When I first moved to Japan and started learning Japanese from scratch, I spent about six months making every mistake in the book. My kanji studies were going nowhere, I couldn't understand anything being said to me, and I couldn't seem to get a sentence out of my mouth no matter how easy the grammar. Overtime, somewhat out of luck and somewhat out of sheer frustration, I implemented a lot of study changes that helped me to get over that beginner Japanese learner's hump and reach the N2 level in just 2 years.
Today I want to talk about the 5 most important changes I made to my Japanese studies to get unstuck and onto the fast track to where I am today!
#1 - Throw Away the Kanji Books
The NUMBER 1 BEST THING I ever did for my Japanese studies was to get rid of my Kanji book. I had been gifted a beautiful and very old Kanji book from my previous boss, the very same one she had learned the basic 2000 kanji from when she had moved to Japan 35 years ago. It was a special and precious book. But as a study method, copying out and repeating out of kanji books didn't work for me in the slightest. I spent more time convincing myself to sit down and open the book, trying to decide how much to review and how much to progress, and beating myself up for going too long in between study sessions than I did ACTUALLY STUDYING kanji!
When I put the book back onto the shelf and took my kanji learning to applications and eventually to WaniKani, I went from learning 100 kanji in six months to learning 100 kanji PER month (plus hundreds of new vocabulary). Spaced Repetition Systems (basically, timed and optimized automated review and learning systems) helped me to free up so much time and energy to put towards actually learning the material. And once I could actually read, it became fun (rather than frustrating) to work through Japanese elementary school kanji workbooks with my teacher and learn to write as well.
#2 - Start Practicing Japanese Reading with Books (NO MATTER YOUR LEVEL)
I think when we study a language, especially one that can be so difficult to read, like Japanese, there's a common misconception that we shouldn't be (or CAN'T be) reading books until we're at an intermediate-advanced level. This is not only NOT TRUE, but it can also really hold you back in your studies. As I've talked about before in regard to Learning Japanese through Podcasts, having an interest in the content you consume works like magic to help your learning.
When you're reading something that you can roughly (~80%) understand, and when you want to understand it, the grammar, the new vocabulary, the characters - all of them stick in your brain without you having to do much thinking about it.
"There is massive evidence that self-selected reading, or reading what you want to read, is responsible for most of our literacy development. Readers have better reading ability, know more vocabulary, write better, spell better, and have better control of complex grammatical constructions." – Stephen Krashen, renowned American linguist
When I was new here in Japan, my friend sent me a children's book called Arashi no Yori Ni for my birthday. It was all in hiragana, but it was long, made up of multiple tales about a wolf and a goat who become friends despite the odds and run away together. I love fiction and stories, so even though a lot of the vocabulary was unfamiliar to me, I worked my way through this book (together with my Japanese teacher) for months, a little at a time. And both of us were driven by learning what came next in the story. It was so much fun.
After that, I read children's Japanese history manga and Harry Potter (the kid's version with furigana on ALL kanji), until I had finally worked my way up to a level where I could read light novels, regular manga, and books marketed towards middle schoolers. Reading books in Japanese from the Beginner Level has not only helped me with the JLPT, but has also made studying so fun, easy, and rewarding. In fact, it barely feels like studying at all.
No matter your level, find something to read.
#3 - Practice Speaking Japanese With Anyone Who Will Listen
Depending on your situation, this one can be hard, I know. If you're living in Japan it's one thing, but if you're living anywhere else, it isn't exactly like you can just go anywhere to speak. But, regardless, you must speak to learn Japanese.
If you do live and study/work in Japan, some ways I used to start practicing speaking were:
Going out for drinks at izakaya and small local bars - Japanese people have a reputation for being shy, but I find that this doesn't apply as much when there's alcohol involved!
Strike up conversation with coworkers, classmates, staff at a bar. Again, Japanese society cultivates and praises shyness, but many times people do want to talk to you. If you put yourself out there and give an inch, they'll sometimes take a mile, in a good way! Say hello, ask for food or sightseeing recommendations, ask how to read a kanji on a menu. See what happens.
Sign up for a local Japanese class (every city in Japan, no matter how small, should have cheap or free Japanese classes for foreigners and I highly recommend these)
If you don't live in Japan, you can still practice speaking!
If you're in university, see if there are any opportunities on campus through clubs or the Japanese department, etc. I know one of my friends works at a university, but there's a casual Japanese study circle there that they participate in even as a staff! Sometimes opportunities are just waiting for you to ask!
Find yourself a teacher on italki. I use italki about once a week. It's relatively cheap, much safer than free conversation apps, and after trying about 5 or 6 people, I found a teacher who I love. USE MY AFFILIATE LINK TO SIGN UP AND GET $10 USD IN ITALKI CREDITS!
There's always HelloTalk if you really don't want to or can't spend any money on your studies, just BE CAREFUL. I have successfully used HelloTalk in the past to find a Japanese language partner. He was practicing to be a teacher so we only spoke in Japanese, which was perfect for me. You might get lucky and find something like this, but you WILL likely have to sort through a lot of spam and creepy people looking for something... more along the way. ESPECIALLY if you're a women. Please stay safe and don't share personal information on this app.
Get involved on Japanese learning social media. Twitter is a dumpster fire these days, but TikTok and YouTube both have a lot of content and community for learners. Talk to yourself, make videos of it, and meet potential practice partners.
#4 - Increase Japanese Language Listening Time As Much As Possible
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Listening is like a cheat code to get you where you want to be without putting in traditional effort. Six months into my study I began to emphasize listening. And when I started to listen to Japanese Learner Podcasts every day, my Japanese understand AND SPEAKING levels skyrocketed SO QUICKLY.
In addition to podcasts, I really love watching anime with Japanese subtitles as a way to practice listening and reading at the same time. Specifically, I love to watch daily life anime, because the situations are more understandable through context, and they don't use as many made up words for technique, power, and place names, etc.
A random assortment of my favorite anime I've watched entirely in Japanese are:
Horimiya
Dekiru Neko wa Kyō mo Yūutsu
Kawaii dake Janai Shikimori-san
Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko
Komi-san wa, Komyushō Desu
Kobayashi-sanchi no meidoragon
Also, any anime that you've already watched and know the story too are also fine, since that extra context can help your brain fill in any blanks! I watched Ouran Host Club in all Japanese early on in my studies.
In some way or another, I still end most of my days getting several hours of Japanese listening practice in some way. Via podcast, anime, TV show, conversation, yoga class, or just my daily life, this listening practice is ESSENTIAL to keeping up and improving my Japanese level. Increase your listening time and your skill level will naturally follow.
#5 - Constantly Remember that Progress Doesn't Happen without Mistakes
Something really difficult for me when studying Japanese is my perfectionism. I've always been a good student in the classroom, but actual language learning is different. You have to go outside and apply the concepts you learned, all at once, in random and sometimes confusing orders.
You're going to make mistakes. And if anybody tells you you won't, they're trying to sell you something. Your brain learns through mistakes. If you're out there practicing your Japanese, you're going to end up with a list of a thousand cringe moments.
I once told my girlfriend my stomach was boobs（おっぱい） instead of full（いっぱい） on one of our first dates. I once told a coworker I barely know that something was sexy/dirty/perverted （エッチ）instead of stingy （ケチ）.
And I have a thousand more times when what I said just didn't seem to make any sense to the person trying to understand me. You will likely end up with this sort of list too, if you practice. And that's okay. Remember, language learning is a lot like being a kid again, in so many ways. Kids make mistakes, kids use strange language, kids use incorrect grammar and mess up words, and nobody cares. It's okay for you to do that too! Sometimes it helps me if I remind myself that I'm not actually the main character of earth, and most mistakes I make are with people I'll never meet again anyway.
Remember, your brain is learning through every mistake. I've never called my stomach boobs again, not even once! Make mistakes, make a lot of them, because that means you're practicing as much as you can!
It's Time to Change your Japanese Self-Study Practices
Sometimes I wonder where my Japanese could be now if I hadn't spent all that time bumbling around learning how to study. These 5 changes really took studying from a struggle to a joy, and the rewards of my improvement just kept me craving for more and more. If you're also feeling stuck in your studies, I hope you can use these tips to take control of your Japanese language learning process as well!
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