How I'd Learn Japanese (if starting over)
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- Опубліковано 17 бер 2024
- In short, I would try to:
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1) Create a "sacred study hour" that I can consistently show up for (almost) every day for a long stretch of time (multiple years).
In other words, I'd set up an airtight study routine that I love.
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2) During my study hour, I'd use a "core study material". This is a low-effort content pipeline that, first and foremost, is aimed at increasing my general comprehension of the language quickly and efficiently.
While I would of course recommend NativShark (nativshark.com/) for it, I'm a founder, so I'm biased. There are other options, they are just a little messier, involve more material-hopping, etc.
For example, you could use an Anki deck with lots of sentences, look up grammar/kanji you don't know when you encounter them, then work toward being able to understand all of those sentences, then switch to a new deck (or native material, if you have a solid enough foundation) when you are finished with that.
The deck that features a relatively nice layout and content in the video is actually one that we used to sell on NihongoShark (NativShark's predecessor) several years ago. It was uploaded to Anki shared decks: ankiweb.net/shared/info/12624... . Not everyone can afford NativShark, and if you're going to use an Anki deck, that one has high-quality sentences, audio, links to lessons, etc.
I don't have room in this description to explain in detail the logic behind all the ways I would NOT use an Anki deck. Very short version:
2.1. minimize info on cards - long explanations in flashcards make reviews take way too long, are distracting, don't help much, etc.
2.2. no marking cards "wrong" - this would result in too many reviews being due each day, which would make my sacred study hour miserable. In any case, content in a language repeats naturally, so SRS algorithms have limited (but not zero) benefit. Don't over-rely on them!
2.3. 15 mins. reviews max - same ↑
2.4. no kanji cards - reading words in sentences will teach me kanji better than kanji-specific flashcards.
2.5. no grammar cards - same reason we want minimal info on cards. You can just look up grammar you forget/don't know. But the sentences in your deck should have a wide variety of grammar, which is pretty natural if you have a good/large deck of high-quality sentences.
2.6. no production - no speaking or writing practice. Not during the core-studies hour. My goal during this hour is to improve comprehension fast. But production is not a fast way to improve comprehension. Also, I wouldn't be consistent if I had all that pressure during my sacred study hour. I would find excuses to skip it.
2.7. no drills - aside from the fact that, contrary to what language courses might lead one to believe, a language is very resistant to being put into multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank exercises, this is not a fast way to increase comprehension.
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3) Everything!
I'd get lots of exposure to natural Japanese in contexts that interest me. No pressure. I'd also get speaking practice here, outside my 1 hour of core studies.
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Event Horizon, here we come!
If you have questions, please leave a comment. Another option is to visit our Discord: / discord
In there, people can give more recommendations for core/non-core study materials and tactics. Lots of members are not using NativShark (nativshark.com/)- everyone is welcome.
If you are interested in NativShark or why it qualifies as a "core study material", I would recommend checking out our documentation: help.nativshark.com/
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The Japanese we studied at the end is from this video: • 【年収100万円のパート主婦から大家に】所有...
The sentence was:
無理なく、焦らず、でも物件探しは一生懸命やっていただきたいなっていう風には思いますね。
The way I think of it is, I want to do my best to find new properties, but without rushing or pushing myself too hard.
無理なく (むりなく / without pushing [myself] too hard)
焦らず (あせらず / without rushing)
でも (but)
物件探し (ぶっけんさがし / searching for properties)
は ([topic marker])
一生懸命 (いっしょうけんめい / with all one's might; doing one's best)
やって (do [Vて form])
いただきたい (want to [humbly] receive)
な ([introspective particle])
っていう ([marks preceding content])
風に (way of [doing])
は ([topic marker])
思います (think [Vます form])
ね (right?; huh?; you know?)
Hope you enjoyed this one. Good luck with your studies! Feel free to reach out if you hit any speed bumps along the way. ^_^
Code: 2SBLYSOV3MF3TREP
Niko is like the Bob Ross of learning Japanese
happy little kanji
Actually... ya I see it
It is just so wholesome and so calm and so happy at the same time, while being natural!
Lol. I think I need to start growing out my hair, maybe get a perm. At some point, I definitely need to sneak in the phrase "happy little kanji".
But on a more serious note, what a compliment. Thank you ^_^
@@japanesewithniko Goatee + Fro and it's done. But we already have the fro version and the kanji drawing with PonPon Sensei. ua-cam.com/users/shortsXqWbEayWtmg
The sentence deep-dive at the end is IN-CREDIBLE learning content. I knew non-native, advanced speakers are better at explaining grammar, because its not innate to them, but that was so good you might've convinced me to get your app. Thanks man!
Thank you for leaving such a nice comment! It's really motivating for me.
A solid portion of the videos on my channel are solely deep dives into real-world Japanese like that. Those videos tend to be less popular, but I keep making them because it's just so much fun for me. Here is the latest one, for example: ua-cam.com/video/-9V-k81dsmQ/v-deo.html
Good luck with your studies! ^_^
Yes i agree with the 1st one. I’ve been learning for almost 4 years and the thing that I regret the most is not studying consistently. So really give time every single day to study even for a few minutes!
We have the same regret, then. ^_^
Thank you for commenting!
I reluctantly moved back from Japan in 1998 after living there for 10 years due to the failing health of my parents. When I returned, the demands of my life as a husband, father, and son to sick and elderly parents put an end to my "Japan life." There was no time or opportunity to speak Japanese. After I finished my PhD two years ago, I finally had time to study Japanese again! I was both depressed and astonished by how quickly it can be lost. But from 1998 to 2022, the flood of language apps, videos, and collaborations has been almost overwhelming, but in a good way, I think, giving me a variety of ways to try to regain some of that long lost fluency. Back in the old days, studying Japanese was such a bewildering and ineffective combination of only a handful of resources. Anyway, I was happy to discover your video today and to learn about another way of utilizing all of these new resources. I really enjoyed the end of your video, the way you broke it down, and even the way you did NOT edit out your own struggle to get that sentence right, even after all your years of study! That was so impressive, brave, and helpful. Thank you for this and for your honest humanity and for what you are doing to make Japanese accessible and interesting!
Thank you for the detailed and thoughtful comment. It means a lot. ^_^
That's really exciting that you are finally finding the time/space to get back into studies. Now that I have three little kids, work, and everything else, the thought of trying to learn Japanese from scratch sounds a little intimidating. I think I'd just have to take it very slow until life circumstances change a bit. (Side note: this is how I feel about all those other languages I still want to learn someday!)
I can't imagine trying to piece together a Japanese-learning path pre-1998. Even when I started back in 2008, it was difficult. But you're right that there are so many helpful options and resources now.
Anyway, good luck with your studies! Feel free to reach out if you hit any speed bumps along the way.
p.s. Glad you liked that I didn't edit out my mistakes. Sometimes it is a little embarrassing. But I also think the videos are better when they're left in. ^_^
Now this is perfect, no loud music in background, I can enjoy your voice. Very informational video as well!
I was sure not to include music because it really messed up the previous video. Like Japanese, I still have a lot to learn regarding video production lol ^_^
Thank you for commenting.
Great video consistency is key to everything whether it be going to the gym or learning japanese don't give up ! We will all one day get there ! がんばって
Well said! がんばりましょう
i figured it out! Why his voice is calming and makes me a bit emotional but relaxed. its like listening to Mr. Rodgers or Levar Burton from reading rainbow. The tone and pace that he speaks cuts into the deepest part of my brain, finds my inner child, and makes me feel safe. Odd for a japanese study video but there it is.
these videos always remind me that there is no ultimate expectation or comparison with language learning, just taking small steps in a direction you find comfortable will suffice. and you get to your goal when you get to your goal.
I hope my own kids feel like this about my voice. I think I need to go read some books to them, now that you mention it. ^_^
Anyway, thank you so much for this comment. It is humbling to be told that I'm "cutting into the deepest part of someone's brain". Will do my best to live up to the task going forward.
Good luck with your studies!
Its my 4th week of learning Japanese... This was REALLY reassuring. Thank you so much 🙌🏻
I'm so glad! Thank you for commenting. And good luck with your studies!
It's my third day currently! Good luck from me as well :3
Thank you for making these kind of videos 😊
I'm glad you found it valuable, thank you!
really liked that section at the end - looking forward to more uploads
That's my favorite part too. I love diving into the weeds of the language like that.
いつもありがとうございますニコ先生。
どういたしまして ^_^
Thank you! been only going at it for 3 months or so but a week ago i've sort of naturally come to this similar method of studying and it's really been the best for me.i could feel it right away.
This is so great to hear! Good luck with your studies! I hope you achieve all of your Japanese-learning goals ^_^
@japanesewithniko this content is so good. I really liked how you break down the sentence into parts. Hope this will be a regular part of your future contents. Excellent work. 👍
Thanks for the comment. I'm really glad you liked that part of the video because that's my favorite part to make/record haha.
I just love breaking down Japanese like that and exploring it.
Good luck with your studies!
That sentence breakdown is my best insight yet into how complex Japanese truly is.
It can seem so complex when you really try to break it into lots of pieces and explain each one. The cool part is that over time you just understand what a person is saying without doing all this high-level thinking and breaking down in your head. It gets easier!
Thank you for commenting ^_^
Loved this! Inspirational
Thank you so much! Good luck with your studies! Feel free to reach out if you hit any speed bumps along the way. ^_^
ur videos r so calming i love it
Thank you! I'm glad you find them calming. It's certainly the vibe I want the channel to have. I was worried people would want more "energetic" videos, but it really doesn't fit my personality ^_^
Anyway, good luck with your studies!
Usually yes but this one for some reason too fast. Explaining how you learnt should be slower
I've thoroughly enjoyed not only this video, but all of your content. There's something about your channel that resonates with me in a way that others don't. Whether it's your soothing voice or something else, I can't quite pinpoint it, but I absolutely love it. As a high schooler, I'm deeply passionate about anime and manga, and that passion has become the driving force behind my desire to learn Japanese.
Despite dabbling in learning for about two years, I hesitate to call it true learning since I've barely scratched the surface of grammar. My attempts at sticking to a strict study routine usually falter after a week, leaving me feeling frustrated. However, I always find myself drawn back to the language.
That's where your videos come in. Implementing many of your suggestions has truly worked wonders for me. In just the past few weeks, I've made more progress than I did in the entire two years prior. I apologize for rambling, but I simply had to express my gratitude. Your channel is exceptional, and your guidance has surpassed that of countless others. Thank you for your invaluable assistance, and here's to your continued success.
Wow, thank you, Chris(?). This comment made my day.
I'm so happy to hear that these videos are helping you.
The fact that you are starting as a young age is such a huge advantage. I didn't start studying Japanese until I was almost 22. If you can manage to set up a consistent, maintainable study routine that you enjoy, I really think you're going to make incredible progress.
Please update me on your progress, whether in a comment here or in the NativShark discord (discord.gg/nativshark). Excited to hear about you dropping subs and translations from anime/manga someday. ^_^
Good luck!
I like the native content breakdown at the end of the video. When I watch native content and can't understand some unknown grammar points like ～ない→～ず, or understand the nuances of particles, it trips me up. At least AI tools help to explain some of that stuff, but yeah, for language learners on the more advanced side, explanation videos like yours could really be a game-changer.
Glad you liked it! I try to include content breakdowns like those in all of my videos (some videos are only about that). It's certainly my favorite kind of content to make ^_^
Thanks for commenting!
Excellent video. I really like your 'event horizon' metaphor--the point when you can't really *not* understand what you're hearing.
Glad you enjoyed it! I thought of that metaphor years ago, and I noticed that it sort of stuck in my brain.
Really love your videos
Thank you so much. I'm really happy that you are enjoying them.
Thank you! I studied Japanese very chaotically about 15 years ago, and want to pick it back up more seriously...I really love Kanji. This is very encouraging! There is so much out there it's hard to know where to start. You got me signed up for NativShark!
"Chaotically" is a good word for my initial studies too!
That's so cool that you really love kanji. They can be so fascinating and fun to explore, right?
Good luck with your studies! Feel free to reach out if you hit any speed bumps along the way. And thank you for commenting. ^_^
This video was very helpful for me!! I'm currently studying abroad, and constantly worrying about my fluency level. This started to make studying Japanese a chore without me realizing it. I forgot that I need to actually enjoy myself and not worry about how good I am, haha. I definitely think that you can absorb and remember information better when you're actually enjoying yourself. Thanks for the great tips!
Glad it was helpful! And if you're studying abroad right now, please savor it. It can feel like you're surrounded by so many things you should but don't understand yet, which is a bit anxiety-inducing. But from another perspective, there are so many little discoveries to be made all around you.
I hope you are having fun. Thank you for commenting!
I tend to create hectic routines composed by all the topics I'm interested in learning (japanese included) and I am actually very productive nearly everyday. But then burnout happens from time to time. Your video made me realise that life can be quiet too. And fun. So thank you and your voice is soothing as nice cup of coffee on winter days!
Thank you for commenting. ^_^
My issue tends to be that I get really excited to learn something, just study it every free minute I get, then lose interest or burn out, then forget about it.
Japanese is one of those rare things where I managed to develop some consistency and keep at it long-term. So now when I have something I seriously want to learn, I try to approach it in a similar way. Or I go ahead and dive in and study a bunch but expect I will lose interest and let it fall to the wayside eventually, which is fine for some things.
Anyway, it sounds like maybe you've found a system that works for you? If so, congratulations! That's all you really need.
And thank you for the kind words about my voice. I never expected to receive such flattering compliments. I'm convinced the mic is making me sound cooler than I am lol.
Thanks for a great vid !
I'm glad you liked it, thank you!
Great video, as always^^ One thing that's helpful with consistency is making sure to do *something* every day. Even if it's just 5 minutes of reviewing flashcards before bedtime. 5 minutes might not make much of a difference, but it's great for keeping that habit going.
Yes, I agree. I think even opening up flashcards for review and then just hitting "Good" (or the equivalent) over and over while barely even looking at the cards counts as something. I can't count how many days I've "studied" by doing this and nothing else over the years.
Really appreciate the vid man. I tried to learn last year. Picked up hiragana and katakana well. Got into kanji and mainly immersion methods and really bit off more than i can chew. I already spend several hours a day for learning software engineering for school and work as well. So trying to add a lot of time in japanese (especially immersion when i had a baseline of basically zero) made me just not want to learn it. I think I have gotten far better with my study method in general sense and I have gotten a better perspective of being content with knowing that taking japanese might take a long time. But if i dont study it I will never know it anyway. So i just want to be consistent and add in the time that i can do. (hopefully around 2 hours a day)
This sounds like a good approach. I bet your brain feels pretty full/tired after all this software engineering and Japanese studying every day!
(Also, I think I saw your intro in our discord community too(?), so welcome, if I haven't mentioned it there ^_^)
Good luck with your studies!
@@japanesewithniko yeah thanks man. I try to keep it fun with Japanese and it feels like it's just two completely different types of learning so I don't feel too stressed out by the end of the day lol. Also I think I've really learned well what my best ways to focus are and what my limits are before it's diminishing returns.
Yet another nice video
Thank you! And thanks for commenting, too ^_^
Hooray, i am not spending enough extra time, but I am working on an anki deck daily with example sentences (though I am focusing more on listening vs reading ability with those). I learned a bit in school but really not much so starting from near the beginning with some background that helps me understand some sentences and remember some words as a boost
The daily habit is the most important aspect for sure.
Good luck with your studies! It sounds like you're on the right track.
I'm Brazilian and I will go on exchange in Japan in April 2025, I started studying japanese last month, your videos are keeping me motivated, my man, you seem like such a good person and a good friend, keep it up!
Thanks for the comment! You must be so excited to go on exchange. That sounds amazing.
I'm glad you are finding value from these videos. Good luck with your studies!
Glad to have found your channel! you really give a lot of hope which is refreshing to hear. I'm a month into my studies and loving it so far, but one thing I really don't like is how negative and doomer people are online about learning Japanese. Nice to hear someone with a positive message!
Yeah, I think there are a couple of reasons this happens:
1) People fail to learn it, and it being "too difficult" can make them feel better about that.
2) People succeed at learning it, and they value the high amount of effort they put into doing so. It being too difficult for most people, but not for them, is a nice ego boost.
I'm sure there is more to it, but I've always had my suspicions that these are at play.
I think it is ton of work to get to a very high level of proficiency in Japanese. But the path to getting there can be pretty simple/straightforward. And the process of getting to that high level can be enjoyed along the way.
Thanks for commenting!
@@japanesewithniko yea I think you’re probably right. I think people look at it the wrong way. Really language learning is like any other skill in which I think it’s just a matter of forcing a habit of something.
If you can force a habit of learning a language and safeguard yourself from falling off from sticking to said habit, you’ll get to where you want to be more or less. This goes for pretty much any skill, but language learning can be particularly hard as you hit points where you don’t feel like you’re progressing much unlike other skills that have obvious evidence of your skill increasing.
Regardless looking forward to more videos! 41 days strong and a good ways into Genki 1. Loving the process so far
Great wisdom
Thank you. I'm glad you found it valuable. ^_^
@japanesewithniko It's always good to learn from someone who has gone through this and has good lessons and insights
Amazing video, I'll try to figure out my sacred study hour, maybe I"ll loo into nativshark
Thank you. I'm glad you liked it ^_^
Mine has changed in different stages of my life. When I was living in Japan teaching English, there was a period when I would walk to the convenience store near my house, get a canned coffee and some mixed nuts, then go back home and study in bed for an hour or so.
Before moving to Japan, I would go to just my local Panera or Starbucks every morning. I was working at a restaurant in the evenings, so my mornings were free, which helped a lot.
I find it less easy nowadays with little kids. So I have to wake up veryyyyy early if I want some alone time in the morning. ^_^
@@japanesewithniko I like the idea of going to a local coffe shop! My mornings are a bit full 'cause of my job but I'm sure I can squeeze an hour during the day
I totally agree, especially with the three points at the beginning, quite similar to how I've done it for the past 6 years. It's important to have a change and some fun next to the serious and organized studying, or else you'll face burnout. Also, people need to stop being so hard on themselves and realize that taking a break once in a while, for around a week or so, isn't going to be that detrimental, quite the opposite actually.
I've noticed that most of the time it helps clear your head and things you didn't properly understand before the short break, suddenly appear a lot simpler and you understand them clearer.
At the end of the day, you're still human and have human needs, and since every human is unique in what they like/need, what you need to find is the right balance that matches your needs to stay happy and motivated, that's the best way to learn, at least for me.
Thank you for the comment. Totally agree that a little break here or there is not a big deal and can actually be refreshing. Back in 2010, when I quit studying Japanese, I was certain that I had "failed" and would simply never learn it. It felt so final.
But I did come back to it eventually, and everything worked out. That was a 2-year break. So yeah, a few days or weeks here or there won't be the end of the world. Although long-term consistency is the key.
Good luck with your studies!
You have a very nice voice 👍and I just watched your mini lesson, and enjoy you breaking down the structure of the sentence. This is hardest part for me. I may know each word but the words put together in a sentence become like a house with a roof for a foundation and no where to put the chimney 😅
Thank you for the comment. And thank you for the kind words, too!
I think putting together longer sentences mostly comes naturally. It just takes quite a bit of time/exposure. I do enjoy breaking things down like I did in this video, though. ^_^
Great Tips !!! Thank you for sharing ! new subscriber here !
Thanks for subbing! I'm glad you found value from the video!
Thank you for mentioning という!! I always see that word, but I couldn't find a clear definition for it.
Happy to help! I remember being so confused by it when I was in my early studies. Like many things in the language, I think you'll just "get a feel for it" after you have seen it in a wide variety of contexts.
For example, aside from a brief introduction on という, we have a bunch of lessons in NativShark related to it:
Title / summary
- Explaining the contents of things with という / The pattern というN can be used when explaining the details of a noun which represents a piece of information, opinion, rule, etc.
- Stating names with という / You can say という or っていう after a noun when stating what it's called. In humble language, you can say と申す.
- Casual っていう for unexpected conclusions / っていう can be used at the end of a sentence in casual language when making a point about something, especially when saying that a result is different from what you'd expect.
- Saying "or rather" or "more like" with というより / The phrase というより or rather; more like can be used to express that rather than describing something in a certain way, perhaps it would be better to describe it another way.
- Saying "so" or "in other words" with ということ(だ) / The phrase ということ(だ) can be placed after a conclusion or interpretation about a certain event or situation.
- Casual forms of という and っていう / In casual Japanese, という and っていう can be changed to both っつう and っちゅう.
- Indicating hearsay with ということだ / ということだ can be placed after a statement in order to indicate that it is hearsay (i.e. is coming from another source).
- Stating names mid-sentence with という / When stating a name mid-sentence, you can say noun という noun, where the first noun is the name and the second noun is the type of person, place, or thing it is.
So you see all these uses, and over time you just sort of understand it without thinking too much.
id really appreciate a video going more in depth on how to find a core study material ^_^
Maybe I could make one like that. But I also don't want to overdo it with the "Go use NativShark!" stuff on this channel, and I think that's what such a video might end up becoming. But there are certainly core material options you can piece together on your own.
For me personally, evaluating a potential core material might look something like:
- Does this material contain a large volume of Japanese concepts?
- Are those concepts taught in language that is actually used in real-life Japanese, both spoken and written?
- Is the language natural for a specific context (e.g. if it is supposed to be a sentence said to a friend, is it spoken at natural speed, are particles omitted when natural to do so, etc.)?
- Does this material bog me down with exercises and activities that try to evaluate my knowledge rather than just teaching me more stuff?
It's hard to find stuff like this, but it's okay if you don't hit every requirement every time. For example, a textbook like GENKI contains a solid amount Japanese concepts (grammar, vocab, etc.) but severely lacks on natural spoken Japanese, casual speech, native-speed audio, etc.
Apps like Busuu, Duolingo, etc. make it very easy to get exposed to new sentences but tend to have the same problems. Also they FORCE you to do drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blank, etc. exercises that are more often than not just a waste of your time.
At the other end of the spectrum, you have something like an anime or TV show, which (if it's a slice-of-life anime, for example) can contain more natural spoken Japanese, closer to native speed audio (though still often slower/clearer), context-rich sentences that are memorable, etc. But it's A LOT more work to pull out the sentences and learn them, especially if you're a beginner. And you can learn some strange/inappropriate speech for you to use if you choose the wrong show.
All that being said, it's not the end of the world if you start with something that is only teaching textbook-like language but then eventually add in or transition to "natural" Japanese in a difference resource. It's just more work piecing things together. But you still get there if, like mentioned in the video, you have been consistent long term.
I hope this helps a bit.
It’s easy to get frustrated when after so long you are not at your desired level. This video really Inspired me and reminded me that Rome was not built in a day. Consistency is key to improvement, when I look back I actually have improved even though sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.
"Rome was not built in a day." ← !!
I'm glad you found this video helpful. Consistency is the real magic pill, I think, when it comes to learning Japanese.
Good luck with your studies! Feel free to reach out if you hit any speed bumps along the way. ^_^
I wish I could have discovered my passion of learning Japanese while I was still a student. I had insane progress while I studied for 6 months during covid period but because of heavy work schedule and having 3 kids my time is very limited and I had the exact problem mentioned in this video. Studying Japanese became a chore. I really want to get back to studying Japanese but I’m struggling to find motivation and time but most importantly finding interesting content to consume is the hardest part for me as i don’t like anime.
Thank you for commenting. As a fellow parent of 3 (young) kids, I know what you mean! Any consistent "me time" is hard to come by.
My first question when seeing this comment is, "Why do you want to learn Japanese?" I'm assuming there is something that is drawing you to the language, right? Maybe it's a desire to speak with friends and family or just to get by in the country.
It certainly helps to find a source of Japanese media that appeals to an interest. But if it doesn't exist pre-studying Japanese, then I think it's hard to find one until you're at a pretty solid level in the language. Until then, maybe focus on the thing that drew you to Japanese? If you want to talk to in-laws, for example, maybe try scheduling a lesson with a native speaker and bring a list of things you want to be able to say to said in-law?
But I think finding that consistent block of enjoyable time will indeed be the most helpful thing long-term.
Good luck!
Thank you for your answer, Niko. I don't really know what drew me to the Japanese language; it wasn't anything in particular, I believe. I remember when I was 7 years old, I saw an article about autumn leaves and the amazing colors in Kyoto in a newspaper, and I was instantly drawn to the natural beauty of Japan. After that, I became obsessed with some obscure Japanese anime on local TV channels in Greece, where I am from (UFO Robo Grendizer, Getter Robo, to name a few), and I loved the style. In 2015, I organized a trip to Japan, and during the planning of my trip, I reignited my passion for Japan. I started studying Hiragana and Katakana before my trip, and I was so excited I could read the メロンパン label in the bakery shop 😂. I liked anime as a kid, but I’m not into it anymore, so it wasn’t like I wanted to learn Japanese in order to watch anime without dubs or subtitles. I guess the cultural shock was so immense during my first visit that it made me want to learn the language. I was planning my second trip in 2019, but then COVID-19 hit, so I had the opportunity to study for 6 months while mostly stuck at home, immersing myself and doing Anki reps. I was at a good level after that, as I had memorized around 3000 words through immersion. However, when everything reopened, I was super busy with work and was also training for my first marathon that year, so I literally had no time to study. The fact that I was mostly doing Anki became a chore, so I lost interest. I went to Tokyo for the third time last month, and although I hadn’t studied for so long, I was surprised by how much I remembered and even managed, in some cases, to form actual sentences while talking to locals. My time is very limited with work and family, but it always excites me if I can have normal conversations with locals. I just hope I can put my life in order and be more free with work soon and talk to you to find the passion again to study…
Thank you for the video! I think this frictionless approach to learning is basically what i like finding advice for.
About the sentence you went over,
I feel like i understand the whole sentence pretty well except for the somewhat naked appearence of むりなく and 焦らず. How do these words function in this sentence to get the meaning you translated them to?(sorry if this is a stupid or annoying question lol)
That's definitely not a stupid or annoying question. It is a pretty succinct explanation, so I think a lot of people have similar questions.
One of the meanings of 無理 is "しいて行うこと。押しきってすること。また、そのさま。" So that's something like "Carrying out something by force. Forcing something." People often say things like 無理しないで (Don't push yourself too hard / Don't overdo it / Don't overwork yourself / etc.).
ない means "there isn't. When it's なく, it's acting as an adverb. So we can take 無理なく to mean something like "without overdoing it" or "without pushing (myself) too hard". And the verb this adverb is modifying is 物件探し(を)やる (search for properties) → 無理なく…物件探しやっていただきたいな… (I want to search for properties without pushing myself too hard).
I said 焦らず is essentially the same as 焦らない (don't rush ). In the video, I also probably should have mentioned that Vず is often said in place of Vずに, which is the same as Vないで (with で at the end). In such a case, the meaning is something like "without doing (something). So 焦らず…物件探しやっていただきたい... (I want to search for properties without rushing.) If you have a NativShark account, here is a lesson on it: app.nativshark.com/lessons/saying-without-doing-with-vzuni (should be able to view while on a free trial).
The summary of that lesson, in case you don't have an account: "Vずに can be used when saying that you do something without doing something else. In this sense, it is the same as Vないで, only Vずに sounds a bit stiffer and more formal."
Also in the lesson: "Long ago, Vず was a commonly used negative verb conjugation. It became less common over time, except in the usage seen in this lesson."
I hope this helps a bit!
That’s a good point about what your goals are cause everyone is learning for their own reasons. I personally am only interested in learning how to speak Japanese I have a lot to study as it is. Is it vital to learn how to read and understand kanji if the goal is only to be able to speak Japanese?
Years ago, I met this guy who worked as a piano player in Tokyo (e.g. in fancy bars and stuff). His conversational Japanese was quite good, and I was shocked when he told me that he couldn't read much Japanese at all.
He had just done hundreds of hours of speaking practice with a tutor (who, coincidentally, I also met). He would bring a list of things (written in English) he wanted to be able to say in Japanese to each lesson, then they would figure out how to say those things, and he'd memorize/practice them.
Even while writing it, I can't imagine learning this way. I love to see things written down. But it works for some people, obviously. No doubt living in Japan and being a talkative/outgoing person helps.
In short, I think you could in theory do it by just learning kana and getting a lot of speaking practice. I think that's a fine approach if your goal is just speaking casually and little else.
I personally have always wanted a more holistic understanding of the language. We all have different goals. ^_^
@@japanesewithniko glad someone else has done it haha. I’d like to be a fluent speaker so it’s good to know there’s others out there that have gone down this route already
Personally, I do have a 4 hour "core study time" which is usually broken up into 2 hour blocks to work around my work and college stuff. 2 hours on vocabulary and kanji in the morning and 2 hours on speech comprehension and reading at night. It sounds like a lot, but I study Japanese when I used to just spend it goofing around on my phone and studying has been more fulfilling and fun than goofing around. With so much time dedicated on a daily basis though, it's not as big a deal to miss a day for holiday travel or meeting up with friends. I don't want to burn myself out on it, but I do like to improve quickly so I've had to be ok with taking small breaks to let my brain rest a bit. The only thing I usually don't want to skip is Anki since even while traveling, I can just do it on my phone when I have some free time.
This is great!
If it were me personally, even if I were doing 4 hours, I would still reframe it in my mind as 1 hour of core studies and 3 hours of lower-priority studying. Then when life circumstances change, and 4 hours is no longer feasible, it's easy to cut out that 3 extra hours if necessary... instead of dropping everything because my beloved study method is no longer feasible. ←something I did T_T
The annoying thing about Anki is that when you skip days, the next day is worse, and it quickly snowballs. So it really penalizes you for skipping days. I think it's fine to just spam "Good" on all the cards on days you're not into it, though. I've done that more times than I can count.
Anyway, I have a feeling you are going to get very good at Japanese. Please don't burn out! Long-term commitment is key. Thanks for commenting ^_^
This is the first video I found of yours great job on explaining and clarifying throughout the video. I do have one question and it might sound silly, but should I learn Hiragana and Katakana before trying to understand sentences and if so, should I learn individual words second then work on sentences third?
Thank you for commenting.
Yes, I would start by learning hiragana and katakana first. There are so many options for this - UA-cam videos, free apps, on a free trial of NativShark, etc. You could even just print out this PDF I put on my personal blog (www.niko.blog/kana/), then check it when you see one you don't know/remember and learn them organically.
After that, I would jump straight to sentences. Ideally you would be studying with a resource that starts you out with one-word sentences and builds from there. (You can make sooo many 1-word sentences in Japanese.) But if you can't find something like that, even just starting with slightly longer sentences and learning multiple words per sentence is fine too. It just feels slower and can be more intimidating.
Japanese is a high-context language, so I would not recommend learning words outside of sentences (contexts).
I hope this helps!
Man, I Just found your Channel! Tks for the vídeo btw.
From Brazil here, I'm starting japanese these days and all these tips you said makes a lot of sense to me. I'm gonna work on that!
I Want to reach JLPT 4 in the next 2 years. Do you think it is achieveble?
Thank you for the comment! Yes, I think that passing N4 in 2 years is certainly achievable. I've spoken with many people who have passed it within their first 1-2 years studying.
But it requires a consistent study routine. I'm sure you can mange it. Good luck!
What textbooks and dictionaries would be recommended if I want to get my hands on something? I get that you dont necessarily need those but I'm looking for them still, I'ld like to complete a textbook and if genki 1 is not recommended, what should I get?
All textbooks will have the problem of the language tending to be stiff and/or a little unnatural in speech, particularly casual speech. We've actually had a difficult time over the years just finding Japanese writers who are good at writing as the language is spoken.
So you can still use any textbook, but then just supplement or eventually switch to content that also covers how people talk.
For dictionaries, a lot of people like the Dictionary of Japanese Grammar series. For JLPT grammar specifically, I think どんなときどう使う日本語表現文型辞典 is pretty good. I think the English title is "Essential Japanese Expressions Grammatical Points Dictionary". One dictionary I do like a lot is 日本語口語表現辞典 (Kenkyusha's Dictionary of Japanese Colloquial Expressions), but it's all in Japanese, so it's not really for beginners.
I know that software can be more efficient, but it really is just so nice to hold a book in your hands, right? I love books.
yeah thank you for this video , ive just crossed yout video by chance and i have really thought is cool. just a little question, if your don’t do any drill during your 1 hour study focused what would you do on this part ? what is pipeline ? please 🙏 thank you again
Thanks for commenting. I don't go too deep into details in the video. What I was basically saying in the video is that I want to go through Japanese sentences and come to understand them, one at a time. The "pipeline" would be the source that is feeding these sentences to me.
In the case of an Anki deck, that could be the deck showing you a new sentence on each card. With something like NativShark, it would be a lesson, flashcard, etc. teaching you one or more new sentences.
NativShark makes it a lot easier, but not everyone can afford it, which is why I gave the Anki example. I linked the deck I was using in the video in the description above.
I hope this answers your question.
I started the RRTK deck but have heard some people saying to only do 4-500 to get started, then move on. Is this method outdated? Would you recommend sentences only first, or radicals, some RRTK, and then move on? Thanks!
Are you referring to Remembering the Kanji? Since the book/system doesn't teach kanji in order of frequency, I don't think learning only 500 or so that way would be very helpful. In some ways, it is an all-or-nothing approach.
If I were starting over, and I wanted to learn kanji with mnemonics, and I couldn't use NativShark, I'd probably:
1. Try to learn a new sentence.
2. Look up any words in that sentence I didn't know.
3. (Optional) Look up any kanji in those words I didn't know.
4. (Optional) Take a quick look at the kanji's elements and mnemonics in RTK, on koohii (kanji.koohii.com/), etc.
5. Move on to the next sentence.
Then just repeat that for many many many sentences. ^_^
There is an option where you power through all the kanji and do mnemonics before any other kind of studies. I'm planning to make a detailed video about this and other options soon-ish.
Hope this helps!
You have a seasoned language learner routine
I'd like to think so ^_^
Although I imagine everyone's will be a little different.
Thanks for commenting!
okay i wanna try what you did with the new words on anki but too afraid LOL
What part are you afraid of? Never hitting the "Again" button?
@@japanesewithniko haha alright, imma try it after my exams.
So if not the Again button, which one opposite the Good button did u press? Not sure if you mentioned that. Thanks
I would usually default to Good. But every now and then I might hit "Hard" if I want that word or sentence to show up sooner than others. Or "Easy" if it seems easy. Or just suspend/delete the card in that case.
I hope this helps. Thanks for commenting!
at 2:50 how would you 'pull dialogues (or audio)' off of a video game you like?
Yeah, that can be tricky. I've done it for Skyrim and Fallout 4. Just because it was relatively easier with those games since they have a robust modding community.
It's slow, but you could also do it manually by just recording portions of the game, then putting them in flashcards, audio loops, etc. But fun too ^_^
@@japanesewithnikoi think games developed by japanese studios are better for this ( yakuza, resident evil, devil may cry) and they are fun too. It’s a great starting point
Yeah they are. A lot of the translations in those Bethesda games are actually wrong haha. But they're still pretty fun to study.
I've been wondering if you'd rather suggest learning the meaning of words with the Kanji in mind or after learning to read Hiragana/Katakana?
I'm not sure I understand this question, sorry.
@@japanesewithniko I'm sorry for being confusing! I meant to ask if it's better to be able to read Kanji early on or ignore them for now and learn while looking at the Furigana above.
Like "watashi" (me, I) in わたし and the Kanji 私 .
But I think I kinda of answered my question in the following days, Kanji are kind of scary but ultimately finding a middle ground would be best (for me). Being able to read the Kanji for the most common words serves a good purpose and may help my reading comprehension if done early on.
Oh, I think I understand now. I think studying written language with furigana shown is fine, although it definitely helps to see it more without furigana, then check readings when you don't know them. I would actively avoid anything that completely removed kanji, though (which a lot of learning materials do).
Thanks!
Help please where to start and what to do ?
Start with a dictionary and study words ? Or start learning kanji ?
What is the best thing to use ?
I would start by learning words in sentences. Kanji you can just learn in those words.
If you want a free option, I linked an Anki deck in the description.
If you want something more streamlined/efficient, I mentioned NativShark in the video, but that option costs money.
And if you don't like either of these suggestions, it could help to join our discord community (also linked in the description) and see if other people can give you some advice.
Good luck! ^_^
Oh, and if you haven't, you should learn hiragana and katakana first.
@@japanesewithniko thank you for advice! I’m already learned hiragana and katakana and know 11 kanji :)
And thank you so much for Anki deck!
What about Genki book ? It’s good thing to use ?
you said you wouldn't do kanji flashcards during your one hour of sacred study. do you mean single kanji, or did you mean that you would also not do word on front cards, that you would only do sentence cards?
I personally would only do sentence cards. Ideally each sentence would never have more than 1 new word I don't know, but I'll admit finding materials that do this can be tough if you're trying to go the free route (e.g. Anki decks and whatnot).
It's pretty hard to understand how a Japanese word is used if you don't see it in a specific context.
Niko先生 u said that you'd use only 15 mins of anki cards and absoloutely no textbook exercises in ur sacred study hour. So then what would you do in the remaining 45 mins??
Sorry, I wasn't clear. I would only do reviews during the first 15 minutes, which Anki assigns each day.
If I were learning with an Anki deck, I'd study NEW cards during the remaining 45 minutes.
Hope this clarifies a bit.
@@japanesewithniko So 15 mins of revision and the next 45 mins in learning new words,Vocab and Kanji?Also would u limit urself to learning a limited number of words everyday or keep it random? Tysm
you should make a video about what you don't like about each of the popular premade Anki decks. I think in this video that you had a problem with all of them, if you could explain why it would be educational. (as a side note, your anki usage is a little strange. not using the 'again' button, setting it to only 75 reviews but 9999 new cards per day)
Yeah, die-hard Anki/SRS users might get very upset if they saw me recommending this way of using Anki, as it really changes the way the spaced repetition algorithm is being used.
Like I mentioned in the video, though, I think an SRS algorithm has limited benefit for learning a language when you are learning natural full sentences. The most useful concepts get repeated and morphed over and over again, building upon one another, but the SRS algorithm assumes each card contains a single, unique, standalone concept.
All that said, it is much more beneficial if your Anki deck or other content pipeline is building upon concepts one at a time so that you can be more sure reviews are "baked in", so to speak. Someone commented about this exact experience on our Discord (discord.gg/nativshark) just yesterday, actually:
"I have found this to be so so true and so so helpful. Even if there’s a word I archive during a unit, it’s regularly in a sentence a different word uses. I’m also finding myself remembering sooooo much more because of the way it builds on itself and because I can consciously know that if it’s appearing in reviews then I have seen it, and therefore I need to try to retrieve it harder. When you are across multiple methods, resources, and input the hardest part is wondering if it’s new or if I’m just forgetting I’ve seen it. The kanji, the vocab, the grammar builds and makes sentences that cause your brain freeze up initially because of the complexity become easily parsable because you know you know those elements so you can figure it out. Then the transfer of this to consuming native material is quite incredible. I can only imagine how much confidence completing phase two must bring because I’m not even at milestone 8 yet"
I think this is true outside of NativShark, too, though. Encountering a vocab word, for example, 10 times in 10 different sentences will help you remember it more than seeing it 10 times over in a single sentence (i.e. flashcard review). Finding the balance between the two can be tricky, but I think most Anki/SRS algorithms put too much emphasis on the repetition side (because it's much harder to manage/curate the wide usage/context side).
Maybe eventually I'll make a video breaking down why I find issue with most of the Anki decks out there. Thank you for the suggestion. ^_^
Sorry for such a long comment!
event horizon!!! 🌷✅
I really love the concept of event horizon. Maybe because space is so cool lol
The issue I come across at the thought of adding Japanese sentences is how difficult it is to check the potential inflection a sentence might carry. Whether the sentence is spoken using kanji or vocabulary that might be either old or strictly literary. Finding a sentence spoken “as a japanese person would” can mean a lot of things depending on context. This is not a criticism as much as an observation and something that often bothers me when I study. The sentence “街路には誰の姿も見られなかった。” carries the meaning “No one was to be seen in the street.” But as I understand it this is a very bookish way of saying it. How did you pick sentences to add to anki?
This is the problem, right? If you are piecing together your own learning materials, I think you should just learn "all the sentences", then keep in mind that if you haven't heard a person say it in the real world, that might not be how they'd say it.
When we started with NativShark, we put "formality markers" on our sentences:
- Casual
- Formal
- Textbook Casual
- Textbook Formal
Then if you saw the Textbook word included, you could assume it is not something a person would actually say, but a sentence like this is still sometimes helpful to learn written language, for explaining grammatical structures, etc.
Although at the moment we still include these labels, we have also switched to including full contexts for sentences. For example:
"A sentence in a novel: 街路には誰の姿も見られなかった。"
Japanese is a very high-context language, so it is hard to say if a sentence is "natural" or "accurate" if you don't know the specific context in which it appears. Like, sure, maybe the sentence you gave would be more likely to appear in a written form, but there are probably some real-world contexts where a person would say that in exactly that way too.
So instead you can just learn as many sentences as you can, try to learn sentences with specific contexts that are clear when possible, don't worry too much when you don't have that, and slowly let your brain piece together what "sounds natural" over time.
Hope this helps!
Já me escrevi no canal grato por existir o seu canal
Thank you for commenting and subscribing. Also, you're making me want to study Portuguese!
would I need to pay eventually for Nativshark?
Yes, it is a paid resource. I mentioned Anki and stuff in the video for people who are trying to piece together a completely free Japanese learning path.
Thanks for commenting! ^_^
how do you hide the English version of the sentence min 8:20 ?? Great video, I love it.
So go into the Card editor in Anki, and use:
shown by default
hidden by default
So in that example, it is something like:
Japanese Sentence
English Translation
Hope this helps!
@@japanesewithniko Thank you a lot ^^ I think I understand where I need to edit...😅
🙏❤
Thank you for the comment ^_^
Wait... did you study Japanese in KCP in 2009?!
Might've asked that question :27 seconds too early 😅
I did. Laura, is that you??
@@japanesewithniko Yesss OH MY GOOSSHHHH! That's crazy! Congrats on the channel and wife and child! 🤯👏👏👏
Thank you! And your channel looks cool. My wife is really into cosmetics too. Every month she reads Japanese magazines like 美的, VOCE, and Macquia on her iPad. Check them out, if you haven't ^_^
The app is nice but still not so much intuitive. When you go back to lessons menu, it always brings you to the first. And as I’ve already study a little it would be nice to hide the very beginner ones.
Are you referring to NativShark? If so, it's not really meant to be used where you just jump in and out of lessons at random. You just click "Study Now", and the app takes you through a learning path.
The downside to this is we don't have an advanced level placement feature yet. In any case, since the learning path is much different from what you'd get in most books or classrooms, "skipping" gets complicated as well.
Although we do have plans to eventually implement a cool level placement feature, in the meantime, we tell people to just skim through content and archive (help.nativshark.com/ask/archiving-content) anything they already know very quickly, until they reach content that is mostly new to them. Details are here: help.nativshark.com/ask/not-a-beginner
People of a wide variety of levels (N5 up through N1) have done this, so if you want feedback on what they thought, I'd recommend asking in our community: discord.gg/nativshark
Hope this helps!
🫶
Thank you ^_^
I rather do consistently 1 hour each day than 12 hours once a week. Same with art and other subjects.
Being consistent in any large undertaking can be such a game changer. Good luck with your studies! And thanks for commenting ^_^
Anyone learning Japanese and want to join in the process ?
On this note, the people in our discord community are very friendly (discord.gg/nativshark). Not everyone in there uses NativShark btw.
Thank you for commenting ^_^
[3840]
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Too fast mate.
You mean I am talking too fast? Sorry if so.
Thanks for commenting!
Maybe I was being a bit harsh. Just a few bits you were going faster than normal. Great content though mate. That last lesson example was SUPER hard though. @@japanesewithniko
I don’t if the woman in the video described her son as having a “case” of Autism or if that is how you translated it, but as a person who doesn’t live in Japan, it’s odd phrasing to put it lightly. The term “case” is usually used to describe a disease, but Autism is an umbrella term to encompass a range of behavioural, neurological and psychological differences. Autism frequently can have co-occurring issues, such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, epilepsy, learning difficulties, etc. Autism involves a difference in the way a person thinks, and so it’s not really something that people can “recover” from or even necessarily want to, except to the extent that it is detrimental to their wellbeing. It could be seen as a small, thing, but as I am also Autistic, I thought I should mention it.
Yeah, I struggled with this one. I wanted to translate it differently because it seemed so blunt and broad, but since she quite literally said "my son has severe autism", I thought maybe I shouldn't change it. I don't know anything else about her son's case other than that she mentioned going to lots of doctors appointments and stuff. Can you think of a better way to translate it when we have such limited info?
If you're curious she said iirc:
息子が重度の自閉症がありまして
Lit. son + が + heavy/severe + autism + has (and...)
Oh I just noticed you were taking about the word "case". I didn't even notice I had said that, thank you for pointing it out. I guess I did that (subconsciously) bc she talked about lots of doctor's visits.
A severe.... "form" of autism? What is the phrasing here? In this child's case, it is "severe" enough to warrant frequent, repeated doctors visits.
Sorry, but it sounds more like what you did rather than what you would have done differently.
Maybe if you're not paying attention. He literally points to another video about what he actually did do (and why it was wrong) in the first 5 seconds.
I wish I had done these things! I have another video that talks about what I did do, and it includes a lot of mistakes. For example, instead of setting up a consistent study routine, I tried to learn it as fast and frantically as I could, got frustrated, burnt out, quit for 2 years, came back - did just all kinds of things I shouldn't have.
In any case, thank you for commenting. Good luck with your own studies! ^_^
*Ask UA-camr Oriental Pearl how she knows Japanese, Mandarian, Korean.*
I'd ask people of average intelligence (91 IQ to 109 IQ) how they learned Japanese (and other languages foreign to them).
If those of average intelligence can learn they anyone smarter certainly can.
Yeah, it's not always all that helpful to ask someone who is naturally very good at learning languages. Most of my opinions on how I think people should learn it were formed when talking to thousands of people (in emails, messages, etc.) over the course of their Japanese-learning journey.
@@japanesewithniko
You: "...it's not always all that helpful to ask someone who is naturally very good at learning languages."
Also you: "...how I think people should learn it were formed when talking to thousands of people."
🤣
@@japanesewithniko Language acquisition like much of anything else boils down to pattern recognition.
When two talk, whether one utters statements or interrogative, the listener, if he or she replies, is expected to reply relevantly.
Teaching a language then, is about revealing patterns.
Learning a language then is about detecting patterns.
Learning a subject within language is about learning the domain vocabulary.
Children acquire language by listening and reproducing fragments at first, then wholly.
They detect key parts within a string. That itself is pattern detection.
Most language teachers and increasingly apps / service makers walk the same worn paths. They make language acquisition much harder. Only the strident can withstand such systems and still learn.
For Japanese, no one should be kanji, hiragana and katakana. Children do not start by learning to read.
Children start by learning to listen, i.e., detect patterns. And then they learn to produce expressions of pattern.
Japanese has patterns within words:
kaimono a purchase, from kau to buy and mono thing
yasumono cheap article, from yasui cheap and mono thing
tabemono, food, from taberu eat and mono thing
Most often fail to see that words are merely sound strings following a pattern.
Good luck!