Hey all,
I’ve been trying to learn Japanese for years now, but never fully took the plunge and committed. Between changes involving school, jobs, moving, etc. there was always something that I could use as an excuse to avoid really making time for it. I have a good grip on writing Katakana and Hiragana, reading is still pretty slow going but I have a lot of low-level readers that I can rely on for now to start developing those skills.
However, things finally settled down and I’m planning a 10-ish day vacation to Japan in late October/Early November. Having a deadline has always helped me get committed so now I finally don’t have any excuses not to dive in and dedicate myself to the language.
My only question is…how? I’m not especially skilled at independent study when I have almost no background of a subject to build off of, and the language classes in my community don’t start up until May.
Can any of you recommend some sort of structured/classroom style youtube series/podcast or actual online classes that I can use to give me a bit more structure as I start out? Sorry for the long post but figured some background would help. Appreciate any help you all can give me! It’s exciting, but a bit overwhelming!
3 comments
Wanikani is good for getting started. Once you get the basics down, the more time you invest into interacting in and with the language, the better you’ll get.
**Option 1:**
Youtube: Search for Michiyo Wojnovich
She has structured, college-style lessons. Because she is a college professor.
**Option 2**
Youtube: Search for Tokini Andy
This guy is popular but I didn’t watch any of his videos (I was already done with Genki when they came out)
This is just *my* recommendation and it’s not a hardcore rule. I based this estimate on unofficial JLPT study hours. N1 = ~4800 hours, divided by 365 days over the course of 4 years = ~3 hours daily.
“Study” can also include listening to level appropriate podcasts, reading, meeting up with Japanese friends and whatever else makes study enjoyable to you.
Genki (and other textbook) Study Plan:
Two or three 45-60 minute study sessions a daily. 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.
You can add and subtract chucks or mix things up depending on your preference and life factors. You can combine low effort and high effort study in a day or study session, or break up the hour.
For example: while making and eating breakfast, listen to a podcast (30 minutes), watch a YouTube video for grammar during lunch (30 minutes). During your commute (60 minutes) do Pimsleur. Read manga for 20 minutes a day, do the workbook for 20 minutes and meet with a tutor for 30 minutes.