After this video, you will learn Japanese (on your own) [AJATT]

Summary

In this video, the creator shares their personal journey of learning Japanese through immersion over the first three months. They emphasize the importance of using Anki for vocabulary building, focusing on listening to authentic Japanese content, and avoiding content adapted for learners. The creator explains how they started with beginner-friendly podcasts and gradually progressed to popular YouTubers like Hikakin and Hajime Syacho. By the third month, they had built a solid vocabulary base and began to understand spoken Japanese in context, showcasing the power of consistent immersion and repetition.

Takeaways

• 😀 Focus on immersion: The speaker emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with Japanese content to speed up language acquisition.
• 😀 Use Anki for vocabulary: Anki is a key tool for learning words with spaced repetition, helping to build a strong vocabulary base.
• 😀 Start without kanji: In the first three months, the speaker avoided studying kanji and focused on listening and learning words in context.
• 😀 Gradually consume native content: Initially, consume beginner-friendly content, then transition to content created for native speakers to improve comprehension.
• 😀 Build parasocial relationships: Watching the same YouTubers over time helps form emotional connections, making the learning process more engaging.
• 😀 Use simple, expressive content: Content from popular YouTubers like Hikakin and Hajime Syacho is easy to understand due to their clear language and emotional expressions.
• 😀 Leverage content recommendations: As your understanding grows, YouTube recommendations will help you discover more suitable content to enhance learning.
• 😀 Focus on familiar sources first: Stick to 2-3 familiar creators before branching out to ensure consistency and deeper understanding.
• 😀 Expect a cumulative effect: Over time, exposure to content will create a vocabulary base, enabling you to recognize and guess meanings of unknown words.
• 😀 Real-life examples are vital: Understanding words through real-life contexts, like YouTubers' actions or common phrases, helps solidify their meanings.
• 😀 Practical tips for immersion: The speaker provides guidance on how to set up Anki and mine words from videos to optimize learning, with additional content on how to use tools effectively.

Q & A

Why did you choose to use Anki for learning Japanese?

Anki is a powerful tool for spaced repetition, which helps you retain vocabulary over time. It allows you to focus on learning new words efficiently, and the use of voice recordings and context in the deck makes it easier to remember how the words are used in real situations.

How did you approach kanji in the first 3 months of learning Japanese?

In the first 3 months, I didn’t focus on kanji at all. I concentrated on learning spoken vocabulary and listening comprehension, which helped me build a strong foundation in understanding spoken Japanese before tackling reading and writing.

What is the importance of 'comprehensible input' in language learning?

Comprehensible input refers to content that is slightly above your current level of understanding but still understandable. It’s crucial for language learning because it allows your brain to gradually process and absorb new language structures, words, and expressions in context, making learning more effective.

How did you move from beginner podcasts to watching Japanese YouTubers?

After a month of listening to beginner podcasts, I realized that I needed more authentic content. I switched to watching Japanese YouTubers like Hikakin and Hajime Syacho because their content was simple, expressive, and relatable, which made it easier for me to understand and stay engaged.

Why did you focus on forming parasocial relationships with YouTubers like Hikakin and Hajime Syacho?

By forming a parasocial relationship with YouTubers, I was able to feel more connected to the content. This connection made the content more engaging and motivated me to keep watching and learning. It helped me stick with the content, as I felt like I was getting to know them as personalities.

What role did emotions play in your learning process?

Emotions played a crucial role in making the learning process more memorable. Watching expressive YouTubers who used gestures, emotions, and actions helped me associate words with feelings and situations, making the language more meaningful and easier to remember.

How did your YouTube recommendations help you in the third month of learning?

By the third month, my YouTube recommendations started to align with the content I had been watching, which meant I was exposed to more videos from creators like Hikakin and Hajime Syacho, as well as similar content. This helped me expand my exposure to comprehensible input and reinforced my learning.

What did you achieve by the end of the third month in terms of language understanding?

By the end of the third month, I had learned nearly 2,000 Japanese words, could understand a lot of content when listening, and had built a solid vocabulary base. Although I still couldn’t read kanji, my comprehension of spoken Japanese had greatly improved.

Why is it important to consistently consume content from a small number of creators initially?

Starting with a small number of creators allows you to become familiar with their speaking style, vocabulary, and common phrases. This makes the content easier to understand, and you can gradually build your comprehension skills before expanding to other creators.

What is the cumulative effect of immersion in language learning?

The cumulative effect of immersion is the gradual accumulation of knowledge through consistent exposure. Over time, your brain processes and stores new information, which makes it easier to understand and guess the meaning of new words when you encounter them in context.