From Zero to Fluent Japanese in 1 Year: A Procrastination-First Self-Study Plan for 2022
stg I’m not a weeb
The Context
School is one of those things that you hate in the moment, but miss a little bit once you’ve survived to see the other side. Since graduating this past summer, I’ve recently enrolled into the School of Life, and in the pursuit of endless knowledge, I’ve made it a habit to study Japanese with the goal of reaching basic fluency before the year’s end.
I’ve always wanted to live in Japan — the past 6 months of my YouTube binges have consisted of Japanese cultural videos, apartment tours, and language learning videos. What follows is a study plan to end all study plans, creating a space where learning Japanese is so easy that even if I don’t “do it right” I’ll still make progress.
All of this is easily replicable and (mostly) free. Maybe this time next year we could have a conversation in Japanese.
The Language Acquisition Theory That Blew My Mind To Smithereens
My assumption was to hit the books right away, memorize as many words as possible, practice reading and writing and speaking and pitch accent and native dialects and…
All of this is overwhelming, even when sticking to the basics. And my own motivation to learn isn’t always as strong from one day to the next. Somewhere in my pre-search I stumbled upon this video from Matt vs. Japan. He speaks on the difference between language learning and language acquisition, essentially being able to speak textbook Japanese compared to natural, fluent Japanese.
Matt is his own case study. Before making an effort to learn how to properly speak Japanese, he spent two years focusing solely on input. For him, this meant listening to as much spoken Japanese as possible, and in as many forms as possible. He also made it a point to read books that interested him, making note of new words as he went.
Because he spent so much time on input, there wasn’t any friction (or, far less than the average learner) when he switched to speaking and writing. By then, he’s already understood a vast majority of words, grammatical structures, and cultural contexts that he’s now able to trick native Japanese speakers into thinking he’s also from Japan. They can’t tell the difference unless they’re able to see him.
Matt says that all of this was achieved within five years. Two for input, three for output.
I’m well aware that compressing Matt’s five years into one with his level of expertise is a bit much to ask. But it did make me wonder how I (and other Japanese self-study-ers) might be able to work his methods into my own approach.
And furthermore, what happens when we combine an input-first approach with more effortful attempts into other parts of the language learning process?
So, from Matt, I’ve begun to focus more on just sitting with the language, listening to it being spoken across various forms of content. Japanese YouTubers, podcasts, and music have all made a permanent home in my speakers and headphones.
And already I’ve been noticing results. The brain naturally wants to understand spoken language. Humans have parts of our brain dedicated to language processing.
The Frequency Effect is what happens when you’re made aware of something so that you begin to notice it more in everyday life. Tye-dye shirts, grandfather clocks, or in my case, words. It seems like every time I learn a new word I’ll instantly hear it in the next episode of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures I watch. And even if I pick out a word, I’m able to see it in context, which primes my brain to pay more attention to the words surrounding it.
And although in my absolute beginner stage I’m missing 99% of what’s being said, already being able to catch words I’m familiar with has been extremely rewarding.
Shadowing is SUPER OP
The ability for humans to “monkey-see, monkey-do” our way to learning new skills is the most over-powered trait that I’ll continue to exploit until the end of time. After watching this video from polyglot Lindie Botes, who speaks somewhere around twelve languages (I think), she introduces a technique called “shadowing,” where you attempt to mimic what is being said as you listen along.
This practice, like Matt’s listening strategy, is quite passive. If you’re not feeling up to opening your brand new Genki textbook, just parroting any Netflix anime will get the job done. It doesn’t have to be slow, or even every word. I’ve found that mimicking whenever possible helps get a better feel for how Japanese is supposed to sound.
Be aware that Japanese in anime sounds very different from Japanese in reality shows. Shadowing anime is better for getting a general feel for the language, but reality shows more often portray realistic spoken Japanese.
Coupling the Passive with the Active
The path to fluency in any language is never linear, although in school settings it can be structured. The first goal is always the same, which is to brute force your way into learning new words and basic grammatical structures so that you can create a solid foundation to build upon later. Here, I’ll include the exact resources I’m using in conjunction with listening and shadowing so I can make a more effortful (and speedier) ascent to fluency.
Apps
Quizlet
- Great for flashcard review
- There is already a community of Japanese learners on the site, which means there’s an abundance of premade flashcard decks to work through. I’ve been working through this one lately.
Anki
- Anki, from what I can tell, is the Japanese learner’s gold standard when it comes to building your own vocabulary lists.
- Its review feature is unique, in that it will show you terms you can recall less frequently than terms you forget, making for a more effective study session.
Duolingo
- Everyone hates the bird. So far I’ve been indifferent about the constant nagging about studying everyday. No matter where I am, Duo finds me on my phone or on my computer. There is no escape.
- Duolingo is a fantastic resource to learn vocabulary and basic grammar, and has a very clean user interface.
- I don’t use it everyday, but I’ve found that it helps to mix things up a little bit as you go to keep it fresh.
Books
Genki
- Genki is the go-to textbook for beginner Japanese learners. I was able to find the newest edition on Amazon and also bought the workbook and answer key along with it. All of which have been extremely valuable to my learning, and have helped provide some structure in my approach.
Children’s Lit
- There are YouTube videos where native Japanese speakers read children’s books aloud. This is really good for listening to language at a slower pace, and great for learning new terms.
Manga
- I haven’t gotten my hands on any manga yet, but I’ve definitely got it planned for my future. I feel like attempting to read with matching visuals will aid in any context related issues I might experience when reading text only.
- Here’s an excellent YouTube channel that reviews manga series.
Content Creators
Eventually, I’ll release a list of all of my favorite Japanese content creators, but for now I’ll attempt to limit myself. There are so many passionate content creators, some with a focus on teaching language, all are great for listening practice.
- Misa’s English is incredible, which makes her content very accessible to native English speakers.
- The depth of her explanations do a great job of satisfying any questions I might’ve wanted to ask if I were learning in a classroom setting. Her videos center around learning Japanese and all of its nuances, often, she’ll discuss cultural implications and casual and formal ways to say the same thing.
YUYUの日本語 (nonihongo)
- This podcast is what I use to shadow on a daily basis. He goes live frequently, and I’ve found it really cool to be able to listen to his show happen in real time.
- He interacts with viewers through his chat, and always has something to say, which has really motivated me to learn how to write more.
はじめしゃちょ (hajime)
- Hajime Shacho is the most in tune with “internet culture.” His videos revolve around absurdity, like buying all the ice cream from a convenience store, or pranking his friend into walking into the wrong Onsen (Japanese sauna/bathing facility).
Do-able? I Honestly Think So.
Through a smooth blend of lazy listening and more intentional study, I think I can achieve a basic level of fluency by this time next year. I could just be a bright-eyed new student, but when I’ve seen countless other videos of others attempting (and completing) the same task in far less time, I think this goal is reasonable.
I hope that these ideas can help you, fellow Japanese learners, take your language acquisition game to the next level. Maybe someday soon, we’ll have a conversation!
P.S.: You should get my posts directly in your inbox. Do that here. If you want to enjoy more of Medium, you can support me and thousands of other writers by signing up for a membership. It’s only $5 a month, and you get unlimited access to every writer’s big ideas. Sign up with this link to support me directly with a portion of your fee at no extra charge. If you do, thank you so much and I’m looking forward to enjoying our time here together.