Category: Japanese
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Staying Focused on My Actual Goal of Learning the Language, Not Earning a Degree
I enrolled in this school to study Japanese specifically because they offer an associate’s degree in Japanese. I thought, if I’m going to do the work of studying, I want something to show for it, even if a degree in a language doesn’t necessarily mean fluency. So last Monday, school started. On…
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I Just Finished My First Year Studying Japanese in Community College—This is What I Needed to Hear as a New Student
When I first started on this journey to learning the Japanese language, I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I was super eager and impatient to just be fluent already, and I did everything I possibly could to race to that perceived finish line. Welp, I’ve survived an academic year (3 quarters)…
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Are College Classes Worth It to Learn Japanese?
I’ve made several attempts to learn Japanese over many years, and those attempts often started with formal classes through a local community college. I tried night classes, but they were after a day at the office and so late (ending around 9pm), that I couldn’t concentrate. In 2020, I made…
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My Favorite Tools for Learning Japanese and When to Use Them
I’ve been studying Japanese in earnest since September 2021, though I’ve made many attempts over the last 10+ years. In that time, I’ve tried dozens (maybe hundreds!) of tools, books, videos, and apps. The journey to learning a new language is not going to be the same for everyone. You…
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Tips for Choosing a Tutor and How a Preply Tutor Transformed My Language Learning Experience
Language learners have so many excellent resources to make their journey to fluency as smooth as possible, and I’d say an online tutor might be the most important. Last year, I watched YouTube videos for tips on learning Japanese, and somewhat jp recommends finding a tutor in his how i…
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日本へ行きましょう (Let’s Go to Japan): My First Video in Japanese
This is my final project for my second Japanese class. The assignment: Create a slideshow of photos, talk about them in Japanese using as many adjectives as possible, and combine sentences using て form. This assignment isn’t technically due until March, but I already knew I wanted to use footage…
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Get the Most Out Of Practicing With Your Language Partners
Having language learning partners has been super beneficial to my learning experience, but getting into a rhythm took a little trial and error. I was excited to make new friends, but I also want to maximize the benefit of having language practice partners. I use Tandem (check out my review,…
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An Important Lesson From My First 6 Weeks Of Seriously Studying Japanese
I’ve only just begun my Japanese learning journey, but I’ve learned something important that I want to share. Before school started, I was casually listening to Japanese podcasts and watching television in Japanese for exposure, especially since I learned The Game-Changing Language Learning Advice That Eased the Pressure. When school started,…
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HelloTalk or Tandem: What’s better for language learning partners?
I’m new to learning another language, but I was inspired to find practice partners early in my learning journey. Here’s Why I’m Glad I Didn’t Wait to Find Language Learning Partners. If you’re trying to choose between HelloTalk and Tandem, I’m going to talk about my experiences with these apps and…
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Why I’m Glad I Found Language Learning Partners Early
My Japanese language skills are still very basic since I only recently got serious about learning. I already knew hiragana and katakana, but my vocabulary is limited and I only know how to construct basic sentences. I knew I eventually wanted to find a language learning partner to practice with,…