Japanese
I was waiting for us to get to Japanese. One of the easiest and most fun languages to learn on the planet - yet also one of the most challenging.
How, might you ask, can a language be both easy and challenging???
1. Hiragana and Katakana can be learned by following Japanesepod101’s videos very well.
Try and use their little imaginative tricks to help you remember once in a while, as it will prep you for our next phase I recommend.
After studying Hiragana and Katkana, which should only take you less than a month even if you study 5 characters a day, you will have the immense gratification of being able to read two of the three Japanese writing systems and are ready for any of the other points on this list.
2. Remembering The Kanji 1 by James Heisig - the best book for studying Japanese characters, and if you are studying Korean, Remembering Traditional Hanzi 1 is a great book for you.
Heisig uses a method predicated on imagination, rather than repetition, which allowed me to cut down on my time learning Japanese characters, all 2146 that are recommended by the Japanese ministry busy with this and included in Heisig’s sixth edition, from over 10 years that students spend in Japan (though they admittedly learn 1100-1200 other characters), to under 1.5 months in Romania, with similar results, in that with little reviewing I remember hundreds of kanji still.
Studying the kan-ji, ”Han (Chinese) characters”, can be an easy and fun adventure, though it will require intensity of imagination...
You have been warned.
3. Tae Kim’s Guide for Learning Japanese is the best guide on Grammar.
If you use the Grammar Guide you don’t even need to do it all. Just follow Basic Grammar and most of Essential Grammar and you’ll be fine.
4. Pronounciation: Use Japanese pronounciation videos on YouTube, of which there are many great channels, or use Genki 1 and 2 but only focusing on the parts on pronunciation, if you’ve got the other stuff down.
That is how I would study Japanese today, doing the previous points and then using Genki 1 and 2 for pronunciation of characters.
Once you’ve got a good enough grasp of the language, consume media.
5. 5.1.There’s loads of great websites for Japanese beginner media.
Some people like to see the news in Japanese, others childrens’ stories, and there’s even a website for stories that are easy to read for a beginner in general.
People have compiled tons of resources online, now it’s time to go use them, or of course, watch anime, and learn...
5.2. One great point for conversation are filler words, a tactic I learned from the channel I learnt the methods for point 2 and 3 from, and about Genki 1 and 2, that being the great channel called Abroad in Japan.
Words like ”ano...” or ”eto...” can be great while you take a pause from speaking because you forgot a word.
5.3. Explaining words is another great point for conversation and pronunciation.
As Abroad in Japan puts it, ”trying to explain communism with words like ”everyone” and ”rice””.
This will be, you may find, one of the most incredibly fun parts of Japanese, requiring you to go beyond yourself and create a new *mode* of speaking when you can’t use your old favorite words from your native language.