Is Duolingo Really a Good Way to Study Japanese? | A Japanese Man Reacts to Duolingo

Summary

In this video, the host shares their aspiration to become a certified Japanese language instructor and explores Duolingo as a learning tool. They create an account, take a placement test, and experience the platform's lessons and features. The host appreciates Duolingo's encouragement for consistent study but notes its limitations for mastering conversational Japanese. They invite viewers to suggest other language learning resources to review and commit to ongoing research for their instructional goals.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video is a part of the 'Let's Ask Shogo' series where Shogo shares his journey to become a qualified Japanese language instructor.
• 🎓 Shogo has set a goal to obtain a license to teach Japanese and is seeking donations to support his education.
• 💬 Shogo invites viewers to share their preferred methods for studying Japanese and plans to review various language learning apps and websites.
• 📱 Shogo begins by trying out Duolingo, a popular language learning app, to assess its effectiveness for learning Japanese.
• 🌟 Duolingo offers a wide range of languages, including Japanese, which ranks third in popularity among users.
• 🔧 Shogo evaluates Duolingo's features, such as daily reminders, time management, and the ability to connect with social media for motivation.
• 📊 The video includes a demonstration of Duolingo's level assessment test, which adjusts the difficulty based on the user's proficiency.
• 🗣️ Shogo notes that Duolingo's voice pronunciation feature may not always provide the most natural or correct accent for Japanese speakers.
• 📚 The script highlights Duolingo's structured learning path, which includes practical lessons like ordering food and asking for the time.
• 🏆 Shogo appreciates Duolingo's motivational features, such as streak tracking and rewards, which encourage consistent study habits.
• 👨‍🏫 The video concludes with Shogo acknowledging that while Duolingo is a fun and useful tool, it may not fully prepare users for fluent conversation with native speakers, suggesting the need for additional study resources or a teacher.

Q & A

What is the main goal of the speaker in the video?

The speaker's main goal is to become a qualified Japanese language instructor and obtain the necessary license.

How does the speaker plan to fund their language instructor journey?

The speaker has set up a Ko-fi page to receive donations to support their education and licensing process.

What language learning platform does the speaker discuss in the video?

The speaker discusses Duolingo, a popular language learning application and website.

What feature of Duolingo does the speaker find particularly useful for learning Japanese?

The speaker finds Duolingo's ability to adjust the difficulty level based on the learner's proficiency and its encouragement to maintain a daily study streak particularly useful.

How does Duolingo handle different levels of learners according to the speaker's experience?

Duolingo allows learners to take a level assessment test to ensure they start at the right place, and it adjusts the content based on the learner's prior knowledge of Japanese.

What does the speaker think about the practicality of the lessons on Duolingo?

The speaker appreciates the practicality of the lessons, noting that they cover useful everyday language skills like ordering food and asking for the time.

How does Duolingo motivate its users to continue learning?

Duolingo motivates users by tracking and displaying the number of consecutive days a user has studied and by offering rewards like 'Lingots' and 'Streaks'.

What is the highest unit the speaker reached in Duolingo during the video?

The speaker reached up to unit 19, but also explored the possibility of jumping to unit 90.

What challenges does the speaker encounter while using Duolingo?

The speaker encounters challenges with the pronunciation of certain words and phrases, as well as with the more advanced grammar and slang expressions that may not be commonly used in everyday Japanese.

What is the speaker's final verdict on using Duolingo for learning Japanese?

The speaker concludes that while Duolingo is a fun and motivating tool for learning Japanese, it may not be sufficient on its own for fluent conversation and would benefit from being supplemented with other learning materials or a teacher.