Language Journey
I was always enamored by languages. I found myself trying to decipher them as if they were a code meant just for me. Whether it was French, Bangla (bengali), Spanish, or Romanian, I just had to know. Luckily these were languages I also had around me and so I would prod with questions until I got my answers. However, being a kid with no sense of direction, the only language that stuck was Spanish. I only ever retained one word in Bangla, a few phrases in French, and forgot everything in Romanian. I had no idea how much I would come to love the journey of language learning.
Now as an adult, I kick myself for not being more disciplined. I had all the resources then and now with my adult brain I feel I don’t absorb as much or as well. I know I cant be the only one that feels this way right? Well I have come to learn that this way of thinking is what actually hinders our learning. As a child with a lack of responsibility and all the time in the world we are suited for focusing on the things we learn. On the other side of that coin, as a child we tend to want to do everything else but study. So this is where having an adult brain is actually better.
Our adult brains are better suited to understand time management, scheduling, and the results of such effort. Therefor we can better set ourselves up for achievement and reward. So now comes my new interest, Japanese.
It Begins
I finally decided to find a language I like and stick to it. Like most people that study Japanese, it all started with my love of anime. A bit cliché I know but everything starts from somewhere right? Now, of course it’s become more than that. I find the country breathtaking, the traditions beautiful, the food delicious, and I’ve met some really nice people I can call friends.
So, how did I start? Well, I went on amazon and found a book called “Japanese from Zero” and studied it religiously along with the YouTube videos the author regularly puts out that coincides with the chapters. This was a great place for me to start because it eased me into the language without throwing all of the hiragana and katakana at me at once. Wait! Not sure what hiragana and katakana are? Okay, I’ll get there in a second. Of course I couldn’t let this be my only source. As much as people like to bash on Duolingo, I think its great. Should it be your only source of learning? No. Is it a great way to stay on your feet when you’re not hitting the books? Yes. Duolingo has come a long way from when I first downloaded it a few years back. For an app that’s free, it offers good material and a large community with feedback. At times when I didn’t understand something, the community was there to explain it to me. It was wonderful for a mom on the go.
Now What?
After a while, I had to admit that I was getting a bit frustrated. Every time I thought I was getting somewhere, I ‘d listen to a native speaker and feel clueless. That’s when I found out about the importance of immersion. I learned that by listening to the language constantly, you could train the ear to pick up the sounds of the language and differentiate between them. With that came a bit of research. I started with what I knew would be easiest to incorporate into my daily life, music! I found a bunch of easy to listen to songs from artist like Utada Hikaru, Daichi Miura, w-inds, and my all time favorite One Ok Rock. I would play the songs in my playlist over and over throughout the day. It even got to a point where I was able to learn some of the lyrics. Of course that didn’t mean I always understood what I was saying but at least I was able to different the sounds enough to know how to look them up.
Eventually, I found shows on Netflix like Terrace House, Midnight Dinner, and more recently Alice in Borderland. These shows use a lot more natural speech. Now, I know what your thinking, why not learn from anime since Im such a weeb? Well, I wouldn’t recommend it simply because anime uses a different form of speech not common in everyday speaking. It is also very informal. The last thing you want is to come off rude even if it wasn’t your intention.
Remember Hiragana and Katakana?
Well in case you may not know, Japanese has three forms of writing systems that are used as one. As you may have guessed they are called hiragana (あいうえお), katakana (アイウエオ), and kanji (山、水、川). Hiragana is used for all words Japanese in origin, Katakana is used for borrowed words from other languages, and kanji is adopted from the Chinese language. While all three can be used in a sentence, it is not necessary. If your thinking to yourself “omg run!”, then I can understand but a bit of practice is all that’s really needed. I was able to master hiragana within three days, become comfortable in reading hiragana words within the week, and then read them at natural speed by week two. Katakana however still takes me some time to read naturally. My brain likes to confuse them for the Hiragana counterparts for some reason. Now Kanji is the big kahuna. That one takes a lot of time, practice and above all patience. Each Kanji can have multiple readings and if you add hiragana to the kanji then you can create another meaning.
So What Other Tools Helped?
Well since I began this learning process, I have added quite a few books and apps to help me study. Lets start with the apps and what they do.
Busuu- A language learning app similar to Duolingo but the way it teaches is different and easier to understand. The downside is that you have to pay to get the full experience. Even though I got a lot out of the app since I paid for a year subscription, I am not sure I will renew.
Hello Talk- This app is kind of cool. It’s a language exchange app. However, it feels more like a social media app. Almost like a Facebook for language exchange. It has editing features, translation features, and correcting features. You post in your target language and others help correct any errors while enjoying casual conversation.
Japanese Dictionary Takoboto- This app is just all types of handy. You can type in a word in English or Japanese and it will give you all the meanings, how to break it down, and even how to write it in kanji (including stroke order). This one is a must have.
Ankidroid- Now I added this to the list but I go back and forth on this. I use it for a bit and stop. Then I go back again. I have a love hate relationship. It’s essentially a flashcard app. You can either create your own or download some preset ones (which is what I did). However I can’t say if I ever learned or retained anything from it.
Flaming Durtles- This app is in conjunction with the website wani kani. This has been the best thing in existence to help me learn kanji. Nothing I tried has helped me retain it. However this app has been succeeding. I have only been using it a few weeks and I can recall more than twenty kanji. I try to use it at least once a day however I would be lying if I said I haven’t skipped a few days.
Italki- Now this app is a tutoring app. You look up teachers that fit your schedule and then pay for 30 min to 1 hour sessions. Everything is done through Skype or Italki video platform. Of course the price for each teacher or tutor is different so just browse until something fits your budget. Once you found a few you like you can pay a reduced fee for a trial. That way you wont make a long commitment if the person you selected isn’t a good match.
Where Am I Now?
After all of this, where am I know? Well had I been a bit more disciplined in studying then I would be a lot more conversational. As of right now, I can only hold very short but basic conversations. Although I have a good amount of vocabulary I still have a hard time recalling them when I need to in my conversations. However I am not discouraged because even though I am only at this level, it’s more than what I initially knew. I am pumped for what next year holds because I will go into full dedication mode and then evaluate my progress again in by Spring. Who knows, I moght even test for the JLPT.
Any Advice?
Start small. One step at a time. Don’t buy a bunch of books at once and start with free things like apps. The writing systems can be googled and you can study on your own. Most importantly, make time. Set a schedule for yourself and focus solely on studying. Give yourself realistic goals. No one becomes fluent over night and everyone learns at different paces. So the only person you should compare yourself to is yourself. Record yourself speaking and then monitor your own progress. There is no right or wrong way to study. Everyone has somwthing that works better for them. Its just up to is to find what it is. Then as you go learning something new, use the words over and over until its natural.
You can DO IT. We can DO IT!
頑張りましょう!
