Hello! A few months ago, I made the decision to begin learning Japanese and here’s how it’s going.
I wholeheartedly admit I rushed into it without much of a game plan and forked down as many of the basics as I could with a lot of enthusiasm. I’ve manged to learn Hiragana and Katakana, I have around 125 Kanji under my belt (that I can recall the meaning and at least one reading of off the top of my head at least) and I’ve got a VERY rudimentary understanding of basic grammer and sentences structure (as well as some basic vocab).
Up until now, repetition-based apps have been the backbones of my learning journey.
Kanji study and Duolingo are the two I’ve gone back to the most. (And yes, I know Duolingo has a lot of problems with its grammar but more than anything its bite-sized exercises helped me a lot when learning Katakana and Hiragana and typing on a Japanese keyboard, so for that I’d like to keep it around.)
Just recently I started using the website and app JapanesePod101. Repetition-based learning is great, but when it comes to speaking and forming sentences, nothing helps me more than actually understanding the rules of the language and why the vocab is formulated in the way it is. For that reason, JP101 has quickly become my favorite outlet for learning the language so far.
With those very basics out of the way, I’ve officially hit the “conscious incompetence” stage of learning. There’s so much to move forward with from where I am now that I’m not sure what the best course of action should be. Should I continue memorizing kanji and their readings, should I look more into vocab and grammar, or should I continue to do a little bit of both alongside each other?
I know for a fact I need more structure in my studying and have been debating looking into official online courses, I’m just not sure where to start. I’ve never pursued any kind of education online, so venting different resources to find the ones worth spending time and money on is also somewhat of a daunting task.
That’s why I’m asking for advice. Learning methods? Resource? Textbooks? Apps? Please, send recommendations my way. I’m sure I’ve made a lot of mistakes with how I’ve handled teaching myself up until now, but I’d like to start learning seriously!
3 comments
[My personal advice](https://morg.systems/58465ab9).
On top of that, if you want/can get a tutor (like on italki.com) that would also be helpful too.
I recommend the textbook, genki.
Early on I think it’s really good to follow a textbook since they have a solid “curriculum”, and that method works well for me. Personally, I think Genki and Minna no Nihongo are good choices. I tried to only follow youtube videos handpicked by me and got easily lost motivation.
If you’re not aiming for tests like JLPT, vocabs and kanji can be learnt through native material or even example sentences from the grammar points. You can also start practicing Japanese through graded readers like Tadoku. Their early level books are very useful in getting used to reading Japanese.
Lastly, I think the most important thing in early on is to build a consistent schedule. As long as you can keep studying Japanese everyday even just a little, it’s already good progress! Good luck with your studies!