Four Years or sweat and tears it has taken me to reach my current level of Japanese. From the first words I spoke in class, to now living and working in Japan it has been a long journey. To be honest I am still not satisfied with my level nor the speed at which I progressed. So why then am I giving advice on “How you can optimize speed of learning with minimal effort”?. Well I have learned some things in my 3 years of university level Japanese, a teaching degree and 1 and a half years in Japan that help me answer that question better than I could 4 years ago.
How to learn fast - The Short answer
The short answer is: Big things grow from those that are small. Start with your growth goals and stick to these two guiding principles.
1. Language is learned and improved by using language!
The more you learn, practice, use and recycle language, the stronger it will grow. No one can learn for you, therefore, you must do the hard work yourself by linking new language to your old, like fitting puzzle pieces in a Jigsaw. The internal voice saying "How do I say "X" in Japanese" will push you forward and motivate you. And overcome these problems creating the strongest and most meaningful connections of all.
The process in your brain can be simplified into two steps.
More about this in my Ball and Stick explanation of language learning
2. “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
No matter the problem perseverance is what gets you there. Studying or reading even one word a day is keeping you moving towards your goal. There are many quotes on perseverance I would like to share, but for me there are no more true than the one above and a quote from Darwin.
1. Language is learned and improved by using language!
The more you learn, practice, use and recycle language, the stronger it will grow. No one can learn for you, therefore, you must do the hard work yourself by linking new language to your old, like fitting puzzle pieces in a Jigsaw. The internal voice saying "How do I say "X" in Japanese" will push you forward and motivate you. And overcome these problems creating the strongest and most meaningful connections of all.
The process in your brain can be simplified into two steps.
- Learn language = Creating knowledge/ schemas in your brain
- Using language = Creating connections between your knowledge so you can exponentially reap benefits from this.
More about this in my Ball and Stick explanation of language learning
2. “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
No matter the problem perseverance is what gets you there. Studying or reading even one word a day is keeping you moving towards your goal. There are many quotes on perseverance I would like to share, but for me there are no more true than the one above and a quote from Darwin.
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Charles Darwin
How to learn fast - The Long Answer
Assessing your goals for learning
The first thing you should do when learning Japanese is ask yourself some questions about your purpose for learning Japanese.
1. Why are you learning Japanese? What to you see yourself doing most in Japanese?
A) To speak to people from a different way of life and to travel in Japan. (Speaking)
B) To read manga, Japanese literature or become a translator (Reading)
C) To understand Japanese movies, songs, TV shows, Anime. (Listening)
D) To write to your Japanese friends on the internet, write Kanji, use Japanese language for design (Writing)
2. What is your budget?
A) $0, I want to learn for free. (Free)
B) I don't mind paying a small amount. This may change as I get more involved in the language. (Budget)
C) I can spend as much as needed I just need to learn as much as possible (No Budget)
3. What is the level can you imagine you want to get to.
A) Travel phrases (Travel)
B) Basic compression (Basic)
C) Conversational (Conversational)
D) Business level learning all Kanji and polite forms of language. (Business)
4. What time limits do you have?
A) Less than one year (0+)
B) Within 1 year (1 Year)
C) Within 2-3 years (2 Years)
D) 5+ years is ok (5+ Years)
Now you have a basic idea of where you want to go and what you want to do with your Japanese. With these in mind, see where these goals may lead you.
1. Why are you learning Japanese? What to you see yourself doing most in Japanese?
A) To speak to people from a different way of life and to travel in Japan. (Speaking)
B) To read manga, Japanese literature or become a translator (Reading)
C) To understand Japanese movies, songs, TV shows, Anime. (Listening)
D) To write to your Japanese friends on the internet, write Kanji, use Japanese language for design (Writing)
2. What is your budget?
A) $0, I want to learn for free. (Free)
B) I don't mind paying a small amount. This may change as I get more involved in the language. (Budget)
C) I can spend as much as needed I just need to learn as much as possible (No Budget)
3. What is the level can you imagine you want to get to.
A) Travel phrases (Travel)
B) Basic compression (Basic)
C) Conversational (Conversational)
D) Business level learning all Kanji and polite forms of language. (Business)
4. What time limits do you have?
A) Less than one year (0+)
B) Within 1 year (1 Year)
C) Within 2-3 years (2 Years)
D) 5+ years is ok (5+ Years)
Now you have a basic idea of where you want to go and what you want to do with your Japanese. With these in mind, see where these goals may lead you.
Travel japanese (1 month)
What you will need:
- Katakana + Japanese pronunciation - 1-2 weeks (fast)
- Basic travel phrases - 1-2 weeks
- Basic travel grammar - 1 week
Depending on your commitment and complexity of your travel plan you can learn travel Japanese within 1 month.
Resources
0 Budget - There are many free Internet resources for learning travel Japanese. However I generally rate them quite low as many are dull and rely on wrote memorization.
Budget - Money can get you access to much higher quality and interesting resources. Many of these will take you from travel into the basic Japanese level if completed correctly.
No budget - Having a teacher/ tutor will keep you motivated and help you to absorb the language quicker. When choosing a teacher I recommend choosing a non native Japanese person who has travel experience in Japan. This is because they will have experience using the language for travel purposes and will have tips and tricks for travelers. Send requests in advance to your language teacher so they can personalize your learning program. This will save you money in the end.
- Katakana + Japanese pronunciation - 1-2 weeks (fast)
- Basic travel phrases - 1-2 weeks
- Basic travel grammar - 1 week
Depending on your commitment and complexity of your travel plan you can learn travel Japanese within 1 month.
Resources
0 Budget - There are many free Internet resources for learning travel Japanese. However I generally rate them quite low as many are dull and rely on wrote memorization.
Budget - Money can get you access to much higher quality and interesting resources. Many of these will take you from travel into the basic Japanese level if completed correctly.
No budget - Having a teacher/ tutor will keep you motivated and help you to absorb the language quicker. When choosing a teacher I recommend choosing a non native Japanese person who has travel experience in Japan. This is because they will have experience using the language for travel purposes and will have tips and tricks for travelers. Send requests in advance to your language teacher so they can personalize your learning program. This will save you money in the end.
Basic Japanese (1 year)
What you will need:
Travel level Japanese +
Hiragana - 1-2 weeks
100 Kanji - 2 months
Basic vocabulary - 3- 4 months
Basic grammar - 3-4 months
Practiced Usage - 3-4 months - This is where your personalized plan comes in Focus on your skill that you desire. Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening
With an intensive program you should be able to learn basic N5 level Japanese within a year.
0 Budget - The majority of online resources are designed for this level so you should have no problem finding any. Please check here to find a list of Tofugu's recommended resources.
# I personally recommend supplementing what ever resources you find online with vocabulary practice on Memrise
Budget - Buy one of many beginner Japanese textbooks and follow along with this.
No budget -Taking a Beginners Japanese class.
Travel level Japanese +
Hiragana - 1-2 weeks
100 Kanji - 2 months
Basic vocabulary - 3- 4 months
Basic grammar - 3-4 months
Practiced Usage - 3-4 months - This is where your personalized plan comes in Focus on your skill that you desire. Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening
With an intensive program you should be able to learn basic N5 level Japanese within a year.
0 Budget - The majority of online resources are designed for this level so you should have no problem finding any. Please check here to find a list of Tofugu's recommended resources.
# I personally recommend supplementing what ever resources you find online with vocabulary practice on Memrise
Budget - Buy one of many beginner Japanese textbooks and follow along with this.
No budget -Taking a Beginners Japanese class.
Conversational Japanese (2-3 years)
What you will need:
Basic Japanese +
1006 Kanji + Common Readings - 1-2 years
Practice - 1-2 years
Depending on your definition of conversational this could take between 5mins - 10 years to develop. 5 minutes if you consider “Hello, how are you?” “Im fine thank you and you?” a conversation. And 10 years if you consider speaking at the same level as Japanese through a variety of themes and topics. However for most people a compromise is what people want to aim at and that i will describe as: being able to converse in a number of different situations without struggling to make meaning or heavily using a dictionary. To reach this level it generally takes between 2-3 years depending on usage of the language and knowledge of vocabulary and grammar.
0 Budget - Here free resources are few and far between. I would say that it is not a reasonable expectation to reach this level purely on free resources.
# I personally recommend supplementing what ever resources you find online with vocabulary practice on Memrise
Budget - Lots of textbooks, finding Japanese friends and Anki/ Memrise.
No budget - Go to Japan on a WHV. You will learn Japanese from your surroundings if you push yourself out of English speaking communities.
Basic Japanese +
1006 Kanji + Common Readings - 1-2 years
Practice - 1-2 years
Depending on your definition of conversational this could take between 5mins - 10 years to develop. 5 minutes if you consider “Hello, how are you?” “Im fine thank you and you?” a conversation. And 10 years if you consider speaking at the same level as Japanese through a variety of themes and topics. However for most people a compromise is what people want to aim at and that i will describe as: being able to converse in a number of different situations without struggling to make meaning or heavily using a dictionary. To reach this level it generally takes between 2-3 years depending on usage of the language and knowledge of vocabulary and grammar.
0 Budget - Here free resources are few and far between. I would say that it is not a reasonable expectation to reach this level purely on free resources.
# I personally recommend supplementing what ever resources you find online with vocabulary practice on Memrise
Budget - Lots of textbooks, finding Japanese friends and Anki/ Memrise.
No budget - Go to Japan on a WHV. You will learn Japanese from your surroundings if you push yourself out of English speaking communities.
BUSINESS japanese (5+ years)
What you will need:
Conversational Japanese +
All Jouyou Kanji - 1-2 year
Keigo training - 1-2 years
Practice - 1+ year
How i define Business Japanese is conversational Japanese with the addition of Keigo and the ability to read a newspaper. Therefore equivalent to N1 level which can easily take 5+ years. Keigo and Kanji are difficult even for Japanese native speakers and to be able to produce this efficiently it takes a lot of specialized study.
0 Budget - Here free resources are few and far between. I would say that it is not a reasonable expectation to reach this level purely on free resources.
# I personally recommend supplementing what ever resources you find online with vocabulary practice on Memrise
Budget - Lots of textbooks, Lots of Japanese friends and Lots of classes. Even with all this I would suggest that true business level Japanese would be difficult to attain without working in Japan for a long time.
No budget - Go to Japan and work in a Japanese company for 2-5 years to get down the basics. You will learn Japanese from your surroundings if you push yourself out of English speaking communities.
Conversational Japanese +
All Jouyou Kanji - 1-2 year
Keigo training - 1-2 years
Practice - 1+ year
How i define Business Japanese is conversational Japanese with the addition of Keigo and the ability to read a newspaper. Therefore equivalent to N1 level which can easily take 5+ years. Keigo and Kanji are difficult even for Japanese native speakers and to be able to produce this efficiently it takes a lot of specialized study.
0 Budget - Here free resources are few and far between. I would say that it is not a reasonable expectation to reach this level purely on free resources.
# I personally recommend supplementing what ever resources you find online with vocabulary practice on Memrise
Budget - Lots of textbooks, Lots of Japanese friends and Lots of classes. Even with all this I would suggest that true business level Japanese would be difficult to attain without working in Japan for a long time.
No budget - Go to Japan and work in a Japanese company for 2-5 years to get down the basics. You will learn Japanese from your surroundings if you push yourself out of English speaking communities.
Conclusion
To summarize, learning language is about using what language you have and not giving up. No matter what your goal be, whether it is for travel, beginner, conversational or business Japanese you should now have a starting point and know where to start searching. The fastest way to learn Japanese is to stick to what ever goals you have and keep going.
“If you are going through hell, keep going.” ― Winston S. Churchill