Hello, I've been interested in learning Japanese for a while now, and I found some resources to learn katakana. While that's great, I was wondering if anyone could recommend or give advice for someone wanting to learn the language. I do understand that it is a long process that takes much time and effort. Still, if anyone knows a good place to learn or practice, please let me know! Thanks!!
Hmm. It definitely depends on the person amd how you learn. There's a ton of apps which can help you, and I'd recommend trying them until you find one you like. Once you have some basic proficiency, you can try reading some easier manga like Yotsubato! which have furigana. That's the easiest, if not fastest, way to learn kanji in my experience.
the best resource is kind of expensive and might not be for everyone, but it might be the fastest and in terms of speed nothing will beat it: kidnap a native speaker and "reeducate" the language out of them. if you can immerse yourself in their culture by travelling to their country and live there with multiple abductees, it might go even faster
https://forum.novelupdates.com/threads/how-to-self-learn-japanese.48839/ https://forum.novelupdates.com/threads/japanese-learning-resource.735/ https://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/
My advice when learning language is to practice it every day for at least 10 min-15 min. So have a schedule. There is also a mobile phone application - Hello Talk - it is a social network for language learners. There you can select the target language and find native speakers of that language(they also learn languages and they might learn your native one) to talk to and do language exchange. It is very important to use language as you learn it, that way you remember it better. It can also be fun if you find a good talkative partner. P.s. I don't know Japanese, but I think another advice would be not to try to cram everything at once. Learn things one by one and practice using language, making sentences, even if very primitive. Memorize stuff in context. Study grammatical base alongside with lexical. I think the best way would be to look for a self-studying book if you don't want to go to a tutor. Usually self-studying books divide material bit by bit so you can gradually increase the knowledge of grammar and learn new words. Basically when learning new language you need to learn to: comprehend the words\sentences with literal and later on figurative meanings, to understand the language in speech and writing, to express yourself in a way that the speakers would understand you in speech and writing. So there are many aspects and without a complete course of language it is hard to come up by yourself with what exactly is more important to learn first, and what can be left for later.
Best way to learn a language? Go to the country and work there for a year. Make sure its a secondary city, not a major one, since you can get by with English in most major cities. One year out, you will know the language!
The 10-15 min thing is pretty bs imo. It will take you ages to really build up any proficiency that way. If you want to actually learn something, invest 45-60 min or more every day (breaks are ok, that's why we have Sundays and holidays)
It's not bullshit. It is needed to keep your brain thinking about language so that you don't start forgetting it. Of course you won't learn much in 10 15 min, but at least you won't need to relearn. It can also help to get used to a schedule and develop a habit of practicing every day
Other people - I found a subreddit for the language I'm learning at the moment and they had a tonne of valuable resources. Took me about 2 hours to learn to read the alphabet and maybe another 2 hours to memorize and match them to the sounds. So, I still had no idea what the words meant, but at least I could read them to start with. Then I jumped into one of the active discords that has a mix of native speakers and learners at various levels. Practice, practice, practice. You're going to suck and you're going to get it wrong, but don't stress yourself out. It applies to almost everyone. Focus on practicing getting the pronounciation of words right and the flow/pacing, but don't beat yourself up when you get it wrong. Practice by yourself - Record yourself on your phone or whatever speaking words. Play it back. Go find free tutorials/talk to a proficient speaker or a native speaker and have them speak them. Learn the difference and correct yourself. I like to pick one word a day and practice it to death, playing it back over and over while repeating the English translation until the two are merged together in my brain. I also use Anki flashcards packs to boost my vocabulary. Start with short and simple words to begin with. Learn them in small bunches (5, 10 a week maybe) and keep repeating the lessons until it sticks. Five words a week might not seem like much but it eventually builds up and when you talk to people you'll be able to pick out words here and there as you go to help further your learning and understanding. It builds confidence too. Apps & Websites - Don't have any specifically for Japanese (other than Anki), but there's tonnes around. Have a look into them. You might find some you like. Media - Watch shows/movies/anime/whatever in your target language. Find music you like in your target language. If you're into art, start looking for Japanese artists to follow and admire. If you're watching a show obviously you're going to start off with subtitles in your native language. Concentrate on picking up everyday words that are used most often and learn those. Also make a habit of seeing if you recognize words and give yourself a pat on the back for doing so. I recommend variety shows over dramas, because variety/family/game shows have more natural speech (language and patterns) than dramas. It's going to be weird if you base your language in dramas because nobody really speaks that way, but I'd watch dramas anyway for the fun. Just make it the snack rather than a whole meal. Look for stuff that makes learning languages fun to you. Incorporate your hobbies into it. Talk to people in that language. Listen to the music. Watch the shows. Read in that language. Make it a part of your everyday life so it becomes natural, easy and you're surrounding yourself with it. Integrate it into your life naturally. I wish you best of luck.