Does anyone read Dragon Ball in Japanese?

[kemuri07]

So I've been studying Japanese for approximately three years, and I'm at a point where I can read certain manga and understand about 70-80% what I'm reading. I've been collecting some DB books at a japanese book store near me, and it's kinda fun being able to read it "in the way it was meant to be read" (lol). So does anyone else do this?

[TheGreatness25]

I wish I understood that much. So far, I can read the Hiragana and Katakana -- and thankfully, the Kanji is broken down into the Hiragana/Katakana spellings. So, I've tried tossing it into Google Translate and surprise, surprise, it's gibberish. So, I need to really actually learn Japanese to accomplish this.

I feel like the lack of spaces between words will trip me up even if I knew what I was actually reading.

[kemuri07]

I wish I understood that much. So far, I can read the Hiragana and Katakana -- and thankfully, the Kanji is broken down into the Hiragana/Katakana spellings. So, I've tried tossing it into Google Translate and surprise, surprise, it's gibberish. So, I need to really actually learn Japanese to accomplish this.

I feel like the lack of spaces between words will trip me up even if I knew what I was actually reading.

You get used to it. It's now not really a problem for me.

It's good to ease yourself in little by little. Google Translate I don't use because it translates things literally. The problem with Japanese is that the language is extremely ambiguous and meaning depends almost entirely on context. I use a site called Wanikani that I use to study Kanji,a and now I find it way easier to read if there's Kanji around rather than Hiragana because Kanji tells you exactly what the nature of the word means.

[Cipher]

Yes. Had read through all of Super in Japanese previously and finished a complete readthrough of the original for the first time last year.

I also read ... basically everything in Japanese now and it’s also part of my work, so I might not be the intended audience for this question, but I was in your shoes not too long ago! Always fun to push yourself further into material in a second language/its original language, even and especially when it feels daunting!

[Mireya]

I wish I did. It'd be my dream.

The fact you can understand most of it with 3 years is inspiring. I've taken 1 year of a JP course but dropped it (totally my fault, the course was good and very cool). I feel I don't have the determination to go through years of hard work and read mangas in the native language... Not even DB is helping me with that.

Let's see, I hope I can gain some form of discipline.

[kemuri07]

I wish I did. It'd be my dream.

The fact you can understand most of it with 3 years is inspiring. I've taken 1 year of a JP course but dropped it (totally my fault, the course was good and very cool). I feel I don't have the determination to go through years of hard work and read mangas in the native language... Not even DB is helping me with that.

Let's see, I hope I can gain some form of discipline.

I'm actually pretty lazy, and I don't do well in school settings. Mostly because, I really don't care for doing homework. I found learning Japanese much easier when I can do a bit every day on my own.

Considering the amount of people who do talk about wanting to read DB as it's meant to be, I highly suggest learning the language. As intimidating as it is--it's not that hard. If you look at it all at once, it seems impossible, especially with the amount of Kanji one must learn.

A solution to that is to take it step by step, and accept the fact that learning Japanese is a lifelong goal. Any youtube vid that promises you to teach it to you in a month is a damn liar and should immediately be seen as sus.

1. Learn hiragana and katakana as soon as you can. It's extremely easy and takes about a week (or even shorter) to learn it all. That way even if you don't know a word, you can still pronounce it.
2. Start learning Kanji as soon as possible. What makes learning Kanji doable is that study sites tend to break the figures down into "radicals." When you start seeing the same radicals over and over again, it tends to stick in your mind. Eventually you start figuring out patterns.
3. Grammar is probably the least fun for me, but exposure to anime and news sites help a lot.

It's not as difficult as one would think. It just takes time.

[kemuri07]

Yes. Had read through all of Super in Japanese previously and finished a complete readthrough of the original for the first time last year.

I also read ... basically everything in Japanese now and it’s also part of my work, so I might not be the intended audience for this question, but I was in your shoes not too long ago! Always fun to push yourself further into material in a second language/its original language, even and especially when it feels daunting!

Ooh. What do you do?

With reading I do struggle with novels; I don't have that much experience in it, plus the way it's written, is definitely something I find it hard to get used to.

[Mireya]

I wish I did. It'd be my dream.

The fact you can understand most of it with 3 years is inspiring. I've taken 1 year of a JP course but dropped it (totally my fault, the course was good and very cool). I feel I don't have the determination to go through years of hard work and read mangas in the native language... Not even DB is helping me with that.

Let's see, I hope I can gain some form of discipline.

I'm actually pretty lazy, and I don't do well in school settings. Mostly because, I really don't care for doing homework. I found learning Japanese much easier when I can do a bit every day on my own.

Considering the amount of people who do talk about wanting to read DB as it's meant to be, I highly suggest learning the language. As intimidating as it is--it's not that hard. If you look at it all at once, it seems impossible, especially with the amount of Kanji one must learn.

A solution to that is to take it step by step, and accept the fact that learning Japanese is a lifelong goal. Any youtube vid that promises you to teach it to you in a month is a damn liar and should immediately be seen as sus.

1. Learn hiragana and katakana as soon as you can. It's extremely easy and takes about a week (or even shorter) to learn it all. That way even if you don't know a word, you can still pronounce it.
2. Start learning Kanji as soon as possible. What makes learning Kanji doable is that study sites tend to break the figures down into "radicals." When you start seeing the same radicals over and over again, it tends to stick in your mind. Eventually you start figuring out patterns.
3. Grammar is probably the least fun for me, but exposure to anime and news sites help a lot.

It's not as difficult as one would think. It just takes time.

Well, tbh I couldn't learn it on my own. The language is too vast and there's little material to pick up from a west-resider like me. It isn't like English (English isn't my native tongue) where I had a good basis already feom school. I'd need a guidance and a course. Since most in-person schools are closed here due to Corona, I'll need to wait until the situation betters. But yeah, reading direct from the source sounds like a lifetime goal and dream. I wouldn't mind reading DB for the 10th time or so in this case