Monday, December 15, 2008

Lessons from Class

As you know, we have been taking language lessons since October to help prepare us for the move next month. We have been learning speaking, writing and reading. It is so hard because the Japanese language does not translate word for word. In fact, not even close. And the grammar is different, as is the alphabet.

Today in class I learned how to type on a computer in Japanese. I am not sure how much I will need to do this, however it still is pretty cool to learn. I also learned how to write each of our names.

Here is some of what I learned today in my class.

おはようございます。Good morning!

はじめまして。How do you do?
アレキスです。My name is Alexis.
どうぞよろしくお願いします。Please to meet you

Here is my first Japanese letter.

直美様 Dear Naomi:

こんにちは。お元気ですか。Good afternoon. Are you fine?

ミーティングは9じから12時までです。The meeting is from 9 until 12.

ではまた。さようなら。See you later. Good bye.

アレキス Alexis

And the names of everyone in my family. Again, some of our names have to be reworked to make them fit within the Japanese language.

アレキス Alexis

エミリー Emily
クリス Chris
サミ Sami
マット Matt

ジェイコブ Jacobs

6 comments:

Louise said...

I would love to hear you say it ...heehee!
HUGS

Kimmber said...

I agree, way cool, but WAY over my limitations! How are the kids picking it up?

Ang said...

I am so proud of you ..I have I always wanted to learn a foreign language. When I was younger I kept a family that were from Japan. The mother in law when she would come to visit would always sit me down and show me letters she would write..obviously very foreign to me..written down the page rather than across...or that's how she did it. Her son was born in the states and he couldn't even speak Japanese. They (or they did) say it's one of the hardest languages to learn...I am extremely proud of you guys!!!! She used to tell me that the word "Ohio" in Japanese was "hello"..but I couldn't have forgotten how she said it..or it could have got lost in my Tennessee slang translation...:)

Carey said...

Pretty cool...do you read left to right or right to left?

Alexis Jacobs said...

Kimmber~ The kids are actually picking it up very well. It is so funny listening to them talk.

Carey~ For this you read left to right. Some Japanese goes from top to bottom in vertical writing.

Anonymous said...

This is so cool! Tag you're it btw: http://spiceworld.us/?p=1654