Study Tips for Learning Japanese

Hi all,

Today, i would like to cover a bit on study tips for learning Japanese.

I think that learning Japanese is a journey. Even after you finish the various tests, learning never stops.

1. Create a Japanese environment (with songs, dramas, etc)

When I first started out, what I did was I tried to create an environment to expose myself to Japanese. I was listening to Japanese songs and singing them on the bus. I was watching Japanese sentai dramas. You would realize that after a while, it will just become part of your life.

2. Study in groups (maybe 2-4 persons)

Sometimes, it would be good to study in a group, who are also learning the language. Studying in a group helps to motivate each other.

3. Start slow, but at a constant pace

One of the most important thing I feel is to start slow, but at a constant pace. Set yourself a timetable to follow (e.g study 1 hour every Mon and Wed) and stick to it. If you find that you have problem sticking to it, try to listen to some Japanese songs while studying.

4. When you feel lost or lost the motivation to study, talk to a sensei or someone who has studied a bit further than you.

When you feel like you don`t understand the content or lost the motivation to study, don`t give up. For me, I almost lost the motivation to study when I studied て-form/te-form, but my sensei (who majored in Japanese Language) never give up on me and guided me with more examples to help me to understand て-form/te-form. When you have someone to walk the journey with you, I feel you will gain more confidence along the way.

5. Copy out the vocabulary

I know some of you out there cannot remember vocabulary. For me, how I remember my vocabulary is to force myself to copy out the vocabulary multiple times in a short period of time. For example: 10 sets of 30 words in 10 minutes.

What are your ways of learning? Please do share with me below =)

/Can