Best Way to Learn Japanese?

[biari]

i've always wanted to learn japanese but i've just been too busy to really focus on it. going to japan last week completely reignited my motivation though. so to anyone here who's fluent or has learned it, what's the best way to start? did you go to in-person classes, take them online, or self-study?

 

[_ennoir_]

I do self-study and imo the best way to start is to learn like a baby, first you need to immerse yourself in that language - start with listening (dramas, music,...) then speaking (shadowing, pick up the tone) and then combine with vocab-writing and reading. As a person who despise pressure, I try to align the learning process with my interests to not feel like I'm being pressured into 'studying'. The key is consistency, good luck!

 

[biari]

I do self-study and imo the best way to start is to learn like a baby, first you need to immerse yourself in that language - start with listening (dramas, music,...) then speaking (shadowing, pick up the tone) and then combine with vocab-writing and reading. As a person who despise pressure, I try to align the learning process with my interests to not feel like I'm being pressured into 'studying'. The key is consistency, good luck!

thanks so much for the great advice!

 

[Lilia]

The most important part is being consistent where I found self study the most effective for me. It can take a long time but if you're devoted to it daily, you will see results no matter what. A good place to strengthen your beginning understanding is to read a grammar guide like Tae Kim's and slowly build up your vocabulary through something like Anki. Kaishi 1.5K is a popular Anki you might want to look into.

Once you nailed down basics, I highly recommend immersion study by consuming Japanese content you're interested in on a constant basis. This can be anything from just simple Twitter messages/news story to shows or games you might like. Here's a guide that might be helpful:
https://learnjapanese.moe/

Try to enjoy it as much as you can while learning the language, good luck~

 

[biari]

The most important part is being consistent where I found self study the most effective for me. It can take a long time but if you're devoted to it daily, you will see results no matter what. A good place to strengthen your beginning understanding is to read a grammar guide like Tae Kim's and slowly build up your vocabulary through something like Anki. Kaishi 1.5K is a popular Anki you might want to look into.

Once you nailed down basics, I highly recommend immersion study by consuming Japanese content you're interested in on a constant basis. This can be anything from just simple Twitter messages/news story to shows or games you might like. Here's a guide that might be helpful:
https://learnjapanese.moe/

Try to enjoy it as much as you can while learning the language, good luck~

thank you! and i really appreciate the guide!

 

[fr4pp3cinn]

I'd say the most important part is reading! Early on you'll get into a routine with grammar guides and Anki, and reading will seem intimidating. You'll want to push it for later, and the longer you take to start reading, the harder it is to finally take the plunge; at first it'll feel like you're looking up every single word in the text, but if you stick with it, it does get easier. Try to go for easy stuff on the beginning, but also stuff that you enjoy (some people recommend Hanahira for early reading, but I found it quite boring and had a hard time pushing myself to finish it when I read it; ended up a bit demotivated after that lol)

For grammar, I think yoku.bi is very nice for beginners, as it has simple language and you can read a few rules per day (but do try to look at multiple sources, and maybe even some grammar dictionaries if you're having trouble with anything). Good luck on your learning! ;)

 

[LazyMuffin]

One of my friends say watching Anime with jp subs is great way to learn but it's only effective if you enjoy Anime