Last week I accomplished something major. For a little over a year now, I have been working on learning Japanese and last week I completed the last lesson in the first workbook. Can you see the confetti I’m throwing and the horns I’m blowing? Okay, so it might not seem major, but it is a big deal to me. If you have ever tackled learning a new language, you know how difficult it can be.
I love languages. Unfortunately I am not one of those people who picks up on it right away. I can pick up a few words and basic phrases easier than others, I use the French question, Pourquoi Pas? quite a bit with my kids. As a whole, though, I often feel like my brain is a sieve with only a few holes stopped up. To give an example, I studied Spanish for roughly eight or nine years, both inside and outside of school. I barely remember any of it. Probably because I didn’t use it as much after graduating. So tackling a brand new language isn’t easy for me. BUT I want to learn Japanese so bad and I have found a curriculum that is perfect for me.
I’ve mentioned before the workbook I bought on Amazon, Japanese From Zero by George Trombley and Yukari Takenaka. In addition to the workbook there is a Youtube channel where Trombley teaches each of the lessons from the book. For those who prefer to learn online, the course is also available on the Japanese from Zero website.
With my style of learning, I need to write things down and be a bit interactive with what I’m learning. I can’t just listen to a podcast and get it. I tried doing that with French and it did not stick as well as learning from a book. However, I do appreciate the Youtube channels because I always second guess pronunciation and it’s almost like being in an actual class. Plus I think George is hilarious.
I’m not sure how the online course is, but the workbook has a Progressive Learning style, which I think helps in learning the Japanese writing systems. If you don’t know, there are three: Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. The first workbook teaches Hiragana and until like lesson twelve it’s a mix of Hiragana and Romaji, or English letters spelling out Japanese words.
I cannot recommend Japanese from Zero enough, but that’s not all this post is supposed to be about. I want to also share a few things I’ve learned throughout this last year of learning Japanese. Ready? Good, because this is probably the part you’re really here for.
Learn from a Book and a Teacher.
Pronunciation is so important and while learning from a book is great, it doesn’t help with knowing how to pronounce words. Without the Youtube videos, I would not know that the U at the end of words like Masu is silent. Or that the I in Deshita is also silent. So yes, you need a book, especially when learning languages that have completely different writing systems than your native language, such as Japanese, but you also need to learn from a competent teacher.
It is easier when the teacher teaches from the same book you are working through. It is not necessary, of course, simply easier. You can, however, supplement your main source with others. There are many apps out there if you’d like to go that way. I supplement with Duolingo, though I get frustrated simply because it throws in Kanji quite unexpectedly early on. I didn’t like that, so now I try to use it for its story mode to get in extra listening practice.
Even if You Struggle, Continue On.
This is something that George actually says in one of the earlier videos and it’s so true. There are so many things that might not make sense the first time around, then a few lessons later you learn something else that makes that previous issue click. It wouldn’t have clicked if you had not continued on. As long as you have at least a general understanding of what you’re learning then keep going.
With the Japanese from Zero workbook, there are a few sentences at the the end of each lesson and they are there specifically to make sure you understood what the lesson covered. There’s usually around five or six sentences. As long as I understand at least four of those sentences then I continue on.
Now if you’re completely lost and you have no idea what’s going on, then yeah maybe don’t move on until you have a better understanding of what the lesson is covering. Just don’t let it hold you back. If you try and try and try again but you still don’t understand, switch sources. Maybe Japanese from Zero won’t work for you. If that’s the case then try out a Genki textbook. Or if you’re self-studying then try to find an actual class to join. Just don’t give up.
Review Often.
This applies whether you’re learning from a book, a video, an online course, or an app. However you are learning, review often. Videos or podcasts definitely makes this easier, though you should not neglect reviewing book material either.
Whenever I am doing housework, namely dishes, I’ll play one of the Youtube videos and listen as I clean. I think my family has gotten used to me saying random Japanese words and phrases out loud, but IDK, you’d have to ask them.
Start at the beginning and review every lesson. Or if there’s something you’re particularly confused about, review that lesson. Trust me, it helps to make things stick. Also, there’s the more you know kind of thing. As your progress in your lessons, you’ll go back and review something and see how all the pieces fit together in new way.
Now that I’ve finished my workbook, I know that I need to go back and really review numbers. Seriously, numbers are my kryptonite and that proves true even in another language.
Progressive Learning Helps A Lot.
There is nothing wrong with pushing through and learning something like the writing systems all together. However, I have found that progressive really helps the material stick in your head. Progressive learning doesn’t just help with the learning the alphabets but with learning the words and phrases themselves.
Think about it, you begin with a base word. You learn the what and why for that word, you become comfortable with that word and its usage. Then you learn a basic phrase for that word. The next lesson, you add to that phrase with a new word. If this sounds really specific, that’s because it is.
In the first lesson of JFZ, we learn the word Nani which means, “What”. In that same lesson we learn the question, Nan desu ka? which means, “What is it?” From there, George expounds on what it is. It is a cat. It is your cat. It is a car. It is your mom’s car. Well what color is your mom’s car? It is blue. And yes, I could write and say all of these in Japanese. Why? Because they stuck.
Maybe it’s just my style of learning. However, if you really want to learn a new language, or a new anything really, I would suggest a progressive style of learning. Think of building a tower out of blocks. You need a solid foundation so the tower won’t collapse, right? But you also need to continue that kind of stability throughout the build. To me, that’s what progressive learning does. It gives you the proper foundation and the stability needed to keep progressing in your learning.
Progressive also helps with burnout and over-information. Most of us can’t just download it all quickly and get it. We need to rest, think on it, and rest some more before moving on to the next building block. Otherwise we get exhausted and that can be a major roadblock in learning.
So yeah, I’m a big fan of progressive learning.
Learn with a Friend if You can.
Learning with a friend makes things easier simply because you have someone to practice with. It’s not all one-sided. Practice is what makes things stick and keep your skills sharp. The best kind of practice is speaking it with other people. If you’re learning with a friend then you two can speak it to each other without the threat of being embarrassed.
Another reason is they may understand something you’re confused on and vise-versa. You’re able to help each other learn. I mean, that’s basically what it comes down to.
I do have a friend who is also learning Japanese, but honestly I haven’t asked for her help yet. She’s learning from different sources than I am, mainly apps. Now that I’ve reached the end of workbook one in the JFZ series, I’m thinking I need to ask her how well she’s doing and start working with her on it. The only problem is that we don’t live close together and often text each other rather than speak. But hey, any practice is good practice, right?
My other option is to strong-arm one of my closer friends into learning with me, but they’re all so busy that I feel guilty when I think about imposing on them like this. Ade has spoken some interest in learning, but I’m not sure how serious he is about it.
You might be wondering why I’m including this in a list of things I’ve learned if I haven’t actually put it into action and that would be because I know it would help. I wonder how much easier and faster my progress would’ve been had I had someone IRL to learn alongside with. Boasting about my accomplishments is not the same as having someone hold me accountable to my studies.
Have You Learned a New Language?
What language did you learn and what are some things you discovered that helped you learn it?
Or have you ever given up learning a language, or anything else? What happened?
Let me know in the comments!
Above My Waves 