I was born in Japan, went to kindergarten in Japan, spoke & wrote Japanese fluently up to elementary school and then stopped. I’m now in college and can remember a bit, especially after taking a few Japanese credits, but where I left off feels like it would’ve been practically unusable past very casual conversation
For more or less obvious reasons I really want to be able to speak and listen fluently again. Has anyone been in my position and have advice for me?
I’ve started off by watching Netflix shows (Terrace House), and I’m starting to watch Japanese YouTubers. My listening isn’t too bad from what I can tell, but my main weakness is definitely Kanji, I have about 200 memorized (not including onyomi) but I can definitely absorb what people are saying even if I’m missing some of the vocab
I see using games get a bit of flak for new learners, but since I’m not exactly BRAND new I was thinking I might be able to get away with it. I loved watching and reading Doraemon as a child so I was thinking of those games. If anyone has any suggestions or thoughts about any of this, or just fun podcasts, shows, YouTubers please let me know 🙂
3 comments
Define “fluent”. I still don’t consider myself fully fluent, rather, *competent and enough to go without external aid for most of the practical interactions I have*. Which might be the exact definition of “fluent” for you.
Not sure of your exact circumstances: are your parents Japanese? Did your parents stop using Japanese at home when you moved? Was Japanese your language at home growing up, or was it just at school? Do your parents speak any Japanese?
I’m hesitant to call you a heritage speaker, but we’ll go with that.
Heritage speakers usually grapple with some deficiencies in the non-dominant language (e.g.: a Chinese-American family where the language home language is Cantonese for the older generation and English for the younger) . For many (but not all – your family/experience may vary), listening is usually the strongest skill, with speaking coming next, but reading and writing being almost neglected entirely. Some families might intentionally keep the language from the kids so they grow up essentially speaking one language.
If I were you, it sounds like you have some college classes under your belt, so I’d keep going with that. I’d also make time to speak with exchange students, etc. to bolster conversational skills. By the end of elementary or the midpoint of intermediate Japanese (JLPT N4-N3), you should have enough language skills to keep reading and watching more media more naturally (fewer look ups). Hopefully, if your school has a full 4-year plan for Japanese, you should be N2-ish and more independent.
You could read Yotsubato. It has furigana and covers a good deal of daily life kanji by virtue of being a slice of life manga.