How Should a Beginner Learn Japanese Online?

Submitted by kwa on Tue, 05/12/2015 - 18:38

There Are So Many Opinions!
J
___ apanese is generally not an easy language to learn. I know this because the online advice on how to learn Japanese is generally complicated. We've already discussed Japanese Learning Methods in a separate blog entry, but we now want to focus on how beginners can start learning Japanese. We are going to give you two routes of learning that will work! Yes, both of these methods work and I can testify among many people that they work. However, you should find which method for beginners works better for you.
The first method is the modified traditional method which is rigorous. If you have hot-passion to learn Japanese, try this method. The second method is the casual way. This is what I will suggest for most users. Take your time and let the language come to you.
Check out our amazing visualization of method 1! Click here to see awesome infographic of the Study Hard Method by Chisabox
Route One: Study Hard and Keep At It!
Step One: Learn Hiragana/Katakana and stay away from RomajiCan you learn Japanese through romaji (English alphabet)? Yes. But it's problematic as Tae Kim points out on the front page of his website. It's just not the right way. Also, eventually, you will have to learn Hiragana/Katakana (Japanese alphabet) so start early. This is why JVC gives out Hiragana/Katakana guides for new members - it's that important.
Seeing everything in romaji and relating it to English is going to hurt your learning progress. You should disassociate Japanese with English. For example, you should associate オレンジ rather than orenji with the word for "orange." The first should look like Japanese and the second should look too familiar. Japanese is sooooo not English Now, there are many effective apps and websites for learning hiragana/katakana. Just keep working with it and you will eventually be reading it very well. It's a bit painful but really worth the effort. (Also, hiragana/katakana will help you immensely in Japan)
Step Two: Learn Basic Grammar
Can you learn Japanese through romaji (English alphabet)? Yes. But it's problematic as Tae Kim points out on the front page of his website. It's just not the right way. Also, eventually, you will have to learn Hiragana/Katakana (Japanese alphabet) so start early. This is why JVC gives out Hiragana/Katakana guides for new members - it's that important.
Seeing everything in romaji and relating it to English is going to hurt your learning progress. You should disassociate Japanese with English. For example, you should associate オレンジ rather than orenji with the word for "orange." The first should look like Japanese and the second should look too familiar. Japanese is sooooo not English Now, there are many effective apps and websites for learning hiragana/katakana. Just keep working with it and you will eventually be reading it very well. It's a bit painful but really worth the effort. (Also, hiragana/katakana will help you immensely in Japan)
Step Two: Learn Basic Grammar
Check out our amazing visualization of method 2! Click here to see awesome infographic of the Learn Through Anime and Drama Method by Chisabox
I don't recommend grammar a starting point for every language, but I do for Japanese. Japanese grammar is very different from English. You should at least have an understanding of the Japanese language structure before you start digesting words. For example, there are so many conjugations so before you start drilling kanji and vocabulary, you should be aware of the different conjugations.
JVC Videos to Get Started with GrammarGenki Books and Audios are good textbooks methodsStep Three: Drill A Lot of Vocabulary + Kanji
Vocabulary is the bulk of your learning. At this point, understanding every word you hear will require you to learn somewhere over 5,000 words. That's a lot of words. At 10 words per day, that will take 20 months or so. Learning the word and being able to recall it from memory on-demand is very difficult. However, this is the most crucial step for really learning a language.
Flashcards alone are not enough. Make sure you also listen to real conversations to make sure you know how words are used and pronounced.
We list the methods for drilling vocabulary here: Learning Vocabulary Blog
Step Four: Find Someone to Talk To
At this point, you should know the basics of grammar, a lot of vocabulary, and be able to read and write a bit. It's at this point you want to start talking. Wait, shouldn't you start talking earlier? Well, I'm sure you will, but you will make a lot of mistakes if you speak earlier. With as much exposure as you probably have at this point, you should start using it as much as you can. This is the glorious moment that all your hard work will pay off.
Step Five: Continuously Reinforce
When I don't speak a language for awhile (say a year), it takes a few days for the language to come back to me. I also noticed people living in the United States or Japan will start experience diminishing language skills of the other language. So don't let all your hard work go to waste! Keep using it and exposing yourself to the language!
Route Two: Study Loosely and Absorb Over Time

Let's be honest, we're not all hardcore straight-A students. You might think you are right now, but in about 2 weeks that might change. I know this is for sure because most people I know learning Japanese or any language will give up within a month. Are you really that determined? Good. But how about a backup plan? Here's a backup plan that I will say is better for most people.
Passive Strategies
- Find anime/dramas/movies you like. - Regularly seek out Japanese media and watch it. Get into it. Follow it like you follow TV shows like Breaking Bad or Big Bang Theory. Develop actors and actresses you like.
- Download Apps - There are a lot of Japanese learning apps. My phone is completely full of apps. Download them and try them out. Instead of playing Candy Crush, start absorbing some Japanese through apps like Kanji Monster Defense!
- Keep Notes - Evernote or just your phone notepad, there are a lot of options for organizing notes. Just jot down things you learn. You will be learning a lot of a long span of time so this will help you remember what you learned. You'll be surprised how much you pick up if you just take a few notes every now and then.
- Make Japanese Friends - I can't stress how big of advantage this is in passively learning Japanese! Japanese people will love answering your questions. If you have a question about something you heard or want to know what was said, this is the best way to go! Joining a Japanese-friendly Meetup is a great start!
- Read and Subscribe to Japanese Blogs - like this one!
Advantages of Passive Strategies
- Less intense so you won't wear yourself out
- More fun, focus more on enjoying rather than studying
- Natural learning - rather than force-feeding yourself Japanese
Videocast Way to Learn Japanese

It's no coincidence that we advocate that people take their time to learn. That's what online learning is for. And the beauty of online learning and JapaneseVideocast, is that you can go at your pace from any location. Learn by watching videos in your home, listening to audio on your ipod, or playing games on your home.
JVC Beginner Videos to Get Started with Foundation- kwa's blog
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