[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D4pS70OCln5lx96cTerI\_\_uatWkwivmr/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D4pS70OCln5lx96cTerI__uatWkwivmr/view?usp=sharing)
For some background, I’ve been studying Japanese for about 7 years now, the first 4 were on and off. I started immersing in the beginning of 2021. These are all of the books I’ve read so far:
2015-2019 (Busy with College)
* Genki 1 (Only got Halfway through)
* Tae Kim’s Grammar Guide
2020
* The Hand book of Japanese Verbs by Taeoko Kamiya
* The Handbook of Japanese Adjectives and Adverbs by Taeoko Kamiya
* Japanese Particle Workbook by Taeoko Kamiya
* All About Particles: A Handbook of Japanese Function Words by Naoko Chino
* How to tell the difference between Japanese Particles by Naoko Chino
2021-2022 (During Immersion)
* Imabi: Beginners 1
* Imabi: Beginners 2
* Imabi: Intermediate 1 (Part-way through)
**Listening**
I feel like I understand the gist of what’s being said in most of the anime that I watch, I understand what is being said when the characters are making small talk, it’s not all crystal clear but I get the gist.
I don’t understand what’s being said when the characters move outside of small talk and talk about something specific. So, if the characters are talking about a narrative motif, I usually can’t understand it and will have to go back and rewatch that part with subtitles if I really want to know what was said.
I also tried listening to podcasts in japanese but so far haven’t found it helpful at all, probably because it’s not ‘comprehensible’ input. I have found Bilingual Podcasts to be a lot more comprehensible and useful, however I only know of one really good one which is Lazy Fluency. They keep it nearly 50-50 Japanese-English.
I have another issue, which is that I would like to track the podcasts that I listen to and put them on this Log but I don’t know of any good ways to do that. I’ve used two podcast apps so far, Google Podcast and Pocket Cast. Both of them record your listening history but neither separate your listening history by the date that you listened to it. So, I’d have to do that manually, which is too much effort for me. That’s why for the most part this Log doesn’t have a record of the podcasts that I’ve listened to.
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**Reading**
I recently read my first book in japanese and I did so without a dictionary just to see if I could finish it. I understood maybe 1-5% of the 202 pages that I read. I’m planning on rereading it with a physical dictionary in hand so that I can look up the pronunciation of the kanji that I don’t know. This might sound weird but I find it a bit uncomfortable to use an online dictionary while I’m reading a physical book. I’ve only read about 2 manga series so far, Tokyo Revengers and Manchurian Opium Squad, both of which are still ongoing. From what I remember, It did feel like I understood what was going on in Tokyo Revengers pretty well. Again, just like with watching anime, I can’t understand specifics so I’d have to look things up if I really wanted to know what was said during a certain scene.
The furigana in shonen manga is really helpful, it helps me stay immersed in the story instead of having to pull up a dictionary everytime I see a kanji that I don’t
know. Manchurian Opium Squad didn’t have furigana for the most part and was more difficult to read but I was still able to understand what was going on.
​
**Speaking**
I can’t speak japanese off the cuff, which is a bit concerning. I was told that eventually after enough input the output would come naturally.
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**Overall**
I’m happy that I started and continue to do Immersion Learning, it’s a fun and productive way to spend my time. However, I feel like my progress is a bit slow
which bothers me because I’d like to eventually try to become a translator. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could speed up my progress?
20 comments
As you mentioned, comprehensible input will make things a lot more interesting and you will tear through materials fast. I might target 90%+
If you don’t like on-line devices, consider an electronic dictionary by Casio or Sharp. You can get a good used model shipped for around $70 (e.g. Casio XD-N9800 or XD-D9800).
> I understood maybe 1-5% of the 202 pages that I read.
That’s something I would never do. It seems such a terrible waste of brainpower.
How many hours have you put into learning Japanese during those 1.5 years?
1-5% reading comprehension and an inability to form sentences?
That’s rather an indictment of your methods than an endorsement.
No offense (I genuinely mean no offense), but it sounds like you are going about this in just about the most inefficient way possible, and I seriously doubt you will make any serious progress this way, let alone reach the proficiency level required to become a professional translator.
What you need to do is *seriously and thoroughly* go through a beginner’s textbook series like Genki while learning kanji and vocab by whatever method you prefer, and gradually introduce *comprehensible* native materials *once you have a solid foundation in Japanese grammar, sentence structure, vocab, etc.*
This is what I did way back in the day, and I was playing video games in Japanese with a relatively high (high enough that doing so was interesting, and that I was able to make rapid and exponential progress through my exposure to native materials) after about six months. The fact that you are still relatively lost after 1.5 years should set off an alarm in your head that something is wrong and encourage you to re-evaluate and revise your approach.
“Immersion” (actually, I prefer to describe it as “exposure to native materials” since it isn’t really *immersion* in the true sense, as Hanzai_Podcast explains below) isn’t going to do anything for you unless you put in the effort to make the input comprehensible. What you are basically doing now amounts to bombarding your brain with incomprehensible gobbledygook because you never took the time to actually learn the basics of the language (seven years of “on and off” textbook study doesn’t really mean anything if it just means flipping through books without doing whatever is necessary to *thoroughly internalize* the content).
I’ve followed roughly the same path as you, and one thing helped me tremendously: noting down in Anki words I encountered in various places, and reviewing them regularly. In the beginning I only added frequent or simple words, and as time passed I added more and more.
I do regret not starting that earlier (and, in fact, not starting reading earlier, but it sounds like you’ve got that covered) ; as others have said (and, I imagine, especially if you’re aiming to be a translator) just immersion is not a great use of your time, in the beginning you definitely need an active learning process outside of what you’re immersing yourself into.
What book did you read that you only understood 1-5%? That sounds *horrible*. Whatever it was, I’m sure there are easier books than that.
What are you doing to improve your vocabulary? 90% of understanding a Japanese sentence is knowing the words in it, and you need to memorise several thousand to really get anywhere with complex native content.
Hey there,
I’m in a similar boat in that I’ve been trying to learn on and off for multiple years. My problems have been more of time availability (3 kids, work, existential crisis etc). So… I reply to this with empathy and a lot of humility given my own situation!
Immersion learning without a solid grasp of the basics seems difficult to endorse. 1-5% makes me wince a little, in truth. I really think you need to take a step back and consider you’re time usage for best effect.
Maybe you are like me, in that what you really need is to find the right way of learning. I can’t do textbooks, they just don’t work for me. What I personally need is to be tested frequently and fail often, and then be told why. Here are some resources that are not textbooks that I am currently using or have used that I find/found useful, maybe they will be helpful to you too. To get the best out of immersion method, you need a grasp of the basics of grammar and probably a good level of vocab.
[renshuu.org](https://renshuu.org) (I find this to be excellent and very flexible)
[wanikani.com](https://wanikani.com) (Very good for Kanji, but overwhelmed me after a few months time wise)
[bunpro.jp](https://bunpro.jp) (Good for a ‘reference’ of ordered grammar learning and testing, but light on structured learning material)
[fromzero.com](https://fromzero.com) (I found this to be quite an engaging experience, but it feels less ‘serious’)
I have actually just booked a tutor recommended by a friend, and I’m aiming to pass JLPT N5 this December. I don’t really care for qualifications, but having a goal to aim for is focusing my mind.
If you really want to translate, as others have said, I think you need to make a more serious and goal driven approach. Do you have some short/medium-term goals?
All the best in your learning! Sometimes people on this subreddit can be harsh, I’m sure most mean well so don’t be dispirited, find something that works for you and I’m sure you can smash it!
I know people on this subreddit often over value learning *about* study methods as opposed to actually studying, but this is why you should spend at least a bit of time learning how to study
I’ve been learning for less than a year and can speak a lot about certain subjects and can understand some things in anime. I’m not saying it to brag, I’m saying it because I find it confusing that after all that work you know virtually nothing.
I think you’re going about it the wrong way. What I always tell people who ask me is, it’s not so much about learning to form sentences in a language, but about understanding how a language works. If you understand how it works you can form new sentences you’ve never formed before because you know what’s allowed.
Also, I recommend instead of anime and podcasts, that you watch Terrace House on Netflix. There are many seasons, it is genuinely entertaining, and their Japanese is pretty easy to understand. Plus you can actually see their real mouths move when they talk, which makes it easier to understand.
My suggestion would be to redo Genki I (speeding through the parts you are very familiar with) and once done with that read Genki II. Take the time to go through the examples and practice formulating sentences. You’re not really “reading” a book if you only understand 1-5% of it. Using a physical dictionary to look up kanji you don’t understand seems 1000% more difficult than just reading a Japanese ebook on a kindle where all you have to do is highlight the word and then the pronunciation and meaning will come up. What helps me with speaking is just speaking to myself out loud like some kind of maniac but hey practice is practice if you don’t have any natives to practice with.
I understand you got told that eventually after enough input the output would come naturally but you should consider looking up other opinions and balance arguments. Immersion is great and I see you are really committed, but do check on that. I personally think speaking and writing are skills on their own, you gotta practice them with what you got, in a cumulative way. Immersion shouldn’t be the main learning medium until upper intermediate at least. Good luck.
posdata: Reading a book while understanding 5% isn’t reading a book, nor is it effective. It’s just not.
Omg read a book the whole way through and only understood 1-5% of it? Damn that’s committed. I would’ve tried a page and just given up and studied more.
I have more or less the same comprehension as you, something that really helps is watching an anime episode several times and looking at the japanese script and looking up new words and grammar structures that are repeated, it’s essentially studying but it’s really fun and keeps me going, and it’s important that the episode is so good that you wouldn’t get bored if you watch it several times and has a good pace.
For listening I would recommend getting the N2 or N1 Soumatome or SKM listening comprehension books. For me after only around a month they made a huge difference. I went from struggling to understand longer conversations in anime to having no problems with them, not to mention being able to follow news reports.
Regarding book choices, it seems like you read a lot of study books about basics or for beginners, but left after Genki 1. Genki 1 + 2 + Tae Kim’s guide maybe won’t get you very far, but it should be good enough to proceed to Tobira and more advanced textbooks like the intermediate Quarter books. After that you can ditch textbooks and read tons of manga and light novels.
Regarding the 1-5% book comprehension. Not to sugar coat, it sounds quite underwhelming :(. Is it the lack of vocabulary, problems with grammar structures or kanji?
I was doing immersion for a while and I definitely improved a lot. But I gave up this last half year. I need help of some sort, more direct connect w community, or a better sense of small ‘wins’ or, some type of tangible results.
I gave up because the input I was trying to use: Japanese Netflix started not working well , and then I just quit (several things popped up in my life which added stress and then I quit basically).
I have been on and off studying Japanese for many years. I hate this has become a life long failed mission.
Pointers or feedback welcome. Thanks
I highly recommend you do intensive reading. Literally just looking up words as you go, (making flashcards is also a huge plus) will get you way past 5% way quick… I can’t even conceive of being at 5% after a year of reading.
Duolingo wont get you to fluency by itself, but its a good start. Mochimochi is nice because it doesnt allow you to rely on romanji. There are a lot of good kanji apps too. If you dont understand all of an anime or show, its ok. The listening practice is still useful. The genki books are terrific. When I finish the books, I plan to check out classes at a local Japanese cultural center. It may be you’ve simply stalled out on self-learning and classes can take you to the next level?
OP if your goal is to become a license professional, you will need structured learning. While some people are great at self study, almost nobody becomes a license and reputable professional alone. If this is a hobby and nothing more, study however you see fit. But if you want to make this a career, 7+ years is lost time. I suggest enrolling in a structured and concentrated course and see how far you get in a year. If you feel you can handle it, major in it. Focus on translating (or interpreting if you feel up to it) and get documented. If all goes well, you can land a decent job and live that future you want. But no high profile translation job will higher someone who is self educated.
Not to be mean or judgmental. I sincerely want you to accomplish your goals in the easiest, fastest, and most productive way possible. In the end, you’ll do what you want. Don’t let a bunch of internet strangers decide your fate, but I do encourage you to at-least look into something more structured.
Well done, amazing persistence! Sounds like you’ve made a lot of progress!