How to Learn Japanese: Find What Method Works For You

The first time I watched Naruto, I thought it was so cool.

I \watched the first 30 episodes when I met my friend Andre, who is an egg - white on the outside and yellow on the inside. I had this conversation with him:

Me: Wow "Sasook" is so cool

Andre: Who?

Me: "Sasook?" "Sasooki?" That guy in the blue that spits fire

Andre: Wtf man, it's pronounced "Sa-su-ke"

Me: "Really?!?!"

I've been watching this show for 10 hours and I cannot pronounce one of the main character's name correctly. I was even trying to learn Japanese at the time because there was this cute Japanese girl I liked (both of these endeavors were unsuccessful at the time). Well here's why, I wasn't doing anything correctly:

• 1) I had no framework for Japanese so it just sounded like a bunch of mixed together sounds. That's why I couldn't pick out "Sasuke" out of all the sounds I heard no matter how many times I heard it.
• 2) I wasn't learning Japanese by trying to understand it. I was trying to learn phrases that immediately helped me say a thing or two but really didn't teach me anything.
• 3) I was more busy watching Naruto and following the subtitles than actively listening and trying to decompose the sounds.
• 4) I was waiting for the Japanese girl to approach me, when actually she's quite shy and I should approach her

At the time, I didn't know how to learn a new language

To be honest, I thought learning a new language was the way I learned French in high school: you just read books and do exercises and have awkward discussion exercises (my French teacher was excellent by the way, I'm not knocking his abilities). However, there are better methods! Here's a hint: I learned more from dating a French girl than French class.

Method 1: Immersion

I highly recommend anyone interested in learning Japanese to move to Japan.

I think this is the most popular answer to how to learn a language: immerse yourself. This doesn't necessarily involve packing your bags and moving to Japan. I've seen people immerse themselves by:

• Hanging out with Japanese foreign exchange students
• Watching Japanese television/reading manga
• Going to Japanese events such as meetups
• Take a vacation to that country
• Date/marry a Japanese speaker and ask them speak to you a lot in Japanese

You might think this is a lot of work to learn a language and you'd be right. The reason language immersion is so powerful is that it gives you mental and social pressure to learn the language. When I first moved to Japan, I was really forced to speak quickly or else I would be put in uncomfortable everyday situations such as eating or asking for directions.

BUT moving to a country and immersing yourself does not guarantee you will learn the language. I have seen this far too many times. There are people in Japan, Thailand, and China whom cannot speak beyond a preschool level after five or more years of being in that country.

How is this possible? That's because they find ways to communicate without using the local language. Language immersion isn't about just showing up, it's about forcing yourself everyday to use the language. Just because you move to Japan doesn't mean you'll automatically understand all the complicated grammar rules and patterns of the Japanese language.

Although immersion isn't always practical, it still is a great method. The people I met whom spent time in another country speak much more fluently than ones who only studied domestically. I would say if you want to learn a language, this is still option 1.

Method 2: Self-Study

These days, you can study from anywhere with your smartphone.

Some linguists advocate that you don't speak a language right away because you will make a lot of mistakes and you will be reinforcing those mistakes. My partner in ThaiVideocast.com, Allen, very successfully learned Thai to a fluent level with this method (although he was also immersed in the country, he didn't actually speak a lot until after he studied a lot).

There are just so many online programs these days from Japanese Videocast to Memrise to DuoLingo, each with their own strengths and tailor to different learning styles. Some focus on learning vocabulary and some focus more on grammar (such as JapaneseVideocast). There's really an overwhelming amount of language learning programs out there, and it really doesn't hurt to try out each one. On top of this, there are tons of language learning apps, although most aren't as cool as Kanji Monster Defense (j/k, but seriously check it out :))

The good part of this method is that you can learn at your own pace. You can also learn from phone or at home. This method will take you a long time to become fluent, but it is very comfortable. Also, if you find the right program to match your learning style, it can really boost your abilities quickly. I would say every one of these methods, even Rosetta Stone has worked for somebody.

There is a method that I believe in for learning a language through studying. A lot of people make one big mistake when learning a new language: they immediately try to learn vocabulary. Although vocabulary is useful:

• 1) It is very unlikely you can reach the vocabulary required in a short amount of time to really be able to use the language.
• 2) Some vocabulary people start off learning for Japanese cannot be used correctly unless you understand more context (ex. "sayonara" does not casually mean goodbye, it means "farewell, we'll never meet again")
• 3) Without a grammatic structure, vocabulary isn't very meaningful. Without the grammar, you can just point at things and say words; but you can't put together complete thoughts.

Therefore, that's why we recommend everyone start with grammar. If I were to put it in terms of On War, Grammar is your strategic plan and Vocabulary is your tactical tools. This means that you need an overall framework to approach the language before you employ words. A lot of people I know who studied Japanese for over a year still don't understand the basics of Japanese grammar. And actually, it's not really that difficult. But spending a lot of time in this area is worth the effort for learning any language.

Method 3: Enroll into a Language Institute

This scene from GTO is from an old but famous JDrama

Sometimes I sound like I'm against take a live language course. I'm not really against it as I've seen it work for other people, but there is a large variation between different language courses; some language courses are more traditional and some language courses are more practical. Remember your own experience back in grade school. Was every teacher influential? Do you remember anything from the classes you took? I'm not saying it doesn't work, I'm just saying some language programs cost a lot of money and are very inflexible. There is also a negative connotation with school for some people (like me). It was a drag to have to go to class everyday and I'm glad I don't have to do it anymore.

However, the formal learning structure works well for some people. Here are some reasons why:

• 1) Classmates make learning a lot more enriching. For you extroverts out there, having classmates/peers provides the social stimulus you require.
• 2) Scheduled classes keep you from slacking off. If you are a responsible person who always shows up, you will know every week from 7-10pm is your time to learn (or whatever time your class is).
• 3) Structured lessons are very effective for some learning styles. Did you get straight As in high school? Maybe this style of learning fits you very well.

Method 4: Hire a Private Tutor

In Japan, private tutors are held to a high standard and are very popular for learning English

This is similar to learning in a classroom except you lose the classmates but gain more intimacy with the teacher. I tried this method before several times, and it was a pleasant experience each time. I was very careful in picking out my tutor, and I generally get along very well with anyone.

The downsides to private tutoring is that it can be quite expensive for a good tutor, some tutors are not as professional so they don't really have a proven teaching methodology, and Japanese tutors might not be available in your area if you are from a small town. Also, a lot of tutors I met were doing their work part-time so my lessons might not take priority over other things in their life. As with classes, if you meet a teacher/tutor you really like and believe in, this is a great way to learn Japanese.

Conclusion

Without knowing your learning style, it's difficult to recommend which scenario is best. If you are new to Japanese, I would recommend you start by trying to study on your own to get a feel for the language.

After that, go to Japan and enjoy the country. If you become really serious, I would go with one of the other methods as they require more commitment.

You can get started now!