As our community has grown significantly since our last Q&A, I thought I'd do another one today.
Feel free to ask me anything in the comment section below. Whether it be personal questions to me, general studying tips, questions about my experiences living in Japan, and anything in between. Maybe you have your own stories to share…go nuts! I'd love to hear from you.
Hello! Thank you for your time and efforts to the newsletter. I try my best to read it each time even though I am can only pick apart a few things from them each time :)
Currently, I am finishing up Genki 2 and moving on to Tobira. I still have difficulty with reading and was wondering if you had any tips. I am able to decipher the words but get stuck on the grammar parts. Would it be best for me to drill these in or to try and find multiple examples of the grammar being used?
Hi Kat, glad to hear you're enjoying the newsletter! It's great that you're about to finish Genki. I believe Tobira has a much less hold-your-hand approach and I know that my own students struggle with the transition from beginner to intermediate. I think the best way to get a grasp of the grammar patterns is to ask someone when you first make this transition, so I want to invite you to share specific sentences and patterns that you're struggling with here on this platform. I'm more than willing to help, and I'm sure others here are prepared to help you as well.
Have you visited any other countries other than Japan? If so which was your favorite? And if Japan is the only one you've visited, what do you love the most about it, and what is your favorite weird product you've come across whilst living there?
Hi けいさん! Such cool questions! Yes, I've visited many other countries, mostly in Western Europe, but I've also been to the Philippines (only for 24 hours though) and I lived in NYC for a short two years. I think Japan is my favorite country, but Italy will always have a special place in my heart as I went there every summer between the ages of 2 and 18. Other than the language, what I love most about Japan (and what I really miss here in Holland) is the food and the eating culture. Not only is the food great, but I've also had so many interesting encounters with all kinds of people who just happened to sit next to me at a bar or in a restaurant. And I've seen a lot of weird products, but to keep it in the world of reading, I once found glasses with mirrors in them that allowed you to be flat on your back but still read a book or magazine that you held upright in front of you. It was very difficult to use so I didn't buy it, but I thought it was pretty funny.
What about you? What is your favorite country? Did you find any strange products in Japan?
I haven't been to Japan yet! I hope to go in 2022 to study for about a month. However, I was born in the UK and moved to the USA when I was 22, and have found plenty of stuff that is different to the UK! I remember the first time I walked in front of truck that was lifted so much the hood was above my eye level (and I'm 5'6). The wrong way signs at the entrance to highways really tickled me, because in England we have roundabouts so there is no way to enter the wrong way 😂. Americans seem unusually obsessed with peanut butter and cinnamon (both of which I am not a huge fan of), and the fact that EVERYTHING can be drive thru. I remember how much of a big deal the drive thru Starbucks was in my UK hometown when it first got built, and then I moved here they were everywhere! I think the thing that baffled me the most was the drive-thru liquor store I saw in Vegas, it seems so counter intuitive 😂
Hi MoodyPond, I ended up here because I started here :) I was born and raised in The Netherlands, and after living in Japan and the US for a total of 7-8 years I decided to come back to be close to family.
And yes, I was in universities for the entire 6 years I lived in Japan. I did a full MA program at a university in Tokyo, specializing in modern Japanese literature. I also worked at the Writing Center of my university, where I reviewed both English and Japanese papers. So all in all, I have spent quite a few years in the Japanese academic system.
I have finished learning hiragana and katakana. I have learned a few uses for a few particles such as は, が, に and を. I have learned to write a few probably 50 kanji but with no specific method. My listening and speaking isn't as good as my writing, which is something I'd like to improve upon!!
At this point, I really don't feel like I am progressing and I think part of it is because I don't know what resources to use, or how to study after having learned hiragana and katakana. I was thinking of buying children's books in Japanese to practice reading, but wasn't sure which if any. Could you recommend how I could approach learning Japanese at the state I'm at right now (and or recommend resources)?
Hi c.j. thanks for your question! I think for the stage you're at right now, most things will be completely new and you'll be able to learn a lot. Right now, you might benefit from a combination of a standard textbook (I think most people use books like Genki or Minna no Nihongo) and exposure to many kinds of different 'real' forms of Japanese (written, spoken, etc.). When you read, I would use two different types of sources: on the one hand, sources that pushes you a little bit (you mentioned children's books, which is a good place to start, although these can actually be quite difficult to follow as they are completely in kana), and on the other some sources that really push you to your limits (or even a bit beyond). For this latter category you might try Miyazawa Kenji's works, which you can find for free on a website called Aozora Bunko. Chances are, you'll feel like you're drowning when you read this, because you won't be familiar with the sentence patterns and vocabulary. But try to push beyond any frustration you might feel and give this about 10-15 minutes per day. Over time, you will notice progress, even if you don't understand everything. You can find a few installments in this newsletter that include audio and a thorough breakdown of the sentences.
Otherwise, focus on the more regular textbooks and immersion through, for example, interviews on Youtube that are made to learn Japanese. These are usually a bit slower and include Japanese and English subtitles. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzzweIQoIOU&ab_channel=EasyLanguages)
AAH!! Thanks so much for your reply Mr. Bunsuke (is this what you would prefer to be referred as?). Hopefully I can update you on my progress once i try all your suggestions!
Hopefully another question will be okay..
I was wondering if you had a favourite show either growing up and if you have a favourite show now, that's really touched you. For me it's gotta be Adventure Time (BMO will always have my heart).
I've never seen that show, so I should look it up. I suppose when I was little I watched a bunch of Nils Holgersson. Lately, my wife has gotten me into Ghibli. Miyazaki's work has a lot of sentimental value for her and I really enjoy and admire the story telling.
I enjoyed reading all your questions and answers. My reading and kanji is slowly improving thanks to your newsletters, although now I face a bigger problem. Speaking. So I wondered if you have any tips on learning how to improve speaking? It may have been helpful that you were immerse in the language in Japan, that must have been amazing to live and study in Japan. Does it help to immerse oneself in the language? Just two more chapters until I finish Genki I, but now finding that my ability to speak is really way behind. How has this process to speaking fluently been for you. How did you go about it? And how long does it take to become proficient in speaking Japanese? After one year study it has been all about grammar, but I really miss the speaking component and after all this is what I also want to be able to do. Thank you for your advice.
Hi Koppa! Speaking is tough when you're not in Japan. The best way is, of course, to spend longer stretches in Japan. This gives you the opportunity to speak Japanese a lot, but you're also always surrounded by the language. This is the best way to get better quickly. If you cannot go to Japan, the best way to learn is to find a language partner who is willing to practice with you at a regular pace. But if that is not an option, what I used to do is find shows and series that use a lot of daily conversation and just repeat and mimic the speech patterns out loud. Perhaps there are dramas and tv shows you can find on Netflix. Terrace House is often a good representation of how younger generations talk amongst themselves in informal settings. I think this is a good way to make yourself familiar with different types of speech if you aren't able to find someone to practice with.
Hello and Thank You So Much for your Newsletters. They are very helpful in my Japanese learning. I'd like to even appreciate you for the time you put in choosing and sending us such great passages. Many of them are so insightful and eye opening as well.
Well currently for my level (N4) I'm not that great in reading Japanese particularly if there are a lot of Kanjis, I mean I know around 2200 Kanjis which I studied through RTK (Remembering the Kanji) but then again I don't know the readings for most of them. So I have to use the dictionary to look up some of the words. Here as well I'd like to thank you for providing the meanings and translations for the words and the passage itself below. :D
The thing is I'd like to ask you is there a way or method which you might be using to remember the vocabulary? I think my only problem might be vocabulary for now. Even grammar does not bug me enough as vocab does. So I'd like to know your insights on this.
Once again thank you so much for your newsletters and I hope this community grows more and more. I'm also constantly sharing this with my other friends who are Learning Japanese as well. :)
Hi Yash, thanks for your kind comment, and for sharing the newsletter with your friends.
It's really impressive that you've been able to remember so many kanji. This will help you learn vocabulary quicker and will cause you less stress during reading.
My advice is not a quick fix, I'm afraid. I know that many people use word lists and flash cards. But personally, I don't believe in these tools, at least not as a direct way to learn more vocabulary. The best way to learn and expand your vocabulary is to read and understand words in context, so that you know how they are used. This is actually the entire idea behind this newsletter. It does mean that you'll have to spend more time reading and looking up vocabulary. When you do this, it actually helps to make word lists and flash cards. But I would advise writing these by hand. The process of writing while you read and look up words will help you remember them in the long run. However, learning them cold from a list without any context doesn't really get you very far in my experience, and even causes confusion in some cases (for example, I've seen students learn the word 行為 which means 'action', and then use it to translate 'action movie' as 行為映画, which is of course wrong. This is just a simple and extreme example, but it shows how learning words out of context can be counterproductive).
Yes absolutely true, I really try to read as much as possible, context is very important as you said and the last part you said about translating in a wrong manner is absolutely true, it happens with me quite often and I'm working it. Context is definitely important.
Right now I think I might be lacking the writing part though, earlier I used to write a lot but not much now, I guess writing was really the key, I do still remember most of the words and sentences I used to write frequently before.
Well Thank You again for reminding me, I should just start writing again.
And Again Thank you so much for your time and Have a wonderful weekend :)
I want to ask you how you being?
I'm doing well thanks! Got my first of two vaccinations today. How about you?
I am good too. thank you for asking.
Glad to hear it!
Hello! Thank you for your time and efforts to the newsletter. I try my best to read it each time even though I am can only pick apart a few things from them each time :)
Currently, I am finishing up Genki 2 and moving on to Tobira. I still have difficulty with reading and was wondering if you had any tips. I am able to decipher the words but get stuck on the grammar parts. Would it be best for me to drill these in or to try and find multiple examples of the grammar being used?
Hi Kat, glad to hear you're enjoying the newsletter! It's great that you're about to finish Genki. I believe Tobira has a much less hold-your-hand approach and I know that my own students struggle with the transition from beginner to intermediate. I think the best way to get a grasp of the grammar patterns is to ask someone when you first make this transition, so I want to invite you to share specific sentences and patterns that you're struggling with here on this platform. I'm more than willing to help, and I'm sure others here are prepared to help you as well.
Have you visited any other countries other than Japan? If so which was your favorite? And if Japan is the only one you've visited, what do you love the most about it, and what is your favorite weird product you've come across whilst living there?
Hi けいさん! Such cool questions! Yes, I've visited many other countries, mostly in Western Europe, but I've also been to the Philippines (only for 24 hours though) and I lived in NYC for a short two years. I think Japan is my favorite country, but Italy will always have a special place in my heart as I went there every summer between the ages of 2 and 18. Other than the language, what I love most about Japan (and what I really miss here in Holland) is the food and the eating culture. Not only is the food great, but I've also had so many interesting encounters with all kinds of people who just happened to sit next to me at a bar or in a restaurant. And I've seen a lot of weird products, but to keep it in the world of reading, I once found glasses with mirrors in them that allowed you to be flat on your back but still read a book or magazine that you held upright in front of you. It was very difficult to use so I didn't buy it, but I thought it was pretty funny.
What about you? What is your favorite country? Did you find any strange products in Japan?
I haven't been to Japan yet! I hope to go in 2022 to study for about a month. However, I was born in the UK and moved to the USA when I was 22, and have found plenty of stuff that is different to the UK! I remember the first time I walked in front of truck that was lifted so much the hood was above my eye level (and I'm 5'6). The wrong way signs at the entrance to highways really tickled me, because in England we have roundabouts so there is no way to enter the wrong way 😂. Americans seem unusually obsessed with peanut butter and cinnamon (both of which I am not a huge fan of), and the fact that EVERYTHING can be drive thru. I remember how much of a big deal the drive thru Starbucks was in my UK hometown when it first got built, and then I moved here they were everywhere! I think the thing that baffled me the most was the drive-thru liquor store I saw in Vegas, it seems so counter intuitive 😂
Haha the idea of a drive-thru liquor store is hilarious! Hope you get to go to Japan next year. Let me know if it works out!
Sorry if this is a little personal, but how did you end up in the Netherlands? And did you ever do any academic work in Japan?
Hi MoodyPond, I ended up here because I started here :) I was born and raised in The Netherlands, and after living in Japan and the US for a total of 7-8 years I decided to come back to be close to family.
And yes, I was in universities for the entire 6 years I lived in Japan. I did a full MA program at a university in Tokyo, specializing in modern Japanese literature. I also worked at the Writing Center of my university, where I reviewed both English and Japanese papers. So all in all, I have spent quite a few years in the Japanese academic system.
Have you studied/taught in Japan?
Oh that's so cool! Unfortunately I haven't, plans have been disrupted because of COVID :/ Hoping to go next year and study, though
Yeah, many of my own students had to cancel their Japan plans due to COVID as well. Hope you get to go next year!
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your newsletters!
I have finished learning hiragana and katakana. I have learned a few uses for a few particles such as は, が, に and を. I have learned to write a few probably 50 kanji but with no specific method. My listening and speaking isn't as good as my writing, which is something I'd like to improve upon!!
At this point, I really don't feel like I am progressing and I think part of it is because I don't know what resources to use, or how to study after having learned hiragana and katakana. I was thinking of buying children's books in Japanese to practice reading, but wasn't sure which if any. Could you recommend how I could approach learning Japanese at the state I'm at right now (and or recommend resources)?
Hi c.j. thanks for your question! I think for the stage you're at right now, most things will be completely new and you'll be able to learn a lot. Right now, you might benefit from a combination of a standard textbook (I think most people use books like Genki or Minna no Nihongo) and exposure to many kinds of different 'real' forms of Japanese (written, spoken, etc.). When you read, I would use two different types of sources: on the one hand, sources that pushes you a little bit (you mentioned children's books, which is a good place to start, although these can actually be quite difficult to follow as they are completely in kana), and on the other some sources that really push you to your limits (or even a bit beyond). For this latter category you might try Miyazawa Kenji's works, which you can find for free on a website called Aozora Bunko. Chances are, you'll feel like you're drowning when you read this, because you won't be familiar with the sentence patterns and vocabulary. But try to push beyond any frustration you might feel and give this about 10-15 minutes per day. Over time, you will notice progress, even if you don't understand everything. You can find a few installments in this newsletter that include audio and a thorough breakdown of the sentences.
Otherwise, focus on the more regular textbooks and immersion through, for example, interviews on Youtube that are made to learn Japanese. These are usually a bit slower and include Japanese and English subtitles. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzzweIQoIOU&ab_channel=EasyLanguages)
AAH!! Thanks so much for your reply Mr. Bunsuke (is this what you would prefer to be referred as?). Hopefully I can update you on my progress once i try all your suggestions!
Hopefully another question will be okay..
I was wondering if you had a favourite show either growing up and if you have a favourite show now, that's really touched you. For me it's gotta be Adventure Time (BMO will always have my heart).
I've never seen that show, so I should look it up. I suppose when I was little I watched a bunch of Nils Holgersson. Lately, my wife has gotten me into Ghibli. Miyazaki's work has a lot of sentimental value for her and I really enjoy and admire the story telling.
I enjoyed reading all your questions and answers. My reading and kanji is slowly improving thanks to your newsletters, although now I face a bigger problem. Speaking. So I wondered if you have any tips on learning how to improve speaking? It may have been helpful that you were immerse in the language in Japan, that must have been amazing to live and study in Japan. Does it help to immerse oneself in the language? Just two more chapters until I finish Genki I, but now finding that my ability to speak is really way behind. How has this process to speaking fluently been for you. How did you go about it? And how long does it take to become proficient in speaking Japanese? After one year study it has been all about grammar, but I really miss the speaking component and after all this is what I also want to be able to do. Thank you for your advice.
Hi Koppa! Speaking is tough when you're not in Japan. The best way is, of course, to spend longer stretches in Japan. This gives you the opportunity to speak Japanese a lot, but you're also always surrounded by the language. This is the best way to get better quickly. If you cannot go to Japan, the best way to learn is to find a language partner who is willing to practice with you at a regular pace. But if that is not an option, what I used to do is find shows and series that use a lot of daily conversation and just repeat and mimic the speech patterns out loud. Perhaps there are dramas and tv shows you can find on Netflix. Terrace House is often a good representation of how younger generations talk amongst themselves in informal settings. I think this is a good way to make yourself familiar with different types of speech if you aren't able to find someone to practice with.
Hello and Thank You So Much for your Newsletters. They are very helpful in my Japanese learning. I'd like to even appreciate you for the time you put in choosing and sending us such great passages. Many of them are so insightful and eye opening as well.
Well currently for my level (N4) I'm not that great in reading Japanese particularly if there are a lot of Kanjis, I mean I know around 2200 Kanjis which I studied through RTK (Remembering the Kanji) but then again I don't know the readings for most of them. So I have to use the dictionary to look up some of the words. Here as well I'd like to thank you for providing the meanings and translations for the words and the passage itself below. :D
The thing is I'd like to ask you is there a way or method which you might be using to remember the vocabulary? I think my only problem might be vocabulary for now. Even grammar does not bug me enough as vocab does. So I'd like to know your insights on this.
Once again thank you so much for your newsletters and I hope this community grows more and more. I'm also constantly sharing this with my other friends who are Learning Japanese as well. :)
Hi Yash, thanks for your kind comment, and for sharing the newsletter with your friends.
It's really impressive that you've been able to remember so many kanji. This will help you learn vocabulary quicker and will cause you less stress during reading.
My advice is not a quick fix, I'm afraid. I know that many people use word lists and flash cards. But personally, I don't believe in these tools, at least not as a direct way to learn more vocabulary. The best way to learn and expand your vocabulary is to read and understand words in context, so that you know how they are used. This is actually the entire idea behind this newsletter. It does mean that you'll have to spend more time reading and looking up vocabulary. When you do this, it actually helps to make word lists and flash cards. But I would advise writing these by hand. The process of writing while you read and look up words will help you remember them in the long run. However, learning them cold from a list without any context doesn't really get you very far in my experience, and even causes confusion in some cases (for example, I've seen students learn the word 行為 which means 'action', and then use it to translate 'action movie' as 行為映画, which is of course wrong. This is just a simple and extreme example, but it shows how learning words out of context can be counterproductive).
Hey! Thanks for your reply!!
Yes absolutely true, I really try to read as much as possible, context is very important as you said and the last part you said about translating in a wrong manner is absolutely true, it happens with me quite often and I'm working it. Context is definitely important.
Right now I think I might be lacking the writing part though, earlier I used to write a lot but not much now, I guess writing was really the key, I do still remember most of the words and sentences I used to write frequently before.
Well Thank You again for reminding me, I should just start writing again.
And Again Thank you so much for your time and Have a wonderful weekend :)
You're very welcome! Hope you have a great weekend as well.