Need More Structure

Hi Everyone,

I’m looking for a bit more structure in my Japanese learning. I just finished my first novel in Japanese and have read several beginner Manga. I can hold a basic conversation in Japanese, but it’s still pretty tough. I feel like I regularly forget things I’ve already learned and have a hard time reviewing things I’ve learned. That’s why, I want to follow some kind of structured course. Textbooks cause me to tend to lose interest. Does anyone use some kind of online lesson plans/ progressions? I miss the days of learning in schools where there would be several lessons and a test.

Thanks!

3 comments
  1. I was in a similar spot after I passed N2 and decided on trying out wanikani. I actually think it’s better if you already have prior knowledge of Japanese. The order of teaching radicals and kanji is different from how I originally learned it, so although I only got up to level 8 in 2 months, I already learned some new words and have a better grasp on kanji in general.

  2. You can do 2 things. Either use educational sources like SRS (Anki for example) and grammar books, or if you find it boring you can try to apply the same idea, but in content.

    The way we use content affects how much we learn. One person can ignore a lot of unknown words and aim at the gist and context, while another can put 5-10s into memorizing each unknown word. The result will be completely different, so if you want to make it slightly more productive, consider where and how much you can put your attention into intentional learning.

    Also our mindset affects a lot. Usually people who aim at the process itself instead of result learn faster and more. It’s not about achieving some ultimate goal years later as N1, but much more about learning 10-20-30 words everyday. Each time you learn new word, you know something new and you do a step towards better Japanese. Such approach gives much better motivation.

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