I feel as though I have been avoiding immersion resources for too long, thinking that I need to learn more of the language before I can start. Is this a bad mindset, and can I benefit from immersion if I can only pick out a couple of key words?
Having a solid basic foundation of grammar and vocabulary helps, but a lot of immersion is going to be learning new words (and sometimes grammar structures).
My main advice is know that immersion learning is still a form of study. 🙂 It’s going to be work and take some elbow grease.
The kind of high-input learning called “immersion” here builds upon comprehensible input, which means something juuuuuust above the level you’re comfortable at.
Depending on your level, this could be….
Picture books that have single words or short, short sentences. Short video clips, or media with slow, simple Japanese.
Picture books with simple sentences and paragraphs. Longer videos, a song.
Children’s books which have longer stories. A 15-minute video about a familiar subject.
Children’s books with chapters. An episode of an anime aimed at children, like Doraemon.
A book aimed at older children or young teens. Shonen anime or manga.
Books aimed at young adults. An anime aimed at older teens or younger adults; may be a movie with familiar themes; the news; podcasts about daily life.
Books aimed at adults, particularly non-fiction about familiar topics or contemporary fiction. Movies and documentaries; the news.
Books on complex special topics or Literature, including classics like Kokoro; pretty much anything.
There’s nothing wrong with trying to immerse at any level. Some people can pick up a book on day one and just work their way though it and still enjoy it. Some people find that endlessly tedious and would rather learn 2/4/6/10k words before having to look every word up. If you don’t know which kind of person you are then grab a book and try to read it. If you are enjoying it then keep doing it. If not then try traditional learning tools.
You‘re never going to feel ready for reading (/other forms of immersion) by doing flashcards and exercises, because those are very different things. To read, you not only need to know words and grammar, but you also need a certain stamina and tolerance for not understanding things (which will happen a lot). So the only way to know if you‘re ready is to jump in, and if you feel overwhelmed try something easier and come back later – it‘s also very satisfying to come back to something that seemed impossible a while ago and now you understand at least some of it
6 comments
ASAP
You can start immersion any time.
Having a solid basic foundation of grammar and vocabulary helps, but a lot of immersion is going to be learning new words (and sometimes grammar structures).
My main advice is know that immersion learning is still a form of study. 🙂 It’s going to be work and take some elbow grease.
The kind of high-input learning called “immersion” here builds upon comprehensible input, which means something juuuuuust above the level you’re comfortable at.
Depending on your level, this could be….
Picture books that have single words or short, short sentences. Short video clips, or media with slow, simple Japanese.
Picture books with simple sentences and paragraphs. Longer videos, a song.
Children’s books which have longer stories. A 15-minute video about a familiar subject.
Children’s books with chapters. An episode of an anime aimed at children, like Doraemon.
A book aimed at older children or young teens. Shonen anime or manga.
Books aimed at young adults. An anime aimed at older teens or younger adults; may be a movie with familiar themes; the news; podcasts about daily life.
Books aimed at adults, particularly non-fiction about familiar topics or contemporary fiction. Movies and documentaries; the news.
Books on complex special topics or Literature, including classics like Kokoro; pretty much anything.
There’s nothing wrong with trying to immerse at any level. Some people can pick up a book on day one and just work their way though it and still enjoy it. Some people find that endlessly tedious and would rather learn 2/4/6/10k words before having to look every word up. If you don’t know which kind of person you are then grab a book and try to read it. If you are enjoying it then keep doing it. If not then try traditional learning tools.
You‘re never going to feel ready for reading (/other forms of immersion) by doing flashcards and exercises, because those are very different things. To read, you not only need to know words and grammar, but you also need a certain stamina and tolerance for not understanding things (which will happen a lot).
So the only way to know if you‘re ready is to jump in, and if you feel overwhelmed try something easier and come back later – it‘s also very satisfying to come back to something that seemed impossible a while ago and now you understand at least some of it
[Join a reading group!](https://youtu.be/lSWobH6Etuw)