that trait into existence before doing anything social.

I want to help as many people achieve their dreams as I do, and sometimes it requires some blunt talk. I see shyness – the shyness that the average person identifies with (not the very real, debilitating social anxiety that some people do suffer from) – as the non-real Matrix that too many people are stuck in.

So what's it going to be – are you going to get back into your shy comfort zone, or are you going to look back at the matrix of shyness and realize that it's a reality you've created for yourself?

The post The Shy “Delusion”: Stop Being Shy and Just Start Speaking! appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

The 99 Most Important Japanese Words (and Phrases) You Need to Start Speaking Now

Are you ready to start speaking Japanese, right now?

Even if you just thought about learning Japanese today, you can start speaking from Day 1!

Whether you are learning Japanese to prepare for travel to Japan, or for a language exchange, it’s a good idea to learn Japanese essential words and phrases to get the ball rolling. I’ve got your back with this list to help you get started!

It can be a bit intimidating to know where to begin. Any time you learn a new language, especially one where the writing system is very different, it can become difficult to make the connections between grammar, memorized words, and creating sentences. Don’t get too stressed about it, though.

Even though I speak often now with Japanese language exchange partners, it wasn’t always that way. I found it hard to truly start speaking Japanese at first, too. But these basic Japanese words and phrases helped me start to get to know others in Japanese. And that’s the whole point, isn’t it?

Learning some stock phrases and words to fall back on to keep the conversation going or ask questions is the key to relaxing a bit when speaking. So, of course you should know your essential 挨拶 (aisatsu: “greetings”) and basic Japanese words. But here, I’ll also go over questions, cool Japanese words, and cute Japanese words and expressions to really go far in your speaking. You’ll sound めっちゃかっこい (meccha kakkoi: “very cool”).

Japanese Greetings for Everyday

おはようございます！ (Ohayou Gozaimasu: “Good Morning!”)

A formal way to greet someone in the morning, you’ll use this with co-workers, strangers, or superiors. With friends and family, you can shorten it by saying おはよう！(Ohayou: “‘Morning!”)

こんにちは (Konnichiwa: “Hello” or “Good Afternoon”)

This is a fairly formal greeting, and not usually how you greet friends and family. It’s used for strangers or formal situations. But it is the most standard greeting for hello.

あー、＿＿＿さん。(Ahh, _-san: “Ah, Mr./Mrs. _”)

Although it may sound strange to speakers in English, greeting someone with just “Ah!” like you’re surprised to see them is most common. You greet them with this exclamation and their name, followed by the appropriate suffix (“-san” is standard and good to use for most people). You follow it with a question, like asking about the weather. Speaking of which…

いい天気ですね！(Ii Tenki desu ne: “Good Weather, huh!”)

いい (ii) means “good” and 天気 (tenki) means weather. So you can change いい to whatever word fits the day, but this is the common greeting.

元気ですか (Genki desu ka: “How are you?”)

Although it’s instinct to always greet everyone with “How are you?” in English, it’s not the case in Japanese. Greeting your friends and family with this phrase every time you see them is a bit strange. And it’s awkward when said to strangers (often strangers barely nod and say nothing, anyway). This phrase is actually only used when it’s been quite some time since you’ve seen the person.

久しぶり！(Hisashiburi: "Long Time, No See!")

If you haven’t seen someone for about 3 weeks or longer, then you’ll often be greeted with 久しぶり！ This is when it’s good to follow up with, 元気ですか？

こんばんは (Konbanwa: “Good Evening”)

This is said in the evening around dinner time. It’s a formal greeting.

おやすみなさい (Oyasumi Nasai: Goodnight)

When you say goodnight to someone you’re close to, you can shorten it by saying おやすみ (oyasumi: “‘night!”)

じゃまた (Ja Mata: “See You Later” or “Goodbye”)

Although you probably know さようなら (sayounara) is “goodbye,” it has a very strong sense of finality, almost like you may not see that person again. So it’s often better to say じゃまた. Other variations are じゃね (ja ne: "see you"), バイバイ (baibai: “bye-bye”), and お元気で (o-genki de: “take care”).

Other Aisatsu (Greetings) in Daily Life

ただいまー (Tadaima-: “I’m Home”)

When someone comes home, or you arrive home, you announce it with this phrase. Then, whoever is home replies…

おかえりなさい (Okaeri Nasai: “Welcome Home” or “Welcome Back”)

You can also use these two phrases to greet a coworker if they’ve returned back to work from somewhere else, like a business meeting or trip.

失礼します (Shitsurei Shimasu: “Please Excuse Me (for Leaving)”)

When you leave ahead of someone else, you say this as an apology for leaving before them. Especially at work, you always want to say this before leaving because you’re leaving them to finish the work for the day.

お疲れ様でした。(Otsukaresama Deshita: “You Must Be Tired” or “Thanks for Your Hard Work”)

You say this in reply to 失礼します (“please excuse me for leaving”) as a thank you for their hard work that day, but it can be used in many other situations. Any time anyone works hard, you can say this to acknowledge their hard work -- like a child who did well and finished their homework. You can also use it as a greeting when someone returns from a hard task.

行ってきます (Ittekimasu: “I’m Going”)

Say this to family at home, friends, or co-workers to announce you’re heading out.

行ってらっしゃい (Itterasshai: “Go and Come Back”)

In reply to 行ってきます (“I’m going”), you say this -- it's kind of like saying, "Be careful!" or "Okay, take care” and lets them know you’ll see them when they get back.

Basic Japanese Words and Phrases for All Situations

ありがとうございます (Arigatou Gozaimasu: "Thank You”)

There are several ways to say thank you, but this is the most polite way. With friends, you can say ありがとう (arigatou) or ども (domo).

ごめんなさい (Gomen Nasai: “I’m Sorry”)

You can also say it more casually as, ごめんね (gomen ne: “sorry”).

はい or うん (Hai or Un: “Yes”)

You use はい when speaking formally, and うん when speaking with friends.

いいえ or ううん (Iie or Uun: "No”)

Like with “yes,” いいえ is more formal, and ううん is casual. You don't actually hear いいえ that often though, because it's too direct in formal situations. Instead, you say "ちょっと..." (Chotto: "It's a bit... [inconvenient, not good for me]").

名前は_ (“Namae wa _”: “My name is ___”)

Although you can specify it is your name by saying 私の名前は (watashi no namae wa: “My name is”), it’s more natural in Japanese to leave off 私 (watashi: I, me).

_ です。(* desu*: “I am ”)

A very basic, but versatile sentence! You can add anything to describe yourself before です which means "is, to be." You could say 二十七歳です (Ni juu nana sai desu: “I am 27 years old”), アメリカ人です (Amerikajin desu: “I am American”), or 作家です (Sakka desu: “I am a writer”). You could also use it to describe other things, like いいほんです (Ii hon desu: "A good book").

いいですよ。(Ii desu yo: “It’s Good.”)

You can omit or change the ending -- よ (yo) at the end of a sentence makes it a stronger statement. You could also use ね (ne) to say "huh?” or “right?”

だめです。(Dame desu: "It’s Bad.”)

Like with “it’s good,” you can add よ (yo) to the end to make it stronger, or ね (ne) to ask for agreement.

もう一度お願いします。(Mou Ichido Onegai Shimasu: "Again, Please.”)

If you didn’t understand or missed part of what someone said, you can ask them to repeat it with this phrase.

ゆっくりお願いします (Yukkuri Onegai Shimasu: “More Slowly, Please”)

Japanese can seem very fast when you start learning -- so this is a very useful phrase. Now, you can ask for the speaker to talk a bit slower.

わかりません (Wakarimasen: "I Don’t Understand”)

If you don’t understand, let the speaker know! You can then follow it with もう一度ゆっくりお願いします (mou ichido yukkuri onegai shimasu: “Please, [say it] again more slowly”).

良かった (Yokatta: “Great!” or “I’m Glad!”)

Use this as a reply when someone tells you something good happened, or as a sigh of relief when something works out in a good way.

どうぞ、お願いします、ください (Douzo, Onegai Shimasu, Kudasai: “Please”)

The word for “please” changes with intent. どうぞ (douzo) is the most straight forward. You use this word when you are offering something to someone else. Like, “お先にどうぞ” (osaki ni douzo: "Please, you first" or “Please, after you”).

お願いします (onegai shimasu) and ください (kudasai) are used almost interchangeably but have different formality. お願いします is used to ask a request of someone with higher status than you, or for a service (because those offering services are usually considered to have higher status). So if you make a request of your boss, or take a taxi ride, you would use お願いします.

ください is used when you ask a request of someone close to you, like a friend, or when what you ask for is expected, like when ordering at a restaurant. You also use ください whenever the verb it follows is in て-form, like ちょっと待ってください (chotto matte kudasai: “please wait”), no matter the formality.

すみません (Sumimasen: "Excuse Me”)

You can also use this expression as a more formal way to apologize than ごめんなさい (gomen nasai).

どういたしまして (Dou Itashimashite: “You’re Welcome”)

This phrase sometimes seems intimidating when you’re new. A lot of my former Japanese classmates always complained they would forget it. But my best friend shared a great way to remember it (and I have shared it with everyone else learning Japanese since): In a Super Mario- like voice, say “Don’ta toucha my mustache.” Close enough to “doh-ee-ta-shi-ma-shi-te” that you’ll never forget it again.

少し日本語を話します (Sukoshi Nihongo wo Hanashimasu: “I Speak a Little Japanese”)

Yes, you can start using this phrase right now. You speak a little -- just from what you’ve learned here!

また会いましょう (Mata Aimashou: “Let’s Meet Again!”)

If you met a language exchange partner (or a new Japanese friend!) that you got along well with, then use this phrase to ask to meet again!

Japanese Questions to Boost Your Conversation

With any question word, you can use a raised inflection at the last syllable to express that it’s a question. But, more formally, you can add the Japanese equivalent of a question mark: ですか (desu ka).

誰 (Dare: “Who?”)

If you’re wondering who someone is, or their name, you can say あれは誰ですか。お名前は何ですか。(Are ha dare desu ka. Onamae ha nan desu ka.: "Who is that? What's his/her name?").

何 (Nani or Nan: “What?”)

When using this word with a particle or on its own, it’s said “nani.” When you combine it with another word, it becomes “nan.” Like 何をしてる (Nani wo shiteru: “What did you do?”), which connects to the particle を (wo). 何時ですか (Nanji desu ka: “What time is it?”) connects it with the word for time, 時 (ji).

いつ (Itsu: "When?”)

Try asking your Japanese language exchange partners or friends questions like “お誕生日はいつですか" (Otanjoubi ha itsu desu ka: “When’s your birthday?”).

どこ (Doko: “Where?”)

Don’t know where your friend is? Send them a text and ask, どこにいますか (doko ni imasu ka: “Where are you?”).

どうして (Doushite: Why?)

You can also use, なぜ (naze). どうして is more common on its own, and なぜ is more common in a longer sentence that asks why someone is doing an action/verb.

どう (Dou: "How?”)

You can use this to ask how something is going, like 勉強はどうですか (Benkyou wa dou desu ka: “How are your studies?”).

どちら? (Dochira: "Which?”)

If you’re not sure which one someone is talking about, ask them “どちら?"

お名前は何ですか (Onamae wa Nan desu ka “What’s your name?”)

When you announce your own name, you only say “namae.” But when you ask someone else’s name, you use the honorific prefix “o-.”

いくらですか (Ikura desu ka: “How much Is It?”)

If you're out shopping and can’t find a price, ask the 店員さん (tenninsan: "shop clerk") how much.

わかりますか (Wakarimasu ka: “Do you understand?”)

If you're not sure if someone understood what you said or what you meant, you can ask to make sure.

はどこですか (* wa Doko desu ka*: “Where is the ___?”)

A useful expression if you’re lost, unsure, or need to know where something is, like お手洗いはどこですか (Otearai wa doko desu ka: “Where is the bathroom?”).

これは何ですか (Kore wa Nan desu ka: “What’s this?”)

Any time you don’t know the word for something, you can point to it and ask what it is.

これは何意味ですか (Kore wa Nan Imi desu ka: “What does this mean?”)

Another great expression to keep learning… in Japanese. If you don’t know the meaning of a word or kanji, ask.

日本語で _は何ですか (*Nihongo de _ wa Nan desu ka*: “What is _ in Japanese?”)

If the person you’re speaking with knows a bit of English, you can use this phrase to keep you talking in Japanese - with a little help.

英語を話せますか (Eigo wo Hanasemasu ka: “Can you speak English?”)

You can also ask, 英語で言ってもいい (Eigo de itte mo ii: “Can I say it in English?”).

何って言ったの (Nani tte Itta no: “What did you say?”)

Make sure to raise your inflection at the end. の at the end of the sentence means something is left out (but it’s understood).

_ がありますか (_ga Arimasu ka: "Do you have __?”)

If you’re talking to a friend, you can shorten it by saying があるの? ( ga aru no?)

大丈夫ですか (Daijoubu desu ka: “Are you okay?”)

You can answer, “はい、大丈夫です" (Hai, daijoubu desu: “Yes, I’m fine”) or “いいえ、ちょっと悪いです" (Iie, chotto warui desu: “No, I’m feeling a bit bad/sick”).

どうしたんだ (Doushitanda: “What happened?”)

You may hear, “別に” (Betsu ni: “Nothing”), if it was no big deal or they don’t want to explain.

E-メール／電話番号を教えてもらえますか (E-meru/Denwa Bango wo Oshiete Moraemasu ka: “Could I Have Your Email Address/Phone Number?”)

Make sure to keep in touch with your new Japanese friends by asking for their email (E-メール, e-me-ru) or phone number (電話番号, denwa bango)!

_ を利用しますか (* wo Riyou Shimasu ka*: “Do you use _?”)

You can use this for many things, but you can ask if your Japanese friend uses a specific social media website to keep in touch. Japan has their own version of Facebook called Line that most Japanese people use instead. But you can ask フェイスブックを利用しますか (Fesubukku wo riyou shimasu ka: “Do you use Facebook”).

いつは会えますか (Itsu wa Aemasu ka: “When Can We Meet?”)

If you’re planning to meet regularly, ask when it's convenient for them to meet next with this phrase.

Bonus: Some Cute and Cool Japanese Words to Level Up Your Speech

かわいい (Kawaii: “Cute”)

You probably know this one, as it’s become a staple of otaku in America, but it’s very common in Japan too. Everything is “kawaii.”

かっこいい (Kakkoii: “Cool”)

Also, “handsome.” It’s mostly used to describe dreamy guys or cool objects.

すごい！(Sugoi: "Wow!" or "Amazing!")

I promise you, if you reply すごい to most everything that has a positive tone and body language, you'll sound like a native. This is hands down the most overused word in Japanese, and it’s a reply to everything. In fact, you’ll probably hear “すごい!” in reply to your attempt to speak Japanese!

ヤバい (Yabai: "Uncool")

The opposite of すごい, this means something is uncool or terrible.

ちょ、めっちゃ、とっても (Cho, Meccha, Tottemo: "Very," “Super”)

Depending on the dialect, you’ll hear one of these three words to say something is “very __." てっても (tottemo) is most standard, and the small つ means it has extra emphasis.

マジで (Maji de: “Seriously,” “Really”)

Like ちょ, マジ is used as an intensifier, but this one is more masculine.

うそ! (Uso!: "No way!")

It actually means "a lie," but it used as "no way!" in casual conversation when you hear something unbelievable.

Ready, Set, Speak!

How will you use these phrases to start speaking Japanese now? If you’re looking for a Japanese language exchange partner, learn how you can find one in your area or check out italki.

Now, get out there and speak Japanese!

The post The 99 Most Important Japanese Words (and Phrases) You Need to Start Speaking Now appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

77 of the Best (Bleeping) Dirty Words from Around the World [NSFW]

I don’t usually start off my blog posts with a warning, but this one needs it: This blog post is NSFW and definitely not family-friendly. You won’t learn these dirty words in textbooks!

Let’s be honest. Whenever we learn a new language, we all get curious about how to swear. We all want to know those dirty words, the banned words, the bad words your mum would’ve washed your mouth out for saying.

There’s something compelling about learning swear words in another language. It’s almost like it gives you that insider feeling. The sense that you’ve got a little extra knowledge in the language that makes you closer to native speaking. Because, most of us curse - at least sometimes, right?

I think it’s especially appealing, too, because it’s a taboo. They’re words you can’t say on radio or most television, so they’re a bit harder to learn and find as you’re starting out in your target language.

Well, here’s a great place to get you started learning those bad words. But be careful when and how you use them! If you wouldn’t shout an offensive curse word in a certain situation in your native language, don’t use the equivalent in another language.

English Dirty Words

Up first, we have both American and British dirty words. Because for the rest of this article, you're going to need to know the gist of these (should you not already). Some of them also show up adapted in other languages. Especially one, in particular, is almost universal around the globe - you’ll know it as the top dirtiest word in most languages.

Fuck - “Sex”, or an Intensifier

That’s right. Let’s get it out in the open. There’s that swear word which has all the oomph and intensity behind it. It can be used for sexual references, but it’s most commonly used now as an intensifier to show your anger or irritation. In Ireland, we have a milder way of saying it with “feck”. This one has also integrated into other languages, like Japanese, where speakers often say this word instead of one from their own language.

Prick - “Terrible/Rude Person”

A word used when someone is being obnoxious, stupid, or rude.

Bastard - “Illegitimate Child”

Originally meaning a child born out of wedlock, now it’s used to call someone a jerk or to say a situation’s unpleasant. You could also say “git” (pronounced with a hard G).

Bellend - “Penis Head”

Ah, so many dirty words are associated with certain body parts. This one refers to a penis, or is used to call someone an idiot. There’s also knobend and dickhead.

Ass/Arse - “Butt”

Calling someone a jerk or a fool (“You asshole!”) or saying you couldn’t give a damn (“I don’t give an arse” or “I can’t be arsed”).

Cunt - “Vagina”

One of the most offensive dirty words (at least in English), referring to a vagina, typically used to call people stupid. In the UK, this word alone can mean a movie is rated “18”, so can only be seen by adults.

Balls - “Testicles”

Often thrown out there as a question of manliness or courage to do or not do something. “He doesn’t have the balls to do it.” or “He has some balls to say that.” (Like “he has some nerve.”) In the UK you might hear “bollocks” more often.

Shit - “Poop” or “Crap”

Now one of the most universal bad words there is in the English language. Shit is used in so many ways, like “piece of shit” to say something is worthless, or “shitty” as an adjective for something bad -- like a “shitty day.” “You don’t know shit” means you don’t know anything, but “you know your shit” means you know quite a lot! It’s also used as an exclamation when something bad happens.

Irish Dirty Words

There are some really interesting ways to insult someone or curse in Irish - it gets pretty clever. But here’s some dirty words you need to know:

Gobdaw - “Dumbass”

A gullible idiot. Like calling someone a “dumbass” or “twat”.

Fecker - “Fucker”

Like I mentioned, “feck” is a milder form of “fuck”, and the same is true for fecker. It’s similar to “fucker”, but a little “kinder”.

Ráicleach - “Witch”

Or more accurate in this context: a loose woman, a lady of iffy morals, a slut.

Cúl Tóna - “Dickhead”

Used when someone’s being a jerk.

Aiteann - “Cunt”

Another unsavoury word for lady parts, it most closely translates to “cunt” or “pussy” and it’s one of the strongest words in Irish.

Téigh go dtí ifreann! - “Go to Hell!”

There are lots of creative variations of this one stemming from “devil” and “hell”. But this is the classic for when you’re really angry with someone.

Póg mo thóin. - “Kiss My Ass.”

For when you really want to tell someone to suck it.

French Dirty Words

La belle langue is about to get a bit dirty!

Merde - "Shit"

Definitely the most common of all the French dirty words, it’s used like “shit” in English. Your every day, all-situations curse word.

Putain - "Whore"

Although it means “whore”, it’s used more like “fuck”. You can use it to express exasperation, exclamation, and as an adjective. You can even combine it with merde to create putain de merde -- “fucking shit.”

C’est des Conneries - “This is Bullshit”

Like in English, if you’re feeling frustrated with a situation, you can call bullshit. Or, grumble about it to yourself in your target language.

Salope - "Bitch*

Also, “slut”. It's a bit harsher than the English "bitch" which is sometimes used in a casual way.

Fils de Salope - "Son of a Bitch"

Obviously, use with care whenever you start referring to mothers. But you can use this as an exclamation like in English, too. Fils de pute (“son of a whore”) is a common alternative.

T’as Pas de Couilles - “You Don’t Have the Balls”

Want to call someone out on their bluff? Tell them they don’t have to balls to go through with it.

Je M’en Fou - “I Don’t Give a Shit”

When you’re looking for an eloquent way to express your lack of shits to give, here’s your phrase!

Osti de Calisse de Tabarnak (Quebec only) - “Goddamn Motherfucking Shit!”

This is the mother of all curses in Quebec. Each word on its own (osti, calisse and tabarnak) is itself a swear word that can be used individually, but they combine to form a phrase that will have your mother washing your mouth out with soap in no time flat.

Spanish Dirty Words

Such a passionate language is bound to have colourful dirty words. Here are some creative ways to express frustration:

Mierda - “Shit”

This literally refers to faeces but can be used in any situation to express frustration.

Vayate a la Mierda - “Fuck off”

Also using “mierda” but in a stronger way. Could also be translated as, “Go fuck yourself.”

Que te Folle un Pez - “I Hope You Get Fucked By a Fish”

I have no idea where this one started, but talk about a creative way to tell someone off!

Puto - “Fucking”

Used as an adjective, like Mira este puto - “Look at this fucking guy.”

Verga - “Cock” or “Prick”

Basically, an arrogant idiot.

Cojones - “Balls”

It wouldn’t be right to leave this one off the list. Men love to talk about los cojones and whether another person has them, or rather the courage and muster. Sometimes you’ll hear Tienes cojones - “You have balls” - like in English.

Coño - “Cunt”

This one has various meanings, depending on where you hear it. It can also be “twat” or even “damn” in Spain. It’s not always considered as offensive as the English equivalent, depending which country you’re in and who you’re talking to, but use it carefully just in case.

Italian Dirty Words

You may know a few inappropriate hand gestures in Italian - so here are some passionate expressions to go with them.

Cazzo - “Dick”

Also “fuck” or “shit”, it’s the common swear word for everything in Italian.

Che Palle! - “What balls!”

When someone has a lot of nerve, that’s what this line is for.

Tette - “Tits”

I can just picture you giggling at this one.

Stronzo - “Asshole”

Or, stronza for a woman.

Fanculo - “Fuck”

You can use it as an exclamation, or to express your anger with someone.

Vaffanculo - “Fuck You”

This is definitely one you’ll see with some not-so-nice hand gestures, and it ranks amongst the strongest terms in Italian.

Pompinara - “Cocksucker”

A strong noun to call someone in your wrath. Keep in mind, these may be fighting words to Italians.

German Dirty Words

German has some amazingly descriptive words for all occasions... And swear words are no exception.

Arschgesicht - “Ass Face”

Yes, “ass face”, or a little harsher - “fuck face.” It’s a pretty intense (and humorous) insult.

Scheißkopf - “Shithead”

Basically, a “dumbass” or “idiot” you can’t stand.

Küss Meinen Arsch - “Kiss My Ass”

A handy phrase for when someone’s getting on your last nerve.

Verpiss Dich! - “Fuck Off!”

When you want to get the hell away from someone.

Zur Hölle Mit… - “To Hell With…”

Like, Zur Hölle mit ihnen - “To hell with ‘em!”

Wichser - “Wanker”

Like “prick” or “asshole,” and used the same way.

Arschgeige - “Dickhead”

Similar to arschgesicht, but this one translates to “ass fiddle” which is just an incredible insult.

Portuguese Dirty Words

While there are some differences between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese, these are some standard bad words from the language.

Cabra / Cabrão - “Bastard” or “Fucker”

Cabra is feminine, and Cabrão is masculine, and both are offensive.

Monte de Merda - “Piece of Shit”

Merda means “shit”, so you can use it as you would that word.

Caralho - “Dick”

While it means penis, cock, or dick, it’s used more like “fuck.” You can also say *foda-se which is used like an exclamation when something bad happens.

Vai Para o Caralho - “Go Fuck Yourself”

For when you’re really pissed off.

Rego Do Cu - “Ass Crack”

A noun for someone who’s being very irritating or arrogant.

Puta Que Pariu - “Holy Shit”

Used as an interjection or exclamation to express surprise (and often slips out in the moment).

Chupa-mos - “Suck it”

Perhaps a bit nicer way to say Vai para o caralho.

Russian Dirty Words

Russian curse words are quite an art form. They start with a few basic words that morph into thousands of variations and ways to offend someone.

Xуй (Khui) - “Dick”

While it translates to “dick”, it transforms into a catch-all dirty word, like for the next phrase….

Хуй тебе́! (Khui tebé!) - “Fuck You!”

Хуй is often the root of all major insults in Russian.

Cучка (Suchka) - “Little Bitch”

A noun for when someone’s pissed you off.

Oбосра́ться (Obosrat'sya) - “Shit” or “Crapping One’s Pants”

This can refer to the object “crap” or the action “crapping oneself.” Quite the lovely image!

Не будь жо́пой! (Ne bud' zhopoy!) - “Don’t Be an Asshole!”

When you need to tell someone to lay off.

блядь (blyad') - “Whore”

Another catch-all word, this one is used as an exclamation like “damn” or “shit.” But also used to call a woman a “slut” or a man a “dickhead”.

Да ебал я это! (Da yebal ya eto!) - “I Fucked Up!”

Or “I don’t fucking care anymore!” for when you’re exasperated, or messed up.

Chinese Dirty Words

Chinese has some very interesting ways to insult someone, so I’m going to start right out with my favourite:

王八蛋 (Wáng Bā Dàn) - “Tortoise Egg”

Yes, this is a highly insulting phrase in Chinese, and basically equates to “bastard” in English. The interesting thing about this phrase is it's become such a common bad word that it spurred tons of other “egg” related insults.

混蛋 (Hún Dàn) - “Mixed Egg”

This is like throwing out a “yo mama” insult because it means that the family line is “mixed” or messed up from promiscuity. Since the family name and ancestry is huge, this is a major insult. But its English equivalent is closest to “prick.”

狗屁 (Gǒu Pì) - “Dog Fart”

You read that right: “dog fart”. It’s used like “bullshit”. As in 放你妈的狗屁 (fàng nǐ mā de gǒu pì) - “Your mom’s dog fart” or “That’s bullshit.”

混帳 (Hùn zhàng) - “Git”

Also means “bastard” and is a major insult.

他妈的 (Tā mā de) - “Fuck”

Like in English, it’s used as an exclamation or intensifier.

去你的 (Qù nǐ de) - “Shut the Fuck Up”

Or “screw you” and “fuck off”. It’s actually a bit milder than it sounds in English.

我肏 (Wǒ Cào) - “Holy Shit”

Used when you’re equally surprised and impressed.

Japanese Dirty Words

Japanese bad words don’t always have the same “oomph” they do in other languages, because giving offense in Japanese can be so nuanced. But here are some common offensive words:

くそ (Kuso) - “Shit” or “Fuck”

The most versatile dirty word in Japanese, kuso means “shit”, “damn” or “fuck” and is used the same as in English.

やりまん (Yariman) - “Slut”

Used when calling someone promiscuous, and it’s highly insulting. There’s also the male version -- やりちん (yarichin).

くそったれ (Kusottare) - “Shithead”

The equivalent of calling someone “Motherfucker” in English. It’s one of the stronger words in Japanese.

ぶす (Busu) - “Ugly Hag”

While this is a pretty mild word comparatively, it’s a common insult meaning “ugly woman”. You’ll hear rude kids sometimes call women this in anime (and real life).

死ねえ (Shi’ne) - “Die!”

A popular one you might’ve heard if you watch shonen anime, it’s the harshest way to tell someone “Die!” But when you’re not in a ninja battle to the death, it more accurately translates to “Go to hell” in everyday life.

くたばれ、ボケ (Kutabare, boke) - “Fuck Off, Idiot”

Although it’s a bit stronger than “idiot” implies in English. “Fuck off, you piece of shit” is a closer translation for this one.

Korean Dirty Words

There are lots of fun slang and dirty expressions in Korean, even some silly ones from kids’ shows like calling someone 빵꾸똥꾸 (bbang-gu-ddong-gu - “poopy fart”).

아, 씨발 (Ah, Sshi-bal) - “Ah, Fuck”

It can be used the same way as in English.

씨방새 (Sshi-bang-sae) - “Fuck You”

Here’s the intense way to tell someone to leave you alone in Korean.

개새 (Gae-sae) - “SOB”

“Son of a bitch” or “SOB”. It’s a shortened way to literally say “a dog’s offspring.”

년 (Nyeon) - “Bitch”

There are lots of other expressions that stem from this one, but this is your standard insult.

좆 (Jot) - “Penis”

Literally meaning a penis or dick. But it’s used in many fun sayings, like...

좆 같은 놈/년 (Jeot-gat-eun-nom/nyeon) - “You bastard/bitch”

Also like saying “you’re shitty,” but would more accurately translate to “bastard” or “bitch” in English.

아, 좆같네 (Ah, jot-gat-ne) - “It’s fucked up”

It means “It’s like a dick” but the English translation would be closer to “It’s fucked up.”

Now Go Learn Some (Bleep)ing Useful Words

Got that out of your system? You can go swear like a sailor in languages from around the world now! But if you get yourself in trouble using them, you’re on your own! Don’t forget to go learn some polite words to make up for the vulgarity, like essential phrases in other languages.

Did I miss your favourite, unique way to vent off some steam? Let me know in the comments!

The post 77 of the Best (Bleeping) Dirty Words from Around the World [NSFW] appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

Teen Learns Chinese in 3 Months: One Month Update

Teenager James Corl is on a mission to learn Chinese in 3 months with the Add1Challenge. This is his update after one month.

It is hard to believe that I am already one month into my Mandarin mission! The days are going by too quickly for my liking, and I am nervously awaiting the day where I must give my Day 30 video to the entire Add1 Community!

Obviously Mandarin is far different from the Romance languages I have previously studied, but there is a quality about the language that I really like. Though I still have to find out what that quality is. Maybe it is the tones that give Chinese its musical, songlike rhythm. Or perhaps it is the characters, with their intricacies and meanings only to be deciphered by those who know their secrets.

Most likely, it is the history and the culture of the Chinese people which draws me closer to Mandarin. From Confucius to Jack Ma of Alibaba, China and the people who inhabit it have been changing the world, providing it with new inventions and processes that have had a ripple effect across the globe.

That being said, this has been the most difficult language that I have tried to learn! Although it is true that I love the language and its features, there are several features that make this tongue the toughest I have ever learned. In this article, I’ll go over:


The resources I have been using so far
Things I may have to adjust going into my next month


My Day 0 Mandarin Video

I’m learning Mandarin as part of the Add1Challenge . At the start of the Add1Challenge, every student is required to post a Day 0 video, showing the their current knowledge of the language.

Here is my Day 0 video, an entire 17 seconds long:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeQAsoEpExQ

In the video I say: “Hello, my name is James. I am American. I love to eat American.Thank you; I love you all!”

As you can see, my Chinese at the start was far from perfect. Just take a look at the line where I said Wŏ ài chī fàn méiguó (“I love to eat American”), instead of saying Wŏ ài chī shuǐguǒ (“I like to eat fruit”).

The Resources I Used to Learn Mandarin

To start the Add1Challenge, I began to do a few different things to kick off my Chinese learning. One tool that I used was Memrise.

It just so happened that I have always wanted to extensively use Memrise, and I had my opportunity to! Most of the beginning days of my learning were spent on the site and app, pouring over Chinese character after Chinese character.

In the beginning, I liked using Memrise. I felt that I was making a lot of progress in my Mandarin, and I was encouraged by the number of words I had “mastered” or were “works in progress”. The analogy of learning a word to the growth of a flower was pretty creative, in my mind.

After 2 Weeks, I Needed to Try Something New...

However, as I continued to use Memrise alongside my lessons (twice a week with my teacher), the value I found within the program diminished. A full disclaimer: I am not trying to discourage usage of Memrise. Many people have used the program, and it has worked for many learners of many languages across the globe.

In my case, I fell into the passive learning trap. I wasn’t spending enough time actually using the language, and had just been learning vocabulary that didn’t mean anything to me at the present moment. Fortunately, I caught myself in this state about two weeks into the challenge, enough time to alter my strategy Something needed to change!

Just when I was going to message a fellow challenger to ask for ideas one what to do next, the Add1Challenge crew swooped in to save me! Not in a literal sense, but through the help of a Mini-Challenge. Three of these take place during each Add1Challenge, and they’re designed to get all of the challengers ready for the finale of the challenge: the all important 15 minute conversation with a native speaker.

The first challenge involves scheduling time to chat with with native speakers, and preparing some phrases that you’re likely to use during these conversations.

My First Conversation in Chinese

I did not think that I was ready for this at all. Nevertheless, I booked my first 30 minute conversation. For the first time since learning Italian, I was a little jittery before the conversation.

From the beginning of the conversation, I felt that I was climbing uphill. I relied heavily on my Cheat Sheet. Hearing a language so foreign to my ears was a sensation that I haven’t felt in a really long time. Everything had to be slowed down, I took my time to respond to questions, and by the end I was extremely exhausted.

Even though I was very tired at the end of my conversation, I felt really good too! My list of phrases that I had created was used less and less as the exchange progressed. Many of these phrases, I found I now knew by heart: Through sheer usage of them, over and over, I had memorized them!

Feeling pumped after, I decided to up my Chinese game: I wanted to do a full, hour-long conversation in Mandarin! Without reservation, I found another tutor and booked an hour long slot. I thought to myself: if I already did a 30 minute conversation, why not a 60 minute talk? Just add 30 more minutes and I would be at 60 minutes! How hard would it be?

As the talk quickly approached, I was met with a mix of nerves and excitement (it was mostly excitement). I wondered what we would talk about, and the new vocabulary and grammar I would pick up during our talk.

For the first few minutes of this second conversation, I reverted back to my list of set phrases. But as the chat progressed, I began to think in Chinese! I picked up so much new relevant vocabulary to me and my daily routine that I began to piece things from the discussion together with words I had previously learned!

By the end, I was not even thinking about speaking or listening; I was just doing it! I found this to be a welcome occurence for my Chinese learning. Nothing boosts my confidence more than being able to speak competently in a foreign tongue.

Where Do I Go From Here? My Plans for Month Two

From here on out, I will do more active learning with Mandarin. Apps like ChineseSkill will get more of my time, as it includes vocabulary that must be then translated into English. If this sounds familiar to another language learning app in the marketplace, you are not mistaken! ChineseSkill has been dubbed as the “Duolingo of Chinese.”

One thing I may try in the upcoming month is listening to Chinese podcasts, such as ChineseClass 101 , as I have never tried podcasts extensively and would like to see what they offer. Continuing to take and participate in formal lessons will be a vital part (as it has been in the past) of my learning journey.

These are a few things that I will do this upcoming month to help me with my progression in the Chinese language. However, nothing can help me more than speaking the language. I have a theory behind this: since Chinese is so foreign (more so than European languages) to my mind, I have to put in extra effort to learn every new word, as there are far fewer cognates and similar grammar structures.

Here’s an example: in mid-July, I was taking two lessons a week. These were solely to absorb vocabulary and grammar, and with minimal Chinese conversation. My tutorr is phenomenal, but for some reason, every new word was forgotten in, I kid you not, two minutes! My retrieval was dismal. I just figured that it was just a part of learning Mandarin.

After my two hours of conversation the previous week, had another lesson with my tutor. The difference in the lessons was like night and day! I was able to remember new words at a lightning pace, and I recalled some words from my previous lessons with the teacher. Amazed, he told me that he could tell that there was a difference from our previous lessons (he specified that it was for the better ;)).

I hope that this update has helped you understand some of the struggles I am having, what I am doing to fix them, and, of course, the fun that this challenge has provided me with. If there is one thing I’ve learned from learning languages (apart from the tongues themselves), it is this: if you are not having fun doing something, then it is not worth doing.

Every day before my school day starts, my dad tells me three things to me: “Learn lots, work hard, and have fun!” I sincerely believe I have met that goal every day in my Chinese studies- and I can’t wait to do all of that in the upcoming 60 days of this challenge!

The post Teen Learns Chinese in 3 Months: One Month Update appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” — Here’s Why Friends Are So Important in Language Learning

Having a friend by your side as you learn a language is the best (and most fun) way to succeed.

Do you know the Hank Williams classic “I’m so lonesome I could cry”?



Studying a language can be a bit like that -- especially when you’re learning on your own.

It’s weird when you think about it.

Languages are social. They exist to communicate.

So how do language learners end up so isolated?

Now don’t get me wrong. There are a ton of advantages to self-study.

I’m an independent language learner, and I’ve found I can learn much faster and smarter on my own compared to in a classroom. I can choose the study tools and courses that work for me. I can learn at my own pace, and focus on the words and phrases I need to communicate.

But if you cut out community completely, you miss out on a ton.

Let me tell you a story.

I run a community called the Add1Challenge -- where language learners go from zero to having a 15-minute conversation in their target language after just 90 days.

It never ceases to amaze me what people achieve in the Add1Challenge… and to me the “magic” of the challenge is the power of community, and the friends people make when they join Add1.

A short time back, one of our Add1Challengers had fallen off the wagon. She hadn’t kept up her daily study sessions for a few days… and felt like quitting. Reaching that 15 minute conversation felt impossible.

She was about to quit, but rather than slip away silently, she shared how she was feeling with the rest of the community.

Here’s what she said:



And then something amazing happened.

Comments, support, and suggestions started coming in. They ranged from “I totally get what you’re feeling right now” to practical advice for how to get through the lull and rediscover her mojo.

Several learners even volunteered their time and offered to do exchanges with her to help her get back into the rhythm of her studies.

Here are just a few of the replies she received:



You’re Not Alone

When you’re learning a language, it’s all too easy just to share your successes. We want other people to think that we’re amazing and to be impressed by what we’ve accomplished. But those successes ride on the backs of our struggles and our failures. Those things are as much a part of the process, so they’re worth sharing, too.

Yet when we struggle, we often keep what we’re going through to ourselves. We’re afraid we’ll be judged, that there’s something wrong with us, or that we’ll be laughed at. And even though the chances of any of those things happening a slim, we’re still not open to sharing just on the off chance that our fears will be proven right.

In the Add1Challenge , we aim to create a safe place for learners to make new friendships and truly share what they’re experiencing - the good and the bad. And when challengers find the courage to share their struggles, the positive response is overwhelming.

It’s okay to be imperfect.

And it’s okay if other people know that you make mistakes and that things aren’t always easy for you.

Here are just a few reasons it’s so good to have a friend when you’re having difficulty:

1.You Can Talk it Out

When you share your struggles with others, finding a resolution becomes a collaborative effort. And when that brainstorming happens, there’s a good chance you’ll land on an idea that works for you.

Sharing what’s holding you back in a group like the Add1Challenge can be particularly productive because those listening are fellow language learners. They’ve likely been where you are. Their advice will come from that shared experience.

2. You Avoid Meltdown

Trying to do everything on your own is a formula for burnout -- especially if you’re like me and you study intensively.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it or to share when you’re having a rough time. If you keep it all in and try to deal with it on your own, you could very easily set yourself up for a complete meltdown.

So many language learners quit because they hit a wall. Friends are the ones who will keep you going, even when the going gets tough.

3. You’ll See What a Beautiful Human Being You Really Are

We’re all human. We all make mistakes and experience our share of peaks and valleys.

We tend to be our own worst critics and we’re much harder on ourselves than anyone else would ever be. In some ways, this can be a positive thing. It pushes us to do better and to be better. But other times, it’s unnecessary.

When you look at other language learners, it’s easy to think that they’re so much better than you. That they’re doing something right and you’re not. Or that you aren’t good enough.

But what you might fail to see is that those other learners are looking back at you thinking the same thing.

A good amount of the time, you’ll be the one giving support -- and you’ll discover just how much you have to give.

4. You Learn that You Can’t Do it All Yourself

When you’ve got friends who’ve got your back, you’ll realise that it’s better when you’re working together. You’ll also see that you couldn’t have done it on your own.

Drop your high expectations of yourself and embrace your need for others. We’re all interdependent. It’s liberating to know that.

5. You’ll Feel More Connected

Sharing your struggles makes you vulnerable. It’s scary!

But that means there’s a good chance you aren’t the only one holding back. When you take the initiative and talk about the struggles you’re experiencing, you not only build your own confidence but you also show others that it’s okay to do the same.

And you share, you’ll find that others open up and share their struggles in return.

Building true friendships by supporting others (in good times and in struggles) is a wonderful way to feel more connected.

A Problem Shared is a Problem Halved

There’s an old adage: “a problem shared is a problem halved”. And when you share with a group of hundreds of other learners, then your problems aren’t just halved -- they become tiny!

So why not join a community where you’re encouraged to share?

If you’re interested in joining the Add1Challenge community and getting the chance to work alongside an incredible, supportive community of language learners, then follow this link to find out more.

The post “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” — Here’s Why Friends Are So Important in Language Learning appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

11 Reasons Why the Add1Challenge is Explosively Powerful for Language Learners

You can have a 15-minute conversation in a new language after just 90 days.

Does that sound too good to be true?

It’s the promise of the Add1Challenge, and after 30+ challenges we’ve seen hundreds of language learners hit that 15-minute conversation!

In fact, we’re so confident in the power of the Add1Challenge that we provide a 100% money back guarantee. Anyone who joins the Add1Challenge and does the work will have that 15-minute conversation, or they get their money back.

So what makes the Add1Challenge so effective?

I’m the community manager of the Add1Challenge, so I’m involved in every challenge.

I’ve completed three challenges myself, and have had 15 minute conversations in Croatian, Japanese and Korean. It has certainly been effective for me! So I decided to take a deeper look at what makes the Add1Challenge such a powerful language learning tool.

I’ll start with the basics: explaining what’s inside the Add1Challenge -- and the reasons it’s so effective as a language program.

What is the Add1Challenge?

The Add1Challenge is a community of language learners who aim to hold a 15-minute conversation in their target language at the end of 90 days.


Mini-challenges and assignments designed to get breakthrough results and help challengers get through any slumps they face during the 90 days.
Personal email support from Shannon Kennedy and the Fi3M team. If at any point challengers need encouragement, resource recommendations, feel stuck or uncertain about any part of the challenge, we’re here for them. We want challengers to succeed, so it’s in our interests to help!
Accountability emails and challenge updates sent direct to your inbox. Throughout the challenge we send emails about what’s going on, the latest assignments are and tips for staying on track.
Access to our private community site. Challengers become a member of an established community of learners that love sharing and supporting their peers.
A private, secure and friendly place to share video updates. We ask Add1Challengers to step out of their comfort zone. During the challenge, participants share Day 0, 30, 60 and 90 videos to record their progress and motivate their fellow challengers. This is hard evidence of just how much the challengers achieve. If you’d like to see some of these videos for yourself, just search “Add1Challenge” on YouTube. Note that these are videos that challengers have opted to share publicly. You don’t have to make your videos public if you don’t want to.
Membership in a mastermind group and a language study group. The Add1Challenge is all about community. This is why we offer both masterminds (groups that provide accountability) and study groups (groups learning the same language). These small groups are a great place to compare notes, get some practice and get support. We keep these groups intimate so challengers have a chance to really connect with other language learners.
In-depth language resources developed by the Add1 community. With over 30 challenges under our belts, we have quite a few resources that we’ve put together thanks to the experience and knowledge we gained from past challenges, as well as things our community members found useful. These include tutor recommendations, our favorite learning tools, and thousands of sample sentences.
Discounted access to future challenges. We’ve found that once someone has completed one Add1Challenge, they want to return for more! So we’ve put a discount scheme in place for Add1 alumni to make it more affordable for repeat challengers.
Prizes! for the winner of the Add1Challenge. At the end of each Add1Challenge, one winner is selected. This is someone who completes all of the requirements and challenges over the 90 days. They’re selected by their fellow challengers through a voting process that concludes with a grand finale live Hangout.


As you can see, there’s a ton going on in each challenge. And each part of the challenge is there for a reason -- to keep you coming back to your language learning, day after day.

Why the Add1Challenge is So Powerful

Here are the 11 reasons that Add1 is such a powerful language learning tool:

Reason 1: You’ll Find What Works for You as a Language Learner

Most language courses tell you what to learn and how to learn it. They take a one-size-fits-all approach. It’s little wonder that many people leave school feeling “languages aren’t for me!” If you feel like that, it simply means the method of language teaching used at your school didn’t fit your learning style.

The truth is, we all learn differently. Depending on your learning style, different tools will work for you.

The Add1Challenge is an incredibly flexible system. It offers you the opportunity to try out different methods, tools, and techniques to see what works for you. And because it’s a community, you’ll get to see how others learn, try out what they’re doing, and ask for suggestions that fit in with your lifestyle.

You can be as unconventional as you like. Our philosophy is that if it works for you, then do it!

Reason 2: You Only Have 90 Days

The Add1Challenge always lasts just 90 days -- and you’ll be aiming for a 15-minute conversation in your new language at the end of 90 days.

That’s a pretty tight deadline, so it will keep you focused on learning.

At the same time, you only have to keep up your learning for 90 days. So when the going gets tough, you’ll know that it won’t always be that way. After day 90, you can slack off as much as you want!

Reason 3: “Optimal Arousal”: You’ll Take Gradual Steps Outside Your Comfort Zone

Want to speak a new language? Then at times you’ll feel uncomfortable or anxious. It’s perfectly normal to feel that way when you’re meeting new people to chat with in a language you’re still learning.

So, as you speak your new language, you’ll be stepping outside your comfort zone.

Stepping outside your comfort zone -- and feeling a little anxious -- is good for learning. A small amount of anxiety helps you feel more focused, and perform better as you learn.

If you’re too relaxed, you’ll struggle to learn because you won’t have enough focus. The same is true if you’re too anxious. You’re aiming for what’s called “optimal arousal”.



In other words, it’s a good thing to take small steps outside your comfort zone. When you push yourself to feel a little anxious, you move up the arousal curve, and your performance improves.

In the Add1Challenge, we guide you through this process of taking small steps beyond what feels comfortable -- from creating your very first video of yourself, all the way to having real conversations with native speakers.

Reason 4: You Have a Specific, BIG but Achievable “Destination Postcard”

Run with me here. We’ll talk postcards in a minute You’ve probably heard of SMART method for reaching goals -- and the Add1Challenge goal of a 15-minute conversation in your target language is certainly SMART:


Specific -- It focuses on your conversation skills.
Measurable -- You can easily measure whether you reach a 15-minute conversation or not.
Achievable -- We’ve seen hundreds of language learners complete the Add1Challenge, so we know it’s an achievable goal.
Relevant -- The goal is relevant to you because you want to speak a new language.
Time-bound -- You’ve got 90 days to achieve your goal.


But SMART isn’t everything. It’s a bit dry and boring, right? And goals work better when you have an emotional connection to them.

So, create a Destination Postcard in your mind of you having that 15-minute conversation in your target language. Then pull out that postcard and take a mental look at it every time you need a motivation boost.

Reason 5: Mini-Missions (Daily Goals)

At the beginning of the Add1Challenge, you’ll set yourself a daily study goal. For example:


30 minutes a day, 4x per week
45 minutes a day, 6x per week
60 minutes a day, 5x per week


Then you’ll use our daily check-in system to let us know whether you completed the goal (yay!), missed the goal (nay), or took a break day.

Alongside this daily goal, you’ll have other mini-challenges to take part in, and your Day 0, Day 30, Day 60 and Day 90 videos to create.

Why is this significant?

Research from MIT shows that you work smarter and harder (and get better results) if you have deadlines -- especially if you have lots of small deadlines that build up to a bigger deadline.

No wonder Add1 is so effective at keeping language learners motivated?

Reason 6: Hundreds of Others Have Done it Before You

Confession time. In one of my recent challengers, I felt certain I wasn’t going to hit a 15-minute conversation in my Day 90 video.

This is kind of awkward, but I want to show you this so you have a full idea of what’s possible with the Add1Challenge.

In my Day 0 video for Japanese, all I could do was introduce myself, count to six, and recite a few phrases I had learned as a part of an audio podcast I was using:



I really worried about how I’d get to a 15-minute conversation from that starting point. I’d seen dozens of other challengers do it, but for myself? Could I really do it?

I honestly wasn’t sure.

So I did the only thing I could do. I trusted the Add1 process. I read the daily email updates to keep me pumped (yes, the updates that I’d written!). And I hit my daily “yays”.

Each day I completed my goal -- 60 mins per day, 7 days per week. I met with a tutor at least once a week for a one hour lesson, and I took part in all the mini challenges. I decided not to worry about the end goal of a 15 minute conversation. Instead, I kept my head down and went at it. One day at a time.

The thing about the Add1Challenge is - you have 90 days. You don’t get to change your deadline because you’re worried that you’re not ready or because you’ve changed your mind and feel like you need more time prepare. Day 90 is Day 90.

It’s good pressure, but it’s pressure!

And… I hit a snag. On Day 30, I was able to speak on my own for about four minutes. I thought that it was good progress. But on Day 60, I was only able to talk for about two minutes.

I was moving backwards… I wondered if I should just cut my losses and quit.

At the same time… my “yays” were adding up on the daily check-in sheet. I felt like I’d been improving, even if the evidence seemed to be saying otherwise. So, I decided to keep going.

“Trust the process,” I told myself, though in my gut I just felt screams of doubt.

When Day 90 came around, I didn’t feel ready. Not. At. All. I felt sure that I’d fail.

I thought I’d have to try more than once to squeak past the 15-minute mark.

But I promised myself that I was going to try, so I tried.

When I had the conversation, I ignored the clock. I decided to go as long as I could before my brain said, “okay, Shannon, that’s enough! I’m exhausted!”

And maybe that way I’d hit 15 minutes.

I dialled up my conversation partner on Skype. We chatted. She asked questions. I answered as best I could. I struggled. She was patient with me. I kept going until I couldn’t go anymore and we ended the call.

I took a deep breath and prepared myself to check the time on the recording. I was sure it was only going to be about 12 minutes and that I’d have to try again.

I’m the Community Manager of the Add1Challenge. I couldn’t let myself fail!

That recording I thought was just 12 minutes?

It was 38 minutes long.



It wasn’t perfect. I made mistakes and there were times where I just didn’t understand at all. But we had an amazing conversation. I smiled a ton during it. And I’d had that 15-minute conversation (and then some). I did it!

Time and again in the Add1Challenge we’ve seen language learners who feel certain they’re not going to make that 15-minute conversation. Then they record on Day 90, and shock themselves at what they achieve.

When you take the Add1Challenge, you’re journeying along a well-trodden path, so there are others to guide you, and more importantly, you know it’s possible to reach the finish line.

You can trust the process -- keep doing the daily work, and you will reach your goal.

Reason 7: Speaking!

We learn languages to connect with others, right? At least I do.

That’s why at Fluent in 3 Months we say the best way to learn a language is to speak from day one. The sooner you start speaking, the sooner you’ll start connecting with others.

Plus you’ll be practicing the skill you actually want to learn.

Add1Challenge is all about speaking a language. Sure, you can do listening, reading and writing as part of the challenge. But the goal is speaking. And that’s why we love it so much :)

Reason 8: You’re Learning Because You Want To

When you’re learning because you want to learn, you’ll perform better.

Add1Challenge is a community of motivated, inspired language learners who want to be there and want to support each other. Everyone in the challenge is excited to be learning a language!

I can’t really describe how good it feels when you’re in the middle of that buzz.

“Wanting to be there” is also called intrinsic motivation. And research shows that if you have this, you’re better at learning.

Reason 9: Competition!

We like healthy competition at Add1, and during every Add1Challenge we give away thousands of dollars worth of prizes to our winners.

How do you win? First, you have to complete the challenge and create your Day 90 video. Then other challengers vote to say who they think deserves to win the most. The winner is often someone who has given a lot of help to other challengers.

There’s also friendly competition between groups during the challenge when we run our mini-challenges.

We know competition isn’t for everyone, but it can be a BIG motivator for some people, which is why we include the competitive element. If competition’s not for you, then you can ignore this side of the challenge.

Reason 10: Unslumping

Language learners often get in a slump. It’s easy to get disheartened when you’re learning a language and to feel like you’re not making any progress. You lose the sense of “I love this” and it becomes a slog.

That’s why we’ve made sure there are lots of ways to “unslump” yourself during an Add1Challenge. You can:


Watch the videos you’ve made of yourself speaking your target language to see how much progress you’ve made (you’ll be surprised!)
Ask me or anyone on the Fluent in 3 Months team for help
Let the community know you’re struggling -- they’ll cheer you on and give you a boost


I also personally check in with any challengers who seem to be struggling to see what we can do to help them get back on track.

Reason 11: The Power of Community

I like to call the Add1 community the magic that makes the world of Add1 spin. You’ll find the people you meet in Add1 will inspire you, invigorate you and give you the energy you need to keep learning. And you’ll be doing that for others too.

Your new Add1 friends will support you, provide accountability, cheer you on when you succeed, and go shoulder-to-shoulder with you when things get tough.

It’s great to see the special friendships that are forged in every Add1Challenge.

What Are You Hoping For?

What are you looking forward to most about the Add1Challenge? Let me know in the comments, or email me at encourager@fluentin3months.com

The post 11 Reasons Why the Add1Challenge is Explosively Powerful for Language Learners appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

The IPA Alphabet: How and Why You Should Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (With Charts)

Every aspiring polyglot should learn to read the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). It's a powerful tool when learning any language.

I taught myself to read the IPA alphabet, but it was tough at first. Wikipedia has tons of comprehensive information, but can be confusing to a beginner.

So this article is my attempt to create the resource that I wish I'd had when I started. I'll give you an overview of what IPA is, why it's useful, and what the best way (in my opinion) is to learn it.

Let's start with the first and most obvious question:

What is The International Phonetic Alphabet?

You might not have heard of IPA - and no, I'm not talking about India Pale Ale. What is it anyway?

Like a smooth-talking politician, I'll reply with a question of my own:

How do you pronounce the word "wind"?

Does it rhyme with "blind" (as in "wind-up toy") or with "sinned" (as in "run like the wind"?) Without more context, you have no idea.

Likewise with the words "read", "live" or "tear". English spelling is a terrible guide to pronunciation.

It gets worse when you add more languages into the fray. The Spanish word come ("he/she eats"), sounds nothing like the English word with the same spelling. But you've spent your entire life pronouncing letters like "o" and "e" the English way. It can be hard to shake the habit!

The Portuguese sede has two pronunciations with different meanings, as does the German Bucht. In French, cent, sang, sens, sent, s’en and sans all sound the same. Confused yet? And how the hell do you pronounce "العَرَبِيَّة", "汉语/漢語", or "ภาษาไทย"?

Enter the International Phonetic Alphabet. Linguists designed IPA to be unambiguous: every symbol has only one pronunciation. When you read a word in IPA, you'll know exactly how to pronounce it.

For example,  written in IPA is /wɪnd/ (rhymes with "sinned") or /waɪnd/ (rhymes with "blind").

( denote the "correct" spelling of the word(s) in their original language. /Slashes/ - or should that be /ˈslæʃɪz/? - mean that the enclosed symbols are IPA.)

An IPA symbol has the same sound no matter what language you're writing. So the Spanish is /kome/ , while the English is /kʌm/.

3 Good Reasons to Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet

You may be wondering, "why bother"? Is learning IPA worth the time investment?

I hope I can convince you that the answer is "yes". Learn IPA, and you'll:

1. Get Words Right the First Time

What do you do when you don't know how to pronounce a word? You could ask a native speaker, but they're usually terrible at explaining:

You: How do you pronounce E-U-C-H?
German: Euch.
You: Oich?
German: No, euch.
You: Oysh?
German: No! Euch. Can't you hear the difference?
You: Yes, but I don't know how to say it!

If you knew IPA, you could have just looked it up and seen that the correct pronunciation is /ɔʏç/. Don't know how to read that? I’ll get there.

In the early stages of learning a language, I write all my notes in IPA, and avoid the "real" spellings as much as possible. This way I ensure that I learn pronunciation first, spelling last.

This is much more effective than the opposite approach. It's how you learned your native language, after all.

2. Speak (With Good Pronunciation) From Day One

The real power of IPA comes when you use it to learn how to pronounce not just words but entire languages.

For example, if I was starting to learn German (I already speak it, but just for the sake of example), the first thing I'd do would be to look at the Wikipedia page for German IPA.

It tells me that Standard German contains the following sounds:

/b/ /ç/ /d/ /f/ /ɡ/ /h/ /j/ /k/ /l/ /l̩/ /m/ /m̩/ /n/ /n̩/ /ŋ/ /p/ /ʁ/ /s/ /ʃ/ /t/ /ts/ /tʃ/ /v/ /x/ /z/ /ʔ/ /a/ /ɛ/ /e/ /ɪ/ /i/ /ɔ/ /o/ /œ/ /ø/ /ʊ/ /u/ /ʏ/ /y/

Immediately, I see a few that aren't in my native English, like /ç/, /œ/ /ø/, and /y/. I'll know I have to practice these and take extra care to get them right.

I also see that German doesn't contain certain English sounds like /ɹ/ and /θ/. (That's the English “r” and “th”.) So if I don't want to sound like an Engländer, I must ensure that /ɹ/ and /θ/ never come out of my mouth.

Remember euch? Most German textbooks will tell you that the "eu" vowel is like the "oi" in English words like "choice". This is wrong! Study IPA, and you'll realise that the English sound is /ɔɪ/ while German uses the subtly different /ɔʏ/.

Most English speakers don't realise this. Even if their German is great, they still pronounce euch with the English /ɔɪ/ vowel. Then they wonder why no-one ever mistakes them for a German.

Once you're confident with IPA, insights like this will leap off the page at you. You'll pronounce things much better than your fellow learners. People won't believe you when you say how little time you've spent learning their language.

3. Gain a Deeper Understanding of Phonetics

Did you know that there are different "p" sounds in English? The word "paper" has them both. Say it out loud - the first "p" has an extra little puff of air behind it that the second doesn't.

In linguistic terminology, the first "p" is “aspirated” while the second isn't. In IPA you'd write the non-aspirated version as /p/ and the aspirated one as /pʰ/.

You probably didn’t even realise that you do this. Learn IPA, and you'll find dozens of similar interesting little insights. As a language nerd, I find it fascinating - and very useful.

It amazes me that almost no language course teaches anything about phonetics. Imagine a saxophone teacher who didn't teach you the finger positions for each note. Instead he just played a jazz solo, and told you to imitate. How fast would you learn?

IPA is your gateway to a deep understanding of how the human speech organ works. You'll learn what the tongue, lips and vocal cords actually do to produce different sounds. It should be obvious why this will improve your pronunciation.

How to Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet

By now I hope I've convinced you to give IPA a chance. Now I need to explain how to get IPA into your head.

IPA contains 163 symbols. But don’t worry:, you don't need to learn them all. I still don't know them all, and I've been using IPA for at least five years.

Every language only uses a subset of those 163. Just learn the ones your target language uses, and you can leave the rest till later. (E.g. unless you’re learning Xhosa, you probably don't need to learn the symbols for clicks.)

Before you look at IPA for a foreign language, it's better to start with the IPA symbols that you already know how to pronounce. What are the IPA symbols used by your native language?

How to Learn IPA For English

(Not a native English speaker? Look up "[Your native language] phonology" on Wikipedia and use that instead.)

Let's start with consonants. The following symbols are pronounced exactly like you'd expect based on what you're used to in English:

/b/ /d/ /f/ /g/ /h/ /k/ /l/ /m/ /n/ /p/ /s/ /t/ /v/ /w/ /z/

If you're Scottish, you also need /x/, which is the raspy sound at the end of "loch": /lɔx/. I'm English, so I pronounce that word like "lock": /lɔk/.

English also uses:


/j/ - not to be confused with the sound we write in English as - this is the English "y" sound.
/ŋ/ - the "ng" in "sing".
/θ/ - the "unvoiced" "th" in "think", "path", or "thistle".
/ð/ - the "voiced" "th" in "that", "this", or "there".
/ʃ/ - the "sh" in "ship" or "wish".
/ɹ/ - the "r" in "red". Sometimes when writing English in IPA, this is written as /r/ for the sake of simplicity. But technically /r/ is the "rolled" r sound of a language like Spanish.
/ʒ/ - the "s" in "pleasure" or "vision", or the "g" in "genre".
/ʔ/ - a "glottal stop" - it's the pause in the middle of uh-oh. In many dialects, such as my British one, this sound can replace the /t/ in words like "water" or "Saturday".


There's also the English and . Both sounds are actually a combination of two consonants that I've already covered. So in IPA is /dʒ/ and is /tʃ/.

IPA Vowel Chart

It's trickier to explain the IPA for English vowels, because they vary so much from dialect to dialect. Now is a good time to introduce the IPA vowel chart:



Look at the "vowels" table on this Wikipedia page. If you say the example words out loud, it should help you figure out the IPA vowels for your native English accent.

Pay attention to what your tongue is doing for each vowel. It should become clear how the above chart works. The position of a vowel on the diagram represents the position of the tongue within the mouth.

For example, for /i/ (the "ee" sound in "sheet"), your tongue is high and close to the teeth. For /ɑ/ (the "a" sound in "cargo" or the way posh Brits like me say "bath"), your tongue is low and retracted. There's a reason why dentists don't tell you to say "ee!"

Each position in the chart has two symbols. The symbol on the left is the "unrounded" version of the vowel, and the one on the right is the "rounded" version. This refers to the shape of your lips.

Say /i/ again: notice that your lips are spread wide in a smile. Now say /u/ (the "oo" in "shoot"): your tips are pursed tightly like they're puckered up for a kiss. That’s what “roundedness” means.

Learning new IPA Vowels

Let's go back to those unfamiliar German sounds from earlier. How do I pronounce the /y/? (This sound is usually written as in German.)

Looking at the vowel diagram, I can see that /y/ has the same tongue position as /i/. All I have to do is say /i/, but round my lips. That was easy! IPA makes it easy to learn new vowel sounds in any language.

First, find out the vowel's IPA symbol. You can usually get it by searching for "(name of language) phonology" or “IPA for (language)” on Wikipedia. Then find that symbol on the chart, and see how it relates to the vowels you already know how to say.

Another nice thing about Wikipedia is that it has a separate page for every sound (and its symbol). These pages usually have a list of languages that use that sound, with example words. So if you already speak multiple languages, you have more points of reference.

For example, if I go to the Wikipedia page for the /y/ sound, I see it isn't found in most English dialects. However, it is found in French, a language that I speak.

That's a valuable insight: the German is just like the  in the French chute. This makes it even easier to learn.

IPA Consonant Chart

The IPA consonant chart looks like this:



You can't really map consonants onto a picture of the mouth in the same way you can with vowels. Instead, consonants are classified based on three features:


"Manner of articulation" - How you make the sound.
"Place of articulation" - Where you make the sound.
Whether the consonant is "voiced" or "unvoiced".


For example, try saying /k/, /p/, and /t/. Did you notice the similarity in how you make each sound? They're called "stop consonants”" (also known as "plosives"). To form them, you cut off the airflow out of your mouth, then release it suddenly in a percussive little burst.

These three sounds all have the same manner of articulation (plosive), but a different place. /k/ comes from the back of your mouth, /p/ comes from the lips, and /t/ comes the tongue and the upper gums.

On the consonants chart, columns show the place and rows show manner. So /k/, /p/ and /t/ are all in different columns, but on the same row.

Likewise for the English "s", "sh", and "th" - in IPA, that's /s/, /ʃ/, and /θ/. They're all "fricatives". To say them, you squeeze air out through a narrow gap in your mouth, making a turbulent hissing noise. Once again, the difference is only in the place of articulation.

Some cells have two symbols. /k/, /p/, and /t/ are all on the left-hand side of their cell. This means that they're "unvoiced" consonants; the right-hand symbol is the "voiced" version.

The difference between an "unvoiced" and "voiced" consonant is the difference between "t" and "d" (as in “tip” and “dip”), "s" and "z" (as in “sink” and “zinc”), "p" and "b" (as in “pat” and “bat”), or "k" and "g" (as in “kill” and “gill”). For each pair, the manner and place of articulation are the same. The only difference is that your vocal cords are engaged for longer during the "voiced" version. Say each pair out loud, and you should see what I mean.

Sometimes, the difference between two chart positions is considered imperceptible or unimportant. That's why some cells, like the one with /θ/, span more than one row or column.

Similarly, if an area of the chart is blank, it's because that combination of manner and place is considered impossible.

Look on the chart for the English consonants you know, and figure out why they are where they are. Once you've got to grips with this, it becomes easy to learn new consonant sounds.

For example, I recently learned some Arabic. It's full of weird and wonderful new consonants that aren't found in English, like /q/. (In Arabic this sound is written .) How do I pronounce this?

From the chart, I know that /q/:


Is unvoiced
Is a "stop", like /k/ or /t/.
Is "uvular", meaning it comes from the very back of the mouth, at the uvula! (Compare with /k/, which is "velar", meaning the back of the roof of the mouth.)


Put these three together and it's easy to pronounce /q/. It's like /k/ but even further back in the mouth, a very throaty sound. (You can hear it in the native pronunciation of “Qatar (قطر )”.)

Other Elements of IPA

The more IPA you learn, the more you'll realise how deep the topic of phonetics goes. You don't need it all unless you plan on a career in academic linguistics. But there are a few extra things worth quickly mentioning:

Word Stress

In IPA, the stressed syllable is denoted with a /ˈ/ written before the syllable. So the two pronunciations of in English are /prɪˈzɛnt/ (for the verb) and /ˈprɛzənt/ (for the noun).

If the word has a secondary stressed syllable, use /ˌ/. E.g.  is /ɛkˈstrɔrdəˌnɛri/.

Diacritics

A "diacritic" is an extra symbol that you add to a letter, like the accent on "é". E.g. when writing French or Portuguese in IPA, the "nasal" vowels have a tilde: "ã".

IPA has 52 diacritics. I wouldn't worry about them at first. Like everything else in IPA, you can just figure stuff out from Wikipedia as and when you need it.

Broad vs. Narrow Transcription

You'll sometimes see IPA written with square brackets rather than slashes. This is the difference between "narrow" and "broad" transcription.

Remember the two different "p"s in "paper"? In English, the distinction between these two sounds doesn't really matter. If you get it wrong, native speakers will hardly notice, and it won't change the meaning of the word.

In a "broad" transcription of English, you give the general outline of the pronunciation, using slashes. So  would be /ˈpeɪpə/. In a "narrow" transcription you give as much detail as possible, and you use square brackets: [ˈpʰeɪpə].

Technically, [pʰ] and [p] are different phones (units of sound). Whether or not they're different phonemes (units of sound that convey meaning) depends on the language.

In English, they're not different phonemes. But in Korean they are - if you say [pʰ] when you should have said [p], it can completely change the meaning of a word! So you can ignore the [pʰ]/[p] distinction in a broad transcription of English, but you shouldn't ignore it in a broad transcription of Korean.

Exercises to Practice Your IPA Pronunciation

Now that you've got this far, can you read these examples of English words and phrases in IPA? (I used this site to get transcriptions of the American pronunciations.)


/gɪv/
/dɔg/
/blu/
/blæk/
/jɛs/
/ʧaɪld/
/ˈʧɪldrən/
/ˈkʌmfərtəbəl/
/ˈlæŋgwəʤ/
/ðə kæt sæt ɑn ðə mæt/
/ˈfluənt ɪn θri mʌnθs/
/ˌɪntərˈnæʃənəl fəˈnɛtɪk ˈælfəˌbɛt /


Choose Your Own IPA Adventure

Learning IPA is like a "choose your own adventure" book. I can't tell you exactly where to go from here - it depends on your goals.

What language do you want to learn? Do you just want a quick boost to your pronunciation ability? Or are you interested in "going deep" and learning the finer details of phonetics and linguistics?

Whatever the case, I hope you found this introduction useful. Do you use IPA? How has it been helpful? What insights did it give you? Let us know in the comments. And /θæŋks/ for reading!

The post The IPA Alphabet: How and Why You Should Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet (With Charts) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.