Brand new to learning

5 comments

1. I got you, use duolingo to learn hiragana and katakata, go maybe get a textbook like genki 1 or minna no nihongo, and grind the anki 2k/6k vocab deck

2. This guide on learning Japanese is pretty good, and covers most of what you need as a beginner.

   https://www.tofugu.com/learn-japanese/

   Very simplified: You basically start with Hiragana and some basic vocab and grammar. Then start with kanji and katakana (or first katakana, if that suits you better) while continuing expanding your vocabulary and grammar. Usually with the help of a text book like genki

3. You asked for a step-by-step program, but I’m going to offer some advice of a more general kind, as well as a few starting resources at the end.

   You are currently in the middle of what some would refer to as the “multi-armed bandit” problem. Imagine a row of slot machines expect that each machine pays out a slightly different rate. How would you go about finding the best machine? This is basically the same as your present conundrum where there are countless possible methods you could use for learning, each having a different measure at how effective it is.

   While a perfectly optimal solution to the multi-armed bandit is rather difficult, a reasonably effective solution is quite easy. First pick one machine at random. Now before you pull the lever roll a dice. If it lands on anything but 1 use the machine you are at (~80% exploitation of the known best). When it lands on 1 try a single pull on some other machine at random (~20% exploration to find a better machine). Track the percent of wins at each machine and as soon as a machine gets a better percentage switch to that newly best payout machine. Over time you will find yourself sitting at the best machine.

   The percentage of your time spent exploring vs continuing with the current track don’t matter all that much. In fact it is expected that you would want to cut down on exploring when your studies are going well and increase the time exploring when you feel like you are in a rut, as no one study program can target every personality and skill level.

   In other words, don’t sweat it too much about the how, just try out a few and stick with what works. You can always switch later if and when you need to.

   So back to my recommendations. While many would argue that Duo isn’t the greatest long term IMO it’s plenty fine to start out with (but you may wish to switch to anki, wanikani, etc. after a year or so). As Duo is lacking in grammar you will want to find a good supplement. I’d recommend either the genki books or the “Learn Japanese From Zero!” video series on YouTube. You may also want another resource to re-enforce basic hiragana & katakana as being able to read without error is critical to everything else in the future. This can be as easy as physically writing the letters, or using a quiz style app until you get it down pat.

   I’ll avoid listing anything else out at this point because you don’t need to be overwhelmed. Again, most resources work well enough, so the “doing” is more important than “planning” at this stage. Just allocate a small slice of time to check out other options from time to time so can pivot as needed.

4. Bunch of radicalism in the community, but if u want to truly learn just go join a Japanese class. Most self learners quit almost immediately or soon after starting. The ones still here are 1/100, just check out how often posts are made here. It’s a big undertaking and having someone tell you exactly what to learn and what to ready every week will make life easier for you.

5. Read the sidebar and don’t use Duolingo.