Nintendo DS Lite and its games for Japanese language learning
Juhapekka Tolvanen
I have been considering buying handheld console called Nintendo DS Lite
for learning Japanese language. Because of that I have stumbled accross
many more or less interesting Japanese learning games during my endless
journeys in fastests superhigways, narrowest foothpaths and darkest
alleys of information.
I have collected these notes for my personal use, but I think others may
find these notes useful, too. Doozo!
Nintendo DS Lite and its games for Japanese language learning
Author:
Juhapekka “naula” Tolvanen
ユハペッカ・「ナウラ」・トルワネン
http://iki.fi/juhtolv
juhtolv (at) iki (dot) fi
Version: 2008-01-04
This text is public domain. There is no warranty.
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Maybe the best:
正しい漢字かきとりくん「今度は漢検対策だよ!」
Tadashi Kanji Kakitorikun
Kageyama Method - Dennou Hanpuku: Tadashii Kanji Kaki to Rikun
Perfect Kanji ~ Kakitori Kun vol. 1
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/software/a8kj/index.html
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/kageyamamethod/index.html
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/04/new-kanji-game-for-beginners.html
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/05/japanese-learners-perspective-review-by.html
http://www.jlist.com/PRODUCT/DS0405
http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=1544
http://www.nihongojouzu.com/2007/04/nintendo_ds_kan.html
Kondo wa Kanken Taisaku
Perfect Kanji ~ Kakitori Kun 2
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/software/yk8j/index.html
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/kageyamamethodtadashiikanji/index.html
http://www.jlist.com/PRODUCT/DS0429
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漢検DS2+常用漢字辞典
http://www.kankends.jp/
http://www.rocketcompany.co.jp/kanken2/
Kanken DS
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/04/kanken-ds.html
Kanken DS 2
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/10/kanken-ds-2-review.html
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Said to be weird:
250まんにんのかんけんしんとことんかんじのうIE-institute
DS: 250 Mannin no Kanken
http://www.thejapanshop.com/product.php?productid=17069
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Other:
漢字そのままDS楽引辞典
Kanji Sono Mama DS Rakubiki Jiten
(Dictionary)
http://www.thejapanshop.com/product.php?productid=17035&cat=333&page=1
http://www.jlist.com/PRODUCT/DS3516
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/kanjisonomamarakubikijiten/index.html
http://ds.ign.com/objects/740/740439.html
http://www.nihongoperapera.com/japanese-english-dictionary-software.php
http://www.nihongoperapera.com/nintendo-ds-japanese-dictionary-guide.html
http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/file/932301/48385
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DS Bimoji Training
Beautiful Kanji Training
(Comes with “brush”)
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/avmj/
http://www.jlist.com/PRODUCT/DS6449
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Gakken DS Otona No Gakushu Kindaichi Sensei No Nihongo Resson
http://ds-nihongo.gakken.co.jp/
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/gakkends/index.html
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/05/gakken-ds-otona-no-gakushu-kindaichi.html
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大人の漢字練習
Otona no Kanji Renshu
Kanji Training for Adults
http://www.amazon.co.jp/ナウプロダクション-13306371-なぞっておぼえる-大人の漢字練習-完全版/dp/B000VT56MW?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202551534&sr=8-12
*********************************
Otona no Joushikiryoku Training DS
Kanshuu Nippon Joushikiryoku Kentei Kyoukai: Imasara Hito ni wa Kikenai Otona
no Joushikiryoku Training DS
http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/data/934040.html
*********************************
Nazotte Oboeru Otona no Kanji Renshu
http://www.nowpro.co.jp/products/game/kanji/index.html
http://www.nowpro.co.jp/products/game/kanzen/
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/nazotteoberuotonanokanjirenshuu/index.html
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/05/nazotte-oboeru-otona-no-kanji-renshu.html
*********************************
AIUEO Study with Anpanman
(Kana chars only)
http://www.jlist.com/PRODUCT/DS0031
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Dora Gana ~ Doraemon Hiragana Study for Nintendo DS
(hiraganas only)
http://www.jbox.com/PRODUCT/DS0594
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シカクイアタマをマルクする
DS漢字の章
Kanji no Shou
Nintendo DS game for learning kanji
http://www.thejapanshop.com/product.php?productid=17076&cat=333&page=1
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脳を鍛える大人のDSトレーニング
nou o kitaeru otona no DS tore-ningu
http://www.thejapanshop.com/product.php?productid=17039&cat=333&page=1
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Perfect Kanji Power
http://www.jlist.com/PRODUCT/DS7757
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問題な日本語
Mondai na Nihongo
http://www.hudson.co.jp/monnichi/
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/09/mondai-na-nihongo-review.html
*********************************
Tsugawa Method DS
http://www.ertain.com/ja/
http://tsugawa_ds.ertain.com/
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/07/tsugawa-method-ds-review.html
*********************************
Obunsha Deru-jun Kokugo DS
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/06/obunsha-deru-jun-kokugo-ds-review.html
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Kanji no Wataridori
http://www.success-corp.co.jp/software/ds/kanji/index.html
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/kanjinowataridori/index.html
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/04/kanji-no-wataridori.html
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Kanpeki Kanjiryoku
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美しい日本語の書き方・話し方DS
Utsukushii Nihongo no Kakikata - Hanashikata DS
http://www.amazon.co.jp/アイイーインスティテュート-13306371-美しい日本語の書き方・話し方DS-特典-さらすら感覚特製12cmタッチペン付き/dp/B000O9ZHVE?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1178466652&sr=8-1
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/kakikatahanashikatads/index.html
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/05/two-more-nintendo-ds-titles-on-way.html
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旺文社 でる順 国語DS
Obunsha Derujun Kokugo DS
http://www.amazon.co.jp/旺文社-でる順-国語DS-特典-さらすら感覚特製12cmタッチペン付き/dp/B000O9ZHZU?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1178466707&sr=8-3
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/2007/05/two-more-nintendo-ds-titles-on-way.html
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読めそうで読めない漢字ＤＳ
yomesoude yomenai kanji
http://moura.jp/lifeculture/kanji2000/index-top.html
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Nihongo Kentei DS
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/nihongokenteids/index.html
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My Japanese Coach
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/myjapanesecoach/index.html
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Yomesou de Yomenai Kanji DS
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/yomesoudeyomenaikanjids/index.html
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Nandoku Kanji DS
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/puzzle/nandokukanjids/index.html
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Let's Play in Japanese ~ Nihongo de Asobo
http://www.jbox.com/PRODUCT/DS1565
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100 Great Works of Japanese Literature
http://www.whiterabbitpress.com/catalog/100-Great-Works-of-Japanese-Literature-p-16531.html
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Buying places and their sub-pages:
http://www.thejapanshop.com/
http://www.thejapanshop.com/home.php?cat=333
http://www.jlist.com/
http://www.jlist.com/SEARCH/nintendo_ds/1/
http://www.whiterabbitpress.com/
http://www.whiterabbitpress.com/catalog/Gamesofts-orderby0-p-1-c-252.html
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Lists:
http://www.nihongoperapera.com/nintendo-ds.html
http://naruhodojapan.blogspot.com/search/label/nintendo%20ds
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Some other games for Nintendo DS Lite:
(OR: Something to play after learning enough Japanese for that day)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Invaders
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Invaders_Extreme
http://www.retrothing.com/2008/07/30-years-of-spa.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris_DS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetHack
http://stuartp.commixus.com/nhds/
http://frodo.dyn.gno.org/~brettk/NetHackDS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_(video_game)
http://doom.wikia.com/wiki/DsDoom
http://www.dsdoom.com/
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Competitors outside the realm of Nintendo DS Lite:
Canon Wordtank C50 (Super low-price!)
http://www.whiterabbitpress.com/catalog/Canon-Wordtank-C50-Super-low-price-p-16147.html
Pros:
- Many many dictionaries
- Cheaper than Nintendo DS Lite and its dictionary (Kanji Sono Mama DS
Rakubiki Jiten) combined.
Cons:
- It has nothing else but dictionaries. There is no language learning
games or other edutainment software and you can not install that kind of
software to it.
- You can not play any games after you have learned enough Japanese for that
day.
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Talkman: Talking Global with PSP (two versions: Asia and Euro!)
Pros:
- If you already have Sony PSP, this may be good alternative
Cons:
- Sony PSP is generally more expensive than Nintendo DS Lite
- That Talkman… is the only Japanese language learning game for PSP I
have found, yet.
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Yet another idea: subnotebook ot netbook
1) Buy some cheap subnotebook or netbook with GNU/Linux (for example
ASUS Eee PC or OLPC)
2) Port some software that runs on GNU/Linux of desktop-computers for that
subnotebook or netbook (for example mnemosyne, Anki and GJiten)
3) Enjoy!
Pros:
- You can use that notebook for many other tasks in addition to learning
Japanese language.
- Real keyboard.
- Very inexpensive software: Free software (AKA open-source software) is
free also as in “free beer”.
Cons:
- Most subnotebooks are still more expensive than Nintendo DS Lite (but after
that initial investment all software is free as in “free beer” and “free
speech”).
- Not many software-titles for Japanese language learning and there is not
many of them for children.
- Everybody can not do that software porting and packaging for subnotebooks.
There may be ready-made packages available somewhere, though.
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--
Juhapekka "naula" Tolvanen * http colon slash slash iki dot fi slash juhtolv
"ore wo mitsumeteiru anata sama wa ossharu bakari. kesshite dakiyosete wa
kurenai ooki na anata no te. ore no tanjoubi ni wa ai wo kai ataeru. kyou wa
kumori nochi ame." Dir en grey
Arekusu
>
>
> Said to be weird:
>
> 250まんにんのかんけんしんとことんかんじのうIE-institute
> DS: 250 Mannin no Kanken
>
Weird?
I learned a lot with 250.
Yes, some 2 kanjis compounds are unusual, but allow to better memorize.
And you have often to come back to record your exercice.
But I like it.
Arekusu