How I Would Learn Japanese (If I Could Start Over)
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- Опубліковано 28 кві 2024
- I started learning Japanese 10 years ago. If I could start over though, THIS is how I would start learning Japanese. I think I could learn it fast and efficiently while having MORE FUN than I did originally.
Hopefully, you can find it helpful in your journey to learn Japanese!
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#japanese
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0:00 Intro
0:20 Day 1: Kana and Books I'd Pick Up
0:54 Day 1: Mentality
1:59 Beginner Stage: Vocabulary
2:44 Beginner Stage: Grammar
3:30 Beginner Stage: Shadowing
4:04 Beginner Stage: Kanji
4:42: Beginner Stage: Reading and Listening
5:04 Our Course
5:32 Post Study Phase
I now have my own kanji series here on UA-cam!
I'd recommend THIS (amzn.to/3AI21t7 ) game INSTEAD of 漢検トレーニング２ for Kanji now. I didn't have it when I filmed this video, but it's DEFINITELY better.
Its just hard to get that 250万人の漢検プレミアム outside of Japan. Would you still recommend the 漢検トレーニング２ in the mean time?
@@callmejobson I wonder how many of the used versions can be shipped to the USA from Japan. I know it’s definitely possible to order from Japan in the USA, but not positive about used stuff.
In the mean time, yes, 漢検トレーニング2 was a good time. =)
Sorry spaceace1288, I'm not sure what you mean?
Does that game work on NA 3DSs or do I need to buy a JP 3DS?
@@majibento Regular DS games will work on any 3ds! ☺️ Only 3ds games are region locked.
I started learning about a year ago, and haven't made much progress simply because it is very difficult to learn one language when you're surrounded by another. My girlfriend (who happens to be Japanese) also has this issue, she speaks great English, but it overwhelms her on occasions. She does communicate with me in Japanese, and I can more-or-less understand her, which personally I think is strange, as when she messages me in Japanese, I usually have to translate certain words. I'm on a very slow roll, but some of the options presented today may help me slide back into the learning process.
Isn't it super interesting how you can understand things when you hear them, but it's harder when you read? I think having the context of bodily gestures, eye contact, and natural rhythm of speaking helps. Reading is always going to be slower when learning so that makes it more difficult. But you'll get there!
I hope some of these ideas can help!
@@ToKiniAndy It certainly is strange. Once, she showed me a video of her dad speaking, they are from Osaka, and her dad speaks in a very heavy Kansai dialect. She asked me what he was saying after, and on a whim I said "he's talking about flavours?"
And I was right, he was discussing the taste of beer and why he didn't like it. I barely understood a word, yet I somehow was correct in guessing the context!
?
@spaceace1288時間_日本語学生 ?
That's actually quite a common problem Chris. I definitely hear you, as in the beginning I was the same.
The trick is surprisingly counter-intuitive. Instead of trying to catch each word or piece of grammar, the trick is actually to physically try to relax, and sort of catch the overall idea. It sounds silly, but this works really really well. You probably won't pick up a TON of new words this way, but you WILL actually be able to have a conversation more comfortably.
If you notice there was something you didn't understand, you just ignore it, and see if you can pick up the overall idea around it. If, after listening to everything being said to you, you think that that single word has tripped you up, asking someone to repeat themselves, or asking what X means will get you there the rest of the time. =)
It takes a while to get used to accepting that you're not going to understand every word, but it's worth struggling through that!
“I’m gonna learn Japanese!”
“I have to learn how to learn Japanese!”
“I have to learn how to learn a language!”
“I have to learn how to look for language learning resources!”
“so… when do I start?”
You just keep studying, hit walls, improve as you go and eventually you will find out what is a waste of time and what isn't for you. That's it. Good luck!
Instead of thinking about learning a language you should just do it! Do you think a baby worries about these things when they first start using their mother tongue? No! They just try and fail, take small steps every day and after some months both you and the baby will be able to create basic sentences.
I never really advise people to use language apps like Duolingo or Babbel, but it's better than nothing, so at least invest 15 minutes a day into that and after a while you'll start to notice how much progress you've made.
Pick a good method and stick with.
You need to get a foundation of the vocab and the kanji.
For my part I use the Anki flashcard deck made from Japanese core 2k and I removed all the individual words and only kept the phrases.
Phrases are easier to learn and give you context with words.
2k words is equivalent to B1 in a European language. It's a solid foundation that allows you to get into native content, then it's just a question of making flashcards with unknown words or just checking the dictionary when you don't get something.
When you reach around 5k vocab words you know enough to consistently learn from context, at this point studying becomes just an option to speed things up or to polish your skills
Your struggle speaks to me. lol I've tried to learn japanese several times and I'm just now starting to feel like I understand how to learn and how to use the tools I have to achieve some results. ^^;; I'm also learning to not push myself to the point where I stop absorbing.. I honestly feel like that point hit's faster than it does for most people, but if I learn 10 words a day using anki, 5 days a week even, that's thousands of vocab words in a year.. so that's what I'm doing. It FEELS slow, but I'm steadily learning more and more.
But yes, I empathize with the massive amount of time spent just figuring out how to start/learn. One skill I need more work on is figuring out how to change what I'm doing without feeling like I'm starting over in some way. lol
@Marky on the Go: what would you recommended then for the start learning basics?
Im nearing the end of Genki 2 and can say that playing games and reading definitely improves your Japanese!! Seeing Japanese in context is just way more beneficial then drilling grammar. I do need waaaay more listening/speaking practice though which is the hard part so Im trying to listen more and write more so I can actually easily speak sentences. Sometimes I still struggle to get words out for basic sentences haha
Finding games with voice acting, and reading along with the audiobook are great ways to improve listening while doing what you’re already doing! =)
But yeah, it definitely takes time!
Try 二ノ国 If you have finished Genki 2 .
Ghost of Tsushima as a Japanese voice acting from the actors@@ToKiniAndy
I agree with these tips!
One thing I want to emphasize is shadowing! My goal in learning Japanese was to be able to read and listen so I didn't really much pay attention to speaking.
But if I were to start again, I definitely would, because right now, after two years of learning, I began to appreciate how speaking dramatically improves reading and listening.
So yeah, speak speak speak, rinse and repeat. Your Japanese brain will thank you. Don't make the same mistakes like I did.
Where would you suggest to learn Japanese? I've been trying Duolingo and Busuu but the only other alternative I can think of is to just google phrases I want to know, but google translate is often wrong
Do U still need suggestions on Japanese learning
I can give u some idea that will help U grasping the whole thing.
First suggestion would be follow this guy and search playlist videos of this guy
If U need
Reply
This is my third time trying to learn hirigana. Tofugu has absolutely changed the game and I'm more comfortable now with it then I've ever been. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much!
I’m definitely incorporating the shadowing practice.
Also I didn’t know about the other books except for GENKI 1 and 2. I’m going to look them up!
Thank you for the video!
Thanks for this. I'm about to start learning Japanese myself, and I appreciate anything helpful like this.
Hey Andy, loving the direction you're taking the channel. Your early Genki guides helped me start my journey a year back, glad you're still making content!
Thank you phak! Lots more to come! I hope that the new stuff can help as well. =)
Been learning it for 2 years now, and the best i can do is memorize common kanji (ex 行 ), write in fluent hiragana/katakana, and understand very very simple phrases. Its been difficult but also fun! Tofugo has been SO helpful for me
same honestly, I blame it on my lack of consistency and actual method of learning.
It's interesting to see how different everyone approaches Japanese learning. Your Yomichan+Anki guide was the golden ticket for me a while back! Thanks for that ^^
Yomichan+Anki is a beast. =)
Thank you so much for this information and all the work you put in. Have a great 2023!
The Organic Japanese youtube channel is absolutely mindblowing - I've been studying for five years and the textbooks did not tell us these logical tips to "conjugations". Great suggestions. Subscribed for more great resources!
Another awesome video! While I'm not looking to start over, I'm pretty early in my Japanese learning journey so it's good to hear what you would have changed if you were to start from the beginning. :)
Thank you Llourn! I'm glad to hear it's interesting for you even though your a little ways into learning Japanese! =)
Thanks for this video is helped me a lot. I only started studying Japanese at the end of last year and haven't made much progress, but after watching your video I felt like I might be able to get a bit further, more quickly.
Respect for not underestimating what you did do as a beginner. Many people say they would have just skipped RTK because, imo, they don't know how badly off they'd be without it.
I bought Remebering the Kanji 1 and 2 this last month and i'm blasting through kanjis. Enjoyed a lot the way this book gives you directives on how to learn them as a foreigner. Seeing how i have seen recommended the other books from this videos in several other videos i will also get them. Just subscribed too!
This is so helpful! I've just started Genki 2 and I feel like I'm constantly changing up my study routine, I only recently started doing graded listening practice and its been a game changer for me. It's so hard to find effective ways of studying when you're a beginner. I did find a really good app for ipad called Kanji!. It teaches you the stroke order so you drill each kanji by writing it out correctly, and it includes words that contain the kanji you have learned so far. Would definitely recommend it :)
What a coincidence! I also use that kanji app as well. It is really helpful. I think the app is a great replacement for the Kanji 3ds game that he talked about in the video.
This showed up on my recommendation. I feel like my phone heard me TT. I told my mother that I'm gonna enroll to some free japanese lesson in my country. Thank you so much for this! I'm now much motivated and know where to start.
Thank you for the advice Andy! I've been enjoying your content for about a year and a half now and your content has helped me so much on my Japanese learning journey!! Tank you so much!!
I'm so happy to hear that the content here has helped! Thank you for watching! =)
I've been using Santori Reader for quite awhile now and it's been fantastic. All of the stories are written in a way that supplements their Japanese teaching apps Human Japanese, and Human Japanese Intermediate. These gave me an amazing base understanding of the Japanese language. Great recommendations, cheers!
I won’t be able to take full advantage of everything you laid out here but I’m really thankful for thIs video! I got my mission call three weeks ago and I’m going to tokyo next month so not a lot of time to familiarize myself with the language before I go to the mtc, but this has given me an idea of what I could/should be doing! Thanks again!
Congratulations on your call! I served my mission In Sapporo, Japan in 2015. It was a wonderful experience and the people are so wonderful. One thing I wished I’d known before was how little “non gospel” vocabulary would be emphasized in the MTC, so by the time I got to Japan it was very difficult being able to build relationships for a while with the people since I couldn’t speak about every topics yet. So if you have a bit more time before you leave, I recommend learning some everyday vocabulary so you don’t feel like you’re completely drowning when you first arrive in Japan. But even if you don’t, it’ll all come eventually through hard work, immersion, and the spirit. Good luck on your mission! I hope it’s a wonderful experience. I’m sure you’ll be an amazing missionary. :)
I appreciate the videos coming out! Your video games, manga, and this one are solid gold!
Thank you! I'm glad to hear you are enjoying them! ☺️
Superb recommendations. Thank you!
Thanks for the video!
You're welcome! I hope you find it interesting!
The kanji are pretty time consuming but very important to building vocabulary, since so much of Japanese is compound kanji from their Chinese readings. And you feel kinda stupid when you can't read words you know.
Otherwise it just takes time and consistent interest. The kanji are really what make people learn on again off again over years and years, and without a scheduling program to help you review them gradually over an extended period of time, hard to just chip away at. Otherwise I think more people would succeed, given their strong interest.
Yeah, kanji is definitely a challenge unique to Japanese and Chinese. I can completely understand the difficulty.
Speaking of scheduling, I completely forgot to mention combining RTK with Anki or some kind of SRS in this video. I better add that to the pinned comment! Thanks for reminding me (even if you’re talking about scheduling your time, hehe).
CaptainWumbo? From iFunny? On a random Japanese video? ありえない…
GREAT VIDEO! There's the good content, which I appreciate.
Thank you for the video. I am grateful for your time and contribution. Kind regards, Akira.
This shadowing technique you speak of is what I’ve been trying to do, and it’s so hard at first. I was trying to learn a sentence from one of your other videos, and at first I had to rewind and slow down the video a lot. I would also get certain sounds wrong. Once I tried to listen and speak at the same time it was even harder. But after spending an afternoon practice while I did my chores, I was able to follow what you said while listening. Still hard
Awesome stuff
Thks for the recommendations 🤝🇯🇵
I would like to throw in the idea of the Kodansha Kanji Learner's Course. The book uses mneomics and radicals, but it also gives you vocab. Each kanji has about 2 vocab words that have an O so you know which one is one of the more important ones to learn. RTK teaches you basically meanings and recognition, but you literally gain no vocab. The KKLC though is supported with the fantastic kanji study app and it has all the graded reading sets in one convenient place.
Not only that, but learning about 5 kanji a day will be tremendously helpful so long as you can keep up with it.
I know a lot of people really enjoy KKLC. It’s personally not my style, but I agree that it will be great for some people! =)
Great suggestions! Thanks Andy!
Thank you h42cal! I’m glad to hear you think so. =)
Thanks this video helped me a lot!
It's been almost 2 years since I personally started learning Japanese and I am looking to take the N2 this december (fingers crossed). And I can relate with many of your points in this video!
Especially for me speaking has been a huge problem when learning languages (Chinese is my second language but I don't have confidence in speaking it). So in order to avoid that for Japanese, I started making it a point to take conversation lessons this year during summer break.
Glad to hear you can relate! Good luck on N2!!!
how do u take a N5, N4, N3, N2 or a N1 test? like is there some webbsite to test your self because i am so confused 😅
@@ToKiniAndy how do u take a N5, N4, N3, N2 or a N1 test? like is there some webbsite to test your self because i am so confused 😅
Been self studying for 2.5 years. I definitely have weak points because I’ve often switched my method/materials to keep myself engaged. Trust the process. I’m still years away from my desired level.
How is it going so far?
Very enjoyable to watch Andy, well done!
When I first started, I used an audio course called Total Japanese by Michelle Thomas, which I liked and think might have benefited my pronunciation since it encourages some mild shadowing.
I also used Remembering the Kana by James Heisig, which helped me verify if I liked the method. I did and went with Heisig for the Kanji as well. Today, I’m not sure if I wouldn’t go with Wani Kani instead though.
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed it. =)
I also used Remembering the Kana. I really liked it (although not for Katakana).
WaniKani is a strong contender for sure. There are a few things I don't personally love about it though, which is why I think combining this NEW (old) DS game I found (AFTER filming this video) with RTK is a winner.
Really helpful video thanks. I’ve been learning Japanese for a year and honestly was afraid to watch this video in case I’d missed something huge 😂 as you say I’ve also found the key is to get used to being a continual learner cos it’s one of the hardest languages I’ve studied, there really isn’t a ‘quick fix’. I have an online tutor and that has helped me to keep moving forward. Hoping in another year things will be a bit clearer 😂
@@8bg201 I use Preply.
such a great resource
This video is very timely for me considering I am basically starting my Japanese language learning over again. I had studied Japanese many moons ago while I was on Okinawa for a year but got overwhelmed and dropped it once I was back in the states. Recently I became interested in learning Japanese language again to understand the lyrics in Japanese music and possibly attending a Robotic convention in Kyoto in October. I did purchase the Genki 3rd edition book and am finding the Genki Lesson videos and material on ToKini Andy with Andy, Yuki and now Mami very helpful. I will certainly be signing up for the ToKini Andy course which I believe will help greatly in my learning. Also, it looks like I have more books to buy and an another reason to break out the DS again. Any thoughts on the Japanese for Busy People series by AJALT? Thanks for sharing this video.
I didn’t personally like Japanese for Busy People when I tried it out 9 or 10 years ago, but I do know that some people like it. It doesn’t hurt to give it a shot. I might have to do a full review of it again, regardless, because I don’t remember much from it.
I think it’s great that your giving it another shot! I hope that, if you jump into the course I hope that you will find it useful in your journey! Thank you for watching. =)
@@ToKiniAndy see I really want to learn to READ Japanese. I'm not as concerned with learning to speak it because I'm American and I live in America. But I really want to learn how to read it because so many of the best classic novels and horror novels are written in Japanese with no English translation 😭😭 and I am obsessed with Asian horror I just think it's so much scarier and better than Western horror is. So I'm more concerned with learning to read it vs getting the pronunciation right
Example card:
Front:
彼女は読書が好きです。
Back:
(As for) her, reading like.
She likes reading.
彼女 【かの・じょ】- she; her
読書 【どく・しょ】- reading (book)
Moving the goal post was a comforting factoid. ありがとうございました。
This video is fantastic thank you -found it from Ritchi recommending - I'd never heard of Language Reactor extension and it is blowing my MIND! Thank you!
This is great !!
Tips to learn Japanese more efficiently:
- Do NOT attempt to learn more than one language at once. If in doubt, learn the one that you're most interested in.
- Repeat every letter/word/sentence out loud to get a closer pronunciation (tip from Teuida).
- Avoid trying to learn everything at one sitting to prevent yourself from forgetting words.
- Try to memorize kana/kanji stroke order for more efficient writing.
- If you feel unmotivated and/or tired, take a break and proceed your learning after a while and remember: you can do it!
- Watch anime and practice singing in Japanese. They will help you to increase your vocabulary.
- Try not to skip the difficult parts of learning. They may be essential.
- Get yourself a partner conversation or use Teuida!
- Use your Japanese knowledge in daily occasions (Example: whenever you're going upstairs, count every step in Japanese).
- After finishing your studying session, write out everything you have learned so far, physically (pencil and paper) or virtually (note pad app on phone/computer)
- Keep watching this video as many times as possible for days or weeks. It is not possible to learn everything in a few moments.
Now, I wish you, the reader, a very happy learning, do not give up and give it your all! がんばってください! 💪✌️
In my opinion, do we really need to learn things like stroke order nowadays? Unless you're going to work at a Japanese company that requires you to write things with pen and paper, computers and phones will do the job as long as you can read the kanji.
Teuida!!!!!! YES
Learning stroke order is natural, we learn it in English too. However you end up writing will develop as a byproduct of that plus your natural style. I find it good to learn at least. I suppose if you plan to never handwrite anything then it won't matter sure.
@@fluttzkrieg4392 it's not that hard to learn as it is systemized, but if you still don't feel like learning that, it's okay. It really depends on your reasons and goals for learning Japanese, you might as well never need it
Idk what to do bcs I’m currently attending an after school club that teaches Korean and I’ve already attended it for a year and I’ve gotten many certificates etc however I’m moving as an exchange to japan next year so I’m not sure what to do because I can’t cancel my exchange and I can’t leave the club
Such a great video
Great intro video for folks and awesome editing andy!
Thank you Slice! =)
Thanks a million! I just started learning Japanese, since I will visit Japan in about 1½ year from now. This was great!
Really lulled me in with that Made in Abyss in the thumbnail
It worked love you!
I started a few years ago and was using Memrise as the main source of learning. Although I did take on board a fair bit of vocab I didn’t learn much sentence structure. I then realised that my method of learning was wrong and my motivation took a hit. Problem was I was just doing it for fun and with no clear reason. I still want to get back into it but may have to start from scratch even though I remember a decent amount. I’ve saved this video in my Japanese playlist for when I’m ready. Thanks for the info!
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Memrise is the WRONG way to learn. It’s just that learning ONLY vocabulary leaves out so much of a language, so when you actually jump into real sentences, you realize that you don’t know what’s going. It’s still GREAT to have the vocabulary though! =)
I hope this video can help when you decide to get back into it!
I just learned some of the greetings in Japanese and it was so satisfying, and surprisingly I’m having so much fun learning Japanese especially with my learning disability
Thanks for you great tips. Something else worth noting is that you can use Japanese dictionary app or other furigana apps to scan in Japanese characters and text and then you can easily add to your various lists. Quite helpful and saves lots of look up time when compared to looking up via radical etc. Thanks to your video I have decided to play all of my games in Japanese going forward and also will watch my favorite tv series in Japanese if option is there. I have been studying Japanese on and off for 5 years and now is a good as time as any to switch over.
Quick edit: you can also open a picture with Google Lens from your phone and select the copy text option and paste into the Japanese dictionary.
Good video Andy. I’m feeling a bit stuck in my progress, but maybe it’s because I’m trying too many things. I think this video is gonna be helpful. Thank you.
I'm glad to hear that Sentack! Yeah, it can be easy to jump around too much and end up not progressing. I've found that the best way for me to progress has always been: Find 1 or 2 things I REALLY enjoy, and then just do it until I can't stand it any more.. haha Well, maybe not THAT much, but hopefully you get the point. =)
Thank you very much for these videos ToKini Andy. I've started the journey to learn Japanese a month ago, and I've been immersed in the language ever since.
I decided to change everything that I use for entertainment to the Japanese language, and I'm having fun with it. From navigating the menus of the Xbox console to even changing the language on both audio and text of a videogame or reading material when applicable.
Your videos are an excellent tool for guidance so I appreciate the effort that you put into these. Spanish is my mother tongue, and I've learned English from watching cartoons in the 80's-90''s, and I noticed that the learning was seamless without me putting any effort since I only consumed North American media back then.
Now than I'm starting to actually focus in learning a 3rd language, this is where I'm noticing that my growth will mostly depend of the effort that I put, and the motivation so thank you very much once again.
I'm happy to help, and also happy to hear that you are enjoying immersing! =) If you can enjoy it, you'll go a long way!
I wish i had this when I started! Great video.
thank you so much for this, I took to studying Hiragana last week, just so I can play blue protocol which is region locked in Japan until next year. the guides on youtube helped me understand some of the characters to where I can make out full sentences without having to look up a dictionary or photo translator. but I am glad you reccomended the tofugu book, as I feel I would be able to understand it.
When I started learning I took a course at school that went through the first Genki textbook without teaching any kanji at all. I picked up Japanese learning again recently after 5 years and while I'm working through Genki II it feels super rough that I never learned any kanji so now I'm super motivated to cover that blind spot.
Aweso tutorial bro! I like how you gets down to bus
I wish you made this two years ago lol.
Love your videos, thanks for your hard work!
I wish I did too! haha
Thank you! =)
Thank you!
You’re very welcome! =)
Thank you sir
ive been trying to passively learn the basics (and i mean basics-starting to learn kana on my phone on the way to school) and this has been really helpful and motovational.
Thank you again for this video Andy. I have been studying Japanese for about a month with another book and such and decided things just were working as well as I feel like they should/could. I decided I would start over and use Genki for Grammar/Overall language learning, Anki for vocab, that I wouldn't learn words that aren't very useful to me like Secretary, and Remembering the Kanji. I have Anki but just feel like I've finally figured out how I should rate words that I am learning for my purposes. Overall, I think I'm landing on things that work for me and that I really need more repetition on the things I'm learning. In particular, with vocabulary I'm finding that the neural plasticity I had when I tried learning Japanese 10 years ago just isn't there. ^,^;; Regardless though, I think that I'm on a good path now with the recommendations your videos make. :D I've looked at a ton of language learning videos and such over the last decade and I think that your video recommendations work the best for the way my brain functions. lol
Note: The reason I am not properly learning some of the business related words right now is because my current goal is to just be able to survive in Japan for a week in about 4 months. In terms of usefulness, business terms aren't that useful for me right now.. I figure I can learn those later. My profession has so many terms that me interacting in a professional sense is going to require months of studying just industry terms. It also seems odd to me to learn how to say Newspaper before I learn a word I use, like Latte. lol
ahh tofugu is great. My daughter started learning Japanese as a grade school language and was struggling so I found that website to try and learn it on my own. Now it is a language I want to learn as well. I would say I am about 85% comfortable with katakana and hiragana with the occasional mess ups in regards to the "silent" characters. Thanks for the vid. I will go pick up these books as well
Thank you for this video. I have very on and off relationship with learning Japanese as thanks to the Kanji I am really struggling to apply immersion concepts I used when learning English and German ( just picking up a novel in target language and enjoying the content, watching movie with target language subs)
One of my 2023 resolution is to learn Japanese and this video will greatly help me! Being fluent in English (because I'm French) already helps to reads Japanese to English book and then translate to French and it can even better my English, I guess it's a win win!
Ahh, some good tips on how to start, and since I have a Japanese 3ds, I’m already 1/5th of the way there!! Might try these someday as how I learn Japanese depends on what I feel like on said day. Sometimes I learn from videos, and sometimes I learn phrases that are related to what I want to do in Japan.
Doing what you feel like to do is fine too I think. Especially if you feel like doing something quite regularly! That's one of the most important things in the end I suppose. Consistency! Even if it's consistently doing many different things!
I hope you can get some fun out of that 3ds!
I would also use anki, but I would recommend always making your own anki deck, even if you are basically copying an existing one, the mental process of creating the cards themselves is a pretty important overlooked aspect for anchoring memory
I just started abt a month ago and this has helped a ton so far
Tis the time of the year when the yt algorithm reminds me that i wanna learn the language but constantly get lost during the start and then drop it.
Great video though!
I am moving to Okinawa soon and this video really helped with my anxiety on how to start learning. I’d love to pick your brain
Ah I've been studying Japanese for just over a year now and there have been so many days where I doubt myself and feel like I haven't made any progress. I have one friend who lives in Japan and that helps me a lot, but even with only listening to Japanese music, podcasts,shows and playing all of my games in Japanese I still feel like I have barely scratched the surface 🥲 I dedicate a lot of my time to this because it's very important to me. I'm finally getting to a point where I can recognize patterns, hear/tell the difference between similar words and very basic sentences😅 I do have ADHD and learning disabilities so I try to be patient with myself, it takes me a very long time to really learn things🥲 the language makes me very happy and I appreciate studying it☺️ I'll focus more on these tips!😭
Japanese is very different from English, so it takes a longgg time, more time than most languages. It sounds like you are making some progress, though. Keep noticing what seems to work best for you and what you enjoy, and just keep it up
hey fellow adhd brain!! i, too, am trying to be patient as i learn, but i have merely just started my journey!! i have the mindset that im interested for life, and am trying to be kind to myself with the time involved, confident that eventually it's going to integrate into my daily living and hopefully in a decade or so, i'll be able to take a decent inventory of my growth! Keep moving forward, mate!!
Anki is sick, it seems like it's been getting more love recently too. Glad to see people using this amazing tool.
That was a really good video! I really should get into graded readers again!
Thanks Kevin! They can be really helpful! =)
I’m thinking about starting finally…. Subbed :)))
I can definitely vouch for Satori Reader. It's probably the best of all the resources I've used so far. Flashcards, stories, shadowing, grammar lessons… all on that platform! And their customer service is second to none
I too can vouch for them. =)
Wanikani is also amazing for learning to read Kanji. And for listening/shadowing I'd recommend the Nihongo con Teppei podcasts.
英語の勉強をするべくyoutubeを見ていたらこちらのチャンネルに辿り着きました。言語は違えど基本的な学習方法は同じということに改めて気付かされました。
Amazing
Wtf this is the best intro the Japanese video I’ve come across after 1.5yrs of studying, I’m gonna get back to the basics ✊
I've been studying for little over a year and my listening and reading for the most part has improved greatly. Even if I dont understand the majority, I can pick out key things that I know and kind of summarize.
What has gotten me stuck is responding. Output has been the biggest hurdle for me.
It has been severely frustrating and demoralizing even. I can listen to someone and know what they're saying, but it's like my brain completely empties any sort of Japanese I've heard or learned over the course of a year.
I get easy grammar wrong. Particles kick my ass constantly. Remembering both Kunyomi and Onyomi is difficult. My brain still confuses English sentence structures with Japanese and somehow my English has declined since studying! It's so odd that it takes more thought to think of words in my native tongue but I can't even speak somewhat confidently even if it's basic in Japanese.
I'm sure there's others who have felt this issue themselves, but it really has put a damper in my studies. Not only that, being surrounded by a language other than your target doesn't help aid in using it on a daily basis. I can't fathom the idea of doing immersion for hours a day as my brain would be fried and I'd come to resent the process.
Thanks for your advise, Andy sensei. Greetings from Perú.
I have a language tutor. And he is pretty much taking this approach. I’m only 3 weeks but this is making me so happy.
I started about a year ago and have felt like I'm not making much progress, especially with vocab and kanji. I still can't remember katakana but it's finally starting to stick.
I think this video will be a great help as I've definitely struggled finding resources that work for me.
I'm glad to hear that! I wish you luck and fun on your Japanese journey! =)
If you need a resource, highly recommend children’s manga, such as the Kirby series. They use strictly katakana and hiragana, use barely any kanji and if they do, it is written in either katakana or hiragana and are catered towards a younger audience while keeping interest in the older scene.
@@kareha2545 Thank you so much!
I started last year with Genki but i wasn’t that thrilled. So I gave up.This year i gave it a chance with Tobira this time and it works fine with me and has better structure and less English.Soon I’ll get the workbook which the publishers will release in less than a month. The only downside of Tobira is the lack of Answer Keys for self learners. But I’m in contact with publishers already seeking for a solution.
Really wonderful and motivating video, especially love the direction you recommend heading after genki 1 and 2. A few questions:
1. For Tango n5 and RTK do you feel like using the anki decks and books (which were designed to be used on their own) is actually beneficial or potentially convoluted? I've seen people just use the books or just use the anki decks, but not many people seem to use both in tandem.
2. Hopefully this isn't too personal to ask, but I'm curious about your age and imagine many older learners may be as well.
Thanks for the great channel!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
1. I would definitely use the Anki deck. Sadly, JUST the books alone will take you a lot longer than using the Anki deck, as you will end up reviewing a lot of stuff you don’t need to review. I also think that without flash cards of some type, RTK will be nearly impossible to retain. The only reason I don’t recommend ONLY using the Anki deck, is that ‘technically’ it’s piracy, so I prefer not to recommend that. And the best anki decks for Tango require that you have to book to get them. For RTK a lot of it’s golden nuggets are in the written explanations, so that’s another reason.
Thank you for watching!
I am about to subscribe to your program, your content has been super helpful for me already!
Just getting started (only just finished learning kana).
Regarding your Genki playlist - would it be a sensible approach to just disregard the book for now and follow your grammar videos?
I am not much of a "book guy" and have had much better success doing as much as I can on my computer 😀
Thanks a lot!
NONONO you purposefully put that cursed terrifying anime in the thumbnail I'm sobbing
I recall when learning Spanish and Polish a while ago to always repeat words and sentences out loud. And then to write if you can. I also used this trick when I was in engineering school and it works. Your brain isn't meant to read everything in your internal monologue to learn. Saying stuff over and over really helps solidify stuff into memory.
As someone with a bachelor's degree in the language with a focus on interpretation/translation, switching out things in your every-day life to the Japanese versions/equivalents and really try to just surround yourself with the language as much as possible made things a lot easier. In my case I started that off with only buying all new video games in Japanese, as opposed to English for example, essentially forcing myself to familiarize myself with words and kanji that I didn't know at the time. Sure, I had to pause a lot and write down vocabulary and kanji, but it worked.
I was fortunate enough as well to have a class-mate that was already fluent in the language and only really needed that proven on paper, and she helped me to learn a lot more as well just by speaking to her through text. Granted I did have a few contacts and friends in Japan as well but I didn't feel comfortable speaking to them in Japanese until the second or third year at uni or so.
If I could start over, I would have started speaking Japanese to native speakers a lot earlier, allowing myself to make the mistakes I would eventually make regardless when speaking to them a lot earlier.
I did this 12 years ago now, meaning quite a few years before social media became such an integral parts of our lives as it is nowadays...where it has never been easier to reach out to people that are native speakers, etc. I would imagine learning it nowadays has never been as easy as it is now.
i started learning japanese 4 days ago, i've been watching some jdramas - animes and i did really enjoy the language. i can understand some characters from hiragana & katakana. now i do wanna focus on pronunciation because i think i'm doing some mistakes with sounds "r" and "tsu" feels like i'm saying wrong 😅. at the same time i do study some basic things, "yes, no, thank you, meeting & greeting" etc. after learning these subjects i feel like i'm gonna go with grammar & vocabulary. but i'm in no rush to go with kanji, because ik that when i start to study kanji i'm gonna feel pressure. so whenever i feel ready i'll do that. as you said i'm trying to stay fun while learning, thank you so much for this video! i'm definitely gonna keep an eye on your channel.
About not rushing, that is true. I rushed for N3 last year and passed but, I still kinda not satisfied with the result. At the same time I was also learning Korean but at the slower pace. I got deeper understanding in Korean rather than Japanese and often understand Japanese grammar after going through Korean grammar with somewhat similar meaning and context. This year I will pursue N2 but, at a slower pace. Already finished the Kanji Master book and Shin Kanzen Goi. This level really pushes me to slow down this time, but I think that's necessary to just take the time and enjoy.
Nice video
Thank you!
Great video as always Andy! I played Pokemon Legends Arceus in Japanese this year and it was really tough for me. But after this video, I think I'll continue to play games in Japanese if they are as helpful as you say! Also, I like the addition of Dragon Quest music in the video :D
It's definitely tough at first. But I promise it gets easier the more you do it! ☺️
I love the DQ menu music! 😅
@@ToKiniAndy thanks Andy! I'll definitely play more games in Japanese now 👍
I wanted to try playing them in Japanese, but I didn't like stopping every second to look something up, so I found it easier and better to just find Japanese UA-camrs and watch their playthroughs.
I just started to learn japanese a few months ago, thats how i found this channel. I recomend using memrise to memorize hiragana, katakana and vocabulary. At least i found it really helpfull until now and with other language learning
Absolutely loved this video! I have been holding off going deep on books/games until I finish Genki II, and I am glad that lines up with what you recommend. I am also SUPER glad you mentioned Dogen's pitch accent content because that's something that has really interested me, but I had no idea when I would have enough of a foundation to start.
My main issue now is recently I have felt that the Anki deck of Genki vocabulary I was working through isn't really that useful, and I was probably better off finding something else to fill that role. Do you think it is worth picking up Tango N5 if I am halfway through Genki II, or should I just pickup with Tango N4?
I think you're probably safe to move on to Tango N4 if you're interested in continuing with Anki. =)
I'm happy to hear you found the video helpful! Thank you for watching!
@@ToKiniAndy Thank you, I appreciate the quick reply! I'll give Tango N4 a shot :)
Taking a trip to Japan next month, hopefully whatever I learn sticks!
From my experience living in Japan for 15 years and speaking Japanese , my best tips would be , speak speak speak , learn substitute words and learn how to explain something rather than focus only on subjectives.
Stuff like , if you don’t know what scissors are , you can explain it and people will fill in the blanks for you and over time your vocabulary will grow.
A very useful word I recommend is やつ。
Explanations -> Insert やつ
People will ohhh you mean scissors ? It’s tedious early on but it’s really helpful.
Don’t feel discouraged when you sound like a 4 year old for the first half a year.
Focus on listening Comprehension and speaking.
Reading later unless it’s your prime focus.
Find something you enjoy consuming but do it in Japanese . Game reviews , UA-cam , etc.
Obviously you would need to start with regular basic grammar and than apply above.
People who only sit through books studying kanji in my experience rarly excel later on when you actually get exposed to Japanese in real life
@@youknowkbbaby would not recommend google translate , it’s heavily flawed unless your doing hi my name is type of stuff
Hey Andy, thanks for all the great content! I started studying Genki last year and got stuck at chapter 8, this year I started all over with the help of your grammar videos and am happy to say I am in chapter 10 now :) You quickly mentioned speaking to native speakers, around what chapter do you think it is a good starting point to start with something like Italki?
That totally depends on the person. I used to recommend immediately. Now I tend to say after you finish Genki 1 and 2. But if you're really psyched to talk to people, than whenever you want is fine to be honest. =)
@@ToKiniAndy Thanks, will first at least finish Genki 1 and then maybe do a trial italki lesson :)
My first video from your channel.
Liked and Subscribed.
My question to you, that I'm also asking others who have moved to Japan, is what affairs did you have to prepare when moving to Japan? A video on this would be lovely, and if there is one already, a link would be appreciated. Thanks again for the information.