How Can I learn more japanese :)

5 comments

1. Sure.

   1. Take classes or Self study
   2. Study
   3. Practice

2. Maybe find a cultural activity that appeals to you and take classes or join some kind of club. Having to use Japanese in that scenario will help you get better faster, while you make friends and you also learn something new.

3. Duolingo

4. Sit down and study.

5. I remember you — you are the 15-year-old whose parents are taking you to Japan in the NINTH grade when everyone else in a Japanese school will be studying for entrance exams. Honey, I am SO mad at your parents for not checking out your educational options!

   But I like your attitude. Please make the best of this year.

   Here are some simple things to do:

   Remember that Japanese is four parts: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Reading & writing breaks down into hiragana, katakana and kanji (the “alphabet”), grammar, vocabulary and kanji combinations.

   So: learn to read and write the 46 hiragana and 46 katakana. Make flashcards and quiz yourself. Get a basic Japanese textbook and start reading with those hiragana & katakana. As you read, make vocabulary flashcards and quiz yourself. Also, start studying kanji. Aim for 20 a week (four each day).

   I hope someone can recommend some good YouTube videos for listening. Once you get to Japan, you can record some Japanese lessons for foreigners from NHK, and watch those. TIP: don’t be afraid to stop, repeat, slow down or speed up the videos. Also, it’s good to listen to a short clip five days in a row.

   If you memorize and repeat some of these videos, you can get a head start on speaking. But it’s better to have a native speaker critique your pronunciation at first.

   When you start school, you may have some sort of Japanese class or tutor assigned to you. If not, get your parents to hire you a tutor. Ask for 15 minutes of tutoring time for your own projects.

   PROJECTS:

   Three-line diary. Everyday, write three sentences about your day, your feelings, or your plans in Japanese (past tense, present tense, future tense). Use hiragana, katakana and any kanji you know. Leave space for your tutor to correct your grammar, writing, etc. Practice the corrections. I recommend using graph paper notebooks. Use four squares for each character.

   Puppet theater: make up a mini theater dialog about things you want to say. Four lines is about right for a start. Asking where the toilet is, talking about J-pop, asking what a teacher said, etc. Perform for your tutor. Get it corrected. Record your tutor performing your play in proper Japanese so you can study it later. This is great for speaking, good for listening and if you write it down in Japanese, good reading & writing practice, too.

   Video shorts: listen to a very short video (one minute or less). Show it to your tutor, and ask questions about vocabulary, culture, grammar, etc.

   Good luck! You can make this a very educational experience!