Rosetta Stone Japanese Reviews
Level 1 (53 Reviews)
The Complete japanese set will enable you to fully express your ideas and opinions in japanese and master the conversational skills required to plan adventures, care for your health, and move abroad.
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Japanese Level 1
53
53
I am very disappointed in this product. I have no knowledge what's so ever in speaking Japanese. I needed the RS to help me learn so that I can apply this language to my work. It's basically pictures and multiple choice. How is any one suppose to learn a different language if RS does not start from scratch. I was able to understand a few things. But not enough to even pass the first stage. I would say that RS would be helpful to those who took a language up in school and wanted to brush up and maybe take it a step further.
March 8, 2013
an Okay Purchase...
when I compared what I had learned to a native Japanese speaker, I was off. Also, I would like to know what words I am speaking, not just pictures and guessing.
November 29, 2012
Japanese: At Long Last
I'm really satisfied with the progress I've been making. If you truely love a language, RS is definately the way to go. Seriously, where else can you get to talk to native speakers in their own tounge on your own time? Stop procrastinating, buy it now, and join the fun!
April 14, 2011
My new native language.
I love my Rosetta Stone program. Not only has it made learning a language so easy, it has given me a second native language. By a second native language I mean I find myself having conversations with people in the language that I'm learning. People will start talking to me and I'll just automatically start speaking Japanese to them. I have to catch myself and actively get my brain to converse in English. It's great!
April 9, 2011
I've always wanted to try Rosetta Stone - and I'm glad I did. I'm learning Japanese on my own faster than I learned French in school. If you have your own Rosetta Stone, or just browse around the site, you can see how great this product is, so I'll use this space for a few warnings (the reason for only 4 stars).
The "immersion" technique is a great way for me to learn, but it doesn't do much in the grammar department. I'm constantly asking my Japanese speaking friend to clarify when to use certain words, because the program simply doesn't.
And although the software is supposed to figure out what you're having trouble with and focus on that, I find myself constantly repeating lessons I have down pat and barely skimming the ones I don't. Not sure why this is.
But all in all, I whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone wanting to learn a new language. Just make sure to research some grammar rules on your own.
April 8, 2011
beginning
I am just beginning and have mastered a few things, but more important I am using my memory and at my age this is important to me. I expect to not be very fast at this, but I will keep learning. I enjoy very much how this course
is even though I don't understand all thats available yet. Thanks
April 8, 2011
Dreaming Big.
Rosetta Stone is helping me integrate my life and honestly become myself and expressing yourself honestly is hard to do. Rosetta Stone makes it easy.
April 7, 2011
Nothing Can Compare
I have tried various ways to learn other languages and in comparison to the others', Rosetta Stone is by far the most detailed and easiest to comprehend. I received this as a gift from my grandmother for my 16th birthday. It is a great investment because I graduated from H.S. at 15 and am already a college freshman with a major of Digital Media/Entertainment and Game Design (B.A.S.) and felt that learning Japanese would assist me further in my future endeavors. I recommend this to anyone no matter what they may use it for because they can't go wrong, it can only be a positive situation for the person. It is interactive, which is crucial to learning to speak your chosen language fluently and with confidence!
April 7, 2011
Wow...
I bought Japanese for my 14 year old, and Swedish for my 12 year old. I expected to return it. After all, two middle-school boys learning foreign languages for FUN? Never!
I often walk into the living room and hear quiet chatter. I've learned to wait, and usually it is one of my boys, speaking in a new language, having a ball.
It was worth every penny I spent and more.
Thanks so much!
November 13, 2010
One of the best products I've purchased for learning a language. I wish they had more on grammar though. But overall it is an exquisite program!
June 15, 2010
Japanese level 1 elation and frustration
I enjoy the format and look forward to getting 100 % on the lessons. However, there are many words I don't understand and pictures I can't figure out. I finally down loaded the print version of the lessons and spent hours translating words. Lots of work that could have been provide by Rosetta Stone. I don't believe the translations would compromise the immersion value of the program.
April 10, 2010
Family Fun
All four of us in this family have been using the same Rosetta Stone. It's more fun this way. And, I suspect we're learning more, more easily. When Mom studies, little sister is looking over her shoulder. When Dad studies, big sister is helping him. When little sister studies, she prefers to work alone, but is quick to help the next person when they're studing. The audio part plays while we're in the car, and we subject friends who happen to be along to our learning process.
I found the program to be easier than I expected. I've studied other foreign languages in college. I like Rosetta Stone for independent learning. Wish I could get college credit for it.
April 7, 2010
It's not impossible
Everyone said you can't learn Japanese - too many symbols - just too hard. With Rosetta Stone - I know it's possible. It's pretty cool the number of words that I remember. Best of all - it's fun.
April 7, 2010
Interesting.
I find the program very interesting. I bought it as a gift for a friend and have had very limited experience with it, but I'm intrigued enough to consider trying it myself.
April 7, 2010
Japanese Level 1
I was wary about the product at first, so I only purchased 1 level (instead of all 3). After the first lesson, I was hooked. I will be be purchasing level 2 very soon. Can't wait to master the next level!
April 7, 2010
Japanese Level 1
The product suffers from a lack of explanatory text. Because Japanese structure is so different from English and the Romance languages, the product needs more supporting information than just pictures. It is often difficult to determine what point regarding Japanese prepositions the software is trying to make, and some text to make the point would save much time.
April 7, 2010
Fun to learn
Learning Japanese with the RosettaStone has been really enjoyable. I can't imagine being able to pick up a new language and a completely new alphabet without RosettaStone.
April 7, 2010
Japanese Lvl 1
I've been using the software for about 2-months now and I can honestly say that it's really good for learning terminology and pronounications. One frustration with the software is that it never fully explains what some words actually mean, I guess they just expect you to assume the meaning based on the scenario depicted in the pictures they present you with. Fortunately I live and work with Japanese speaking individuals, so I can have any questions answer from them.
April 7, 2010
All languages should be taught this way
If I had been taught languages in school using the methodology Rosetta Stone does I would have firstly enjoyed my language classes a lot more and secondly I would have been a lot more confident and fluent in the languages I was taught. I spent many years memorizing verb tables, vocabulary lists and grammar rules that were ultimately forgotten and reliant on my native language.
Children (the most powerful language learning machines) do not learn languages by being told something in a 'native' language and then being told the equivalent translation in another. Children learn by associating what they see with what they hear, and that is exactly what Rosetta does. There is barely any English language at all in the exercises , they rely entirely on visual association teaching you several concepts within one exercise. I learned so much in a language that I could not even read the characters of.
Rosetta stone made me think, 'wow this is a very clever tool'. The fact that it is 100% interactive 1 on 1 learning experience means you will cover a lot of ground much faster than you would with a classroom class.
April 7, 2010
Awesome
I wanted to learn Japanese because I want to go there someday. Rosetta Stone lets you learn a language easily and quickly. It's like having a private tutor in your home. I got this for my birthday in September. I want to get level 2 for my next birthday. Maybe I'll finally go to Japan next summer.
February 21, 2010
Best out there, but incomplete
Although this software is very highly regarded, I've found nowhere near a trivial amount of flaws. It is true that this is the best piece of software on the market, but I regard it as incomplete for a number of reasons. To begin with, the pros.
Major Pros: Very very easy to use and unbelieveably intuitive. The interactive lessons coupled with speaking create an environment which is very helpful to learn the language. Being able to switch from kanji/furigana to hiragana and romaji was a very nice perk. One of the best aspects of this program is the sheer amount of different ways that one is taught. Also, vocabulary, which is arguably the most difficult part of learning a new language, was repetitively introduced and reviewed. However, it takes more than simply knowing key words to be able to understand a language.
Major cons: The first and most frustrating issue: speech recognition. I understand the issue with technology and the difficulty in creating accurate voice recognition software, but it became ridiculously frustrating. Next, grammar. The basis to any language is not key words, but is the grammar. Although I applaud the approach of "no English", how in the world can one become fluent in the language simply by guessing which particle denotes the use of a certain phrase?
Finally, one small peeve that I encountered was the confusing choice of verb conjugation. When one began to learn to read in their native language, did they not use the dictionary definitions of the verbs? More specifically, why use the present progressive form of a verb (-ing) when you can use the present simple tense which introduces the verb while reducing the amount of confusion caused by excessive kana?
All in all, this is simply the best product the market has to offer, but in no way would I have been able to learn the language without supplementing the use of this product with a myriad of easily searchable resources on the internet. It will take much more than just this product to learn this language.
September 3, 2009
Great product!
I absolutely LOVE using Rosetta Stone! It is a bit expensive, but when you consider the possibility of taking a course at a school, it's really not too bad. I got level 1 Japanese for my birthday last year, and it's great! It lets you go at your own pace, but also has you do recall lessons so you refresh your memory of older lessons. I had to stop using it for a few months because my schedule wouldn't really allow for the time (the computer I was using at the time was very crummy, so it took longer than it does on my new one and kept freezing) and when my schedule cleared up, I could get back into it and it all came back to me like a flood. It really is cool.
I do have some advice, though. 1. the best way to learn any language is to learn by MULTIPLE ways.... so invest in a Japanese/English dictionary and/or grammar book for easy reference. 2. If you don't understand something, it helps to have somebody you can ask. My high school chemistry teacher was a missionary in Japan for several years, so it helped to be able to ask about concepts I didn't understand, as well as to practice speaking.
July 28, 2009
RosettaStone Rocks!
When I wanted to learn Japanese, I knew I had one chance with RosettaStone.
A few of the first words I learned were sakana, or fish, inu, or dog, neko, or cat, uma, or horse, and hon, or book.
I am on Unit Three now, and it all seems pretty easy. You don't have to be an adult to use RosettaStone. Anyone can learn almost any language with it.
RosettaStone is full of new things to learn in the language one selects, but I'm always learning colors and numbers. For example, murasaki means purple, ni means two, jiyuichi means eleven, hachi means eight, pinku means pink, and ao means blue.
Learning Japanese isn't hard, but there are still a few little challenges. When I was on Unit One, it took me ten minutes to pronounce "the men read the newspaper" in Japanese. But it's easy now, of course.
I love being able to impress my friends with the things I learn on RosettaStone. Who knows? With the help of RosettaStone, I could grow up to be a translator!
July 21, 2009
Awesome starting point
When I started the first lesson, I was very overwhelmed with how hard it seemed--I couldn't imagine getting to the point where I could read those foreign characters! I was amazed at the end of just the first segment when I found myself recognizing a few of them before even getting to any of the reading segments! This method absolutely works. The pacing is very good, the amount of repetition is just right, and the pictures are very clear illustration of the concepts.
I'm very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the voice recognition software as well. There have been only a few times that I was sure I said the right thing and the software didn't pick it up--and that's probably because my family had the tv on in the same room. In a normally quiet room, speaking in a normal tone, it's dead-on.
July 18, 2009
rosetta/japanese language
Learning the japanese language by rosetta stone method has been fun, easy and a remarkable experience. I did have difficulty with the grammar, so I spent more time listening in the very b eginning. It has been a great experience and one I shall share with friends as often as they will "allow" me the privilege.
July 15, 2009
Good for a start
This program is good if you are looking to pick up some basics of Japanese. It'll will get you started but want get you across the finish line. That said this is one of the best language programs I've used. I had to learn french to teach in a francophone country. I tried many a program before I left and they were all terrible. I'm now living in Japan but don't need to speak Japanese for my job. I do however want to be able to communicate with people around me. I've made so really good progress with this program the only problem is I'm doing it by myself and there is no structure given by Rosetta. In other words they don't lay out a plan they just let you go. That makes it difficult to follow a schedule.
In the end I recommend this to anyone that needs to learn some basics to get them started but it's no substitute for going out in a country where the language is spoke and practicing.
July 14, 2009
Learn a new way
I am enjoying my experience learning Japanese very much. Even when I have to go a week or so between lessons, I am amazed at how much I retain. Sometimes when faced with a new topic, it can be difficult and the desire to "translate" to one's native language is strong. Yet, just if one keeps an open mind and uses other parts of the brain, he/she should be awed at how much he/she remembers and can understand. Also, the speaking lessons can be a little frustrating as the time that elapses before hearing that "try again" tone can be too brief, especially when one is struggling. Usually, though, repeating a lesson one or two times helps me in those cases. I really enjoy the "recall" review lessons. Very enjoyable.
July 11, 2009
Amazing Way to Learn a New Language
To begin, I'd like to say that overall, I am blown away at how well Rosetta Stone works. I've been wanting to learn Japanese for a while now. For example, when I was a child, I went to Japan for a family vacation, and ever since then, I've had this need to speak Japanese. Also, a second language looks good on a resume, which is always helpful in this economy.
Now to the actual product.. When I first recieved Rosetta Stone, it was quick and easy to install. At first, the format felt a little strange, because there are no translations, forcing you to think in the languange, which I believe to be one of Rosetta Stone's secrets to learning a language. Within a few hours of use, I could already construct more than fifteen sentences. Japanese Level 1 came with 4 units, each with 4 lessons in each unit, and each lesson is surprisingly long. I've only had two problems with Rosetta Stone so far, however. My first problem is with speaking the language without any translations, because, you can't pick up on punctuation, sentence structure, grammar, or formalities very easily. My other problem, was that Rosetta Stone does not teach you how to read and write, therefore diverting most of it's attention to speech.
Overall, this is a fine product if you want to learn to speak a new language, although, I would recommend finding a tutor or a school to teach you if you want to learn to read and write.
July 10, 2009
Close ... but needs some grammar
The basic concept behind Rosetta -- don't bother with translation; learn the language on it's own terms -- is sound. It was a central concept in a French course I took in college which got a class of 400 (yes, it was a lecture) fluent in two semesters. What the course had but Rosetta lacks is a supplementary explanation of how things work in English; there was a weekly section meeting.
I think this kind of supplementation is particularly needed for a language as different from English as Japanese. My French course was possible because English and French grammar differ only in details; adjectives after nouns; extra verb conjugations instead of modal auxilaries and so forth. Japanese (according to Wikipedia) is sui generis. This means that while it's fairly easy to figure out that adding -tachi to a noun or pronoun makes it plural and that adding -ka to the final verb makes the statement a question, there's no easy way to make sense of marker words like wa, ga, ne and o. You supplement the course with a book on Japanese grammar.
I like Rosetta's persistence. You have to think while you're using it -- and think hard. I have to believe that that is what helps lay down new neural tracts. But the all visual, all analogy system does come up short when it comes to abstract concepts.
In short, if I were learning Italian or Danish or even Greek, Rosetta would be a slam dunk, but I will be happy when my Japanese grammar text arrives and I find out what is going on in distinctions I simply do not understand.
July 10, 2009
Worth the $$$
This product was definitely a great buy. Such a unique way of learning a language. Much better than traditional language classes!!!
July 9, 2009
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