Hello everyone, if you look back at my Maid Café experience post back in 2021, I am very very pleased to report that I have improved drastically, and while I absolutely have some work to do, I can read and understand ALMOST everything that I can get my hands on. I watch the news, tons of animes, Yakuza movies and stuff on Netflix, and lots of Youtube.
To be honest, I don’t really “enjoy” Japanese content, so, if I don’t feel that I’m improving, I feel that my time could be better allocated elsewhere in terms of improving my language skills. I find MOST pieces of content so incredibly repetitive and boring, and reaching a high level of comprehension has taken some serious wind out of my sails I believe.
In terms of just comprehension (my output is already being worked on elsewhere) what are some other resources I can use to keep moving forward, and bridge the gap to native level? I know there is still much I don’t know in the scheme of things, but WHERE is it?
Thank you very much!
6 comments
I’m pretty sure not a lot of people even tried the more obscure content, such as [資産価値ZERO](https://youtube.com/@urbansprawl-zero) or one of those [ブラック企業](https://youtu.be/vY8OSBoptvI) channels.
I usually suggest to just consume stuff you’d consume in your native language, but I’m guessing you tried that.
I’m probably a bit lower than you going by the description. Can you really read difficult novels without having to look up Kanji Readings or words at all? If so then this might not work but in my experience there’s a ton of weird stuff in novels I don’t see anywhere else. What has helped me a lot to up my comprehension this year has been reading books above my level alongside an audiobook. That way I don’t have to stop to look up words or readings I am unsure of but still comprehend 98% of it from context, and it is a much more enjoyable and smooth experience compared to constantly pulling out a dictionary for stuff I probably know or can guess from context but am unsure of reading wise. It’s a bit slow because the speaker is slower than just reading but it’s been very helpful for me. Massively increased my ability to understand longer and more complex sentences. I also find hearing a native speaker read certain things (like 副詞 for sure) helps cement the context and meaning in my head a lot better than just reading it.
Sorry if this is not helpful, but could it be that you are just experiencing burnout? The way you described not enjoying japanese content and finding things repetitive sounds like burnout to me.
Didn’t read your other post so pardon me if I’m ignorant of your experiences.
I’d suggest two different things:
1) A different (sort of) challenge is one. Are you currently in Japan or do you have the means to get there? Spending some time traveling around or to Japan might help you reassess your level, appreciate your growth or highlight knowledge gaps. Alternatively, why not try a longer stay in Japan or switching gears by studying or working in Japan for awhile if you can? Your growth will be through immersion and interactions, which might really boost your abilities.
2) You’ve listed the things you use, but is there something you really like or really hate? Maybe do more of what you like. In addition, what do you like doing on your native language which isn’t related to Japanese? If you like cooking, maybe read cookbooks or about Japanese food. There are even travelogues which focus on regional specialties and the best restaurants in a given area. That might open the doors – local history, etc..
Read classical Japanese?
Just read more then. Your comprehension is that good and reading can only sharpen ones language capabilities. So read things you enjoy and read a lot. When you have read a couple hundred of books then write some short stories refine your writing ability. You’re already working on your spoken output (I presume).