There's lots of ways to get started. My focus is on speaking - just using romaji to spell it out. I always start a new language with the Lonely Planet Phrasebook. http://amzn.com/1742201865 I can build short conversations about introducing myself and asking for things right away. About the time I started getting curious about the symbols, I picked up a couple of books. You can learn to sound out Hiragana in 2 weeks (1 hour a day) with this book - I use the Kindle version and I'm half-way through after 1 week: "Japanese from Zero! 1: Proven Techniques to Learn Japanese" http://amzn.com/B00QHFL72M Make sure you have a good flashcard app, like Anki - http://ankisrs.net I've also learned about 60 Kanji in a week using this book - also a Kindle download: "Read Japanese Today: The Easy Way to Learn 400 Practical Kanji" http://amzn.com/B00Q3FLLAO I take a spiral approach - start learning the sounds from Lonely Planet, then learn some hiragana and Kanji from the books, but then link them to the conversations I'm having. So they both build on each other. Good luck! www.MarcusChance.com Updates also at: http://www.fluentin3months.com/forum/my-language-mission/missione-giapponese-japanese-basic-conversations-by-july-31/#p29838

It is confusing because they are very similar. "Border" is most commonly used as the line that separates two countries. "Boundary" mostly commonly refers to a line that contains something. Often it is a line that should not be crossed. The boundary of a soccer field. Also personal boundaries - things someone doesn't want to do or talk about.