Study Log to Japanese Literacy

Japanese Language Study Logs (Public)
21

Sep 13 -

It’s Friday, but I still put in a good hour of study. Lots of Kanji and vocab reviews today (110 or so).

Then read a page of Harry Potter.

I learned a complex grammar structure today in this sentence

あやつは二人を説得できると思ったか、それとも邪魔者として片付けようと思ったのかもしれん。

It’s this one: Volitional form + か + それとも: This structure is used to present multiple possibilities or options.

Example: 「できると思ったか、それとも…思ったのかもしれん」
This pattern shows two possible thoughts or intentions.

Example Sentence:

彼女は来るか、それとも来ないのかもしれない。

(She might come, or she might not come.)

I have more sentence analyses that will speed up your Japanese learning on my website.

22

Why do you feel like that could give you copyright trouble? Genuinely curious

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23

Sep 14 -

Yesterday I had an online Japanese lesson (my first one in years).

I had been organizing and cleaning all day, so by the time it arrived around 1600, I was smoked. But still I logged on.

I’ve done many online sessions in the past. While they were fun, I can’t say they were very effective for my long term development. Why?

Two reasons:

  1. I usually failed to maintain consistency with them

  2. Most of my Japanese tutors were too nice to really help me improve

Maybe it’s the military in me, but I skill up faster when I get beat down. Tell me I’m trash at something? I’ll learn in a hurry. I’ve never had such pressure learning Japanese.

Going all the way back to college, I’ve had instructors who nudged me toward improvement, but never shoved me toward excellence.

That’s why yesterday’s lesson was so valuable.

This guy was clinical in his approach. Very thorough, held me to standards, and let me fall on my face (but he was there to dust off the gravel when I got up).

It was probably the most effective online Japanese session I’ve ever had.

But there was a problem. It was only a trial. So it was 30 mins lesson and 20 mins sales call.

He explained the school he worked for and showed me the price. 14,000 yen/month for once a week. That’s about $99 USD per month. For once a week? No way, I got bills to pay.

Which is disappointing, because at my level of Japanese (I’m about N3-N2 ish overall) that kind of direct 1-on-1 feedback is exactly what I need. But しょうがない I’ll have to look elsewhere for now.

Reviews

I was distracted during today’s reviews.

Reason being, I was listening to some Japanese music I’d never heard before as I did them.

“Kocchi no Kento” has some nice vocals. And the Japanese hip hop duo “Creepy Nuts” has a sick flow (great running or skating music). But I don’t recommend listening while you’re reviewing.

Reading

Because the reviews took so long (about 45 mins) I only read one sentence in Harry Powwer.

Here it is with the grammar point I reviewed.

「そしてだねそしてこれがまったくの謎なんだが．．．やつはおまえさんも殺そうとした。」

Translation:

“And then, this is a complete mystery, but… he even tried to kill you.”

Grammar Explanation:

The key grammar point here is the use of 「〜（よ）うとした」 which comes from the structure 「動詞の意向形 (volitional form) + とする」. This structure means “to try to do something” or “attempted to [verb]”.

In your sentence:

  • 殺そうとした (korosou to shita)
    • 殺す (korosu): to kill
    • 殺そう (korosou): volitional form of “to kill” (let’s kill)
    • とした (to shita): tried to

So, 殺そうとした means “tried to kill”.

I’ve got more example sentences on my website, here.

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24

Because writing the sentences is part of my business.

25

Your business?? Sorry I’m a bit lost. You just said that you’re about N3/N2 level, but you have some sort of business with translating?

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26

Yes. Business is more than just level of spoken Japanese.

More here:
https://keithhayden.net/

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27

Sep 28 -

Made it to level 23!

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28

Hella low, unwashed Level 6 rando user here. Just wanted to say thanks for this detailed insight into your study habits and sentence analysis. I look forward to reading more and leeching off of your freely-given insight!

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29

You’re welcome!

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30

Oct 3 -

Today’s sentence analysis:

足早に道を歩いていく人たちも、パブの隣にある本屋から反対隣にあるレコード店へと目を移し、真ん中の「漏れ鍋」にはまったく目もくれない。

Translation:

“The people walking briskly along the street also glance from the bookstore next to the pub to the record shop on the opposite side, completely ignoring the ‘Leaky Pot’ in the middle.”

Grammar Explanation:

  1. 足早に (あしばやに): This is an adverb formed from 足 (leg/foot) and 早い (quick). Together, it means “briskly” or “quickly” when describing someone’s pace.

  2. ～を歩いていく (～をあるいていく): This is a combination of the verb 歩く (to walk) with the movement auxiliary verb いく (to go). It describes someone walking in a particular direction or moving away from a certain point while walking.

  3. ～から～へと (～から～へと): This pattern indicates a movement or transition from one place to another. In this sentence, it’s used to show the change in the direction of a glance (from one store to another).

  4. 目を移す (めをうつす): A phrase that means “to shift one’s gaze” or “to look at something else.” 目 (eye) + 移す (to move) creates this metaphorical expression.

  5. まったく～ない: This structure means “not at all” or “completely not.” It’s used here with 目もくれない (to not give attention to) to mean “completely ignore.”

Examples:

彼は足早に駅に向かって歩いていった。

He walked briskly toward the station.*

私は本棚からドアの方へと目を移した。

I shifted my gaze from the bookshelf to the door.*

彼女は忙しそうで、私にまったく目もくれなかった。

She seemed busy and didn’t pay any attention to me at all.*

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31

Just popping in to wish you best of luck with your studies! love2

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32

I appreciate it! Same to you!

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33

Would you be interested in more sentence breakdowns? I have many more saved that I could share.

If I posted them all it would be too much!

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34

Oct 4 -

Today’s sentence analysis:

一人は長いパイプをくゆらしている。

Translation:

“One of them is puffing on a long pipe.”

Grammar Explanation:

  1. 一人 (ひとり):
  • “一人” means “one person” or “one of them” depending on the context. In this case, it refers to one of the elderly women mentioned earlier.
  1. くゆらしている:
  • This is the て-form + いる construction, indicating an ongoing action. “くゆらす” means “to puff” or “to let smoke drift.” The verb “くゆらす” is not very commonly used in everyday conversation, but it typically refers to the act of letting smoke rise or trail off in a leisurely way, often from something like a pipe or incense.

So, “くゆらしている” translates to “puffing on” or “letting smoke drift,” indicating that the action of smoking is ongoing.

Examples:

  1. 彼はシガーをくゆらして、窓の外を眺めている。
    (He is puffing on a cigar while gazing out the window.)
  2. おばあさんは、ゆっくりとお香をくゆらしていた。
    (The elderly woman was gently letting the incense smoke drift.)
  3. 彼は長いパイプをくゆらしながら、静かに本を読んでいた。
    (He was quietly reading a book while puffing on a long pipe.)
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