Learning a new language

- don't ignore grammar exercises
- write and translate texts to and from Japanese
- pronunciation exercises
- find someone to talk to in Japanese on a regular basis
- have a rigid schedule for your classes

 

What works best for me is just watching/reading/listening to music in the language I'm learning, in addition to lessons/online course that can explain a bit of theory

 

Japanese Language Quest Walkthrough - Japanese Level Up

Read a lot of the advice on this website. It works. I did it. They're not really looking to sell their stuff, its literally just really good unconventional advice which will enlighten you to why normal language education works so badly and will allow you to learn Japanese in quite a fun way.

 

I tried learning japanese once, i still remember some here and there, and i used this website called "text fugu", i think it's really good!

General language learning tips:
Try to memorize phrases and the 100 most common words.
Don't worry to much about grammar at first, it'll come later.
Watch movies and cartoons in your target language, with japanese you have anime, so yay!
Don't stay on a begginer course for too long! Try learning by other things aswell.
Learn to write, and read!
If possible practice speaking with natives in rl or on skype!
Don't be afraid to make mistakes, that's how you learn!
Don't worry about knowing every word, as long as you get the jist of it is fine!
Don't miss a day!

 

I've been learning Japanese for 12 years now. A big thing is to understand the cultural significance behind sayings or honorifics.

GRAMMAR IS YOUR FRIEND.

Furthermore, Anime teaches you nothing unless it's designed for preschoolers. The grammar patterns you learn there is only useful in its little exclusive anime slang. Watch it if you enjoy it, not to learn from it.

That said, you can learn some customs from Anime but please don't be one of those people who learnt everything from anime because it makes you look bad and disrespecful

 

True: anime-Japanese is pretty not-actual-Japanese.
False...?: anime-customs make you look bad. I don't have that experience and I've never heard of anyone saying something like this? (sorry...)

Absolutely try to find someone to speak to, or write to if you can't. DO NOT learn romaji, just go to hiragana and katakana. Romaji is a crutch and it's not going to help you with anything but pronounciation (which is blessedly easy for Japanese).

In general:
-stick to it
-push yourself
-expose yourself to it as much as possible (music, TV, books, sushi restaurants, etc.)
-use what you learn

There's a great app for language exchange called HelloTalk, you could try there for a communication partner. Good luck!

 

I think some others have mentioned it but pronunciation is key. If you understand how to pronounce the words, then it will make memory a lot easier.
For example, if you need to spell a word and know the pronunciation, understanding how Japanese words are usually pronounced will help you know how to spell it without even looking it up. Vise versa as well. It will help you commit things to memory a lot more easily and feel more confident when speaking it out loud.

I would definitely make sure you listen to it and practice speaking it aloud as much as you can. Learning the vocabulary and grammar first is important, but when learning a language, it's often hard to get good at using it with other speakers, but if you practice with it it will become a lot easier!

Also, If you have an opportunity to go to Japan or a Japanese-speaking camp for some time that would be awesome!! I've been learning Spanish and I wasn't by any means fluent when I went to Costa Rica so I was nervous, but just being there and having to practice speaking and listening all the time in practical settings improved my Spanish immensely, even after just 10 days!


Best of luck, friend!!

 

I don't mean stuffing your face or starting fights, I mean the more nuanced "Itadakimasu" or taking shoes off before entering a home, not stepping in the Genkan etc