Learning Japanese is Fun!
Disclaimer
Welcome to Yotsuba & Nihongo.
An exciting new world of discovery awaits you!
Do you like anime and manga? Would you like to learn and practice the japanese language in a fun way? You're in the right place.
Yotsuba&! is an ongoing Japanese comedy manga series by Kiyohiko Azuma, the creator of Azumanga Daioh. Being able to please both children and adults, the kind of childish and pure way this manga is presented is the ideal for people who have been learning the japanese language and want to put it to use.
"Why study with manga?"
Besides helping you develop your reading skills, the fact that each piece of text is accompanied by an image helps you a lot by letting you "learn by context", just like the natives of any spoken language learn it for the first time. Aside from that, you will be learning real-world, colloquial speech rather than textbook phonyism.
"Why Yotsuba&! ?"
Yotsuba&! is a remarkably good manga to start learning Japanese with. The language is simple, everyday and colloquial. Since Yotsuba, the main character of this manga, is a pre-schooler, all of her dialogue is written in hiragana, projecting a childlike style that lacks the sophistication of a person wielding mastery of the language. Besides, like any other small child, she uses simple grammar constructions. Also, duo to her amazing sense of wonder and curiosity for the surrounding world , she is always asking questions and stating the obvious like “What’s that?”, “What does that mean?“, “It’s a car!”, “Wow! Fish!” So throughout the story, you have explanations of lots of words and naming of animals and things and people, all for the benefit of Yotsuba but also benefiting Japanese learners.
But nothing of that would be of any good if the manga itself wasn't that great. But fortunately, that's not what happens. It is sweet and sad and funny all at the same time. The author shows his brilliance by being able to make everyday things seem incredibly interesting and funny. I could go on and on telling you how great this manga is. But there is nothing like experiencing it by yourself. So, go ahead and try it out.
"How will I learn from this website?"
It's pretty simple. Here, you will be able to read a copy of Yotsuba&! manga. But unlike any of those you can get at your local bookstore, the one you will read here is presented in its original form, which means all text is written in Japanese kana and kanji.
If you can read it all and understand it with ease, good for you! But if you don't, don't worry. By clicking on any panel, you will gain access to its translation along with a short vocabulary list made from all the words present there and explanations of all the grammar concepts used in the text of that panel.
"What do I need to begin?"
Although, I explain all the grammar and vocabulary you'll read here, I will not teach you how to read kana and kanji. Being able to read it is your only requirement to enjoy this website.
If you are already able to do so, great! You can proceed.
If you can only read kana, don't worry. Being aimed at a younger audience, all kanji in this manga have furigana, so you can get away with it.
If you can only read romaji, don't give up either. Although it may seem complicated at frst, learning kana is actually preety simple. It's something you can learn in a week or even less time. There are a lot of great and free online study resources where you can learn both kana syllabaries - hiragana and katakana. Once you've mastered those, you will be able to dive into this wonderful manga while practicing what you've just learned and learning lots of other great stuff.
This website contains copyright material that is being used under the FAIR USE provisions of international copyright law for non-profit educational and study purposes. However, if the copyright holders find that the way their material is being exposed here infringes in any way the fair use provision, just let me know via email.
Mail: nihongo.tanoshii@hotmail.com
About this Website
This website is still a work in progress.
New content will be added on a daily basis.
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