So I’ve seen a lot of videos of people saying to watch tv shows and movies in Japanese to immerse in the language and learn that way. But should I watch them with English subtitles or Japanese subtitles? I don’t know any Japanese and know like 20 hiragana. But I feel if I watch it with Japanese subtitles, then I won’t know what’s going on since I can’t read those subtitles.
Also I heard that immersing in anime isn’t the best way to learn since they use a lot of slang and talk differently than actual Japanese people. So what movies and shows would anyone recommend as well?
7 comments
If it’s immersion on a very beginner level you should 100% use Eng subs. Anime sure use a different way of speaking but it’s not that big of a deal. You’ll know when you learn more japanese. Watch japanese media you want be it anime or movies, turn on subtitles, get used to hearing japanese and most importantly you enjoy what you are immersing in.
Immerse any time
Just set reasonable goals and expectations and don’t go over your head so much you frustrate yourself
But there’s no harm in doing it from square one
Try and see if you’re really learning or just watching anime.
One thing I find useful is pick a short video with jp subtitles, make a list of words I don’t recognize in the subtitles, then study those words with anki or whatever as I rewatch the video every day for several days. Youtube videos often have subtitles and can be viewed at reduced speed so those are useful too.
If starting this way is too difficult, maybe it’s better to stop and study words grammar and the writing system for a while. Grammar is especially useful for unserstanding the structure of a sentence and also because written japanese doesn’t use spaces lol, and it is best learned through [examples](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/843402109)
You’d be better off by starting with a basic textbook like genki first. Immersion is only efficient when you at least can grasp the meaning by guessing.
I started with Duolingo as a primer, then I started listening to podcasts (one good one I found is called Session) then started anime as well. Podcasts are great because they are solely aural so your brain isn’t being distracted by action or whatever is happening on the anime. Duolingo, for all the flak it cops, it’s a way to keep yourself studying at your convenience. It’s in your pocket all day, got 10 mins? Pull it out and start learning the Kana (yes it has all 3 now).
このだ
In my day (and maybe still today), immersion meant putting yourself in an environment full of native speakers. Watching shows would not count as immersion. You need to interact!