How is ウェ (is it u-e or we?), ヱ, and うぇ pronounced, and when to use ヲ  and ウオ?

In particular, when is tokushuon used?

hi, just wanna ask whether is this the same as the other minna no nihongo~

http://www.kinokuniya.com/my/index.php/eng...m=9789675035005

i bought the full set for book 1 which is 1-1 and 1-2 and it has until lesson 25. i hav finish study it n i wanna get book 2 but not sure isit the same as

http://whiterabbitpress.com/the-complete-s...1-beginner.html

if its the same then i gonna get

http://whiterabbitpress.com/the-complete-s...2-beginner.html

I am taking the N5 in July. Will I meet the N5 requirement by studying Minna No Nihongo Chapters 1 - 25, including doing all the exercises? Do I need to get other supplementary books? If yes, please recommend. I am also weak in listening and speaking. How can I improve?

I'm planning on preparing basic japanese lessons by adapting them from a book that I'm reading. Hopefully, this'll be carried out on a "3 days a week" basis, although I cant promise much in case I'm busy. To start it of, we shall first look at the basics of the japanese language.

Try to keep spam to a minimum here, so that reading through the thread is easier. And while it is good to be able to learn hiragana, katakana and kanji, everything here will be romanji, cause I figured it'd be easier that way for the casual reader. Of course, those who are capable of reading japanese can feel free to contribute with japanese text for everyone's benefit, and also to correct me if I made any mistakes.

LESSON 1
Pronounciation guide
The japanese alphabet is made up of sounds created by mixing the 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) with a consonant (letters which are not vowels). While it is quite easy to pronounce most words, sometimes special care is taken when dealing with certain elements. These are a) long syllables, B) the letter n, c) double consonants, d) silent vowels and e) pronounciation of non-japanese words. I will cover each of these in order.

a) Long syllables
Whenever the - symbol is written above a particular vowel, it indicates that the sound is a long sound. An example of this is the word Tōkyō, which when spoken sounds like to-o-kyo-o. In other words, you hold the sound for twice the normal length.

B) The letter "n"
In the japanese language, the letter "n" is a syllable by itself. For example, konnichiwa (hello) is spoken as ko-n-ni-chi-wa and not ko-ni-chi-wa or kon-ni-chi-wa. Also, when n is followed by p, b or m, its sound softens to a "m" sound. For example, ganbatte (good luck) is spoken as gambatte, and sanpaku (three nights) is spoken as sampaku.

Where n is followed by a vowel, an apostrophe (') is used to distinguish the sound "n" from the sounds na, ni, nu, ne and no. For example, ten'in (shopkeeper) is pronounced as te-n-i-n and not te-ni-n.

c) Double consonants
A double consonant indicates that you should pause slightly before saying it, as you would in the english words headdress (pause after the hea- not head dress) and bookcase (pause after boo). In japanese, these are the double consonants that are usually encountered: -kk, ss, tt, tc, pp. For example, the words gambatte (good luck), hokkaido (north island of japan), massugu (straight on).

d) Silent vowels
Sometimes, the vowels i and u are silent and almost unvoiced. This will be indicated as brackets around the vowel. For example, des(u) (it is) is almost always pronounced as des, s(u)ki as s-ki, and ikimas(u) as ikimas.

e) Pronounciation of non-japanese words
Foreign words often have to be adapted to the japanese sound system. For example: Sukotto - Scott, Furansu - France, Satchā - Thatcher, etc. There is no th sound in japanese, so s is used instead (just as b is used to replace v e.g. Ba-ra-ri-i for Valerie.

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Links to other lessons:
LESSON 2: How to pronounce syllables, here
LESSON 3: Hajimemashite - how do you do?, here
LESSON 4: Marēshia-jin desu - I'm Malaysian, here
LESSON 5: O-shigoto wa nan desu ka - what is your occupation?, here
LESSON 6: Sūji - numbers (Part 1), here
LESSON 7: Kazoku wa gonin desu = there are five people in my family, here
LESSON 8: Ima nanji desu ka = what time is it now?, here
LESSON 9: Ikura desu ka = how much is it?, here
LESSON 10: Yūbinkyoku wa doko desu ka = where is the post office?, here
LESSON 11: Nichiyōbi ni nani o shimasu ka = what do you do on Sundays?, here
LESSON 12: Pāti o shimashō = let's have a party!, here
LESSON 13: Sūji - numbers (Part 2), here
LESSON 14: Senshū Kyōto ni ikimashita = last week I went to Kyoto, here
LESSON 15: Ii o-tenki desu ne = it's nice weather, isn't it?, here
LESSON 16: Supōtsu wa tenisu ga suki desu = the sport I like is tennis, here
LESSON 17a: Kaimono = shopping, here
LESSON 17b: Kaimono = shopping, here
LESSON 18: Bīru o ippon kudasai = a bottle of beer, please, here
LESSON 19: O-kane = money, here
LESSON 20: Yoyaku shitai desu = I want to make a reservation, here
LESSON 21: Asobi ni kite kudasai = please come and visit, here

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Places offering Japanese language classes in Malaysia
Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur's directory: here (Contributed by boringpig)

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Useful links to other Japanese self-study websites
ECIS (an audio and video progamme): here (Contributed by ninjamerah)
Free Japanese Lessons: here (Contributed by netfan)
Japanese-Online.com: here (Contributed by netfan)
Learn Japanese Online: here (Contributed by netfan)
Meguro Language Center (Tokyo) Free Study Materials: here (Contributed by ninjamerah)
mic-J Audio Visual Resources for Japanese Instruction: here (Contributed by ninjamerah)
NHK World Japanese Lessons: here (Contributed by ninjamerah)
Nihongo.3Yen.com: here
Nihongo o oshiete: here
Real World Japanese: here (Contributed by ninjamerah)
TheJapanesePage.com: here

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Online resources e.g. dictionaries, etc.
Free Japanese Dictionary: here (Contributed by xxboxx)
Improve your kanji: here (Contributed by oe_kintaro)
Japanese-English Learner's Dictionary: here (Contributed by Zeten)
Japanese<->English Dictionary: here
Kanji Converter: here (Contributed by shinchan^^)

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Online proficiency tests
English-Japanese Vocabulary Quizzes: here (Contributed by ninjamerah)
Internet Japanese test: here (Contributed by ninjamerah)
Sample questions for JLPT (Level 1-4): here (Contributed by ninjamerah)
Some review questions: here (Contributed by aburex)

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Downloads
Head on over to Gmail and use the following information to access some e-books.

Username: japlesson
Password: japlesson123

So far the following e-books are uploaded:
1. Japanese for Busy People - Kana Workbook
2. Lets Learn Japanese Basic 1 - Volume 1
3. Lets Learn Japanese Basic 1 - Volume 2
4. Lets Learn Japanese Basic 1 - Volume 3
5. JLPT 1991-1999 Level 1 Test Papers (Contributed by ninjamerah)
6. JLPT 1991-1999 Level 2 Test Papers (Contributed by ninjamerah)
7. JLPT 1991-1999 Level 3 Test Papers (Contributed by ninjamerah)
8. JLPT 1991-1999 Level 4 Test Papers (Contributed by ninjamerah)
9. 1000 Kanji

PLEASE PLEASE do not misuse this email address. Just get the files you need, and dont do anything else. Thanks!
Files have been deleted by an unknown person(s).

Special download!
Declan's Flashcard software for learning Kanji. Download here! Many thanks to Dark Steno for the file hosting!

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Video Lessons! (DEFINITELY not 56k friendly )
Streaming videos of japanese lessons hosted at www.youtube.com. These videos go hand in hand with the Let's Learn Japanese Basic 1 series of e-books which you can get from the Gmail account above.

If you want to view the videos, my advice is that you allow the videos to load, read up the appropriate chapter (print them out if possible), and use the readings as a guide when you watch the videos. It'll really help!

All videos have been removed by Youtube.com

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Tips (Contributed by netfan)
Try searching for and entering Japanese chat rooms on MSN or Yahoo that offer Japanese lessons, or have native japanese who are willing to practise with you. But er...no hanky panky ok?

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Learn hiragana,katakana and kanji (Contributed by shinmei88)
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...&#entry18040984
(edited by HMMaster)

hi, just wanna ask whether is this the same as the other minna no nihongo~

http://www.kinokuniya.com/my/index.php/eng...m=9789675035005

i bought the full set for book 1 which is 1-1 and 1-2 and it has until lesson 25. i hav finish study it n i wanna get book 2 but not sure isit the same as

http://whiterabbitpress.com/the-complete-s...1-beginner.html

if its the same then i gonna get

http://whiterabbitpress.com/the-complete-s...2-beginner.html

Is there anywhere else in Penang to learn japanese other than the PJLS? How's the PJLS. anyone been there? any good? I heard from some friends it depends really on the teacher. they were very happy with the teacher in level 1 but then left at lev2 cos the new teacher didn't work for them.

I'm trying to find some alternatives and opinions.

thanks.

PJLS is quite affordable.
Was there from elementary 1 to advance.
They are quite good...but honestly, it really depends on the teacher.
I recommend my previous sensei...Cheng Sensei

Yep that is what i heard it depends a lot on the sensei. The one that my frens got for elementary 2 was really really awful which is why they left.
At JLPS do they spend time practicing conversation or just focus on finishing off the textbook?

Thanks for the inputs.

Basically, as mentioned, depends on the sensei.
i have had 2 senseis.
first 1 was good, we are all made to read everything 3 times (lol) and randomly picked to make sentences.
she kinda retired due to health reasons after elementary 2.
next my sensei was cheng sensei which i think is the best (my wife thinks so too although she was nvr taught by her)
cheng sensei will make every student read (not 3 times but part/paragraphs equally) and also make sentences from the taught pattern from the text book (well, basically for me was intermediate 1 and 2 only)
conversation...basically, depends on sensei and you.
both my sensei spoke only in japanese, once we kinda get the hang of it except for some explanation when we look very lost.   
u can always speak to ur sensei and classmate in jap.
in between, i have had 2 replacement sensei taking over the class from time to time.
one of them somehow gave out a gloomy aura which made the class very boring (very bad condition to study) and the other nvr seems to write anything on the board but gives out a lot of notes to read.   
my wife also had 2 sensei...both were replacement sensei to mine when my first sensei could not make it on last minute.

Thanks! just 1 more question, are the explanations in English? or Mandarin. I know a lot of times many classes are predominantly explained in mandarin then i die. my mandarin really beginner level only.

yes, predominantly is mandarin.
but u can inform ur sensei that ur mandarin is    level...usually that is the first question the sensei will ask.
i had an english ed classmate...my wife is english ed too.