2 “must own” DS titles for Japanese Students
One of the most popular things in Japan right now is the Nintendo DS. One great thing about the NDS is that there’s no region entcoding (like DVDs). So you can play any game from any country on any DS. That’s great because Japan’s DS games are so unique and differ vastly from American and European releases. They have everything from English TOEFL trainging, to Yoga, to Cookbooks, to Pokemon, to Kanji practice software.
The Japanese kanji characters and their combinations are so vast that even the Japanese need to brush up their skills every once in a while. On the NDS platform there’s no shortage of titles to help do just that. But be fore you run out and buy the first one that you see, be forewarned that ALL of these titles are intended for native Japanese. Most of them are nearly impossible to use unless your Japanese level is extremely high. However there are two games that are useful for students of any level. So if you’re learning Japanese and you have an NDS these are two software titles you should definitely check out.
Tadashii Kanji Kakitorikun
What really sets this game apart from the rest is that it is indented for Japanese children. So it starts from the most basic level. You can practice writing, reading, and compound words of the first 1,000 or so kanji. You can also practice Hiragana and Katakana. Since I picked this one up It’s been a nice fun change of pace from regular studying.
This next title is basically just an electronic dictionary for the NDS. It’s still not quite a replacement for a standard electronic dictionary, but it’s worth picking up if you already have a NDS. It takes a little while to get used to, but once you get the hang of it it’s pretty useful. The best part is the stylus input for looking up kanji if you don’t know their reading. The stylus based UI is far more advanced than any electronic dictionary on the market, however it lacks a keypad which can be frustrating.
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:29 pm
nice one! i been wondering what kanji titles to get for ages. and considering that i always find it difficult to drag myself from the DS to study the flashcards those should be handy
December 7th, 2007 at 12:44 am
I was wondering whether I should get myself a DS or an electronic dictionary. This looks like so much more fun instead of drills, whereas the dictionary would come in handy when I’m actually in Japan.. Oh decisions.
December 10th, 2007 at 2:13 am
When the Gameboy Advanced came out I started studying Japanese and spent one full day at Akihabara district in Tokyo searching for such an educational software! But to my unbelieve there was nothing like it on the market and the shop keepers all said that Nintendo wasn’t interested in educational software because they were making more money with games than edusoft. I am really happy to see this has changed… as is my son who will also use it for learning kanjis… almost 10 years after I spent a cold winter day in Tokyo. We have just ordered them right Today. Hopefully we’ll get them shipped in time for Xmas. Are correct to assume that the games will play properly on ANY NDS, wether bought in Japan or not?
December 10th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Yes, the games will work on any DS from any country.