I remember when I finally picked up my genki book and started to learn japanese. However, after about a few chapters, I got overwhelmed and gave up. Despite my good memory, I have forgotten lots of the words I’ve learned, and the grammar in the first few chapters. I thought it would be easy for me as hell, but instead it just made me stressed and I gave up. I had hopes that were too high (thinking I could learn in 2 years by studying for 7 hours a day or so, which I obviously didn’t have that time), and now my goals seem even more far away. My pronunciation sucks (accent is still there is what I mean by the way), and getting to native level, well, it’s obviously gonna take forever.
Therefore, I decided to just get through genki 1 and 2 and learn mainly from music, but I cant’ even get through genki 1 because of how many particles and how they work.
I’m only 14 by the way, and I’m planning on being an utaite in japan, but my pronunciation needs improvement and I want my content to be in japanese (I want to upload on niconico first).
I understand that there are a lot of obstacles since it’s a hard language, but I don’t know how to make it easier for my tiny little brain (there probably isn’t a way though).
The only least painful thing is kanji, because I have photographic memory.
Also my japanese children’s grammar books help a lot as well, and aren’t painful.
Does anybody know what I should do now? It’s absolutely impossible for me to learn the language at this point. I can’t get through it, I’m just horrible at learning languages in general, and I’ve tried several times to learn japanese, but I always give up too soon.
Please let me know what I should do, I really need help.
4 comments
Sometimes learning too many grammar points and/or words at once can overload your memory. We recommend learning a few words and grammar points and then “solidifying” them by doing easy readings and then slowly leveling yourself up with a few new vocab words and grammar, and then slightly harder readings. Rinse and repeat.
Not only will this way to learn be more fun, but you also won’t get overwhelmed, and the stuff you learn will stick better.
Best advice I ever read for genki was to not bother initially with the excerices at the end of a chapter. They would always be too overwhelming when learning the material. I did the main chapter and corresponding excercises at the back of the book which both helped me learn with a sense of progress whilst not being overwhelming.
Once I was more comfortable with the content of the chapters the excercises at the end of each chapter were a lot easier, although still a bit tedious and not that rewarding/helpful for learning.
7 hours a day is unrealistic. Cut it down to half or less (if you still have that kind of time.)
I’d also maybe consider asking your parents to hire a tutor for you. Even if it’s once a week they can provide you with support and additional practice.
Take your time. There’s no rush whatsoever.
Edit: my suggested Genki study guide. Don’t feel pressured to follow it to the letter:
Genki Study Plan:
Two or three 45-60 minute study sessions a day are a good goal. Example: Chunk A – vocab, kanji and dialogue; Chunk B – textbook; Chunk C – workbook.
Before studying the chapter, get the vocabulary and kanji (if any) down. Genki marks the vocabulary used in the dialogue, so it’s easy to prepare for.
Try reading the dialogue WITHOUT looking at the English translation. Try to guess the meaning from the pictures and the dialogue prompts. Check to see how you did.
Chunk A: Everyday practice vocabulary, kanji (if any) and dialogue, shadow the audio, review the previous day’s work… you can preview the exercises you’ll be doing so you can brush up on the vocab you’ll need.
Chunk B: Everyday work in one grammar point. Do the associated exercises in the textbook. If it’s a speaking exercises, do both parts.
Chunk C: Do the workbook exercises sometime later.
Don’t forget to do the reading and writing in the back of the textbook. You can get your writing checked on an app like HelloTalk. Do corrections and resubmit. Move on to the next chapter and repeat.
Also don’t just study Japanese, but casually listen to it as well. Have something on YouTube on in the background or actively watch while having a coffee.
Start with this, Comprehendsible Japanese, the beginners playlist: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPdNX2arS9MZ70r0Vi6d6dUazHb_3z2sd](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPdNX2arS9MZ70r0Vi6d6dUazHb_3z2sd)
And with all YT vids, don’t forget you can set the speeds to something slower. You’ll find it’s much easier to hear words that way.