Design, Lately

I've had the opportunity at work to do some creative things lately. Which is always fun. :D

Some t-shirts we printed recently for WDJC, a local religious radio station.





















And a logo design option for a local church. I looooove my Wacom tablet at work.

日本語総まとめN2 漢字 Review

日本語総まとめN2 漢字
"Nihongo Soumatome N2 Kanji"
Japanese Roundup of N2 Kanji
ISBN 13: 978-4872177275
160 pages
Published April 12, 2010







This book covers 732 kanji likely to be on the N2 test and presents them in groups. "Signs Often Seen in Train Stations," "Warnings," "Remote Control Devices," "Cell Phones." The book tries to make them relevant to things seen in everyday life in Japan. Certain groups ("Food") work better for me than others ("Composition" or "Business Emails"). But I do like learning the kanji and then "checking" myself quickly by deciphering the items at the top of the page.



The sections are further grouped by week, making this book an 8-week course in kanji. 6 days are taken up by about 15 kanji a day. The final day is for a JLPT-style quick test and some ancillary kanji.



At the bottom of each regular daily page is a short set of questions designed to test the kanji you are learning. I did not find these questions very helpful at all, and after the first week just started skipping them altogether. The JLPT format quiz at the end of each week was a good benchmark, however.


I find that this book is best used to get myfeet wet in kanji/vocab practice. At 732 kanji, it is only covering about 73% of the kanji I should know for the test -- not great odds, even if I know them well.

Also, this book includes English translations, which made me go, "Yay! English translations!" However, I have noticed some mistakes and lack of clarity in the translations. They cannot be fully depended upon. For instance, 通路 is defined as "isle" when it should be "aisle," or even more clearly, "passage/pathway." There is no differentiation between words like 暖かい and 温かい (warm atmosphere/air vs. warm things/liquids). So you will have to look up nuances on your own, but this seems like standard practice for study books.

One thing that was lacking was a short and sweet definition for each kanji. Knowing the definition of the kanji really makes the compounds click for me, so I have to look up a lot of them. Not all of the meanings can be ascertained by the context of the vocab presented.

Overall: 3/5 Stars
Pros:
-Groups kanji into logical sections, making them easier to learn (vs. learning abstractly by something like grade level)
-Images at the top of each page are a good way to test your progress and become exposed to how the kanji would typically be used
-JLPT quizzes at the end of each unit are a good way to gauge your mastery of the previous section and become accustomed to the testing format

Cons:
-Cannot trust the English translations in all cases
-Not a comprehensive guide
-No definitions for the actual kanji - you must glean that from the vocab presented
-Lame duck daily quizzes are all but worthless

Forthcoming reviews:
-実力アップ!日本語能力試験2級漢字単語ドリル
-Anki Mobile App for the iPhone

Really feeling the crunch

Two vacations in October, who do I think I am? ^_^;
I have already enjoyed one lovely vacation with another in a couple weeks that I will be taking with a friend. So I am feeling relaxed and just wanting to get outdoors and enjoy the AMAZING WEATHER. Hence... my studies have taken a hit.

The Heisig method has helped me tremendously, but I must abandon it and just cram vocab into my head as best I can. I hate route memorization, but I've been slacking, and I feel that things are truly down to the wire. Thus, I've switched gears to my kanji book. I've recently completed "Week One" and am cruising through "Week Two." Just trying to memorize the terms in the Unicom book was proving too abstract, so that will come next.

On my most recent vacation, I picked up 5 Japanese novels, the first of which (英国庭園の謎) I am just now breaking into. I have to wrap up my last, enjoyable little volume of Yotsuba that I've been saving and delve into Frontline articles and 英国庭園の謎 in my free time. Sigh.

So, some upcoming things will be:
-A review of 日本語総まとめN2 漢字
-A review of 実力アップ!日本語能力試験2級漢字単語ドリル
-More about the Japanese novels I purchased and the amazing used bookstore where I got them. :D