How I’m Learning Japanese
(Beginner)
Disclaimer: I’ve only been learning Japanese for a couple months and this is what worked best for me so far. There is so many different ways to learn a language- especially japanese considering there’s hiragana, katakana, kanji and more to learn. These are just the ways I found best for me so far.
A short little story; I started learning Japanese mostly through writing and quickly learned that writing wasn’t quite the right way to start. It is useful to learn, but as technology continues to grow, the more we don’t need writing. Not learning to write was something that was hard for me to understand at first but I think typing the characters is much more beneficial. Long story short, I’m still learning how to write characters but definitely not as strictly as before.
Hiragana- Hiragana is the first thing I learned in Japanese. I used Duolingo and it’s good for when your just starting out. It let me learn the characters and practice them with a little bit of repetition. Once I got through learning them all, I had a pretty solid foundation on Hiragana but needed more practice. I have found several games (linked below) that help me really nail them into my head. I recommend them once you finish Duolingo’s Hiragana section.
Katakana- I recommend doing something similar as above. Duolingo is a bit wonky with Katana because it introduces it along with some kanji. I’m still learning it, but I’m relying more on games for repetition. Another method I used for Katakana was writing the characters out- both on paper and in a word document. Really, Katakana and Hiragana rely on memorizing so whatever has helped you memorize things in the past, try that.
Textbook- I personally use the Genki textbook and it works really well for phrases and learning kanji. I haven’t gotten very far in Genki (around page 50 or so) but they also have grammar practice as well. If you going to use Genki, I’d recommend learning Hiragana and Katakana before hand. The textbook brushes up on the characters, but doesn’t go into details.
Quizlet- I actually use this with the Genki textbook. The textbook gives phrases- the beginner ones in just Hiragana- and I put those into quizlet. It’s really helpful as Quizlet has all the different games to help me memorize them.
Notes- In conjunction with Quizlet, I also use just plan old pen and paper. I have a binder where I write down the different phrases and jot down the grammar lessons and so on in it. I use it mostly for grammar and culture, but also just to practice writing the characters and getting a feel for them.
Other Methods- Mind maps, flashcards, tracing symbols, verbal practicing, listening to Japanese music, watching anime, reading manga, doing teacher’s practice papers, teaching someone else, journal in Japanese, read Japanese news articles, make powerpoints, online tests/ make your own tests, practice kanji on whiteboards, English v.s Japanese culture, drawing to memorize words, diagrams, do projects/ posters, make a pinterest board and more!
And that’s about it! I started learning Japanese three year ago I’ve only started to take it seriously since about six months ago. I have a lot to learn and hope to learn a bunch while getting to know Japan and its culture. For now, I’m learning through textbooks and websites, but I hope to go to Japan in the next couple of years. But for now, じゃあね！
Resources:
Genki Textbook: (Textbook 1) (Workbook 1)
Quizlet and Duolingo: (Duolingo) (Quizlet)
Games: (Hiragana Drag and Drop) (Katakana Drag and Drop) (List of Games) (Hiragana Quiz Game) (Hiragana Memory Game) (Kana Invaders)
Tumblr Users: (Learnjp) (Warau-Okami) (Bakadesu-studyblr)
Additional Websites/ Resources:
(Nihongo-e-na)
(Kanji Frequency)
(Sensei’s Corner)
(JLPT N5)
(Entire Grammar Textbook PDF)
(100 Grammar Points)
(Beginner’s Guide)
(Tofugu Culture Tibits)
(JP Skits)
(FluentU)
