Chinese is so much fun!

[Shokai]

Eh, yeah I hope you dont think Im weird.

I really like Chinese language ESPECIALLY the writing!

But sometimes I think that I should hide my knowledge away from other Chinese because they might think I am intruding into their culture. Some though are happy to know that someone else is learning and making an effort to know about their culture.

One of my ex-friends, who is Chinese HATED her culture. So I felt that she was shutting the door.

I took Japanese, and I have a knack for Chinese characters (kanji). One time at the Asian gifts and food store, I was asking the lady in English if she had something particular that I was looking for and she did not understand me. So I wrote the object down using Chinese characters and she understood me.  

[cold_blooded_chick]

Yah, chinki-language is definitely fun...except when you're learning it. It's a b***h of subject. Luckily I'm already past that stage.  

[Niphz]

Well, I for one am glad that you're making the effort. (: I don't think anyone would find it that you're "intruding" on Chinese culture, that's just.. weird -__-" why did your friend hate Chinese culture? >__>;;

Writing is.. xP mine is so crap now that I haven't been in China for ages.  

[Shokai]

I just have to figure out how to install the Chinese typewriter.

My friend is Chinese and she hated her own culture. I would think she was probably "whitewashed".

@Cold Blood

I would love to take on this challenge even if it is bitchy biggrin  

[Niphz]

Mine came with the MS Office pack, I think. Lots of people use Nanjixing, which is said to be quite good. (:

 

[cold_blooded_chick]

I don't know what I use. Just type pinying and it comes out. neutral

According ot my friends, fastest way to learn to watch drama. Lots of it.  

[[Queen of Spades]]

I understand what you mean by intruding.
Because sometimes, when you try something like trying to learn Japanese from a book.
I personally think that action is ridiculous.
So I personally find these people I don't want to be around.


And then if you're trying to speak Chinese with blood-Chinese people.
They would either give you a weird dirty look
or they would enjoy talking to you.

It's cool that you want to learn the culture.
:]  

[Minielf]

@Shokai: I take it that you aren't Asian, let alone Chinese. Then studying Chinese would be especially difficult for you. Not only would have to get past the extremely complex way of writing and speaking, and memorize tens of thousands of characters, but then there's the 5000 years of history and culture you need to get around to even begin to speak like a Chinese, such as myself, normally would.

I think writing Chinese is easier than speaking it when you start out. It's easier to learn how to write characters and memorize them when you don't have preconceived notions in your head. For someone like me however, I find it extremely difficult to write or read Chinese again.  

[a- K0KO-]

That's interesting.
I've seen people who weren't chinese at all but the words that slick out of their tongue are even better than how I can talk..that slick.
I hope you can be successful in learning chinese and all, because it is a hard language.

Can you write kanji well? XD;;
I was born and raised in china until I was almost 9, then I moved to an english speaking country and forgot most of them.
Reading, typing and speaking are fine though. Don't know how it worked out that way. xD  

[berryscary1]

blaugh You can do it!!!,
sweatdrop I thought Kanji was only Japanese!?  

[cold_blooded_chick]

a- K0KO-

I was born and raised in china until I was almost 9, then I moved to an english speaking country and forgot most of them.
Reading, typing and speaking are fine though. Don't know how it worked out that way. xD

That's similar to me! surprised  

[Niphz]

"Kanji" = 汉字 (think about the pronunciation). When you see random Chinese characters in Japanese, that's kanji. So no, it's not Japanese, because they stole it D<

I think Westerners find the different tones really hard to understand.. many of my friends think they all sound the same @__@;; and without exception, none of them can do third tone. xD

 

[Minielf]

Japanese Kanji isn't exactly like chinese characters. There's some definite differences between the two that make it hard for a normal Chinese to easily read Japanese based on Kanji alone.

Niph: You're right about Western people struggling to pronounce Chinese words correctly. I always find it funny whenever white people try to say Chinese words. They always make a fool of themselves doing so. Only a few westerners have managed to speak Mandarin in the way that normal Chinese would.  

[berryscary1]

lol, I do hate the third tone. I found that listening to vocab on a mp3 player works pretty well though.  

[Niphz]

berry, I thought you were Chinese? Shouldn't you, uh, not have problems with tones? xD