Thank you for your suggestions. So the first step is learning the kana. I studied the Hiragana pages at thejapanesepage.com so I know most of them now. I just need more practice to get those last few I keep forgetting. I have problems remembering what is meant by the tenten so I need to work on that still.
I just started on the Katakana (didn't learn them both at the same time like Marionette says...sorry). I ordered
this and
this (kana flashcards and some kanji flashcards) to help me out with solidifying my knowledge of the kana and starting on the first few kanji.
I still can't read a single word of Japanese! It takes patience to learn...
Are there books (like children's books) that have only hiragana? Or is it better to practice them with flashcards?
Asking for some more advice here... You said get a textbook. On thejapanshop.com the most popular one is the "Genki" textbook. Is that one OK? I think I'll get that and some Kanji books next.
Found
this screensaver on thejapanesepage.com. This will help me learn a little faster. I'll install it at home and at work. Hopefully no one from work will give me too many strange looks...
I can type 日本語 (
nihongo, or Japanese) characters now. This other board I am on now doesn't support Japanese characters. :-(
This post has been edited by jcdietz03: Jan 20 2008, 01:15 AM