It seems like it’s every day that I get advice that is aimed at beginner learners, like how to learn kana, or to pick up Genki or Minna no Nihongo, or use an app like Duolingo or Lingodeer. However, I’m closer to intermediate level (approximately N3, maybe N2), and I’m kind of stumped when it comes to studying.
For example, one of the most common pieces of advice I get is to immerse myself in the language, for example by playing games or watching movies/anime in Japanese. However, that method does get really frustrating in many ways. For example, when there are no closed captions available for Japanese movies, which makes understanding much harder, especially if the characters speak very quickly. Another nuisance this method has, is when I have to look up a word or two for every single sentence I hear/read. This is made even more annoying when a certain word contains complicated kanji, so I have to type it into the dictionary radical by radical. Doing that so often can be a real pain in the backside and suck the enjoyment out of the game/film. And also, it gets even tougher when I come across some slang or colloquial expression, or onomatopoeia, or a grammar structure I haven’t heard of before. During these times, I’m not very sure how to look those up, since I’m most likely not going to find these in the dictionary I use.
Moreover, I’m not quite sure how to learn vocabulary with this method of media consumption, since it’s not uncommon for me to encounter a word once or twice and then never again, making it difficult to remember. I’d learn it with flashcards, but 1, making flashcards takes a long time. And 2, it gets quite boring, and I tend to forget words very easily, even with Anki.
I also heard of advice saying I should pick up an advanced textbook, like Tobira. However, the grinding aspect of just translating sentences into a specific grammar pattern repeatedly always felt boring. Even with Genki, I kinda just speedran/skimmed through the exercises, made notes out of the grammar explanations, and solidified what I learned through graded readers (which were still a pain, because they weren’t very interesting to read, to be honest).
I have a feeling that despite being given these pieces of advice, there must be a wrong and right way of using them. So, I think I might be misusing the advice I’ve been given (either that, or I’ve been given the wrong advice, which I kind of doubt).
If anyone out here can give me corrections on how to study correctly, as well as perhaps giving new advice, would be very much appreciated. 読んでくれてありがとうございました。
I mean, this is kinda the rub. Once you hit intermediate, you’re going to be doing a lot of work.
Looking stuff up too often has turned me off of many books. I instead opted for slice-of-life manga that my wife got me and isn’t so heavy on words/grammar I don’t know. This comes with the obvious downside of learning less quickly in some ways. Other than that, the options are to drill kanji, vocab, and grammar with apps or lessons to make those shows/books/games easier.
I swear I could have written this post. Here’s my 0.02:
- I totally understand where you’re coming from. That feeling of not being able to understand even a single sentence without having to look up a word or two is just… the worst. Basically, I’ve just had to come to terms with the fact that I’m not going to 100% understand everything. Heck, man, I live in Japan, and I doubt I truly understand 100% of any given (nontrivial) conversation. So, my advice is to give up. Give up on trying to 完全に understand every sentence, every word. Be okay with ambiguity. And I know, it feels like “I know every word in the sentence except the most important ones!” Sucks, but you’ll enjoy Japanese a lot more if you release yourself from the need to grok every tittle.
- Tobira was the very next textbook I studied after Genki II. If you’ve finished Genki II and retain most of it, it shouldn’t be too advanced for you. I know the Internet romanticizes the idea of learning languages quickly, but really nothing beats time in the language stretching your skills. If it’s not too frustrating for you, try studying the textbook a little more contemplatively rather than speedrunning it.
- Believe it or not, you actually have an advantage over me, despite the fact that I live in Japan. Japanese people aren’t exactly warm and forthcoming in casual conversation with foreigners, so I wouldn’t describe living in Japan as a constant state of immersion, especially because I work remotely for an English-speaking software company. Your advantage is in the consumption of Japanese media: I’m not a huge fan of anime/manga, and I don’t have time for video games. I’ve noticed that my friends who do like anime in particular have much better listening skills than I do. Simple exposure will get you used to speaking styles, etc. and you’ll be able to pick out the difficult words in time.
- Key insight: if a character says a complicated word once, and it’s never used again for the rest of the show, don’t worry about learning it. Media consumption is a natural SRS. If they don’t use the word again, chances are it won’t be worth learning (at this stage in your learning). We’re not targeting 100% comprehension, after all.
Best of luck to you!
