Let me start off by once again expressing my gratitude. It makes me proud to see that so many of you are enjoying the newsletter and have made it a part of your daily studies. Many thanks for engaging with the material, liking the posts, leaving comments, and sharing this resource with others. Because of your enthusiasm, our community has now grown to over 2000 people. Thank you! It means a lot to me.
For those of you who are new: welcome! I’m Bunsuke. I’m from The Netherlands, and have dedicated my entire adult life to learning and teaching Japanese. I started this newsletter because I noticed that, in the midst of the pandemic, many of us are increasingly becoming alienated from each other and from resources. I hope that these daily excerpts will help improve your Japanese language skills, but more importantly, that you will find a friendly and supportive community here.
Apart from the daily excerpts, I occasionally send out a discussion thread with a short essay like the one below, just to start a conversation and to get to know all of you a bit better.
Please keep sharing and reaching out. You can always get in touch with me by commenting on any content I send out or by joining these discussions. If you want to message me privately, you can simply reply to the emails you receive in your inbox.
But when we try to define the term ‘native’ we run into trouble. We may say that a native speaker is someone who has encountered certain linguistic patterns, melodic structures, and cultural phenomena from a young age. This might explain why it’s so difficult to reach high levels of fluency in a language when you start learning it after the age of 18. It also explains why, even after 15 years of dedicated and focused study, my 5 year old Japanese nephew is already more ‘native’ than I’ll ever be.
When I started studying Japanese, I wanted nothing more than to get as close to native level as I possibly could. I saw native speakers as gods of a universe of which I was trying to be a part. But that image changed over time. For one, none of these native speakers seemed to agree about their own language: when to use は or が, how to use honorific language appropriately, certain nuances in word usage, etcetera.
We also have to take into account that the idea of a uniform national language is problematic. The language we now call ‘Japanese’ is the result of a long history of ideological, social, and political conflict. You can see this clearly in regional dialects, in which many of the grammatical rules of standardized Japanese do not apply. (There are countless other examples I could mention, but if you’re interested in this topic, I recommend you read this book.)
Then there’s the element of perception. I remember one example vividly. I used to work as a tutor in Tokyo. Most of the English language tutors were not ‘native’ speakers, except for one colleague from the U.S. who was ethnically half Japanese, but who could only speak English. One day our Japanese boss came up to me and a friend at work asking for a ‘native’ check of something she had written in English. We replied that we weren’t native English speakers, but that our colleague was from America, so maybe he would be a better fit. She replied with: “But he’s half Japanese, right?” Sometimes looking a certain way is enough for people to in- or exclude you from the category of ‘native’.
Also, language is always in flux. My father was born in 1936, and he sometimes uses words or expressions in Dutch that I’ve never heard of. Conversely, many of my own students have trouble uttering a full sentence in Dutch without inserting English here and there. Everybody laments the decay of a language as they know it (“young people these days…”). But is this kind of change necessarily a bad thing? How do we balance the preservation of languages on the one hand, and their inevitable evolution on the other?
But here is the silver lining: even though I’ll probably never be considered native, there are aspects of Japanese language at which I am now better than the average native speaker. It has gotten to the point where many of my Japanese in-laws turn to me when they have trouble reading old kanji (this happens a lot when we visit temples). I shouldn’t say this, but those moments always feel like small victories.
For what it’s worth, here are a few things I did to improve my fluency.
Get the pronunciation right. This includes the intonation of words and the melody and rhythm of sentences. I did this by watching a lot of drama series, but also more serious interviews with writers, scholars, and politicians. I try to find people I admire and mimic their speech patterns. You might notice in your own language that it’s much more pleasant to listen to someone who has perfect pronunciation (even if their grammar or vocabulary is a bit shaky) than to someone who uses perfect grammar but has terrible diction.
Keep it simple. I made this mistake often in my early years, but once you have a basic grasp of the grammar and have built up a decent vocabulary, your instinct is to work difficult words into your converations and writing. Try to resist this urge. Chances are you’re using the words incorrectly, only emphasizing the flaws in your knowledge. Instead, keep things simple. In fact, practice this by making sentences as short and simple as you possibly can. You can always build from there.
Don’t translate humor from your own language into Japanese. This never works. Humor is probably the most culturally specific phenomenon there is. I have looked silly on many occasions trying to work Dutch humor into Japanese conversations. Not only did my attempts fail horribly, but I unintentionally managed to offend a few people in the process.
I’m curious about your opinions and experiences. How would you define ‘native speaker’? Is the idea of a standardized national language also problematic where you’re from? What tools and methods do you use to improve your Japanese fluency?Comment below and share your thoughts!
It doesn’t fit to the topic of your post, but I wanted to say thank you! I enjoy your newsletter a lot (nearly) every day and for me it already feels like reading Japanese got a bit easier. Most texts are a bit above my Japanese level, but maybe that’s the best way to learn new things. Dank je wel! :)
Hi Valerie, thanks so much for your generous comment! You are always welcome to comment whatever you like under anything I post. I'm really happy to read that the newsletter benefits you in your (nearly) daily studies. And pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone is for sure the best way to improve quickly. Hope to hear from you again soon and get to know you a bit better over time. Good luck!
Thanks for asking! I'm actually in the process of setting up donations in the form of monthly/yearly subscriptions here on Substack and creating extra content for those who are willing to support the newsletter. This way I can keep the daily newsletter a free resource for everyone, which is really the most important thing for me. I'll be sure to send out an announcement once preparations are under way.
As a university student majoring in Japanese studies, I have struggled (and still struggle a little) with reaching a "native-like" level of fluency (which I think is quite common for anybody whose major has to do with a language), but over time I changed my approach. One of my teachers said something that I think many people forget - that language is not a goal, it is a tool, so I think making mistakes and speaking with an accent is not a bad thing, it's just a part of our learning process/identity, and especially in the case of Japanese, it is often hard to say what is correct or incorrect.
A tool that I use the most to improve my Japanese are books - for me, it is a great way to expand vocabulary, learn new sentence patterns, sayings or colloquialisms that aren't usually discussed in textbooks, but also what could be called as "passable mistakes" - what is seemingly a mistake but still works in a given language and usually has some implications (such as child speech).
Hi Maoi, thanks for your comment! You make an excellent point. When we try to focus on getting to a certain level we sometimes forget that language is a tool and not a goal.
Books are such a great way of learning a language. It's the main idea behind this newsletter. I also really loved your point about passable mistakes, a topic which I think deserves its own thread!
On the topic of accent, one thing that made me feel less self conscious is the fact that non-standard accents don't need to be unpleasant. For example, I am Spanish and when talking in English, Spaniards have a pretty strong accent. I was watching a video the other day where someone was talking in English with an incredibly strong Spanish accent, and while I felt ashamed, the people on the comments were loving it. "Wow, everything said in a Spanish accent seems so interesting!" they said.
Thus, speaking Japanese in an Spanish or American accent doesn't make it worthless. We can try to aim for good pronunciation, sure, but we can be proud of the little mannerisms that define us. Impeccable Japanese spoken with a foreign accent is the result of many years and thousands of hours of effort, and we should be proud of it.
Hi RDP, thanks for your comment! I completely agree with you that accents make language more interesting, especially at moments where they start influencing speech patterns in the language itself. You see this a lot with foreign タレント on TV, but also historically, much of what is now part of standardized Japanese language is a result of translations from the Meiji period. Though in this context of the native speaker, for people who aren't used to hearing foreign accents a lot, it is less strenuous to listen to accents closer to their own, at least in the examples I've experienced thus far.
First of all I really enjoyed reading all the replies of the question: "what is a native speaker?". It's nice to read your open-minded and honest anwers. I can only speak about my own experiences. Being a beginner I found it easier to get the pronounciation "right" when I didn't know ひらがな (hiragana) nor カタカナ (katakana) let alone 漢字 (kanji) When I just started I repeated what my native teacher said and I couldn't say much, but what I said sounded more Japanese, than later on. Soon I learnt the Japanese writing system something strange happened; it felt much harder for me to just repeat. I spent a lot of time on learning how to write in Japanese and noticed my pronounciation got worse instead of better. Now I'm trying to improve my pronunciation with the following book:"Shokyū Bunkei De Dekiru Nihongo Hatsuon Akutibiti"ISBN-13 : 978-4872177411. There are many resources on internet, but what I like about this book is that it uses very easy words and sentences with it's sole purpose to pay attention to the rhythm and pitch accents and thereby enhancing your pronunciation. It can be very hard for me at least to pick this up just by listening to anything on the internet. I think it is important to make your Japanese sound as Japanese as is possible, but I also agree with others that having fun should be most important thing, that language is just a tool and that it's al about getting the message across. Communication is the most important thing. Learning Japanese can sometimes be a struggle but I think we will never fail, unless we give up. We might never sound like a native, but the fact that we try and keep trying and to all those who keep trying they have my deepest respect for it shows real determination, hard work to achieve native level. I'm not there yet, not even close. Many novels here all also beyond my level, but it's so nice to have a forum like this and learn in this way.
Hi Koppa, this is a really interesting experience. It probably also has to do with the fact that the more you study the more you realize how much you still have to learn. This adds psychological pressure, which in turn makes you more nervous about speaking. The beginning is always fun, because there's no way but up. The hard work, as you mention, comes after that. Maintaining your focus and enjoying the process are difficult, but so important.
I'm also glad that you are enjoying this platform. If you stick with the short excerpts I send out every day, you'll notice improvement over time. Because you create a habit, the skills you learn are much more permanent. Hope you keep enjoying reading literature in Japanese!
your absolutely right, it feels like there is more pressure and my ability to speak so limited. I will indeed continue reading Japanese literature, as it's such a good way to improve my grammar, kanji and vocabulary and again your summaries are wonderful.
Dear Bunsuke, your style of writing I appreciate as very charming. Your essay on the subject of native speech invites one to react positively on the statements. My experience in life has learned me to accept that language mostly is limited to what a person is able to learn in his lifetime: there is only one place or region on earth you can really call yours, and it originates from your childhood. For instance I will never be able to pronounce the dutch word 'bord' like a born Frisian; the sound is full of clay and tough wheather. Therefore it is remarkable that you have come so far in Japanese as to achieve your 'little' victories you described.
I must admit that I will not start learning Japanese, sorry for that, but it is a pleasure to have a glimpse of what is going on in your life and I wish you to be very successful.
Very interesting post Bunsuke! I feel that in the end what matters is communication. With globalization each language starts having new nuances to accommodate the exposure to new words and expressions from other places , and there's nothing wrong with that.
I can't imagine you pulling the dutch "I fok horses" joke with japanese ahah
When will you drop a masterclass in deconstructing japanese sentences?
Hi João, it's great to hear from you! Haha I'm surprised you know that joke! Please let me know if there are passages in particular that you struggle with, perhaps I can share it in a thread and we can deconstruct it together.
When I worked as a tour guide I end up learning jokes from all over the world ahah
I don't have any passages in mind, but I think I speak for a lot a people that "making sense" of more complex japanese sentences are a big hurdle regarding reading and how the language works. So my biggest struggle reading really comes to making the connection between each part of the sentence and make sense from the whole thing. Makes me go gek
I think that the goal to rich "native" level of any language is often could be obstacle to learn. For example, most of us will never have perfect accent. Or at some point you'll choose strange word order, etc. So while you're not spy you don't have to even bother to become native speaker and just have fun. What do you think?
Dear Aranka, thank you for your thoughtful comment! I agree completely that in the end communication is the most important thing. I'm currently also being confronted with my own limitations as a native Dutch speaker on a daily basis, as my wife is learning Dutch and asks me all sorts of questions to which I have zero answers...
(En leuk om te zien dat je je hebt ingeschreven voor de nieuwsbrief ;))
It doesn’t fit to the topic of your post, but I wanted to say thank you! I enjoy your newsletter a lot (nearly) every day and for me it already feels like reading Japanese got a bit easier. Most texts are a bit above my Japanese level, but maybe that’s the best way to learn new things. Dank je wel! :)
Hi Valerie, thanks so much for your generous comment! You are always welcome to comment whatever you like under anything I post. I'm really happy to read that the newsletter benefits you in your (nearly) daily studies. And pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone is for sure the best way to improve quickly. Hope to hear from you again soon and get to know you a bit better over time. Good luck!
Thank you! Do you have Patreon or some other way we can support you?
Thanks for asking! I'm actually in the process of setting up donations in the form of monthly/yearly subscriptions here on Substack and creating extra content for those who are willing to support the newsletter. This way I can keep the daily newsletter a free resource for everyone, which is really the most important thing for me. I'll be sure to send out an announcement once preparations are under way.
As a university student majoring in Japanese studies, I have struggled (and still struggle a little) with reaching a "native-like" level of fluency (which I think is quite common for anybody whose major has to do with a language), but over time I changed my approach. One of my teachers said something that I think many people forget - that language is not a goal, it is a tool, so I think making mistakes and speaking with an accent is not a bad thing, it's just a part of our learning process/identity, and especially in the case of Japanese, it is often hard to say what is correct or incorrect.
A tool that I use the most to improve my Japanese are books - for me, it is a great way to expand vocabulary, learn new sentence patterns, sayings or colloquialisms that aren't usually discussed in textbooks, but also what could be called as "passable mistakes" - what is seemingly a mistake but still works in a given language and usually has some implications (such as child speech).
Hi Maoi, thanks for your comment! You make an excellent point. When we try to focus on getting to a certain level we sometimes forget that language is a tool and not a goal.
Books are such a great way of learning a language. It's the main idea behind this newsletter. I also really loved your point about passable mistakes, a topic which I think deserves its own thread!
On the topic of accent, one thing that made me feel less self conscious is the fact that non-standard accents don't need to be unpleasant. For example, I am Spanish and when talking in English, Spaniards have a pretty strong accent. I was watching a video the other day where someone was talking in English with an incredibly strong Spanish accent, and while I felt ashamed, the people on the comments were loving it. "Wow, everything said in a Spanish accent seems so interesting!" they said.
Thus, speaking Japanese in an Spanish or American accent doesn't make it worthless. We can try to aim for good pronunciation, sure, but we can be proud of the little mannerisms that define us. Impeccable Japanese spoken with a foreign accent is the result of many years and thousands of hours of effort, and we should be proud of it.
Hi RDP, thanks for your comment! I completely agree with you that accents make language more interesting, especially at moments where they start influencing speech patterns in the language itself. You see this a lot with foreign タレント on TV, but also historically, much of what is now part of standardized Japanese language is a result of translations from the Meiji period. Though in this context of the native speaker, for people who aren't used to hearing foreign accents a lot, it is less strenuous to listen to accents closer to their own, at least in the examples I've experienced thus far.
First of all I really enjoyed reading all the replies of the question: "what is a native speaker?". It's nice to read your open-minded and honest anwers. I can only speak about my own experiences. Being a beginner I found it easier to get the pronounciation "right" when I didn't know ひらがな (hiragana) nor カタカナ (katakana) let alone 漢字 (kanji) When I just started I repeated what my native teacher said and I couldn't say much, but what I said sounded more Japanese, than later on. Soon I learnt the Japanese writing system something strange happened; it felt much harder for me to just repeat. I spent a lot of time on learning how to write in Japanese and noticed my pronounciation got worse instead of better. Now I'm trying to improve my pronunciation with the following book:"Shokyū Bunkei De Dekiru Nihongo Hatsuon Akutibiti"ISBN-13 : 978-4872177411. There are many resources on internet, but what I like about this book is that it uses very easy words and sentences with it's sole purpose to pay attention to the rhythm and pitch accents and thereby enhancing your pronunciation. It can be very hard for me at least to pick this up just by listening to anything on the internet. I think it is important to make your Japanese sound as Japanese as is possible, but I also agree with others that having fun should be most important thing, that language is just a tool and that it's al about getting the message across. Communication is the most important thing. Learning Japanese can sometimes be a struggle but I think we will never fail, unless we give up. We might never sound like a native, but the fact that we try and keep trying and to all those who keep trying they have my deepest respect for it shows real determination, hard work to achieve native level. I'm not there yet, not even close. Many novels here all also beyond my level, but it's so nice to have a forum like this and learn in this way.
Hi Koppa, this is a really interesting experience. It probably also has to do with the fact that the more you study the more you realize how much you still have to learn. This adds psychological pressure, which in turn makes you more nervous about speaking. The beginning is always fun, because there's no way but up. The hard work, as you mention, comes after that. Maintaining your focus and enjoying the process are difficult, but so important.
I'm also glad that you are enjoying this platform. If you stick with the short excerpts I send out every day, you'll notice improvement over time. Because you create a habit, the skills you learn are much more permanent. Hope you keep enjoying reading literature in Japanese!
your absolutely right, it feels like there is more pressure and my ability to speak so limited. I will indeed continue reading Japanese literature, as it's such a good way to improve my grammar, kanji and vocabulary and again your summaries are wonderful.
Really happy to hear it!
Dear Bunsuke, your style of writing I appreciate as very charming. Your essay on the subject of native speech invites one to react positively on the statements. My experience in life has learned me to accept that language mostly is limited to what a person is able to learn in his lifetime: there is only one place or region on earth you can really call yours, and it originates from your childhood. For instance I will never be able to pronounce the dutch word 'bord' like a born Frisian; the sound is full of clay and tough wheather. Therefore it is remarkable that you have come so far in Japanese as to achieve your 'little' victories you described.
I must admit that I will not start learning Japanese, sorry for that, but it is a pleasure to have a glimpse of what is going on in your life and I wish you to be very successful.
Hi Jan, dank voor je mooie commentaar! Het is natuurlijk nooit te laat om te beginnen met Japans... :)
Very interesting post Bunsuke! I feel that in the end what matters is communication. With globalization each language starts having new nuances to accommodate the exposure to new words and expressions from other places , and there's nothing wrong with that.
I can't imagine you pulling the dutch "I fok horses" joke with japanese ahah
When will you drop a masterclass in deconstructing japanese sentences?
Hi João, it's great to hear from you! Haha I'm surprised you know that joke! Please let me know if there are passages in particular that you struggle with, perhaps I can share it in a thread and we can deconstruct it together.
When I worked as a tour guide I end up learning jokes from all over the world ahah
I don't have any passages in mind, but I think I speak for a lot a people that "making sense" of more complex japanese sentences are a big hurdle regarding reading and how the language works. So my biggest struggle reading really comes to making the connection between each part of the sentence and make sense from the whole thing. Makes me go gek
This is good to know! I'm thinking of expanding a little over the summer, so this might be something to include…
I think that the goal to rich "native" level of any language is often could be obstacle to learn. For example, most of us will never have perfect accent. Or at some point you'll choose strange word order, etc. So while you're not spy you don't have to even bother to become native speaker and just have fun. What do you think?
I completely agree! Having fun while learning is absolutely the most important thing. What is your favorite part of studying Japanese, Alveek?
Dear Aranka, thank you for your thoughtful comment! I agree completely that in the end communication is the most important thing. I'm currently also being confronted with my own limitations as a native Dutch speaker on a daily basis, as my wife is learning Dutch and asks me all sorts of questions to which I have zero answers...
(En leuk om te zien dat je je hebt ingeschreven voor de nieuwsbrief ;))