Nihongo#1 - 3 Month Up-date

It is now August. It has been a month since I started studying Japanese. At this point in the month, I would usually go back through my notes and review all the N5 and N4 grammar and vocabulary that I have covered. However, I am sooo rusty, to the point where it is stressing me out how much I have to re-learn. One thing I have noticed about Japanese is that one month, week, or even day missed, and I forget almost everything. I studied GCSE French 6 years ago; and yet, with a few hours of revision I can recall a few words and grammar points. 

I feel like I have entered another season in my Japanese learning journey. The first season was the absolute, absolute beginner stage (i.e. hiragana, katakana, and very basic words). I was not aware of N-levels and grammar. I was pretty naive. The second was the transition from N5 to N4. I learned so many words and grammar points and started to converse in the language on a very, very basic level.

Here are a few resources I have found incredibly useful in my language learning journey:  

1. Jisho: This is an online Japanese-English (and English-Japanese) dictionary. I love the fact that it allows me to check the JLTP N-level of a word (namely N5 and N4 words). I like that it recognises verb constructions. For example, I can type in 'tabemasu,' 'tabete,' and so on, and it will recognised the verb I am referring to. 

 

2. Japanese Pod 101: These are my go-to podcasts and I cannot recommend them enough! I think they really propelled me in my learning and motivation to learn. I learned hiragana, katakana and many of my words now drilled into my head (i.e. eat, drink, sleep, cat, etc) through them. I can acquire vocabulary and grasp grammar in a very natural way. I acquire vocab best by following stories with familiar characters. Japanese Pod 101 is perfect in this respect. I currently have a Basic subscription with them (that is about £7 a month), but I am seriously considering getting the Premium as it will give me access to some additional features that I think would really add to the learning process. 

3. Japanese Amno with Misa: She is amazing! So much content for free on YouTube. I couple this with Japanese Pod 101. Misa is an excellent teacher. I covered all N5 and beginner grammar with her. Some of her videos can be as long as 45 mins-1-hour long, but they are totally worth watching if you really want to grasp Japanese grammar. A few other notable YouTube mentions include Masa Sensei, Yuko Sensei, Learn Japanese, Miku Real Japanese, and Japanese from Zero.* I never get bored watching Miku Real Japanese and Japanese Amno with Misa. Their videos are entertaining, informative, and easy to digest. I would highly recommend!

4. Italki: This is something I had heard a lot about on blogs and YouTube; but, I doubted the benefits at first. I couldn't even string a sentence together in Japanese and my vocabulary was incredibly limited. My first lesson was very awkward, but the more I spoke with my teacher and acquired vocab and grammar points, the nicer it felt. Now I have a lesson once a week, or every other week, to practice my communication, revise grammar, and get homework in challenging areas. I'll update you on how my Italki lessons are progressing soon. But Italki is definitely a good resource if you do want structure for listening and speaking practice like me, and want to put what you have learned into practice. 

5. JLPT Sensei and Self-Taught Japanese: JLPT Sensei is a good resource for N-level specific Japanese grammar with an abundance of examples. https://jlptsensei.com/. Self-Taught Japanese is a good resource for understanding concepts, grammar, and gaining an insight into Japanese culture. I always find myself on both pages whenever I want to cross-check a grammar point briefly touched on in any of the Youtube videos I have watched. 

6. Google Translate (surprisingly enough): It isn't perfect (by no means), but...I do think it's just a great resource when you want to practice speaking and creating sentences in response to a question a Youtuber has asked.