Hi,
I’m been self-studying Japanese for just under 2 years. I have never used a textbook but relied mainly on a combination of YouTube grammar videos (Japanese Ammo, Miku Real Japanese), italki lessons from unqualified teachers (more cost effective), WaniKani and an Anki decks I keep adding new words to.
I just sat JLPT N4 after completing the Shinkanzen exam prep books for listening, reading and grammar
The exam went…….
Both the vocabulary and grammar/reading went well but there’s a very good chance I failed the listening section of the exam. My speaking skills are actually quite good for my level (thanks to my Japanese teachers and constant vocab revision with Anki). However I find it very difficult to process the N4 listening tasks.
I communicate regularly with my italki teachers however, they speak slowly and the things we talk about i.e. our lives/hobbies, aren’t anything like the topics on the test e.g. child asking mother for permission to do something/school announcements etc.
I’ve done the N4 listening practices on YouTube and regularly watch Japanese dramas and animes (with English subtitles) but simply watching Japanese TV doesn’t feel very targeted or efficient.
Has anyone else felt listening was holding them back? Does anyone have advice on studying to get better quickly and really feel progression? Would it help to just use a textbook from now on? I would love to join a Japanese class because I think it’s a good way to absorb language naturally. Is there an online provider anyone could recommend?
Thanks!
7 comments
Practice. You know that. Here’s a fact from a uni class: did you know that bilingual children develop language much slower than single language children? Usually they only know half as many words and it’s not until 10 years old that they start to catch up? Why? Input. They’re only listening to half as much of each language. If one parent speaks each language then they hear each for half the time than a single language child that hears the same language from both parents. So they pickup words and grammar half the speed.
My point is more quantity. More practice. More listening. The more input the more you learn.
But who has time for that. I usually get stuck with things like conjugations of verbs. I’ll learn the dictionary form of the verb and of course I can conjugate it. But when it’s conjugated quickly in a sentence by a native speaker I get lost because I’m not used to hearing it in that form. So while I know the word, I can’t recognise it when it’s conjugated into some of the forms. It’s only when it’s pointed out to me that I realise I know that word. Dunno if this is useful. But for me I would benefit from vocab flashcards that don’t just have the dictionary form. Throw some potential or causative or past negative causative or whatever.
I can’t speak to any online providers for someone around N4 level (I’m currently going for N2), but do you do any passive listening at all? A lot of times I’ll just throw up a random YouTube video and have it playing while I’m doing other stuff around the house. Obviously you won’t learn as fast as if you’re actively listening to something and trying to translate it, but I’ve found that I would just pick up stuff here and there. And because it’s playing while you’re getting other stuff done, it isn’t interfering with other things you could be doing.
Sorry I couldn’t give you an answer to your question, but hopefully this will help in some capacity.
As others have said, input. Most people who take structured classes (eg. at a school/university) have specific listening comprehension practice time built into their coursework.
I don’t know many specific resources but try looking for materials specifically geared toward listening practice. I think the Shin Kanzen Master series is great, and there seems to be some free resources available from the publishers website [https://www.3anet.co.jp/np/en/list.html?sa=2](https://www.3anet.co.jp/np/en/list.html?sa=2) .
There’s probably some good stuff on YouTube too. I’d inlcude “JLPT N4 Listening Practice” in your search.
It’s kinda unfortunate but I believe your teachers speaking slowly to you hinders you. They need to speak the same speed as the speaker on the JLPT. Which is actually slower than native Japanese up until N2 I believe but perhaps not as slow as your teachers are speaking.
Ask them to speed up their japanese slowly over time perhaps and you’ll get used to native speed by next year.
Have you watched matt vs japan? He’s a really good authority on this type of stuff
I download Japanese movies and stories from youtube, convert them to MP3 and listen to them at work.
These are two of my favourite channels. They have long and short stories. And sometimes you can find the books on line, so you can read them and listen to them at the same time.
https://www.youtube.com/c/studioroudokucafe/videos
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBFMPRyIZQ8IomArgwTXb2g/featured
This is one of the short stories from a book I bought recently from a 2nd hand book store in Sydney.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCNDn_VpywI
Check also Onomappu on YouTube! Interesting videos about e.g. onomatopoeia, but nowadays also other topics. He speaks clearly but at a normal pace & there are subtitles.