A large proportion of Japanese learners self-study. Finding places to learn Japanese in a classroom environment can be difficult and expensive. Here’s a guide on how you can learn Japanese for free and from the comfort of your sofa.
When learning Japanese, the most important step is to learn Hiragana and Katakana, the writing alphabets of Japanese.
The best way I’ve found to do that is to make flashcards. Make sure you practice writing as well as recognizing them, this will not only be a great skill to have but will also reinforce the shapes in your mind.
The next step is to start learning vocabulary. Where can you find what to learn? Use a site like Memrise to find word lists (for example, there is a word list for all the vocabulary in starter textbooks like Genki), and use the amazing interface to learn them and keep them in your long term memory.
Resources:
[Memrise] as mentioned above to find and learn vocabulary lists. [Most Common Words List] [Anki] An amazing program that will make sure you never forget any Vocabulary….
While encountering vocabulary, you’re likely to be coming across super-complicated-looking Kanji. You can learn Kanji through Memrise as above, but there are some other websites that may be of interest.
Resources:
[Kanji Damage] A great site where you can learn Kanji through mnemonics. [WaniKani] by the same people who make TextFugu can help you learn Kanji from scratch. [Anki] An amazing program that will make sure you never forget any Kanji….
The next step is to apply that new vocabulary to grammar points and start making sentences.
If you can’t get your hands on textbooks like Genki, don’t fear! There are a lot of great online grammar resources.
Resources:
[TextFugu] a highly rated ‘online textbook’ which will guide you right from the beginning of learning Japanese. [Guide to Japanese] another online textbook with a lot of grammar points and excellent explanations.
So you probably started to learn Japanese because you have some interest in Japanese media. Time to start using it to your advantage!
Aside from the obvious watching Anime, J-dramas and films, why not try Reading Japanese News? Watching Japanese TV? Just make sure you are making these activities productive - note down new vocabulary, add them to Anki, and keep learning! It’s much easier to learn things you’re interested in.
The most important but difficult part of self-studying Japanese is getting your own compositions checked. Utilize all that grammar and vocabulary and write a short piece, it could be a diary entry or a short essay. Get it recorded for you by a native on RhinoSpike, and checked for grammar and consistencies on Lang-8.These sites also give you the chance to connect with Japanese natives, and perhaps start up some language exchanges!
For more resources, take a look at my Ultimate Resources List
i don’t understand how i have worked here in this building for a whole year now (well i mean, excluding the quarter i was gone) and people still don’t know that i’m not new. you don’t have to like, baby me and tell me how to do something BECAUSE IVE DONE IT A MILLION TIMES. i mean am i that like, forgettable that these people that i share a building with STILL don’t know my face?!
so after watching lord of the rings, i decided that i’m like frodo baggins.
like, i went on this adventure and was homesick while gone and stuff but then when i finally got home i realized that i had been through this crazy experience and no one else experienced it with me and was still living a mundane life and like idk i went through this huge period of self-reflection and discovery and changed so much but like no one else knows???? i mean granted i didn’t save the world and witness tons of people dying in the process but yeah like when the hobbits came back to the shire and they were like drinking together but they didn’t seem all that happy to be back because it was like bittersweet to be home but have no one understand what they’d been through.
well today i got to hang out with two fellow hobbits and oh my god i feel soooooo much better. like this whole winter break has been like a big blob hermit bag phase for me because i was in such a slump coming back to the states and like i thought i’d be happy seeing my irvine friends when i went down to visit but i realized i wasn’t and it just made me depressed more but yeah omg today was a great day.
i spent the whole day with chanelle and we grabbed lunch at panera and talked for like hours, and then spontaneously decided to go ride a hot air balloon. so we went to great park but the balloon was filled so we could only ride in the evening. to kill time we rode a carrousel like a bajillion times and then shopped around at spectrum and went on the ferris wheel there. and then we went back to great park and rode the carrousel some more and FINALLY got to ride on the balloon! it was awesome! and then after that we got albatros and omg carne asada fries <3 after that we went back to her dorm and watched this super cute japanese movie called usagi drop. by the time we were done it was like midnight so i went home, ONLY TO BE VISITED BY JANELLE, MY SOUL TWIN!!!! we talked in my room for like 5 hours and ate ice cream and poured kahlua in it and it was awesome and oas;dglkjasd;kgjasdg my god i missed her so much.
it’s like 5am now and i should sleep but i’m just so… i feel very refreshed and awesome after having talked to people who are going through all the same feelings that i am.
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