<h2>How do I study all these new words I am learning? </h2>
<p>Daily flashcards! <a href="https://apps.ankiweb.net/">Anki</a> is designed for learning Japanese and works on the computer and phone. </p>
<p>The algorithm knows when the best time for you to review a card is, so make sure you don't miss it due to the review limit. Remove the review limit by going to deck options under the "Reviews" tab and setting "Maximum reviews/day" to 9999. Don't be alarmed by this number, the point is to set it to something you'll never hit. </p>
<p>There are lots of decks to download, but I recommend making your own based off of your own reading. Begin with all the vocabulary you already know but can't read yet (着物、班長、数独 、照り焼き、布団、など) to dilute your deck at the beginning. Add in new words you learn through context. You will make errors starting out, but you will be able to correct them over time as you expand your vocabulary and grammar skills and your knowledge of Japanese culture. </p>
<p>The algorithm knows when the best time for you to review a card is, so make sure you don't miss it due to the review limit. Remove the review limit by going to deck options under the "Reviews" tab and setting "Maximum reviews/day" to 9999. Don't be alarmed by this number; the point is to set it to something you'll never hit. </p>
<p>There are lots of decks to download, but I recommend making your own based off of your own reading. Add all the vocabulary you already know but can't read yet (着物、班長、数独 、照り焼き、布団、など) to dilute your deck at the beginning. Then add in new words you learn through context. You will make errors starting out, but you will be able to correct them over time as you expand your vocabulary and grammar skills and your knowledge of Japanese culture. </p>
<p>My cards look like this: </p>
<img src="/static/img/corn/card.png" alt="(The word 支え on the front. On the back, the pronunciations ささえ, grammatical information like noun, verb, etc, then the definition, a contextual image, then the kanji with meaning and pronunciations.)">
<p>The word is on the front. The pronunciation, definition, and a contextual image or sentence is on the back. I find including the kanji's definition and pronunciations helps me pick up the most common pronunciations more quickly, so I can more successfully guess how new words are pronounced just by looking at them. </p>
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<h2>What should I read?</h2>
<p>Whatever you want. I like watching cute makeup and fashion videos on Youtube, so I started watching <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@saaya3831/videos">さぁや saaya</a>. I also like sewing and cooking, so finding Japanese sewing and recipe books and trying to follow them is super fun. </p>
<p>I don't recommend starting with sci-fi, fantasy, or anything filled with technical terms from a field you aren't particularly interested in. All the new medical vocabulary you would learn from a medical drama might not be helpful unless it's your favorite genre or related to your job. Slice-of-life is good for anyone, though! </p>
<p>I don't recommend starting with sci-fi, fantasy, or anything filled with technical jargon from a field you aren't involved in. All the new medical vocabulary you would learn from a medical drama might not be helpful unless it's your favorite genre or related to your job. Slice-of-life is good for anyone, though! </p>
<p>Graphic novels:</p>
<ul>
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<h3>Should I use language resources made for Japanese children?</h3>
<p>Children learn Japanese very differently from foreigners, especially since they already know Japanese - they only need to improve their vocabulary and learn kanji. Unlike in English where children must learn to spell and pronounce difficult words, Japanese words in kana are never difficult to pronounce nor have silent letters. </p>
<p>Children's media is written only in kana. Since Japanese has many homophones and no spaces, a children's book is actually more difficult for beginners to read than an adult's book. imagineifyouwerenewtoenglishandhadtoreadawholeericcarlebooklikethis. With kanji, it's still hard, but at least you can tell where words begin and end and use a dictionary! </p>
<p>This means beginners need that magic balance between media that uses both kanji and simple grammar. Manga and webcomics written for teenagers are a popular starting point. </p>
<p>This means beginners need that magic balance of both kanji and simple grammar. Manga and webcomics written for teenagers are a popular starting point. </p>
<h3>Should I study from the Japanese version of English media? Like the Japanese translation of Finding Nemo, etc. </h3>
<p>A lot of a language is the culture and history, so you would be missing out on learning cultural references, historical references, their value system, and their food and geography. Also, translators, especially for such a different language, are not perfect. The original is always better, and you'll realize how differently Japanese media reads compared to English translations soon. </p>
chimchooree
1 year ago