Wrong stroke order/direction/count

Hiragana: [ok]か[/ok]　な　も　や　よ プ
Katakana: エ　カ　チ　ネ　ノ　ヒ　メ　[ok]ヤ[/ok]　ワ　[new]ヲ[/new]

Some are correct in the lesson where they're introduced but wrong in the mini-games. Some are just plain wrong everywhere. か is right in some mini-games, wrong in others. I mean, FFS, how could they release a product where a ONE-STROKE CHARACTER is messed up? Maybe the kanji are all just fine, but I'm not counting on it.

On the other hand, if you choose a verb in the dictionary, it gives you a table with tenses (formal and informal), verb bases 1-5 and te and ta, and other conjugations (request, imperative, volitional, etc.), which is pretty nice for a beginner like me.

ETA: I've gone through it systematically this morning, and I must modify my list slightly. Looks like the hiragana か is correct in most places (I'm sure I saw it wrong in a mini-game, but I can't find it now, so giving the benefit of the doubt). Also, katakana ヤ looks correct as well. On the other hand, I found a new baddie: katakana ヲ. Also, since three of the six Y-row characters are messed up, half of the -ya -yu -yo characters are messed up too. That rattling sound you hear is my eyes rolling around in my head. It's really too bad.

I was actually amazed at how awful 'My Japanese Coach' was. I knew it would be too easy for me and thus not something that I'd be able to use, but I can't even see why an absolute beginner would want to use it.

Yes, well I'm now up to lesson 50, after a week, and I really don't like it. The games are awful too, some are romaji only, others are totally useless for learning, for example the whack a mole effort, and the memory game which has a too strict time limit. The bridge builder game, which is a sentence maker, starts with all the word tiles all jumbled on top of each other, so you have to spend time drag them all over the screen to initially read them, and they also are in romaji, at least at lesson 50. The only games I'm using are the flash card Japanese audio to English word game, and the multiple choice English to Japanese game. I just don't want to practice wrong kanji and kana stroke order.

Hi, I just got both Tales games for the DS, the old Tales of Innocence and the one that came out the 18th, Tales of Hearts. Both have audio dubbed.

mentat_kgs Wrote:Hi, I just got both Tales games for the DS, the old Tales of Innocence and the one that came out the 18th, Tales of Hearts. Both have audio dubbed.

I also have Tales of Innocence, is there a way to stop the text from auto-advancing in the beginning though? >_<

Nope =/

[ファブリス]

Upcoming kanji "game":

Japan, 15 January
毎日新聞社協力 最強の漢字ドリル5万問
(Mainichi Shinbunsha Kyouruoku: Saikyou no Kanji Drill 5-Man Mon)

http://soft.mycom.co.jp/dsetc/kanjidoriru/index.html

http://www.famitsu.com/game/coming/1219138_1407.html

http://www.amazon.co.jp/毎日コミュニケーションズ-133...B001IDYN8S


Not much else for a good while... (source)

This one looks interesting:

意味までわかる 大人の熟語練習 角川類語新辞典から5万問
(Imi made wakaru Otona no Jukugo Renshuu Kadokawa Ruigoshinjiten kara 5-man mon)

http://www.nowpro.co.jp/products/game/jy...index.html

Jukugo training and synonym/homonym problems in the same style as なぞっておぼえる大人の漢字練習. Beyond my level, but something to aim for

Just noticed this one too...

Zaidanhoujin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kyoukai Kounin: Kanken DS 3 Deluxe

http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/home/957871.html

Kanken DS 3 due 9 April according to Gamefaqs. No idea what improvements will be made over Kanken 2... There is also no mention of it on the rocketcompany.co.jp website as far as I can find...

There is also a second English language Japanese trainer due soon:

Mind your language: Japanese

http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/data/955337.html

Gamefaqs date is old, Amazon reckon it has been pushed back to Mar 13th.

I found the release confirmation for Kanken 3...

The Rocket Company releases page shows Eiken DS 2: Deluxe due for release on April 9th, if you click on the details link

http://www.rocketcompany.co.jp/eiken2/

There is a picture in the bottom right showing the cover for Kanken DS 3 and the caption "漢検DS3同時発売" (Kanken DS 3 simultaneous release).

http://touch-ds.jp/mfs/st87/index.html
It has videos that show the features of DS美文字トレーニング
It is to make your writing neater and prettier. There is also a special pen that comes with the game. You can also connect with five other people and see which one of you has the best handwriting.

Hi, I'm currently deciding whether to buy:
Nazotte Oboeru Otona no Kanji Renshuu (なぞっておぼえる大人の漢字練習)
or the new version:
Nazotte Oboeru Otona no Kanji Renshuu Kanzenhan (なぞっておぼえる大人の漢字練習 完全版)

(also - I've included a question about Tadashi Kanji Kakitorikun in my PS at the end)

Maybe you can help me - just a few questions:
1) In the old version, the mini-games included:
* food-related kanji mini-games or practicing read food/recipe-related words
* a game where you are given several bushus/primitives and you have to write a kanji using all the parts
Does the new version include these same games?
2) About stroke order - do both games show you an animation of the correct stroke order for drawing a kanji character before you practise writing it yourself?
(I read that the new version includes models showing the proper way to write each character - how does this differ from the old version?)
3) Any information about the kinds of mini-games that the new version includes?
4) Lastly - I guess that neither game *forces* you to use correct stroke order - i.e. it will recognise kanji drawn with a different stroke order, or even if they are drawn a little incorrectly? I can live with this as long as it has an animation showing me the correct stroke order, so I can try to copy it.
5) Are there any really great extras that the new game has, which the old one didn't have?

Sorry for all the questions - thanks in advance for answers to even one or two of my questions (especially interested whether the food-kanji mini-games are in the new version) ... looking forward to buying one of these great games soon.
HP

ps
I'm also interested in Tadashi Kanji Kakitorikun, or the new version.. I hear it's great for writing practice (esp. since it enforces you to write the correct stroke order - but does it give you much chance to do reading practice? Also - given that my kanji-writing ability is very low - i.e. starting from the very basics, would I be better getting the 1st version that has only 1006 characters, or the new version with all 1945 Joyo characters?
I'm thinking perhaps I need to buy 2 games -
1) one of the Tadashi Kanji Kakitorikun games for accurate writing practice
2) one of the Nazotte Oboeru Otona no Kanji Renshuu games for lots of reading practice
All comments / advice gratefully received.

For kakitorikun, I prefer the first version, it is much more usable/useful.

Based on the Kanzen-ban (haven't used the

1) In the old version, the mini-games included:
* food-related kanji mini-games or practicing read food/recipe-related words
* a game where you are given several bushus/primitives and you have to write a kanji using all the parts
Does the new version include these same games?

There might be some food-related quizes in the quiz/雑学 section.
I don't remember anything like that bushu thing, though (maybe I just never did it/forgot). I'd have to find it out and check for it.


2) About stroke order - do both games show you an animation of the correct stroke order for drawing a kanji character before you practise writing it yourself?
(I read that the new version includes models showing the proper way to write each character - how does this differ from the old version?)

You are shown the stroke order through having to fill in an example kanji yourself. It's starts out grey, with one stroke in red, and you have to fill in the red strokes in the order you write them. It doesn't tell you things like which direction you're supposed to make the strokes, though.

I think the 'models' this in the 手本 bit, which gives you the option of using 10 kanji guidelines (greyed out kanji to write over) for you to practice with. The original didn't have that, I think.


3) Any information about the kinds of mini-games that the new version includes?

雑学チャレンジ section, which has a lot of different tests based on reading, writing, picking out bushu, selecting the old version of kanji. There's different themes, like travel words or seasonal words.


4) Lastly - I guess that neither game *forces* you to use correct stroke order - i.e. it will recognise kanji drawn with a different stroke order, or even if they are drawn a little incorrectly? I can live with this as long as it has an animation showing me the correct stroke order, so I can try to copy it.

It will pick up kanji even if it isn't exactly right. Sometimes it will accept it before you've even finished writing.


5) Are there any really great extras that the new game has, which the old one didn't have?

- Added 285 naming/人用 kanji
- Stroke order search (so you can enter a kanji, and see its correct order, although not every kanji you can search for has this)
- 'My Drill', lets you make your own lists to practice from


http://www.nowpro.co.jp/products/game/kanzen/

parryh Wrote:ps
I'm also interested in Tadashi Kanji Kakitorikun, or the new version.. I hear it's great for writing practice (esp. since it enforces you to write the correct stroke order - but does it give you much chance to do reading practice? Also - given that my kanji-writing ability is very low - i.e. starting from the very basics, would I be better getting the 1st version that has only 1006 characters, or the new version with all 1945 Joyo characters?
I'm thinking perhaps I need to buy 2 games -
1) one of the Tadashi Kanji Kakitorikun games for accurate writing practice
2) one of the Nazotte Oboeru Otona no Kanji Renshuu games for lots of reading practice
All comments / advice gratefully received.

Besides the fact it covers more Kanji, the main difference between Kakitori-kun 1 & 2 is that the drills are not split by kyouiku year which makes that section less useful for a beginner; however the tests and drills in nazotte oboeru are much better anyway so if you are getting both I dont see that this is much of a problem.

If you mainly want the game to get your handwriting legible you may want to consider DS美文字トレーニング　(Bimoji training) or ユーキャンペン字トレーニング(U-Can Penji Training)　both of which come with a pen sized stylus. Bimoji training uses the same marking engine as Kakitori-kun and carries on beyond the 1945 常用漢字.

Penji training seems to have a more advanced training engine with detailed lessons covering the kana as well as kanji, and an area to practise the characters you have the most trouble with. I'm not sure about the total number of Kanji covered with this one though.

Both of these titles are only useful to a learner when coupled with something along the lines of Nazotte Oboeru Otona no Kanji Renshuu because they will only teach you forms and stroke orders, not readings.

thanks very much for your responses, this is very useful information for me

just briefly, if anyone knows for definite whether the new version:
Nazotte Oboeru Otona no Kanji Renshuu Kanzenhan (なぞっておぼえる大人の漢字練習 完全版) has the same food games as
Nazotte Oboeru Otona no Kanji Renshuu (なぞっておぼえる大人の漢字練習)
please let me know!
As well as the other kanji practice, I *really* want to play a game that will help me with my reading of food-related kanji... I may even decide which version to buy based on just this!

thanks in advance if anyone has any definite information about this.
HP

Checking it again, the Kanzenban's 雑学チャレンジ has over 100 types of tests (with 5 levels each). I've not unlocked all of them, the only food one I've seen is おでん. But I imagine there's more.

Also, unless they moved it somewhere else, that 合体漢字 game is gone. The games are mostly filling in parts of names or words (train stations in Tokyo, Japanese prefecture names, etc), or having to piece together phrases/idioms.

Does anyone know of any games that may be available for JLPT study? If there isn't somethings specifically for the JLPT, are there any other games that are similarly useful?

Thanks,

Jon

Nope, Japanese people don't take the JLPT, so they wouldn't make games for it. In the US, there's only that one Japanese learning game.

Japanese Coach is godawful. There is another Japanese learning soft out in the west but I haven't tried it yet. I'm going to go ahead and assume it's also crap. We just don't have the study culture in the west that's required to make good material for voluntary study.

Jarvik7 Wrote:Japanese Coach is godawful. There is another Japanese learning soft out in the west but I haven't tried it yet.

That would be "Mind your Language: Japanese". I tried the German version a couple of months and godawful would be an understatement. I haven't been able to bring myself to trying the Japanese version. Think Pokemon without the story and replacing the pokemon with vocab and grammar points... You spend more time moving from place to place trying to find the right person to speak to than you do learning - hardly an efficient use of time. Its supposed to be aimed at younger kids. Maybe it works for them, it certainly doesn't for me.

EDIT: I have now endured a couple of hours of "Mind your language: Japanese". If anything its worse than the German edition. At one point I spent 20 minutes doing a minigame and all it covered was the -masu form of 5 verbs in romaji; in 20 minutes I could have done a couple of hundred anki reviews... This makes My Japanese Coach look like the best language tool ever... (end edit)

On a more positive note, Kanken DS3 Deluxe is out now and it has a number of nice improvements over Kanken DS2. The number of questions has almost doubled from 60,000 to 116,000 (I believe most of the extra questions are at the top end of the scale). There is a "My Kanken" section that lets you pick the Kanji you are having trouble with to give you more focused tests. There are also some extra stats options, the most useful of which is a radar chart breakdown of your results when you complete a test giving you a good idea of the areas you need to focus on.

I have a mini review over on smart.fm, but you've read most of it already in the previous paragraph...

Dunno if this was added, didn't go through each post, but
http://www.mrbass.org/nintendoDS/japanesegames/
is a really cool site that shows a bunch of Japanese DS games broken down into different categories, like studying kanji for example.

Hi everyone!
I´m buying some Kanji games for my DS.
I´m thinking of buying Kanken DS 3 and Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-hk-4...-198v.html). Will this keep me busy for a while?
I basically want a decent electronic dictionary, and maybe some fun kanji games to keep me busy when I´m having spare time! Does this sound like a good investment, or would you guys recommend me some other games instead?
I haven´t read all the pages here, but it looks like you guys are liking the Kanken games at least! =)

PS: Does the DS browser that you buy as a cart work with Anki online-reviews? Or will it fail? Hehe

Thank you guys! I´m really grateful for your answers! =)

I was using Rakubiki Jiten and was bummed that you couldn't enter Kanji and also had to tap 'hiragana option' to write hiragana and 'katana option' to write katana. Nevertheless, I was quite satisfied with it and used it a lot. Till I found out there was a newer version: Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten! And reading that it also supported Kanji entry made me get it asap! What's more, you can enter either Kanji, hiragana, katakana etc. without tapping any 'hiragana/katakana only option'. I also like that you can save any word you looked up and turn it into a mini flash card for practise, the old version always displayed the words in the order it was saved, this new one has a shuffle option, yay!
It also has a whole slew of mini apps and the hidden Game & Watch games are a nice bonus. Overall it's a very nice (and inexpensive) e-dictionary and makes NDS' multi-use even more fun. I would definitely recommend it to anybody learning Japanese. The Kanji entry support is so worth it!

Zorlee Wrote:Hi everyone!
I´m buying some Kanji games for my DS.
I´m thinking of buying Kanken DS 3 and Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-hk-4...-198v.html). Will this keep me busy for a while?
I basically want a decent electronic dictionary, and maybe some fun kanji games to keep me busy when I´m having spare time! Does this sound like a good investment, or would you guys recommend me some other games instead?
I haven´t read all the pages here, but it looks like you guys are liking the Kanken games at least! =)

PS: Does the DS browser that you buy as a cart work with Anki online-reviews? Or will it fail?

The DS browser is a curiosity at best. It is very slow and properly renders almost no websites. I don't think it works with Anki unless you run it through a proxy. There are some ancient posts about this if you search.

Something to watch out for with the Sonomama jiten: It's not an instant-on dictionary, which will dissuade you from using it, and it's physically impossible to look stuff up while you're playing a (Japanese) game in your ds.