Two Years of Learning Japanese Every Day

TL;DR

Learned Japanese for 2 years every day. Reached 10K Anki Cards, read nearly 20 Books, watched over 1000 Episodes of Anime, watched over 50 Movies and finished 2 Games in Japense. Most important takeaway is: **You can learn this language or anything else if you consistently work on yourself and your goals.**

Also a heads up: English is not my first language and, frankly, I haven’t really used the language for the last 2 years (especially writing), so I feel like my grammar, etc. is really suffering.

**Introduction**

It’s incredible how quickly time flies. It feels like just yesterday I was writing my one-year update, and now here I am, sitting down to reflect on two years of learning Japanese. Looking back and reading my previous blog post, I can feel the changes and progress that have taken place during this time.

Over the past two years, I’ve delved deeply into the world of learning Japanese, constantly adjusting my strategies and approaches. My journey has had its highs and lows, and I’ve learned valuable lessons that I’d like to share with you. In this post, I’ll take a look at my initial plans, honestly reflecting on what worked well and where I might have needed to reconsider my approach. At the same time, I’ll give you insight into my current situation and how my learning routine has evolved, especially in light of new challenges and opportunities.

I’m excited to share my progress with you, provide insights into effective learning methods and resources, and take a glimpse at my future plans. It has been an exciting and enlightening time, and I hope you are as eager as I am to continue this journey.

**Section 1: The Beginnings**

When I embarked on the journey of learning the Japanese language two years ago, I was filled with enthusiasm and curiosity. My goals were clear – I wanted to understand the language to enjoy my favorite content without translations. In this first year, I laid the foundation for my learning, setting clear steps and methods to progress.Challenges and BreakthroughsIn the initial months of my journey, there were definitely challenges. Some materials were difficult to understand, and there were moments of frustration. However, I soon realized that this was part of the learning process. Prioritizing quality over quantity was a crucial step for me. I refined my vocabulary cards and found that adding context, images, and audio files significantly improved my learning experience.I still remember the first times I began watching anime and series in Japanese, and I could actually understand parts of the dialogues. It was an incredible feeling.

**The Highlight: My First Japanese Book**

A milestone in my first year of learning Japanese was undoubtedly reading my first book in Japanese – “無職転生 (Mushoku Tensei).” It was a book I had always wanted to read in Japanese. After months of learning, practicing, and effort, I actually managed to do it. The feeling of flipping the final pages and knowing that I had understood the story was indescribable.

**Development and the Future**

Looking back at my first year and comparing it to my current situation, I see significant growth. My understanding of the Japanese language has improved significantly. The confidence I’ve gained in my abilities allows me to comprehend more complex content and interact with the language.Today, two years later, I continue my journey and realize that learning never stops. I’ve refined my learning methods, expanded my horizons, and set new goals. I consume Japanese content in various media, such as video games, YouTube videos, and books, and every time I understand new words or expressions, it feels like a small victory.

**Closing Thoughts on the year**

The memory of my first year of learning Japanese reminds me of the importance of patience and perseverance. To those who are just starting or in the early stages of learning Japanese, I want to say: Believe in yourself, persevere, and enjoy the process. The small successes along the way are worth celebrating, and they lead to remarkable growth over time.

**Section 2: Tools & Resources**

Now, let’s talk about the various learning methods and resources I’ve used over the past two years. How I started, what I’ve learned, what I’ve changed, what I recommend.AnkiAnki (based on the Japanese word 暗記 Anki for “memorization”) is an open-source software originally designed for learning foreign languages but suitable for memorizing a wide range of content due to its versatile customization options. Anki employs an algorithm designed to schedule repetitions for individual facts, optimizing retention in long-term memory. Personally, I use Anki primarily for learning Japanese, but since becoming a student, I also use it daily to support my overall learning potential.

**Yomichan**

Yomichan, alongside Anki, is the most important tool that has completely transformed the entire learning process. Yomichan turns your web browser into a tool for building Japanese language skills, helping you understand texts that would otherwise be too challenging. This extension is similar to Rikaichamp for Firefox and Rikaikun for Chrome, but it differs from them in its aim to be a comprehensive learning tool, rather than just a browser-based dictionary.

**Setup**

I think I don’t need to write it out here, because here is – in my opinion – the best guide for both: just google “jp-lazy-guide”

**Natively**

In short, Natively is a free website designed to help Japanese and Korean learners engage with native content. Here’s a more detailed explanation:When learning a language, consuming native content is essential, particularly reading, which rapidly enhances your language understanding. The problem is that it’s not easy to find suitable content that matches your current proficiency level. Natively is designed to bridge this gap. It provides curated lists of articles, sorted by difficulty level, and offers features like furigana, translation, and audio to facilitate learning.

**Section 3: The First and Second Year**

Now we come to the section that likely holds the highest significance in this entire post: Routine and Consistency.

**The First Year**

On September 25, 2021, I resumed learning Japanese (I’ve explained why “resumed” in my previous posts). In essence, I had already attempted to familiarize myself with the “Remembering the Kanji” system in mid-2020 but gave up back then. My goal was to develop an effective learning routine as quickly as possible because I had about a year to prepare for my studies, which were set to begin in October 2022. I aimed to sleep at least 7 to 8 hours daily and targeted a minimum of 4 to 5 hours of active immersion throughout the day.

1. adasdYou don’t need to invest as many hours per day in the initial stages to reach my level, or possibly an even higher level, after two years.
2. Looking back, the early stages of my immersion journey were sometimes highly inefficient.

During this phase, I didn’t have a clear plan and engaged in activities like watching YouTube videos, using Cure Dolly’s grammar videos, watching anime, and even playing video games in Japanese. The initial period is undoubtedly the most challenging because you literally don’t understand a word. For those in a similar situation, here’s some advice:

1. Use a combination of Cure Dolly’s grammar videos and daily learning of 25 Anki cards to increase comprehension as quickly as possible.
2. Use programs like Migaku and their Kanji God add-on to develop the ability to recognize Kanji. If this, combined with point one, feels overwhelming, reduce the number of daily Anki cards.
3. Immersion, immersion, and more immersion.

A crucial factor in immersion is striking the right balance between entertainment and comprehensible input. My early days were inefficient because I hadn’t found this balance. It’s important to note that not everyone has the same preferences. Personally, I couldn’t get into classic slice-of-life anime or the usual recommendations like “Terrace House.” So, I turned to other media that motivated me more, even though I didn’t understand much at the beginning.

At the end of the day, no one will care in five years about the content you started with. The method I used leads to fluent language skills in the long run. However, the difference lies in how quickly and effectively you can make progress when you enjoy lighter genres. So, I encourage everyone to try out these genres. At the same time, be willing to explore other content if you otherwise wouldn’t consume Japanese. If you want to read more about my experiences during this time, you can do so in my “Yearly Update.” One thing is certain: the first year is undoubtedly the most challenging, and it’s normal not to understand much at the beginning.

**The Second Year**

Now let’s get to the really new information. The second year has brought about many changes and offered me new perspectives on various things. In this year, I’ve achieved a lot, and I’d like to first address my current status.

**Immersion**

Currently, I’ve completed 14 books and 53 manga volumes. As you can see in the graph, the speed varies from book to book, but compared to the first books I read in the first year, there’s a clear upward trend. My biggest challenge and my greatest progress came from reading “世界の終りとハードボイルド・ワンダーランド” (The End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland).

I read this book in a book club format with two very good friends, and I remember my feelings after the first two chapters. In those initial chapters, especially the second chapter, I truly didn’t understand a word. After discussing chapters 1 and 2, I remember wanting to give up. Here, I want to express my gratitude to Nils and Tobi, as they convinced me to give it another chance, not to give up. In the end, we read the entire book in the book club format, and I enjoyed every second of it. To date, the book remains one of my favorites, and I’ve made incredible progress. So, regarding books: in my experience, books are always the most challenging at the beginning. You need to get used to the new setting, writing style, and everything else. So, don’t give up after just the first or second chapter if you’re genuinely interested in the book. You’ll definitely see it getting easier!

Currently, I’ve watched 67 anime series and 34 anime movies, totaling 449:14 hours of viewing time. (Currently, I’m rewatching JoJo for the second time, which isn’t included in these hours.) Surprisingly, anime, despite some opinions on the internet suggesting otherwise, has been a very effective and straightforward way to learn Japanese. It’s often mentioned that you might pick up the quirks of characters and talk like an anime character, but I firmly believe that this, if it happens at all, is only temporary, especially in the beginning. I can’t imagine anyone suddenly saying “kuma” at the end of a sentence because of Persona.

Now, let’s talk about games. I haven’t played games in Japanese for a long time because the technical aspects are better suited for anime and books. Although you can hook games using programs like “Textractor” to transfer the text to Yomichan, this is usually cumbersome and works rather suboptimally for games that aren’t visual novels. However, I have completed two games entirely in Japanese, although it took a long time. The games were “Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma” and “The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky,” for which I also wrote a review.

Statistically speaking, if you focus solely on the “chars/m” value, games are naturally quite different and less “optimal” than books. However, the pleasant thing is that, in most cases, games now feel like a leisure activity to me. Due to the interruptions with gameplay, the Japanese isn’t as concentrated, but it also makes it easier for the mind.

There are few days when I managed to read over 20,000 characters in my books, but there have been several days when I achieved this in games. Of course, the 20,000 characters take about 2 hours in a book and probably 4 hours in a game. Personally, I can now play some games almost without looking up words or only rarely need to do so. As an example, yesterday I played the first two hours of Xenoblade Chronicles and only had to consult my dictionary three times in those two hours.

What’s interesting regarding immersion is that I’ve thought about my upcoming goals. The interesting thing is that while writing about this, I had a realization. Theoretically, I can say, “My next goal is X.” But my feelings about this statement are different from a year ago.

A year ago, my big goal was to finish “Trails in the Sky.” I’ve achieved that now, and I was thrilled and proud of myself. Back then, a year ago, “Trails in the Sky” felt distant, incredibly challenging, and unreachable.

That’s nonsense; everything is attainable; it’s just a matter of time. I could now say that my goal is to read all of Murakami’s books and play the Yakuza, Xenosaga, and Metal Gear Solid games. I am setting this as a goal, but my perspective on this goal is different.

I see it as attainable, and probably, these things (except maybe Xenosaga because, god damn, that looks complicated) are already doable. However, I want to reach a level in Japanese where I can enjoy these things as the creators intended. So, on one hand, it’s my goal to achieve these things, but it’s not a goal where I’m unsure of accomplishing it. I know I will.

**Section 4: Statistics**

Now, let’s move on to the important but brief statistics section. These statistics aren’t set in stone because I only counted series I watched once, even if I watched them twice, or movies like Shin Evangelion 4, which I watched three times. So far, I’ve spent 279:45 hours reading books, which corresponds to 2,088,659 characters. Furthermore, I’ve watched 449 hours of anime, which includes 1126 episodes and 34 movies. Then, I’ve spent 81:55 hours watching live-action shows, which equals 52 episodes and 22 movies. Lastly, I’ve completed two games and played a total of 170:14 hours of games in Japanese.

In Anki, I’ve now reached 10,000 Anki cards, fittingly on my two-year anniversary. This is actually a significant milestone, and I’m very pleased to have achieved it.

**Conclusion**

I’ll keep the conclusion relatively brief as well. In the end, I love Japanese above all else, and learning the language has been the best decision of my life. I’ve turned everything, absolutely everything, upside down so I can learn this language and live with it. My perspective, my knowledge, my view of all things has been significantly altered and shaped by the language. I’ve met an incredible number of fantastic people, some of whom I can now call very good friends. Because of this, I quit my job, started studying, and met my current girlfriend.Therefore, as a general goal, I simply want to continue on my path. Keep living my life with Japanese. I also want to tell everyone that it’s never too late. If you have an itch, if you want to learn the language, go for it. Yes, there are tough days. Yes, Anki is rarely fun. Yes, there are days when you want to give up. But don’t let momentary frustrations get to you; you’re stronger than that. You can learn this language or anything else if you consistently work on yourself and your goals.