Reddit mentions: The best vocabulary & word lists

I do creative writing, mostly poetry, and looking for and applying "weird" methods to help me generate ideas for new pieces is in my blood. Experimentation, having fun, trying to break convention, challenging yourself, and finding new perspectives are all your best friends in the pursuit of “creativity.” There’s standard advice (exercise, meditation, socializing) that works wonders but I’ll avoid those for the purposes of this response.

Note: I've used these various methods to "come up" with ideas but these methods don't account for editing or selecting the "best" ideas. A great quote from Stephen King to keep in mind beyond the idea generation stage: “A writer’s notebook is the best way in the world to immortalize bad ideas. My idea about a good idea is one that sticks around and sticks around and sticks around.”

Word Games

There's Shiritori which is a Japanese word game in which you write down a word and then the successive word you write must begin with the letter the previous word ended with (ex: apple/elope/enormous/sandal) and I've adapted this by coming up with twelve words and trying to make a piece using those words. Playing Scrabble has also helped inspire me.

Inspiration Apps

There's a great app for iPhone brainsparker which provides words, phrases, quotes, and other bits of inspiration. It's similar to Brian Eno's creative thinking strategy known as Oblique Strategies (app 1 and app 2) but what puts brainsparker ahead for me is the ability to set push notifications at a certain time of day so that I can passively get new bits of inspiration delivered to my phone.

Impose Limitations

Similar to the Dr. Seuss 50-word challenge, I have done things like try to make pieces based on sets of words such as the 100 Most Commonly Used Words in English, the lyrics from a particular song, or something from a famous document like the U.S. First Amendment.

Engage the Senses

A very new method I’ve used for at least one piece involves taking a recent situation I want to write about and jotting down how my senses were involved in the situation (the common ones, non-common ones like kinesthetic or hunger, and abstract ones like beauty or humor) and constructing a piece from that.

Wikipedia Rabbit Holes

I’ve found inspiration looking through Wikipedia articles about anything and everything though this can become a bit of a bottomless pit.

Say It Out Loud/Draw It

I’ve done stream-of-consciousness audio recording sessions and free-doodling to come up with pieces.

Become Someone (or Something) Else

I’ve adopted different personas and written from their voice, such as someone who sleepwalks, a preacher, a tyrannical politician. I’ve written from the voice of inanimate objects like an IMAX screen.

Launch a Project

I did a Word of the Day Poem project for a little over 100 days in a row, inspired by the kind of daily practice mentality of that famous Seinfeld anecdote about writing every day, marking an X on a calendar, and making sure you don’t break the chain.

Word of the Day Keeps the Doctor Away

Similar to the project above involves tracking and subscribing to a “Word of the Day” like with Dictionary.com or A.Word.A.Day or even a physical calendar which is what I primarily use now.

Write in the Dark

I’ve tried writing in the dark before, which didn’t really work, but I enjoy mixing up “how” I write and the environment I write in. Using pen and paper if you usually write on a computer, find a giant pen and write with that, write on the back of an envelope, go to a beach or park and write little notes using a stick. Anything you can do to still “write” but in a different way than you’re used to writing.

Depending on how many hours a day you study, this can be possible, or extremely difficult. 3 hours a day almost puts you at the same amount a Japanese language school would have you do, though obviously without the Japanese immersion. 1 hour a day, I honestly don't think that would be enough time. It takes about 6-8 months at a language school to go through n3, but many people can do it quicker.

Let's assume you study 5 days a week, as I'm not sure you will be studying everyday for the next 6 months (maybe you will, but I don't know your work ethic). You got about 130 days to get this done. There's more or less about 100-120+ grammar points for n3, so you really only need to do 1 grammar lesson a day, 5 days a week to be on track. You need to learn about 2,000 new words, and 300 new Kanji. That puts you at about 15 new words a day, and 2.5 Kanji. Kanji part should be easy, though 15 words is a little high.

If you did 3 days of 2 grammar points, 2 days of 5 Kanji, and 15 words a day you would have the basic necessities down. You could get these done in an hour to an hour and a half. I would honestly try and spend another hour on listening and reading practices when you have that extra hour or 2. At least 2 listening and 2 reading a week should be good. I'm sure you could do a reading and listening practice easily within an hour.


I used the try! N3 book for grammar, as well as 中級を学ぼう and 中級から学ぶ日本語 books, but honestly just a regular jlpt grammar book should work. I like the try! books, and kanzen master. The other 2 I listed are very hard to use outside of a classroom. Not very good explanations of the grammar.

The 日本語総まてめ books are good for the practice reading and listening books, as well as Kanji as long as you do your own practice writing and stroke order lookup.
As far as vocabulary, I really like the はじめて日本語能力試験 series. Has a good amount of words, organized well, and has the red card to quiz yourself. And it has an example sentence for every word. I couldn't find the series on amazon, so I had to go to amazon japan to get the link. But I really like these books so if you can figure out how to use a Japanese website definately check them out.

Edit: added links.

Edit 2:

Also, Just to expand on some things. I don't know how long it took you to get to N4, so I don't know what kind of pace you are at right now. Generally, being fully immersed in Japan, it takes about 2-3 months to cover N5 stuff, and 2-3 months to cover n4 stuff. The jump to n3 is bigger, and takes about the same amount of time as it did for both n5 and n4. So generally 6 months. N2 also takes even longer. I spent probably 10+ months straight on n2 before I moved on to n1, and I still don't feel confident in my vocab, and this was living in Japan, going to language school, and having a job where I spoke complex Japanese as my job, as well as only having Japanese friends who can't speak English (I have terrible memory though). So don't get too stressed if it takes you longer than expected. I'm also an idiot, so it probably takes me longer to learn things than it should...

All the resources I gave you are specifically focused on the JLPT. Honestly the test could be better. I doesn't test on speaking or writing, and so it's not really a good measurement of skill. These books aren't going to make you able to speak better. If your aim is the JLPT then this is a good way to go, but it depends on what your goals are. When it comes to slang and colloquial speech, these books don't provide a lot of useful information. It's really helpful to find Japanese people to talk to, weather it be through a meetup group in your city, or online through things like hellotalk. These things won't really help you with the JLPT though.

Anyways, good luck on your test!

Your story is pretty similar to mine so I'll try to share some insights. I have ADHD too and isolated myself and retreated into video games when I was 13 to escape some family issues. (I'm 20 now.) I started to realize the importance of being social when I started college two years ago and have been working on recovery ever since.


First of all good on you for realizing that socializing and making connections is so important. Some folks never realize this and stay shut in for life. Wanting to get better is the first step to improving, so you're already on the right track. Give yourself a pat on the back.


Now I can't diagnose you with social anxiety or anything, only a professional can do that, but in the end, it's not all that important. Being diagnosed and having your problem given a name doesn't change the problem at all. Furthermore, not having a diagnosis doesn't make your issues less valid. They are valid, and they cause real hurt, and you deserve to get better. So I wouldn't worry too much about whether it's ADHD or social anxiety or depression as much as I would focus on working it.


I totally relate to feeling like your peers have greater social intelligence than you. And I used to be the same way with giving one or two word answers. It does get easier with practice, but you have to be patient and keep trying. I find it helpful to remember that whoever you're talking to you can't read your thoughts. They don't know what you see in your head, and they don't know what you're thinking. This is important because when you give tiny answers you're giving them just a tiny amount of information. You might know extra details or have more in depth thoughts that relate to your answer and give it more context and make it more understandable, but if you don't go ahead and mention them, the person you're talking to will never know. So what I'm saying is to start trying to give more detailed answers to questions. You might think, "Oh, they don't care to listen to me." If they didn't care, why would they ask? Another important thing is to ask questions in return after answering. "How's your courseload this semester?" "It's a little light, how's yours?" If you look up tips for making conversations, asking questions is going to be the first thing you read. It's probably the single most important thing you can learn.


I got a bit sidetracked there but going back to how you feel like others have higher social intelligence, and you describe your social ability as being so poor, it's pretty clear that you're having trouble with self-esteem, which is normally linked to depression iirc. Looking down when you walk is an indicator of that too. It might not seem like useful advice now, but dwelling on not being good at conversations is only going to make them harder. If you keep drilling it into your head that your inept at conversing with people then social interactions will continue to be difficult and anxiety provoking, because you'll continue to dread not doing well enough. It's kind of a cycle, telling yourself that you're bad at talking to people will make you more anxious when you do talk to people, inhibit your conversational ability, and thus give you more "evidence" of your lack of skill and reinforce your feelings. You're basically digging your own grave when you do that. Now I know you can't just go "hey! I'm the BEST at talking to people!" and fix it just like that, but it's incredibly useful to reflect on when you do well and feel good about that rather than dwell on doing poorly, even if your good moments seem incredibly tiny. Progress is progress. It takes a long time and I still feel self conscious about myself and my ability, but it does get better.


Anyway, I'd stop playing video games if you haven't yet. It might be hard but you'll come to realize that there's much better things to do with your time. Also, having trouble making eye contact and I'm not sure what you mean by struggling with body language but difficulty making eye contact and reading body language can be a sign of autism. Take that with a grain of salt though, I'm not a professional. A tip for eye contact I've heard countless times is to look at someone between their eyes, right above the nose. It's apparently indistinguishable from regular eye contact, but I don't have any experience doing it. Even with that tip in mind, you should practice holding it more than usual. It might feel weird and uncomfortable but if you're struggling to hold it chances are what duration feel weird are actually pretty normal for everyone else. Just remember to practice. If you're finding it hard to read body language, there's plenty of resources on that you can study from. I've heard good things about this book. There's way too much to say about body language and eye contact than I can type here.


As for other books, How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie is one the everyone recommends. I've read it and it's great, but just reading it won't help. You really gotta go out there and practice it, (true even if you don't read anything) and be willing to pay attention to what works and what doesn't, refine your approach as necessary, and make new discoveries for yourself. When you do that, you'll start to really understand what the book is saying, well after you read it the first time. Books are useful, but they can't plant the right state of mind into your head, that's something you need to figure out for yourself. It takes lots of time and attention, but that's what you need to do. And that's what everyone else has done, book or not, while you, to be frank, were busy playing video games. It will be worth it.


That's all I can think to say right now. Again, good job asking for help, and I wish for you nothing but the best. Good luck!

Few bits of advice.

1. Start reading. Every good writer is well read.
   
2. Speaking of reading.. Here are some books I'd recommend for learning writing skills.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Eats-Shoots-Leaves-Tolerance-Punctuation/dp/1592402038
   
   This is a great book explaining everything you need to know about punctuation in a fun way.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Vocabulary-Cartoons-Learn-Minute-Forget-ebook/dp/B00FBL1GL0
   
   This book is how I learned a bunch of vocabulary words. You'll never forget them with the help of the fun cartoons that help you recall the words.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Brysons-Dictionary-Writers-Editors-Bryson/dp/0767922700
   
   Bryson is a great author and this book can be helpful to you as well.
   
   
3. Start Journaling daily. This is a great skill to learn because it helps focus your thoughts after a long day and it will help you organize ideas quickly in your mind as you write them down.
   
   4.Finally, practice writing. I don't know what field you are studying but I would recommend learning about academic writing. Find journals (through your college library) that are about your field of study and try reading an article or two and take notes on them. The goal is to try and connect a topic from your classes with an article or some other writing (you can find articles online from reputable sources other than journals) . Then you can try writing about your own perspective on the topic in a research style paper. This way you will learn more about what you are studying and see how other professionals write about it. Also, look for books about your field as they will be great resources for your writing.
   
   
4. If you would like more information about academic writing and how I personally organize notes and go about researching topics to write my own papers just comment or pm and we can talk more.

>With the reading, watching, and practicing--unfortunately, there's no bookstore in my city that has English books except a small one that gets many kinds of books, but ever since I've discovered it, I've read about... um, fifty books? But none of them are really on the list. I'll try to see what I can do and purchase those books.

It's very good that you have read books in English, also don't you have libraries? Here in the central libraries one can find many english books.

>Practicing--does writing count?

Absolutely! Writing, reading, speaking... all this counts! Remember that SAT is not only about English, it has math too, but you will probably get the math practice in your normal math courses in your school anyways (it's basic math in the SAT). There are SAT subject tests too, and some universities require like 2 or 3 of them. There exists many study books with practice exams in them. Flash cards are useful too.


Also, if you find the UK to be more appealing, you can forget SAT, and focus way more on your bacalaureat. UK is by the way very much cheaper,and occasionally free, since you're an EU citizen.


OH very important thing! The GPA, remember to have it as high as possible, because its VERY crucial in both the UK and US/CAN

About the ECs, try to volunteer for example to something you think you would like, maybe the red cross. Remember that having too much school clubs (like over 4) isn't good, because it shows that one joined the clubs only for EC records. You need to be passionate and like what you do as EC. Summer jobs is another good thing.

>Romanian education isn't very bad, but it's still a bit disappointing that I don't and won't study in English. Eh, I'll get over it, eventually.

I know that feel :/ It will get over, though.

I remember using https://tangorin.com/

another good resource is https://ejje.weblio.jp/

it is japanese website but don't worry, search for the word you want and scroll down for the sentences, most of the time they are very short and pretty good..

I can suggest this book , I personally didn't used it, it has 1000 words for n5 with a sentence example.

personal opinion: I think just move on, even when you are not 100% sure about the word usage, specially if you are beginner. The material you are learning now will come again enough for you to fully grasp them while you study other words/grammar. :)

good luck

Totally doable. Here's how I did it:

Watch Korean dramas (Netflix has a small selection that's good enough to get started; otherwise, try viky.com): Great so you actually hear what Korean sounds like. The idea is to learn passively. I promise it works

Check out [Naver's dictionary] (http://endic.naver.com) when you stumble upon new words

Read bilingual news on [Joogang Daily] (http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/list/list.aspx?gCat=060201)

Invest in good reference books. My favorites for:

-[Grammar] (http://www.amazon.com/Korean-Grammar-International-Learners-Bin/dp/8971415541/ref=sr_1_1_twi_unk_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449545300&sr=1-1&keywords=korean+grammar+for+international+learners)

-[Vocabulary] (http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Korean-Vocabulary-Recognition-Comprehension/dp/0824818156)

Try Sogang University's free online courses

STUDY UP!! Korean is very different from Western languages, so be regular in your studies and you'll be fine.

I'd say since you already started AJATT: keep on doing it!

Though I can't tell if you actually found AJATT or MIA (Mass Immersion Approach), because the latter was created by a YouTuber called Matt vs Japan who became fluent through AJATT but improved upon it to make it easier to get into and eventually branched off and called it MIA.

​

The MIA progression, as far as I understood it, starts with immersion and Kanji Study (Seems like you do immerse and already finished the Kanji and only review them).

Tae Kim is only meant as a small start into getting familiar with basic Japanese grammar, sentence structure etc.

From what I've seen, the current recommendation for MIA is to just read through Tae Kim without worrying about mining the sentences in there and to sentence mine from the Tango N5 and maybe the N4 book (N5 here and the N4 here) and alongside that, to sentence mine from the native material that you use for immersion. This is supposed to give you a good foundation in terms of grammar knowledge and vocab. At that point you should have have mined at least 2k-3k sentences and should already be quite proficient in reading.

At that point, you are supposed to do the monolingual transition, meaning that you ditch almost all English in your studies and try to just use Japanese. You do this mainly by sentence mining native material and looking up the Japanese definitions of words you don't understand.

You should never learn single vocab, only sentences, so you learn vocab in context and have a better understanding on how the words are used.

Now that is just a rough outline of the process. While I am definitely not fluent, all I wrote you can verify yourself by watching Matt vs Japan's YouTube videos, in which he goes into more detail (Don't get discouraged by the length of the videos, they can be quite "rambly" but still contain valuable information about the whole process).

Other than that, there is an ajatt sub where people asked all kinds of questions, probably yours as well.

​

All this goes against common sense and is quite different from the traditional, textbook-oriented approach, so don't let people tell you that your approach is wrong and you should do X or Y.

Watch Matt's videos and decide for yourself, whether this method is something you really want to follow.

If your friend has a kindle, smartphone or tablet, then a nice little extra would be a good phrasebook. The one that I have is perfect and it's just a few euros - this one. It's definitely a perfect book to start with, to learn pronunciation, shopping vocab, directions etc.

Or, to get more in depth with the language... this book goes into detail about the grammar of the language.

Living outside the US? No problem.

Spanish:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B081F3GYMF

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B081F3GYMF

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B081F3GYMF

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B081F3GYMF

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B081F3GYMF

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B081F3GYMF

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B081F3GYMF

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B081F3GYMF

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B081F3GYMF

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B081F3GYMF

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B081F3GYMF

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B081F3GYMF

Spanish (Level 2):

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07ZTT9J1V

French:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07SZFD9V3

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07SZFD9V3

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07SZFD9V3

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07SZFD9V3

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07SZFD9V3

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07SZFD9V3

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07SZFD9V3

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07SZFD9V3

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07SZFD9V3

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07SZFD9V3

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07SZFD9V3

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07SZFD9V3

German:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TRGYNY7

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07TRGYNY7

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07TRGYNY7

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07TRGYNY7

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07TRGYNY7

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07TRGYNY7

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07TRGYNY7

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07TRGYNY7

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07TRGYNY7

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07TRGYNY7

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07TRGYNY7

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07TRGYNY7

Italian:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07TDSH88K

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07TDSH88K

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07TDSH88K

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07TDSH88K

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07TDSH88K

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07TDSH88K

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07TDSH88K

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07TDSH88K

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07TDSH88K

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07TDSH88K

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07TDSH88K

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07TDSH88K

Russian:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07VBNZDPZ

Portuguese:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07W1FTVSH

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07W1FTVSH

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07W1FTVSH

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07W1FTVSH

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07W1FTVSH

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07W1FTVSH

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07W1FTVSH

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07W1FTVSH

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07W1FTVSH

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07W1FTVSH

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07W1FTVSH

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07W1FTVSH

Korean:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07XWMRCZB

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07XWMRCZB

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07XWMRCZB

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07XWMRCZB

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07XWMRCZB

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07XWMRCZB

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07XWMRCZB

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07XWMRCZB

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07XWMRCZB

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07XWMRCZB

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07XWMRCZB

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07XWMRCZB

English:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07VNLXCHH

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07VNLXCHH

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07VNLXCHH

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07VNLXCHH

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07VNLXCHH

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07VNLXCHH

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07VNLXCHH

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07VNLXCHH

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07VNLXCHH

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07VNLXCHH

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07VNLXCHH

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07VNLXCHH

English (Level 2):

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YNX326J

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07YNX326J

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07YNX326J

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07YNX326J

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07YNX326J

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07YNX326J

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07YNX326J

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07YNX326J

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07YNX326J

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07YNX326J

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07YNX326J

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07YNX326J

Learn Mandarin Chinese now using Michel Thomas for spoken and Teach Yourself Mandarin for written and grammar - find a native Mandarin speaker in your area and persuade your parents to pay for an hour a day schoolday tuition. If your parents say no, offer a reciprocal arrangement with your tutor (some useful skill you can teach them). Focus on tone and pronunciation.

Start weight training now and develop your body. Get into good habits regarding your diet (not go on a diet, just practice the fundamentals of healthy eating).

Chose college according to how interesting the city in which it is located is.

Don't get married until after you are 30.

Eradicate the idea that a good degree will lead to a safe and affluent future - those days are gone. Also, stop thinking that "work" is something you do for an hourly rate as an employee - learn how to be your own boss and create your own business.

Learn how to build a solid credit history - you'll need to borrow money in the future to make anything happen.

LOL - I have a degree in linguistics, and my hubs says that I am a master at communication accommodation - which is not so much about linguistics as it is about social adaptation.

There's nothing wrong with learning on the job either, so to speak, so if you have supportive people in your network, let them know that you're trying to do this, and ask if they'd be willing to let you try it out an them, with the caveat that their responsibility is to let you know if you're using the words wrong, or not providing enough context so that they can figure it out. Challenge others when they use a word you don't know, and ask them to explain. Get a calendar and commit!

All in all, best advice I can give you is remember that language is about human connection and interaction - you speak so that someone will hear.

Don't forget to have fun - that's why we have words like flibbertigibbet!

Copied from U/whatisthesun:

"For anybody living outside of the States:

Spanish:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073Z2YJFT

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B073Z2YJFT

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B073Z2YJFT

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B073Z2YJFT

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B073Z2YJFT

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B073Z2YJFT

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B073Z2YJFT

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B073Z2YJFT

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B073Z2YJFT

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B073Z2YJFT

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B073Z2YJFT

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B073Z2YJFT

French:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074HDZP3L

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B074HDZP3L

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B074HDZP3L

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B074HDZP3L

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B074HDZP3L

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B074HDZP3L

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B074HDZP3L

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B074HDZP3L

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B074HDZP3L

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B074HDZP3L

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B074HDZP3L

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B074HDZP3L

Italian:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07C1692CG

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07C1692CG

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07C1692CG

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07C1692CG

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07C1692CG

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07C1692CG

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07C1692CG

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07C1692CG

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07C1692CG

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07C1692CG

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07C1692CG

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07C1692CG

German:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JKG2S5J

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07JKG2S5J

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07JKG2S5J

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07JKG2S5J

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07JKG2S5J

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07JKG2S5J

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07JKG2S5J

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07JKG2S5J

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07JKG2S5J

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07JKG2S5J

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07JKG2S5J

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07JKG2S5J

Portuguese:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07MGNXN3Y

Russian:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MRM7NLM

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07MRM7NLM

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07MRM7NLM

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07MRM7NLM

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07MRM7NLM

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07MRM7NLM

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07MRM7NLM

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07MRM7NLM

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07MRM7NLM

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07MRM7NLM

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07MRM7NLM

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07MRM7NLM

English:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MJ88SDZ

DE: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07MJ88SDZ

FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B07MJ88SDZ

ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B07MJ88SDZ

IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B07MJ88SDZ

NL: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B07MJ88SDZ

JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07MJ88SDZ

BR: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B07MJ88SDZ

CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07MJ88SDZ

MX: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B07MJ88SDZ

AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07MJ88SDZ

IN: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07MJ88SDZ. "

For sure this textbook. There's several levels to it, and it also has traditional versions. I also have this. And this book us great to help with grammar, etc. As for online, the first textbook comes with an online website here for listening practice. Also, Duolingo is going to have Chinese soon I believe. I can't much help with online. You could try Livemocha. I really enjoy this program for the computer.

Around 16 months? I'm not so sure, however, Mandarin is a language where immersion for at least a year is key. So for that 16 months, plus some time in China or Taiwan you'll be fluent I'm sure!

Here's a list of words we haven't stolen from other languages, but perhaps should have.

The book contains mostly words which exist in other languages, but not English, and upon learning some of them (or at least, I did when I did), you realize how nicely they fill in some existing gaps.

Schadenfreude is one example you're probably familiar with. It's a great word, but there's really no English equivalent. Wabi-sabi is a Japanese phrase you're likely not familiar with. It means "beauty through imperfection". Since that concept is unfamiliar to our culture, there's really no wonder the word (phrase?) is unfamiliar to our language.

Anyway, check out the book if you can find it. There's some interesting stuff in there. I mean, well, if you're a nerd. And, really, who among us isn't? ;)

So strange, wife and I just discussing this--I actually feel sick when I witness the misfortune of other people. I know that Schadenfreude is perhaps the opposite,not quite, but close. . .?

There is a great book here it is but I am sure what the op is talking about is not there.

If there is a word for it great, but if not why does the hive mind not come up with one?

This book series is pretty popular and has i+1 sentences for virtually every word covered. There are Anki decks out there up to N3 if you can prove ownership. I think they're great (the books, I'm using my own decks and haven't seen the shared ones). That would be my first choice. Core 6000 would be my second choice because it's free.

Great advice with everything besides the part concerning the SAT. I wouldn't take a prep course. If you are not motivated, it will not help. If you are motivated, then you wouldn't need it and it would be a wasted expense. Instead, most commonly recommended are this book for introductory material as well as practice tests and this one for vocabulary. They are very cheap! (You could probably even borrow them for free from the library)

I'm not a good example since I was somewhat obsessed, but through many (many!) practice and vocabulary books like those I improved my score by over 600 points relative to my PSAT results without spending more than $50 out of pocket.

I remember getting a lot of mileage out of this book when I first came to Korea. Survival Korean: Basic Grammar Skills The book is pretty simple but it really helped me get my head around the basics of Korean grammar. Also Handbook of Korean Vocabulary is great because it is organized by Hanja root words. It's more of a reference than a text book but once you start to understand the meaning of the various hanja, it really helps when encountering new words.

I'm a professional in-person and online GRE (among other things) tutor. It's best to use a recent book, especially since they are typically close in price to older editions. Depending on where you're starting your prep at (take a practice test first), and what score you're aiming for, usually 2-3 months is a great amount of time to prep.

I recommend and use this book with my students - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1259862410

And these flashcards -
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1618656198

X, a fabulous child's story might be a good read. Its a short story that works with gender norms. And I think we can all agree that expectations based on gender have a huge affect on inequality.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

As you have seen in the other responses there is indeed a large portion of lingusitics and anthropology and cognitve science and sociology devoted to how language has shaped cultures and vice versa . Indeed, there are many concepts for which some cultures have no words.

​

Here's one list of some of the better known examples:

​

https://www.rocketlanguages.com/blog/20-of-the-worlds-most-beautiful-untranslatable-words/

​

There are somr fun books about this topic

​

They Have A Word for It

​

Lost In Transalation

​

Other Worldly

Easy. Just get a copy of "Handbook of Korean Vocabulary" https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Korean-Vocabulary-Recognition-Comprehension/dp/0824818156

By the way, I really shouldn't say this but I have seen a couple of digital copies of this floating around the web somewhere...but the paper book is better.

Yes there is! The "Handbook of Korean Vocabulary" is EXACTLY what you are looking for. It completely focuses around Hanja meanings and which words they go into. I find it interesting just to look at even when I'm not studying.

"noticing patterns" will be very inefficient with your time. Instead, use this book https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Korean-Vocabulary-Recognition-Comprehension/dp/0824818156 which lists hanja roots and words based on those roots. It has been very helpful for me to make guesses when I encounter new words and has helped reinforce memorization of words with hanja roots.

Yes we do! Here it is: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BB1G368/

Over 60% of Korean vocabulary descended from Chinese. So that should really help you with words. Some Chinese (Sino-Korean is the term used) roots are the basis of dozens of Korean nouns, and nouns are turned into verbs, adverbs, modifiers, etc. in a very systematic way. Many dictionaries show the Chinese character when the root is based on it and I suggest buying this book to get you going: http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Korean-Vocabulary-Recognition-Comprehension/dp/0824818156/

I like the JLPT Tango vocab books. They have a red sheet so you can test yourself, and you can download audio for the sentences. They have books for N5-N1 vocab- here’s a link to the N5 book
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4872179811/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_c_HguIDbJ2D2XJR

If you're interested in this kind of thing more generally, I found this cool book at my local library: https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Korean-Vocabulary-Recognition-Comprehension/dp/0824818156/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1521745556&sr=8-2&keywords=handbook+of+korean+vocabulary

in which you can look up words or morphemes and it tells you their derivation and what other words they are in.

http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Korean-Vocabulary-Recognition-Comprehension/dp/0824818156

The book is "JLPT Tango N5 1000" also known as "はじめまして日本語能力試験　N5単語1000".

Here's my video review.

This is the book i got:
https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Vocabulary-Words-Language-Proficiency/dp/4872179811/

Anyway I think you understood my question wrong, I was referring to this book http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Mandarin-Chinese-Two-Audio/dp/0071737278 . Thanks for the comment anyway

I have this one. Don't really recommend it...Just use grammar textbook vocab instead