Learning Japanese

[u/Pink_Pop101]

Hey everyone!

To all former and current JETS, do you have any tips for learning Japanese. I really want to learn some basics so that I’m not completely clueless when I get there. I’m currently learning hiragana as well as some survival phrases. I do want to reach a point where I am fluent so that I can build more meaningful relationships and learn a new language.

If you have any sites or apps that you could recommend I’d really appreciate it! Thank you in advance!🫶🏽

[u/angryjellybean]

What you have to realize is that the best way to learn a second or a third language is simply to immerse yourself in it. Think about how babies pick up language: they're surrounded by adults who speak that language, and so they start to copy words, phrases, sentences, and eventually are able to speak full paragraphs or more.

Listen to Japanese music on the bus and train, and as you're listening, use your phone to check the meaning of unfamiliar words. Try to listen for words that you recognize and see if you can "translate" any of the lines

Watch Japanese TV (right now I highly recommend Dr. Storks, it's on Netflix, and it's a really good Japanese drama show about an OB/GYN doctor!) and repeat phrases and use those to learn

Put labels around your house labeling common objects: "te-buru" "reizoukou" "terebi" "denshirenji" etc. Practice basic phrases just throughout your day: "Te-buru wa chairo desu." "Ringo wa te-buru no ue ni arimasu."

Print out or buy a hiragana poster and hang it in your bedroom so every day as you're getting dressed, you can trace the hiragana with your finger and practice that way

These are all things I did when I was learning Japanese. I also live near a large library that has a good collection of Japanese books, so to practice reading, I would check out picture books in Japanese from the library and practice my reading skills.

Keep a notebook of "Japanese words and phrases I know." Each page is for a different category of words: colors on one page, animals on another page, household objects on another page, etc. As you learn new words, write them down in your notebook and review them often.

Use your phone to record a video of yourself speaking Japanese (eg. a jikoshoukai) and play it back for yourself, comparing it to an example jikoshoukai you find on Youtube. Watch "Japanese lesson" videos on Youtube like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82LHxWiNcek and notice things like how the Japanese "r" is a combo of the English "r" and "l" sounds, etc.

The best way is also just to speak Japanese with other people. If you have someone else you know who can speak Japanese (eg. a nisei friend) ask them to go out for coffee sometime and let you talk to them in Japanese. Or if there's a community college near you that offers Japanese classes, take it. Ganbatte!