Learning Japanese: 6 month review
Hard to believe I started this journey 6 months ago.
Feels like I've both learned a lot and nothing at all. I haven't lost motivation. I'm just looking for the best way forward now. I've read hundred of blogs and advertisements each of which argues a contrary point with the others. Some of which is good "pure" knowledge. Others which are subjective. And some which I think are just universally downright evil.
To sum up where I'm at; most beginner apps are a joke. Hiragana and Katakana took a few weeks tops at a fairly slow pace. Since they are integrated with my other lessons, they are largely automatic now. I know a decent chunk of beginner vocab and the beginner grammar and even some more advanced grammar. But... throw conversational Japanese at me and I'll stare like a deer in headlights.
It isn't that I have trouble hearing the words. In fact, in anime's for instance, I can probably pick out some words in somewhere between 30-70% of the sentences depending on the target audience and topic and probably 5-20% full sentences.
Its also not that you need to be 100% to get by. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to put a number to it. There are a number of factors. For instance, if I know the grammar elements being used, in the way they are being used and I know the primary topic and a bit of context, I can figure out a lot of times what a sentence means even with many words being unknown. On the flipside, if the use of grammar is totally unfamiliar I can know every other word and still make humiliating mistakes.
But, as far as I can tell, I have a reasonable grasp of the language from a beginners perspective. At least, the fact that most apps aren't even remotely challenging seems to attest to this.
For instance, the Duo-Lingo course for Japanese for English speakers became available to me today. It started with a brief quiz to determine where I should start. I made a few embarrassing mistakes and was dropped roughly half way through what seems to be the total course content. I fired it up and went through the entire next level without a hitch. And then into the next. I still haven't hit a problem. And, at this rate, I'll be done the course in another day or two. OK. Perhaps too optimistic... there is a lesson on the Olympics, and I'll wager there will be some new vocab in there for me, which might slow me down... but it is also the final lesson.
So, for anyone looking to learn Japanese... here is my advice:
Feels like I've both learned a lot and nothing at all. I haven't lost motivation. I'm just looking for the best way forward now. I've read hundred of blogs and advertisements each of which argues a contrary point with the others. Some of which is good "pure" knowledge. Others which are subjective. And some which I think are just universally downright evil.
To sum up where I'm at; most beginner apps are a joke. Hiragana and Katakana took a few weeks tops at a fairly slow pace. Since they are integrated with my other lessons, they are largely automatic now. I know a decent chunk of beginner vocab and the beginner grammar and even some more advanced grammar. But... throw conversational Japanese at me and I'll stare like a deer in headlights.
It isn't that I have trouble hearing the words. In fact, in anime's for instance, I can probably pick out some words in somewhere between 30-70% of the sentences depending on the target audience and topic and probably 5-20% full sentences.
Its also not that you need to be 100% to get by. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to put a number to it. There are a number of factors. For instance, if I know the grammar elements being used, in the way they are being used and I know the primary topic and a bit of context, I can figure out a lot of times what a sentence means even with many words being unknown. On the flipside, if the use of grammar is totally unfamiliar I can know every other word and still make humiliating mistakes.
But, as far as I can tell, I have a reasonable grasp of the language from a beginners perspective. At least, the fact that most apps aren't even remotely challenging seems to attest to this.
For instance, the Duo-Lingo course for Japanese for English speakers became available to me today. It started with a brief quiz to determine where I should start. I made a few embarrassing mistakes and was dropped roughly half way through what seems to be the total course content. I fired it up and went through the entire next level without a hitch. And then into the next. I still haven't hit a problem. And, at this rate, I'll be done the course in another day or two. OK. Perhaps too optimistic... there is a lesson on the Olympics, and I'll wager there will be some new vocab in there for me, which might slow me down... but it is also the final lesson.
So, for anyone looking to learn Japanese... here is my advice:
- Don't take any one else's advice to heart. Seriously. Listen to what others say. Think about if it makes sense. And if it does... try it. If you try a bunch that seem to make sense and they don't work... try some that seem insane. If they work, see if you can sort out for yourself what works for you. I've jumped back and forth between a ton of things. I try to keep a few active study tactics in regular rotation and replace them with new things when they don't seem effective.
- Try and make a habit of it. Some people recommend only allowing yourself certain rewards if you study. Some recommend doing it in conjunction with another habit or ritual you already enjoy. For me, it is more lame than that :) my wife runs a business so she doesn't have the same vacation luxuries I have. I usually take a few weeks off around Christmas, but then never really do anything. This year, I decided to learn Japanese. I was already bored, so I figured it couldn't make it worse. And it didn't. It made it better. After a few weeks of commitment, it was A) Natural and B) Difficult to consider going back on.
- Don't spend money! HOLY FUCK! Ok. Maybe you can. BUT, first, wait until you know you want to do this. And second, make sure what you're spending money on is either affordable or definitely of value. Apps or programs with free trials... TAKE ADVANTAGE. Don't buy if you're not hooked on what they're selling. PERIOD. If you spend a ton of money on things which don't work... highly likely to quit. And, as many other sites will tell you, it isn't needed.
That is the bulk of the advice. Here are some specific on my journey:
- Started with the Human Japanese app on Android. Had a $20 credit from buying a Chromecast, so in effect, I got the first half for free. BUT even then, I used it all the way to the end of the free content before I bought. I enjoyed the cultural notes. But also it was a stress free app insofar as self-pacing.
- I drilled myself incessantly on Hiragana and Katakana.
- I focused more on vocab than grammar, though I needed to know enough grammar to guess my way through the sentences without always checking the breakdown.
- I practiced writing out my Hiragana and Katakana on paper. Sorry trees. Writing it out really did help me at least.
- As I got further and further through, I discovered a great weakness in the HJ app; no spaced repetition. Grammar is reused throughout, so it stuck. Hiragana and Katakana are used throughout, so they stuck too. But even basic vocab was slipping by 2/3 of the way through and new vocab wasn't sticking at all. After some research I found Anki.
- Downloaded the Human Japanese deck. This one is MASSIVE.
- Gradually switched over to Anki almost exclusively. The HJ deck has individual words as well as the sentences which use them. Once things started to stick and I could figure out most complete sentences on my own, I started adding HJ back in. Finished the beginner course and moved onto the Advanced one.
- I haven't yet finished the advanced course, and I haven't cracked it open in ages.
- Added more decks and Memrise to the equation.
- Memrise is annoying. But, the sequence is different and you'll likely encounter new things while reinforcing old ones. It also allows you to do spaced repetition at your own pace without consequences. Practice ahead too much in Anki and you can get buried in review cards.
- Pruned decks out of Anki. Some were too advanced. Some were too slow. Some seemed like good ideas, but weren't working for me. Whittling it down made it more manageable and more fun.
- Memrise, then Anki, the occasional attempt at translating parts of a song or news, listening to Japanese music and watching a small amount of anime has been my mainstay for probably the last 2 months.
- Duo-Lingo is being added to the mix. I might ignore Memrise while I see if Duo-Lingo is of value.
Next step for me is probably to whittle down Anki decks again, and try and blend in some more appropriate content. NihongoShark had a good article on using a tool to generate Anki decks from Anime complete with images, audio, English AND Japanese cards. I might try to see if I can make it work for songs first, and if not, try and get some anime I can work it with.
At this point, a few of my existing Anki decks are still valuable to refresh and teach. But, I really need to start integrating more content I find interesting with complete sentences in a way where listening to them over and over again doesn't make me want to stab my eyes out.
And this blog post in my procrastination.
Anyway, to sum up. Your needs will change over time. Keep that in mind. When progress gets slow, look for another angle. There are SO many resources. And so many free ones. You really should be able to get to at least the same level as me without spending a dime.
I do recommend Human Japanese Beginner if you insist on spending money... but I more thoroughly recommend using the free app first to see if it works for you.
Anki is my next recommendation. Whether you build your own deck, or use one of the many shared ones. Just keep in mind... in the beginning it will take a while before you start seeing progress with Anki. But, once you start seeing it... it is great.
Memrise and Duo-Lingo both feel like nice to haves. Both can be totally free. But, there are probably things which do the individual things they do far better out there... though Duo-Lingo seems like it might be better for Hiragana and Katakana. Can't comment too much... it only just became available and I learned though 5 months ago, so I can't really see it through the same eyes anymore.
FIN.
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