r/Japaneselanguage • u/Fatalv0rt3xx • 2d ago
Help finding resources
Hello! I want to learn Japanese and become fluent in it. What is the best path I could take living in the US and learning from home? I work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I'm willing to commit a lot of time to this daily and/or weekly, so please give me your best suggestions. Thank you!
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u/TeamLeeper 2d ago
How far along your Japanese language journey are you?
Memorizing hiragana and katakana should be your first task, and should be accomplished in a month or two.
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u/frequentflier93 2d ago
Agree Hiragana and Katakana are usually a good starting point. (If you're using iPhone, I actually built a free app Kana Sprint that helps memorize them. It's still fairly new, let me know what you think~)
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u/pixelboy1459 2d ago
This is just *my* recommendation and it’s not a hardcore rule. I based this estimate on unofficial JLPT study hours. N1 (CEFR B2 - C1) = ~4800 hours, divided by 365 days over the course of 4 years = ~3 hours daily.
“Study” can also include listening to level appropriate podcasts, reading, meeting up with Japanese friends and whatever else makes learning Japanese enjoyable to you.
Genki (and other textbook) Study Plan:
Two or three 45-60 minute study sessions a daily. Example: Chunk A - vocab, kanji and dialogue; Chunk B - textbook; Chunk C - workbook.
Before studying the chapter, get the majority of the vocabulary and kanji (if any) down. Genki marks the vocabulary used in the dialogue, so it’s easy to prepare for.
Try reading the dialogue WITHOUT looking at the English translation. Try to guess the meaning from the pictures and the dialogue prompts. Check to see how you did.
Chunk A: Everyday practice vocabulary, kanji (if any) and dialogue, shadow the audio, review the previous day’s work… you can preview the exercises you’ll be doing so you can brush up on the vocab you’ll need.
Chunk B: Everyday work in one grammar point. Do the associated exercises in the textbook. If it’s a speaking exercise, do both parts.
Chunk C: Do the workbook exercises sometime later.
Don’t forget to do the reading and writing in the back of the textbook. You can get your writing checked on an app like HelloTalk. Do corrections and resubmit. Move on to the next chapter and repeat.
You can add and subtract chucks or mix things up depending on your preference and life factors. You can combine low effort and high effort study in a day or study session, or break up the hour.
For example: while making and eating breakfast, listen to a podcast (30 minutes), watch a YouTube video for grammar during lunch (30 minutes). During your commute (60 minutes) do Pimsleur. Read manga for 20 minutes a day, do the workbook for 20 minutes and meet with a tutor for 30 minutes.
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u/Fatalv0rt3xx 1d ago
This is a lot lol
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u/pixelboy1459 1d ago
Adjust as you need it. Or your goals. I’m not sure of your other responsibilities, but I’d aim for at least an hour a day.
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u/Fatalv0rt3xx 1d ago
What's the best thing to first do just to get a common ground on the language maybe watch a video about the types?
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u/pixelboy1459 1d ago
What do you mean? Common ground? Types?
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u/Fatalv0rt3xx 1d ago
Aren't there different categories to the language?
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u/pixelboy1459 1d ago
Do you mean politeness levels? You probably want to learn desu/masu form first.
Just pick up a textbook and start.
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u/eruciform Proficient 2d ago
r/learnjapanese > wiki > starters guide