===== What is interesting about the Japanese Language? =====
My notes from a short speech at local Toastmasters/Speechcraft group. Topic: "The most interesting things about the Japanese language to me".
  * Why to learn such a different language? It makes you start thinking on own culture and language. language learning includes culture.
  * There are multiple levels of niceness. (先生 enters room and says "お早う". One student replies "お早う". Other students are buffled.)
  * There are words that are exclusively used by men/women, i.e. かない/つま. お肉/肉. おすし/すし.
  * While many words are taken from English or German spelling is different: hamburger vs. ハンバーガー
  * Different counter words are used, depending on counted objects:
    * long/round things like banana, umbrella
    * flat things like sheets of paper
    * fun topic of categorizing things like phonecalls: long/round
  * adjectives can directly contain 'past time': cold (寒い) and 'was cold'(寒かった) are single words
  * When learning: first speaking, later reading and writing get more important
  * Interesting things: meeting situations when canonical thought to describe it is Japanese

===== step by step =====
"step by step", "piece by piece" → すこしずつ(少しずつ)、一歩一歩 for example, 「私は日本語の勉強を少しずつがんばっていきたいです。」

"日本人の知らない日本語" is very popular book in Japan.

ぼちぼち is a dialect that means step by step, not often used.
少しずつ、焦らずに、のんびり　という意味です。
ぼちぼち日本語を習っています。→少しずつ日本語を習っています。