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 ====== Reading Visual Novels in Japanese ====== ====== Reading Visual Novels in Japanese ======
  
-Anime has slowly grown into a global phenomenon, but visual novels are far more niche. Many visual novels remain untouched by localization companies, and sometimes the localizations we do get are…[[https://fuwanovel.net/2013/07/why-i-wont-be-buying-if-my-heart-had-wings/|lackluster]].+Anime is now a global phenomenon, but visual novels are still far more niche. Many visual novels remain untranslated, and sometimes the localizations we do get are…[[https://fuwanovel.net/2013/07/why-i-wont-be-buying-if-my-heart-had-wings/|lackluster]].
  
-Often, the best way to experience a visual novel is in the original language—Japanese. Whether you’re already interested in learning Japanese, or want to learn Japanese purely to play visual novels in their original language, both motivations are perfectly valid. Visual novels are a great way to learn Japanese, because you get exposure to both the written and spoken language.+Often, the best way to experience a visual novel is in their original language—Japanese. Whether you’re already interested in learning Japanese for some other reason, or want to learn Japanese purely to play visual novels in their original language, either motivations is perfectly valid.
  
-This guide will prepare you for reading visual novels in Japanese and introduce you to a suite of tools designed to make the process easier and more comfortable.+This guide will prepare you for reading visual novels in Japanese and introduce you to a suite of tools designed to make the process more comfortable.
  
 ====== How Much Japanese Should I Know Beforehand? ====== ====== How Much Japanese Should I Know Beforehand? ======
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 It’s common for learners to assume they need to know a lot of Japanese before they can even think about reading something in Japanese, but the truth is that the earlier you engage with native material, the better off you’ll be. You //study// the Japanese language in the classroom, but you can only //learn// and //acquire// the language by throwing yourself into situations where you’re forced to rely on and develop your Japanese ability. It doesn’t matter whether that’s speaking with strangers in VRChat, exchanging letters with a Japanese pen pal, or reading visual novels—you need to engage with real Japanese to make real progress. It’s common for learners to assume they need to know a lot of Japanese before they can even think about reading something in Japanese, but the truth is that the earlier you engage with native material, the better off you’ll be. You //study// the Japanese language in the classroom, but you can only //learn// and //acquire// the language by throwing yourself into situations where you’re forced to rely on and develop your Japanese ability. It doesn’t matter whether that’s speaking with strangers in VRChat, exchanging letters with a Japanese pen pal, or reading visual novels—you need to engage with real Japanese to make real progress.
  
-Visual novels, in particular, are a great way to learn Japanese! Unlike novels, the dialogue is usually voiced by an actor, so you’re getting both reading and listening practice. Visual novels tend to be quite long, so as you get deeper into the game, you’ll come across fewer new words because the author will re-use language introduced to you earlier on. This is better than learning from several shorter novels because you can get comfortable with the visual novel’s language over time, and it’ll be more fun when you can follow the story with fewer interruptions.+Visual novels are a great way to learn Japanese! Unlike novels, the dialogue is usually voiced by an actor, so you’re getting both reading and listening practice. Visual novels tend to be quite long, so as you get deeper into the game, you’ll come across fewer new words because the author will re-use language introduced to you earlier on. This is better than learning from several shorter novels because you can get comfortable with the visual novel’s language over time, and it’ll be more fun when you can follow the story with fewer interruptions.
  
 It won’t all be fun, of course, because of how many look-ups you’ll need to do, and how much you’ll sometimes struggle to understand. However, it’s much easier to read something you’re interested in than something “level-appropriate”. It won’t all be fun, of course, because of how many look-ups you’ll need to do, and how much you’ll sometimes struggle to understand. However, it’s much easier to read something you’re interested in than something “level-appropriate”.
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   - Start a grammar guide and finish the basic sections. This step should take a month or two and be done concurrently with step 3. [[https://guidetojapanese.org/learn/category/grammar-guide/grammar-start/|Tae Kim’s Grammar Guide]] is a popular place to start, but you can also try [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg9uYxuZf8x_A-vcqqyOFZu06WlhnypWj|Cure Dolly’s video tutorials]] for deeper explanations. These are among the best free guides available to beginners, but other guides exist.((If you want a really advanced breakdown of a grammar point, try [[https://imabi.net|Imabi]]. Imabi uses a lot of vocabulary in its //many// example sentences, so it’s often too rigorous for most learners, but it’s by far the most advanced guide on this list available for free. If nothing else, [[https://www.imabi.net/intro-to-japanese|the introductory lesson]] offers some insights on the Japanese language you are unlikely to encounter elsewhere. Advanced study of Japanese grammar should be done in Japanese; there are plenty of native Japanese resources available, so unfortunately, Imabi occupies a very niche spot in most learner's study plans, as it's an advanced grammar guide to Japanese written in English.))   - Start a grammar guide and finish the basic sections. This step should take a month or two and be done concurrently with step 3. [[https://guidetojapanese.org/learn/category/grammar-guide/grammar-start/|Tae Kim’s Grammar Guide]] is a popular place to start, but you can also try [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg9uYxuZf8x_A-vcqqyOFZu06WlhnypWj|Cure Dolly’s video tutorials]] for deeper explanations. These are among the best free guides available to beginners, but other guides exist.((If you want a really advanced breakdown of a grammar point, try [[https://imabi.net|Imabi]]. Imabi uses a lot of vocabulary in its //many// example sentences, so it’s often too rigorous for most learners, but it’s by far the most advanced guide on this list available for free. If nothing else, [[https://www.imabi.net/intro-to-japanese|the introductory lesson]] offers some insights on the Japanese language you are unlikely to encounter elsewhere. Advanced study of Japanese grammar should be done in Japanese; there are plenty of native Japanese resources available, so unfortunately, Imabi occupies a very niche spot in most learner's study plans, as it's an advanced grammar guide to Japanese written in English.))
   - Start learning words. You should know at least 1,000 words before you attempt a visual novel. We recommend using [[https://apps.ankiweb.net|Anki]], a flashcard program for learning new words and reviewing recently-learned words as it will help them stick better than constant dictionary look-ups.    - Start learning words. You should know at least 1,000 words before you attempt a visual novel. We recommend using [[https://apps.ankiweb.net|Anki]], a flashcard program for learning new words and reviewing recently-learned words as it will help them stick better than constant dictionary look-ups. 
-    - While you should eventually transition to making your own cards from the visual novels you're reading((Animecards has a good guide on how to start doing this: https://animecards.site/yomichansetup/)), there are pre-made Anki decks containing words that appear in a wide range of native material with high frequency. [[https://anacreondjt.gitlab.io/docs/coredeck/|Anacreon's Core 2k deck]] is a good place to start. +    - While you should eventually transition to making your own cards from the visual novels you're reading((Animecards has a good guide on how to start doing this: https://animecards.site/yomichansetup/)), there are pre-made Anki decks with words that appear in a wide range of native material with high frequency. [[https://anacreondjt.gitlab.io/docs/coredeck/|Anacreon's Core 2k deck]] is a good place to start. 
     - As you learn more words, you’ll learn how Kanji are used in words as a byproduct. Kanji are only useful in the context of words, so there is no reason to study them on their own.     - As you learn more words, you’ll learn how Kanji are used in words as a byproduct. Kanji are only useful in the context of words, so there is no reason to study them on their own.
  
-These three steps might not seem like a lot of preparation before you embark on your journey into the weird and wonderful world of Japanese visual novels, but you should know that no amount of preparation will make tangling with real Japanese easy. You can’t acquire ability in Japanese without engaging with native material, so you can't put this off forever. Our advice is to engage with native material early—whether that be anime, manga, or visual novels.+These three steps might not seem like a lot of preparation before you embark on your journey into the weird and wonderful world of Japanese visual novels, but no amount of study will make tangling with real Japanese easy. You can’t acquire ability in Japanese without engaging with native material, so you can't put this off forever. Our advice is to engage with native material early—whether that be anime, manga, or visual novels.
  
 For a dedicated guide to learning Japanese, check out [[https://learnjapanese.moe/guide|TheMoeWay’s learnjapanese.moe guide]]. For a dedicated guide to learning Japanese, check out [[https://learnjapanese.moe/guide|TheMoeWay’s learnjapanese.moe guide]].
  
-**Warning About TheMoeWay:** This site includes //many// links to files that have been illegally redistributed without the copyright holder's permission. The knowledge and direction in the guide is valuable, so we have decided to link to it, but we highly discourage you from downloading these illegally-redistributed files and advise you to buy these games from the developer instead.+**Warning About TheMoeWay:** This site includes //many// links to files that have been illegally redistributed without the copyright holder's permission. The knowledge and direction in the guide is valuable so we have decided to link to it, but we highly discourage you from downloading these illegally-redistributed files and advise you to buy these games from the developer instead.
  
 We've written an extensive guide on buying visual novels—both DRM-encumbered and DRM-free, for Windows and non-Windows operating systems—and encourage you to purchase visual novels from one of the vendors linked on our [[visualnovel:buying|Buying Visual Novels page]]. We've written an extensive guide on buying visual novels—both DRM-encumbered and DRM-free, for Windows and non-Windows operating systems—and encourage you to purchase visual novels from one of the vendors linked on our [[visualnovel:buying|Buying Visual Novels page]].
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 ====== What Visual Novel Should I Start With? ====== ====== What Visual Novel Should I Start With? ======
  
-Pick something that interests you! It’s more a matter of what you should avoid, rather than what games are good for beginners. High Fantasy and other games likely to have a lot of technical jargon are usually poor choices, because you’ll spend most of your time looking up uncommon, niche words, meaning you’re improving in only that particular area of Japanese. +Pick something that interests you! Your interest is the primary factor, but there are some types of games to avoid. High Fantasy and other games likely to have a lot of technical jargon are usually poor choices because you’ll spend most of your time looking up uncommon, niche words, meaning you’re improving in only that particular area of Japanese. 
  
-Start with a larger and more useful area like Slice of Life, and once you have a good grip on that, you can start to specialize. The exception is if you’re only interested in reading visual novels in a particular area, like High Fantasy. However, you should definitely avoid any visual novels that are known for their wordplay—you’re not going to appreciate it as a beginner. Slice of Life visual novels will have enough diversity in vocabulary to challenge you, while still being useful for a wide range of domains.+A larger and more useful area like Slice of Life is a good place to start. Once you have a good grip on that, you can start to specialize. If you’re only interested in reading visual novels in a particular area, like High Fantasy, though, then give it a shot. However, you should definitely avoid any visual novels that are known for their wordplay—you’re not going to appreciate it as a beginner. Slice of Life visual novels will have enough diversity in vocabulary to challenge you while still being useful for a wide range of domains.
  
-[[visualnovel:recommendations|Our recommendations page]] is a good place to start looking for a visual novel to play.+[[visualnovel:recommendations|Our recommendations page]] is one place to start looking for a visual novel to play.
  
 ====== Looking Up Words With Japanese Dictionaries ====== ====== Looking Up Words With Japanese Dictionaries ======
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 When you get to a more advanced level, you’ll want to start using a “Monolingual Dictionary”, which is a dictionary that explains the meaning of Japanese words in Japanese. These definitions are far more accurate and detailed than multi-lingual dictionaries like JMdict, as there is no language barrier and a lower risk of misconceptions forming in the learner’s mind. When you get to a more advanced level, you’ll want to start using a “Monolingual Dictionary”, which is a dictionary that explains the meaning of Japanese words in Japanese. These definitions are far more accurate and detailed than multi-lingual dictionaries like JMdict, as there is no language barrier and a lower risk of misconceptions forming in the learner’s mind.
  
-We recommend using Yomichan where possible for managing and accessing your dictionaries, and web dictionaries when necessary.+We recommend using Yomitan where possible for managing and accessing your dictionaries, and web dictionaries when necessary.
  
-===== Yomichan =====+===== Yomitan =====
  
-Yomichan is a browser extension that allows you to look up words by hovering over them. Yomichan is not a dictionary itself, but allows you to install multiple dictionaries and easily access them when you need to look up an unknown word. Yomichan can be used offline. [[https://foosoft.net/projects/yomichan/|Yomichan's project page]] provides detailed instructions on how to take advantage of all its features.+Yomitan is a browser extension that allows you to look up words by hovering over them. Yomitan is not a dictionary itself, but allows you to install multiple dictionaries and easily access them when you need to look up an unknown word. Yomitan can be used offline. [[https://yomitan.wiki|The Yomitan wiki]] provides detailed instructions on how to take advantage of all its features.
  
-We recommend beginners use these dictionaries, which can be freely redistributed:+We recommend beginners use these [[https://yomitan.wiki/dictionaries/|dictionaries]], which can be freely redistributed:
  
 ^Dictionary ^Usage ^ ^Dictionary ^Usage ^
-|[[https://github.com/FooSoft/yomichan/raw/dictionaries/jmdict_english.zip|JMDict]]|General lookups| +|[[https://github.com/stephenmk/Jitendex]]|General lookups| 
-|[[https://github.com/FooSoft/yomichan/raw/dictionaries/jmnedict.zip|JMnedict]]|Names| +|[[https://github.com/yomidevs/jmdict-yomitan#kanjidic-for-yomitan|KANJIDIC]]|Kanji Lookups|
-|[[https://github.com/FooSoft/yomichan/raw/dictionaries/kanjidic_english.zip|KANJIDIC]]|Kanji Lookups|+
 |[[https://github.com/toasted-nutbread/yomichan-bccwj-frequency-dictionary/releases|BCCWJ (LUW version)]]|Displaying frequency of words| |[[https://github.com/toasted-nutbread/yomichan-bccwj-frequency-dictionary/releases|BCCWJ (LUW version)]]|Displaying frequency of words|
 |[[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1L5htwR1LrqXWoerTGpxfDB8T3GEHedPB|アクセント辞典]]|Pitch accent information| |[[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1L5htwR1LrqXWoerTGpxfDB8T3GEHedPB|アクセント辞典]]|Pitch accent information|
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 More advanced learners may be interested in monolingual dictionaries. We don’t know of a Japanese dictionary publisher that allows its users to freely redistribute its dictionary files, so we cannot provide any links to monolingual dictionaries.  More advanced learners may be interested in monolingual dictionaries. We don’t know of a Japanese dictionary publisher that allows its users to freely redistribute its dictionary files, so we cannot provide any links to monolingual dictionaries. 
  
-If you want to use a monolingual dictionary with Yomichan, You will need to acquire an electronic monolingual dictionary in the EPWING format and use [[https://foosoft.net/projects/yomichan-import/|Yomichan Import]] to convert the dictionary into a format Yomichan can work with. MarvNC's [[https://github.com/MarvNC/yomichan-dictionaries/blob/master/how-to-make-yomichan-dictionaries.md|guide to Yomichan dictionary creation]] has some pointers. Alternatively, you can use a web dictionary listed in the next section instead of one integrated with Yomichan.+If you want to use a monolingual dictionary with Yomitan, You will need to acquire an electronic monolingual dictionary in the EPWING format and use [[https://foosoft.net/projects/yomichan-import/|Yomitan Import]] to convert the dictionary into a format Yomitan can work with. MarvNC's [[https://github.com/MarvNC/yomichan-dictionaries/blob/master/how-to-make-yomichan-dictionaries.md|guide to Yomitan dictionary creation]] has some pointers. Alternatively, you can use a web dictionary listed in the next section instead of one integrated with Yomitan.
  
-We also recommend integrating Yomichan with Anki. The project page's [[https://foosoft.net/projects/yomichan/index.html#anki-integration|Anki Integration section]] provides instructions on how to accomplish this.+We also recommend integrating Yomitan with Anki. The project page's [[https://yomitan.wiki/anki/|Anki Integration section]] provides instructions on how to accomplish this.
  
 ===== Web Dictionaries ===== ===== Web Dictionaries =====
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 ==== How To Use ==== ==== How To Use ====
  
-Start the Textractor.exe executable in the x86 folder. You can remove some of the extensions, like Google Translate and Extra Window, but be sure to keep Remove Repeated Characters, Regex Filter, Copy to Clipboard, and Extra Newlines. Make sure the visual novel is running and click “Attach to Game”. Select the process for your visual novel and click “Ok”. +Start the Textractor.exe executable in the x86 folder. You can remove some of the extensions, like Google Translate and Extra Window, but be sure to keep Remove Repeated Characters, Regex Filter, Copy to Clipboard, and Extra Newlines extensions. Make sure the visual novel is running and click “Attach to Game”. Select the process for your visual novel and click “Ok”. 
  
 Click through the game to process the next line of text so Textractor has something to work with. Now, you’ll need to click the dropdown menu at the top of Textractor and go through all of the hooks until you find a clean extract of the text. Continue playing through the game to see if the hook works well, and if it does, you’ve succeeded. Click through the game to process the next line of text so Textractor has something to work with. Now, you’ll need to click the dropdown menu at the top of Textractor and go through all of the hooks until you find a clean extract of the text. Continue playing through the game to see if the hook works well, and if it does, you’ve succeeded.
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 ==== Machine Translation ==== ==== Machine Translation ====
  
-Textractor comes with a Google Translation extension, which will use Google’s machine translation service to render every extracted line in English. We don’t recommend machine translation services in any circumstances; even for checking your understanding of the text, because it’s more liable to leave you with misconceptions. Japanese and English are among the most distant language pairs, meaning that translation is difficult even for human translators—and the more idiomatic the language, the worse it gets. +Textractor comes with a Google Translation extension, which will use Google’s machine translation service to render every extracted line in English. We don’t recommend machine translation services in any circumstances; especially for checking your understanding of the text, because it’s more liable to leave you with misconceptions. Translation is difficult even for human translators because of how different Japanese and English are—and the more idiomatic the language, the worse it gets. 
  
 Machine translation will struggle to render a passable translation in some situations, but it will almost certainly strip out any of the flair present in the original language. The only reason you should use a machine translation service is if you have no intention of learning Japanese. Machine translation will struggle to render a passable translation in some situations, but it will almost certainly strip out any of the flair present in the original language. The only reason you should use a machine translation service is if you have no intention of learning Japanese.
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 ===== Optical Character Recognition (OCR) For Unhookable Text ===== ===== Optical Character Recognition (OCR) For Unhookable Text =====
  
-It isn’t possible to extract text from some visual novels with Textractor. Never fear, there is another way! You can use one of the many OCR programs available to parse the Japanese characters on the screen. This is less reliable than Textractor, but it’s always available to you.+It isn’t possible to extract text from some visual novels with Textractor. Never fear, there is another way! You can use one of the many OCR programs available to parse the Japanese characters on the screen. Beware that OCR is less reliable than Textractor.
  
 <tabs> <tabs>
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 </tabs> </tabs>
  
-====== Running Visual Novels on GNU/Linux ======+====== Running Japanese Visual Novels on GNU/Linux ======
  
-Running older games on GNU/Linux distributions is often easier than on Microsoft Windows, with the exception of games encumbered with certain types of DRM. We have [[visualnovel:vnsonlinux|a guide to running Visual Novels on Linux]] that we encourage you to follow. +While running older games on GNU/Linux distributions is often easier than on Microsoft Windows, Japanese visual novels might be encumbered with certain types of DRM, which can prevent you from running them. See our [[visualnovel:vnsonlinux|guide to running visual novels on GNU/Linux]] for a full tutorial on setting up an environment to play visual novels.
  
-It would be a good idea to be at least passingly familiar with the effects of the DRM your game has. Knowing the specific name would be better but is not always easy or even possible, so sometimes it's enough to know that a game requires the CD to be in the tray, or if it requires "activation" before you are allowed to play. +To find out more about DRM compatibility with GNU/Linux on our [[visualnovel:problems#drm_and_region_restrictions|Problems page]]. This is the most common reason a Japanese visual novel won't work on GNU/Linux.
- +
-You can find more information on DRM compatibility with GNU/Linux on our [[visualnovel:problems#drm_and_region_restrictions|Problems page]].+
  
 ====== ames For Automating Anki Cards ====== ====== ames For Automating Anki Cards ======
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 Paste the word, ○○○ and all, into [[http://fuseji.net|Fuseji]]((伏せ字 is the technical term for the censored character used in place of the actual character. They can take several forms: ○、ｘ、＊ Paste the word, ○○○ and all, into [[http://fuseji.net|Fuseji]]((伏せ字 is the technical term for the censored character used in place of the actual character. They can take several forms: ○、ｘ、＊
 )) and all will be revealed. )) and all will be revealed.
- 
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  • Last modified: 2024/12/21 10:53
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