From Beginner to JLPT N1 in 2 Years - Here’s How I Did It!
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- Welcome to my journey from beginner Japanese learner to passing the JLPT N1 in roughly two years! In this video, I'll share my personal story, the strategies I used, the resources that were invaluable, and the challenges I overcame. Whether you're starting your Japanese learning journey or looking to push through to a higher level, you'll find actionable tips and motivation right here.
📘 What You'll Learn:
Key techniques that accelerated my learning.
Study habits that make a big difference.
Essential resources for mastering Japanese.
👍 If you find this video helpful, please like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell to get updates on my latest content. Your support helps me create more videos!
💬 Got questions or want to share your experiences with the JLPT? Drop a comment below-I love hearing from you!
Thank you for watching, and let's master Japanese together!
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:34 - GENKI
01:31 - The Kanji
03:23 - Manga
04:49 - Listening
06:48 - Output
08:09 - The JLPT
09:27 - Wrap-up
Wow…proud mother here, so grateful John is using his gifts and skills to encourage others. Nothing could make me happier as his mother 🥰
He really inspired me to jump in.
He’s incredible, I’m studying for the N2 now, that alone is very difficult-I doubt I’ll be able to pass the N1 while working
@@jean-paulmita2957 All the best to you!
@@jean-paulmita2957 I don't think I could have done what I did if I had a full-time job. Just keep up your good habits and you'll get there soon enough!
seems like a good kid. ❤
I forgot to mention: I did the same to learn French. Spoke to myself, spoke to the dogs, literally 8 hours a day while working. And then I forced myself to think in French. I am now fluent. I will need to do the same in Japanese.
That sounds like a great method and I'm sure the dogs liked it too! I'm looking forward to our first back-and-forth in Japanese 😉
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL😂
In what time you learn french like just you told you were doing practice 8 hours a day,
I wanna learn german, cause i wanna go germany for my master. Please write in details and routin. And how much time it took. Please sir 🙏🏻
@@Jsutdo As you probably already know, learning a language is not a finite journey but a life journey. You will always learn something knew, perfect it, than learn something new, prefect it again etc. To be able to have conversational French that would allow me not only to speak to clients but also do my job and speak to my coworkers, it took me 6 months of full immersion, in class 9-5 and continuing at home - lunch hour with teachers included. I did that at Berlin’s and reached their highest fluency level (level 9). After that, it was on me. To reach full fluency for work, having been officially tested and obtaining an official certificate of exemption - meaning I never have to be tested in French again, took me 15 years. I got the final mark May 2023. My journey studying French started in 2007. But for personal life, travel, making friends, watching news, movies, going to French plays etc, it took me 1 year. I’ll be honest though: understanding stand-up comedy in French, just recently. And I do not get everything. I have never lived in France. I do now work in french all day. Clients, coworkers and superiors.
Routine: I speak French everyday. Home and work. In order to force me to always keep in touch with the language, I raised my two kids solely in french and placed them in full French schooling. I have never spoken to them in English - my spouse does that. They are fluent in both languages. I want to watch a TV series? I put audio in French and close captions in french. If there’s no audio, whatever language the show or film is in, subtitles in French. Listen to regular radio and French radio (and now Japanese radio for input) and books? Whenever I see a title, I look for the equivalent in French and read it in french. Same for audiobooks. It is a constant struggle and journey. Sometimes I need a break. And now I need to do the same for Japanese, since I feel i reached a level in French, that I am comfortable in leaving it aside, since I speak it 8 hours a day per week. I can now focus on Japanese.
@@Jsutdo Just wrote you a huge reply… did you get it?
As a native Japanese speaker, I want to say this, his Japanese is SUPERB!!!! まじですごい👍Just 2 years?!! Wow wow!!!
Thank you for your kind words! Just to clarify, roughly two years to pass the JLPT N1, but eleven total years in Japan! I passed the test about nine years ago 😉
🔥@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL 😂hahahaha
But it is scripted.... I agree that it's good but I would like to hear a more real performance
@@coinbird1 I’m glad you asked! Here it is: ruclips.net/video/bQzFA9FSh8M/видео.html.
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL 2 years, 11 years, Scripted, not scripted.. doesn’t matter because your pitch-accent is so accurate. Even with a scripted speech in English, I will never be able to speak like native English speakers. Your Japanese is that good.
Dude looks like he could chew through a door frame. This is a compliment.
Yeah, that's my usual appetizer.
I thought the thumbnail was a filter 😭 it was not
I think this video really showcases that a multi-faceted approach to language acquisition is necessary to fully equip someone to gain a high level of fluency in a language.
Nice insight! How have you used a multi-faceted approach in your own learning or teaching?
I didn’t really do this on purpose, but realized it after the fact. I would learn new words from reading or hearing it. As soon as possible, I would try to use it in my speaking or writing. At first I usually made a lot of mistakes, but that really helped me to remember how to use it. So this feedback loop of using what I encountered right after I encountered it was a great feedback loop for me.
@@royallanger4217 It's honestly the best possible approach, especially if you don't live in Japan. The hardest part though is having the deep love and discipline to get out of your comfort zone and go for full immersion. I've been studying for 4 years and I'm still only getting an overall C in the N3. It's purely my fault.
Yes, it's very important to take a holistic approach. Manga, anime, tv, grammar, kanji, and many other things.
These days, you can create an immersive experience for yourself in any environment.
Manga is great, I’ve read a few easier novels too but they’ve been too dull-I’m never bored flipping through manga
Biggest problem is...theres a million grammar points and I understand it...that part is super easy and straightforward. The problem is...tomorrow I forget what that grammar was.
I feel your pain, brother!
Make anki cards for them or read more stuff.
Watch YT Videos on those grammar points, ask ChatGPT and search on Google.
These are what I would use to learn those grammar poinrs.
Thank you for your simple explanations and motivation. I did about two years of self study before coming to Japan 6 months ago. I still struggle with the language because I'm also super shy and hate to make mistakes lol but your advice about talking to yourself is probably the best thing you can do if you feel the same way. Start your day describing/narrating your life as you wake up and you will feel an immediate difference in your abilities throughout the day. Thanks for the reminder!
Welcome to Japan! What brought you here?
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL Thanks John! Marriage lol, it didn't start out that way, but it ended up that way.
@@anactualsandwichCongrats! That must be a story worth telling.
I really appreciated your thoughtful feedback, by the way! What type of content would you like to see more of?
Just a quick PSA here since these kind of videos can be greatly inspirational or incredibly demotivating for people who've been struggling with their Japanese studies for a long time:
Counting in Years can be deceiving. How much time you can dedicate every day to language learning is what matters (which greatly differs when you're a student leaving at home with your parents or an adult with a full time job and a family for example). Rapid or slow progression doesn't equate with your own "lack" of intelligence or passion for the language. Tenacity and consistency are the deciding factors, no matter how many years it takes!
Please follow the advice in this video and, I'll never say this enough : HAVE FUN with the language you're learning! ❤😊
Beautifully put! I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Yeah... I've been struggling at it for 13 years and I still couldn't pass an N5 test
@@EnchantedPencilLearnsJapanese I’ve been studying Korean for 5 or 6 years and can still barely hold a conversation!
@@EnchantedPencilLearnsJapanese same but i recently realized i had been studying the wrong way for myself. i have a rather poor memory so just memorizing the kata for example was getting me nowhere. I watched a lot of anime and J-dramas and could understand much of what was being said thanks to context. I've recently revamped my efforts and finding that translating books seems to work for me, like actively learning the Kata and even kanji. I've only been doing it 2 or so months in very small increments but I'm able to recognize and piece together sentences. i can't wait to try speaking it and make every Japanese person cringe, lol (i can barely speak my native language cohesively)
@@EnchantedPencilLearnsJapanese You haven't been struggling at it then, you've just been watching anime xD
The most realistic and direct explanation I've heard. Thank you!!
Thanks for watching and showing your appreciation!
Terrace House is my favorite show to watch for listening practice. Lots of normal everyday conversations that can be applied to real life.
Thanks for sharing! I'll have to check it out.
Was refreshing to watch because your delivery feels honest and like casual, but accurate advice. Fantastic video! I also am a shy perfectionist, lol
Awesome feedback, thank you!
And welcome to the club, lol.
subscribed! loved some of the things you mentioned, and i really feel a lot of the things you said! i recently took n3 after 7 months and planning to take n2 at the end of the year (can't make it for july 😭) and make n1 next year. i think this is really motivating for anyone who is studying japanese and/or looking to take the jlpt! ♥
as for kanji, i'm pretty privileged that i had a foundation from learning chinese kanji beforehand - so i used the same methodology that i used to learn chinese kanji to further my understanding of japanese kanji. when i first started (learning chinese) I started with learning how to read/write the basic kanji (one, two, three, wood, fire, etc.), then moved onto more complex characters that involved those as radicals. along the way, i learnt basic stroke order rules (top to bottom, left to right, etc.). most of the time kanji is made up of a combination of other smaller kanji and have meanings associated to them - for example, the water radical 氵 is often used in water-related words, like 泣 (to cry), 湖 (lake), etc. which helps me remember!
Thanks for watching and thanks for your feedback! Having a background in Chinese definitely seems like an advantage. Did you start with simplified or traditional characters?
Over the past month I’ve lost a lot of motivation with learning Japanese but the way you explained your process and how long everything took has helped me realize why I started in the first place 度もありがとう
I'm delighted to hear that. Feel free to ask questions and leave learning updates at any time!
you wrote "thank you" wrong in japanese
Your tip for getting fluent was awesome, will try that too, thank you. And congrats on making it!
I appreciate it. Best of luck!
Thank you, for your clear and informative video! ありがとうございます
I have been learning Japanese for years and just saw this. No gimmicks, just information. 😊
Thanks for the positive feedback! It really means a lot to me. Good luck with your continued studies!
It's amazing that you could do it in 2 years! I feel like I can relate to your love for Japanese. I had a very similar experience with learning how to speak. But I didn't really focus as much on reading kanji as I did on listening. Also, I decided to take N3 for my first JLPT because I was confident I could pass it and I did! Now I wanna take N1 soon. Thanks for the helpful tips!
Congrats on passing the N3! Keep us updated on your progress and let me know if you have any video requests or questions.
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL Thanks! Will do that.
very cool. I've spent a year doing Anki kanji and vocab. It's crazy how at one point kanji just looked like gibberish but now I recognize or know so much everywhere I go. I have not been doing reading and my time watching and listening to content has dropped. This was inspiration. thanks
I know what you mean about the kanji going from gibberish to something you can understand. You must have put in a ton of work. I’m glad you found the video inspiring. Thanks for watching!
This is exactly like the moment I realized I could understand and speak English, after learning some things in school or RUclips videos, spending time trying to say some words I saw on the internet or lyrics of my favorite songs, I suddenly realized that it had become quite easy, I have been learning Japanese for 1 year, I had a weak motivation but now I think it might be a good time to take this seriously, it could be a lot of fun, as long as I can keep it interesting to me, this video gave me a very good idea to improve my study method and my long-term plan
I'm glad you could relate to my experience! Thanks for the feedback and best of luck on your Japanese learning adventure. Feel free to let me know if you ever have any questions!
日本語の発音がとても自然で上手ですね！私達日本人も2年間で英語ができる様になるはず、という証明。
ありがとうございます！英語は発音の種類が多い上に例外だらけで日本語より難しい気が…😅
Congrats on passing the JLPT N1! It's quite an accomplishment. Heisig is the best method I know of. Excellent information!
My parents were going to visit me in Japan, so I had a hard deadline. I went through the first book in 1 month. Years later, after working as a translator and finally as an attorney practicing international law, I've been able to retain what I learned and learn even more.
One month is definitely doable! I’m sure you put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in though. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Hey John, I've been working on my Japanese for 6 months, at my own rhythm, of course. Taking classes, exchanging with a pen pal and learning on my own. I think overall it's getting together quite nicely. I am somewhere between N5 and N4 grammar wise, and got 250 kanjis tackled down. I tend to go all out and burn myself a bit, then have weeks of low study time as I need to recover motivation. Your video has been popping in my feed for a week now, and I was really reluctant to watch another "I learned Japanese 1000 faster than you" video, no matter how kind the content would be. But truth is, there is good to take from such stories, there are valuable information from your experience, and I am glad I watched it, because no matter how slow I can consider myself, I feel like it's doable. I am just using this comment to vent out a bit of frustration I've been cumulating lately regarding my learning curve, and be a bit kinder with myself haha
Go on with your content, I'll keep an eye on whatever you can share. Take care.
Feel free to vent any time 😉
And best of luck with your studies!
great video! currently aiming for N1 by 2026 and have been trying to read/immerse via listening through podcasts and dramas everyday but it is a rough uphill climb!! hoping to get courage in having conversations with myself
Thanks for watching! It is indeed quite the struggle. Keep your chin up!
Well done JohnG ! Wow. Good insights.
That's quite the journey. Thanks for sharing brother
Absolutely! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment.
This video boosted my motivation like a LOT. Thanks John.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching and let me know how else I can help.
Very inspiring. Thank you very much ❤️
Thanks for watching! Let me know if you have any questions at any time, and feel free to keep me updated on your progress.
Huge respect, after two years u got to JLPT N1? Amazing! i lived there alittle longer than that and was only on JLPT N3 Level, guess i was lazy.
Humans are so complex and unique that it's hard to make accurate comparisons. N3 is a great accomplishment! You should be proud of it.
this video was incredible, one of the best that i saw about japanese learning. Thank you
I'm honored that you thought so! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Where are you in your own Japanese language learning journey?
Wow your Japanese is amazing! Typically Americans have certain accents and grammatical errors but yours is very very solid. Congratulations on your progress/achievements!!
Thanks for taking the time to watch and for the kind compliment!
His pronunciations and how he speaks are so perfect! incredible ❤
From Japanese native speaker JJ
I appreciate your kind words! Still a work in progress though. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thank you so much John, very encouraging!
I'm glad you felt encouraged! Where are you in your own Japanese learning journey?
I loved your content in the video. It sums up everything perfectly. You covered all the important points, which I usually have to search for in many different videos. I especially appreciated the section on output and JLPTs. I've watched many videos, but very few resonated with me. This one did. Thanks a lot, John, and please keep posting and sharing your learning. It was incredibly helpful.
Wow, I really appreciate your feedback! I’ll keep posting, so stay tuned for more.
This is an inspiration for me because I have been struggling with motivation, and always had; I’ll try, but I do not exactly have a motivator, I have great interest in old “samurai” speak and fonts. I’ll try to be as outgoing as you are, this will be my declaration.
Thanks for your comment! Do you have any goals for Japanese or are you just learning for fun?
Nice job on this video! It's so nice to see a practical, workable approach driven by passion and interest rather than an arduous study schedule designed only to meet the test requirements. I'm just a beginner in Japanese but have been fluent in other languages in the past and the "self study" of enjoying target language books, TV, music, etc. really truly does make all the difference. I subbed and hope your channel does so well! PS -- I know it's a pain to get your room backdrop looking the way you want but def don't point your ring light at the wall if possible, your shadow got a little ominous a few times 😱😅
Thanks for your insightful and encouraging feedback and constructive criticism!
I got another similar comment about my setup, so I'll see what I can do.
おめてと!! im also currently learning japanese where i basically memorise 10 anki words per day + memorising hiragana and katakana, im planning on buying the genki books for grammer and hiring online japanese teachers to improve my pronunciation and fluency, hopefully ill learn it in 2 yrs! gl on ur 大学 admission!!
Sounds like you're driven and well-equipped to succeed. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL thanks!! again good luck! 🫡😎
Wow, Thank you sharing!
Thank you for watching!
Thanks Bro! Hoping to get to conversational level soon
Best of luck to you. Let me know how I can help!
Great video thank you!! I've been doing Duo Lingo, Anime, Music, Pimsleur and I just bought the Genki books 1 since I feel confident enough to start those. I'm HORRIBLE at Hiragana and Katakana.
Thanks for watching and commenting! You've gotta check this out if you haven't yet: www.tofugu.com/japanese/learn-hiragana/.
Thank you for making this video. I've been struggling with practicing my speaking abilities, and your comment about increasing "output" really helped me. I started keeping a daily journal in Japanese where I write about things I do and think. This has dramatically helped my brain formulate thoughts and sentences. Even though I am technically only writing, it is definitely helping my speaking abilities. In hindsight, it was an obvious thing I should have started earlier, but I didn't process that until I saw your video.
Great explanation Mr. John. Enjoyed it. You are to the point no extra talking . Liked it and try to emulate you. Thanks
I really appreciate your feedback. Thanks for watching and commenting, and good luck with your Japanese!
Enjoying it* The best way to learn. ✨
You hit the nail on the head!
I've been working on a similar goal. I've been trying to study and immerse about 4 hours a day since January and hope to pass N2 by December 2025. I'm thinking about trying the N3 this December mostly to see what the real test is actually like and to see how much I've actually progressed over 11 months.
For Kanji, I mostly learn them by recognition and space repetition from Anki. I take full sentences from the things I read and watch with Kanji and make Anki decks out of those sentences to test myself on reading, meaning, and pitch accent of the kanji. The downside to this approach is that I don't really learn things like stroke order and how to hand write them, but it is a very fast way to learn to read them in real material. I was able to start reading basic material like kids manga and stuff only 2 months into learning Japanese and most people seem to take much longer to learn to read material with Kanji.
I don't really study grammar and syntax much and I've never used a textbook. I piece together the grammar as I immerse in the content and look up RUclips videos if I get stuck or confused.
I think in some ways I'm fairly advanced like in my reading and vocabulary knowledge compared to most people 4 months in, but in other ways I'm a bit behind just owning to my round about way of picking up things almost randomly. I don't really know numbers that well and I couldn't really explain how I know which verbs are ichidan or godan verbs for example. That's where taking a test might come in useful to point me towards things to work on that I don't pick up from just watching TV or reading books.
Idk, maybe by next year I'll be confident enough to try the N1 instead or the N2. Having never taken a JLPT before I'm probably just nervous that I won't be as prepared as I will be.
It sounds like you've found effective study methods that work for you. You don't need to write kanji during the JLPT, so learning how to read them is a good start. Picking up grammar here and there is great, but it might be beneficial to get a systematic understanding at some point. What type of video would be most helpful to you?
how do you immerse? is it all active, like writing down every sentence you deem important?
@@shinr1227 I immerse by watching and reading lots of TV shows, movies, RUclips, books, and manga, and add any new words (in the sentence for context) or interesting grammar into an Anki deck to review later. I try to be as diverse as possible with my input so I can be comfortable in many different contexts.
@@coolbrotherf127 Is there a psecific way you practice output, especially with a lot of new grammar structures?
@@shinr1227 When I started learning to output, I would shadow TV show subtitles and audiobook, and practice writing out things like short personal notes in Japanese instead of English. Then I started to write out daily "what I did today" journal entries then read that out loud to a camera. Recently, once or twice a week, I talk with an online Japanese tutor to practice my speaking and accent and get them to look over my journal entries for grammar mistakes. I also talk with Japanese people in discord channels when we play video games together.
This is so inspiring man. I needed this!
Glad to be of service. Best of luck!
This video was not only inspiring but very fun to watch! I agree with many of the tools you utilized to learn, definitely inspired me to study more. Subscribed
Honored to hear it and welcome onboard!
Thank you so much! I am actually planning to take n1 on december and looking for materials to help me study.
How exciting! What resources and study methods have you found helpful so far?
reading books will help a lot with studying! i recommend natively in finding books that are level appropriate for improving
very motivational video 🙌
Very motivational comment 😉
Thanks for watching and good luck in your studies!
This is such a great video. I have tried to learn Japanese on and off the past 7yrs but I've slowly gotten a schedule that works for me. The tips you've shared have been super helpful. I use wanikani for Kanji because of it's SRS system. RUclipsrs like Kaname, NihongoDekita, Yuyu, Tanaka podcast have been great for listening and other vocab practice. I also got Genki too and a visual dictionary. Slowly but surely I can become better and fluent like you.
It sounds like you have a great set of resources at hand. Keep doing what you're doing!
Inspiring, engaging video with great resources provided!
Thanks for watching!
Aww love the ending! Same here, I'm LOVINGGGGG learning about the language and culture. I've studies French and Spanish but neither captured me as much as Japanese! Also ANIME, lol I want to watch without needing subtitles.
Loving the language will take you farther than just about anything else! What are some of your favorite anime?
Your spoken Japanese is impressive!
Much appreciated! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Great video John, thanks a lot! Just starting my journey so the tips are very timely
How exciting! You're in for quite the journey. Best of luck!
This is also how I learnt my English. After the most basic grammars and what, the main point is the fully immersion into that language environment, and just like merely doing everything, speaking everything, thinking everything in that language will turn the learning speed to fly mode.
This is a great introduction to creating a comprehensive learning experience when you can't be immersed in the language and culture in person. Thanks! I'm going to start looking for some anime and manga suitable for those of us working through the Genki series. Any suggestions?
It depends on what you're interested in! What genres would you like to read from? There is a manga out there for just about any topic.
流暢なのが、すぐにわかりました😮すごいです🎉
ありがとうございます！アドリブの動画もぜひご覧ください！ちゃんとボロが出ます😂
ruclips.net/video/bQzFA9FSh8M/видео.html
2年！！教師としても勉強になりました！ありがとう！
こちらこそ！見てくれてありがとうございます！
Wow that was a super interesting watch, something unique here is that every time I hear people talk about learning kanji they always say to not even bother learning radicals, to just learn through vocab. Might have to try it though.
Thanks for watching! Definitely give it a go. Remembering the Kanji is great for burning through the kanji meanings quickly. WaniKani is great if you want to pick up readings and vocab along the way: www.wanikani.com.
Man got good pronunciation and vocabulary 😭😭😭😭👌🏻👌🏻I'm so jealous
Thank you! Still a work in progress, though. がんばって！
Good? It's immaculate!
@@HimonoOnna90 You guys are way too kind!
boy you must be a genius because i've been doing the same thing for 1 year and a half and I'm just at a N4 level
"Genius" is too strong a word, but I suppose there was some level of natural ability involved. I suck at everything else, so I had no choice but to focus on Japanese!
How many hours per day do you study on average?
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL me similar. I was studying for a year and I passed the n4, but then I cant advance. You ask how many hours? Usually if you are working full time you dont have "hours" for another things.
@@SsaidakThat’s a good point! It’s more like “minutes” isn’t it. I talk about time management a bit here, if you’re interested: ruclips.net/video/DJ_9wugjUQs/видео.html.
Sameee! I can’t seem to get past n4 it’s been a year 😭
@@sistersister9344 Hang in there! And watch this one for some encouragement: ruclips.net/video/DJ_9wugjUQs/видео.htmlsi=UK2xLk-eSLwOxO-2.
Amazing video, I started learning Japanese about a month ago. I didn't knew where to start and how to properly study but I am proud to say that I have learned Hiragana and Katakana and am getting into Kanji now. I am still trying to build a schedule that works for me but for now I'm learning radicals and doing Anki on my little 5 to 10 minute breaks.
Thanks for watching and commenting! For kanji guidance and encouragement, definitely check this one out too: ruclips.net/video/oDy28pTNI_w/видео.htmlsi=Lh_0xSOo9TnOF9J9.
Thank you so much for this video, John! Please continue to make informational videos about Japanese. A recommendation would be a deep dive into the JLPT exams. :)
I appreciate your support! Also, thanks for the request. Best of luck in your studies!
まじでここまで日本語の発音上手い人なかなかみない笑笑 語尾の抜け方とかもすごい特徴とらえててすごい
まだまだです！
I get surprised to see the number of likes/subs because of the quality of the video!
Congratulations on your journey, I don't know if you've planned to submit other videos, but I subscribed and wish you the best, here and IRL!
俺について、怠惰な人だからまだ日本語を話せないよ、漢字を勉強しなきゃな
Thanks for the thoughtful comment! I really appreciate your feedback.
I’m definitely planning to release more videos in the near future, so thanks for subscribing.
日本語がすごく上手じゃん！How have you studied kanji so far?
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL 優し言葉をありがとう！
I was in Japanese language university during almost one year before my dad get sick, so it was Japanese way: brainwashing, writing, learning them, test and again and again 😂
On my own I did - and I do - something similar to Sir Heisig, maybe the only difference is that I also invent the meaning of the radicals (does he do the same?), but same as you: even tho I recognize them I often struggle to read them quickly so I will maybe try to add some manga reading in my routine
I'm sorry to hear about your dad. How's he doing now? It's great to hear that you've been able to continue studying in spite of your struggles.
A lot of Heisig's radicals retain their traditional meaning, but he made up his own where it was more expedient to do so. WaniKani is a good example of a program that uses a method similar to Heisig's but invents a lot of radical names to aid in memorization. Have you tried WaniKani? I think there are pros and cons to both working with traditional meanings and inventing one's own.
Definitely give manga a try if you haven't yet! What kinds of stories are you into? Are you able to get your hands on manga easily? Let me know if you have any other questions or need more suggestions!
I totally agree with learning the radicals in order to learn and memorise the kanji. And also iro constantly checking up words/ vocab in the dictionary as and when encountered, like when watching an anime - trying to understand what has been expressed in Japanese.
Right now, am struggling with grammar still. And understanding sentences that are too long, polite, and complicated. Thank you for making this video... and am trying to become fluent as soon as possible.
Grammar can be tough for sure! With complex sentences see if you can identify the subject and predicate. Everything else is just a modification or expansion of these.
These are the basic sentence patterns I look for when dealing with complex sentences:
1. Ｘは（が）Ｙだ。
2. Ｘは（が）Ｙになる。
3. Ｘは（が）Ｙ（を）する。
I'm working on a video explaining this in more detail, so stay tuned!
Amazing video!! I'm about to finish my university studies in 3 weeks, can't wait to get back to japanese again :) looking forward for more videos!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! There are several other videos up on my channel if you're interested. Best of luck with your studies!
I hope this was full time study, I feel like I cant hope to match that speed without sacrificing everything else for learning the language while working
I had a part time job, but other than that yeah, basically full-time study. There’s no need to match my speed or anyone else’s! I answer in greater detail here, if you’re interested: ruclips.net/video/DJ_9wugjUQs/видео.htmlsi=GIxXnsiOw7Fyg0g1.
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL Thanks, I'll check it out
Thank yo for this! Really informative. I was retaking my Japanese and I was very lost in how to do it so I do not feel lost, bored or walking backwards and these tips were golden. I would love to see what apps you use to help you learn, if possible. Also, I ma assuming you live in japan correct? That helps. Will all of this also work for someone who lives in North America,Erica and may never live in japan but might visit form time to time? I believe so, but I thought I would ask. Also, you never know the future. I am thinking of taking Japanese courses in japan and stay for a few months when I retire.
Thanks for watching! I'll definitely introduce the apps I use in an upcoming video. I definitely think the methods and resources I introduced here will work even if you're not in Japan, but I recommend tailoring what I've mentioned here to your own specific needs as much as possible. Also, please keep in mind that I've shared here how I personally passed the JLPT N1, but I haven't claimed that this is the only or even best way to do it. Do some experimentation, share your progress with us, and let me know how I can help!
i am learning japanese now for 3 months and in the first week i learned hiragana and katakana through a app. and it was so easy with that app. i started to create my own app for grammar, vocabulary and kanji. everytime i think i have done enough i watch a video or read in my textbook and find new stuff i can implement. i write everything out of my mind on paper what i can do and how to do it. its pretty cool when you wirte your own database on paper and computer, because you learn in that way. when i wrote the code to conjugate verbs, i basically could it on my own.
its fun and if you can combine the thinks you wanna learn with the things you enjoy its so much easier to get it in your head.
It sounds like you're taking a personal and fun approach to learning the language! You're a good example for anyone out there who wants to improve quickly and enjoy the process. Thanks for watching and giving your feedback!
Awesome video! Just started my learning journey 🎉 can’t wait to watch more of your videos. Just subscribed
Thanks for subscribing and I hope you enjoy my other stuff! Let me know if I can help you with your Japanese in any way.
John さんは日本語で話し方が上手です。❤
ありがとうございます！まだまだですけどね😅
@HiromiHaratake1こんにちは！元気です。どこからコメントしていますか？
thanks
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Dude, your Japanese is seriously so good. I’m so impressed. By Japanese learning English.
Thank you for watching and commenting and good luck with your English studies!
This is my 100th day of learning Japanese on dulingo. (I've also started learning Japanese just because I enjoy it.)
Now that I've watched your video, I'm thinking of taking it more seriously...
It seems even more fun now 🎈
I’m glad you feel inspired! How has Duolingo been for you so far?
As someone with dyslexia, remembering kanji and listening are hands down the hardest. My brain is really bad at absorbing words
That does sound tough. Have you looked into methods tailored to people with dyslexia?
I saw some people who achieved fluency through listening and speaking only, and then started reading. Their progress in absorbing vocab maybe not so fast as for people who read a lot, but it's a viable strategy.
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL I have yeah. Reading is deffo my biggest help. It's amazing how much you can absorb just by reading.
@@penriplays I'm with you on that. Reading is invaluable for language learning.
Wow this is a pretty good video, as im about to start my business management and Japanese modern language University degree this September, so ill use your tips so that by at least my 2nd year im N3 to around N2 level at least, in Year 3 i get to spend 1 year abroad in Japan !
A year abroad in Japan? Now that’s exciting! Thanks a million for watching and commenting, and best of luck in your language learning journey!
Thank you! I found your video inspiring and will purchase some mangas in Japanese now 😊 For learning kanji, I used wanikani and forced myself to do an hour every day. That helped me tremendously. I'll try your speaking method! Thanks again!
Thanks for watching and commenting. It sounds like you’re on the right track, so keep up the good work!
ヤバッ！Johnさんの日本語 超自然！日本語に不自然な所が全くないから電話で話したら絶対日本人だと思うよ！
わあ、嬉しい！見てくれてありがとうございます！こちらも、ぜひチェックしてください：ruclips.net/video/bQzFA9FSh8M/видео.htmlsi=CvJpQvt-zPYCqs-f
日本語のボロが出まくる動画です！😂
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL
見ました。日本語への好奇心モンスターみたいで良かったです 笑
時々 標準語と違う単語がありましたが ( 例えば「由来」。ゆ↑ら い と言ってましたが 標準語では「ゆ」を小さくして「ら」を大きくして ゆ ら↑ い です。) でも それは外国語イントネーションとは感じなくて 関西訛り？と感じました。やっぱり自然です👍️
@@moshimoshi.yusukeアクセント辞典で確認しました！僕が使ってた「ゆ＼らい」は「昔からそのようであるさま」という意味があるらしい。ずっと間違って使ってました😅
細かいところまで音声を聞いてくれた上に指摘してくれて本当にありがとうございます！
This video is great for learning Japanese.
Thanks for watching!
I have studied japanese for one year already, but I got pretty lazy and ended up in N4. Watching your video gave me some strength to retake this path, I already bought the books you recommended so I hope I can get the mindset, great vid 👍
Welcome aboard and congratulations on achieving N4! That’s a great milestone. I talk about mindset a bit in this video, if you’re interested: ruclips.net/video/DJ_9wugjUQs/видео.html.
I would have needed that back when I learned Japanese in 2016. I passed JLPT N4 at least in 2019, but kinda lost touch with the language and moved on focusing on my uni studies and other stuff. But now I will apply a few tips from you for improving my Hungarian, which I learned from my father but sadly didn't speak that well until beginning of this year. Now I improved a lot and hope I will become 100% fluent in the next 1-2 years!
I'm glad to hear that you're willing to apply some tips here to another language. Thanks for watching and best of luck in achieving your Hungarian goals!
Amazing progress and awesome video! I have a few questions. How many hours a day did you study? because in 2 years i imagine it was something like that 6-8 hours a day 🤣
Also if your only output was speaking to yourself, how did you feel confident that you weren't making mistakes with no feedback?
I did something like 3 hours per day plus passive immersion. I talk about that in more detail here: ruclips.net/video/DJ_9wugjUQs/видео.htmlsi=H6hz4XM2fjcs-PYL.
As far as talking to yourself goes, I think it's best to use sentences that you know for sure are correct. The best way to do this is probably to piece together sentences as you see them in your textbook/dictionary/entertainment form of choice/etc. You can then make slight modifications by changing verbs to other verbs, nouns to other nouns, adjectives to other adjectives, etc. You can't always know you're %100 right of course, but if you're doing plenty of immersion, you're mistakes will be corrected soon enough.
Does that help?
this is really motivating ! , the problem i face mostly lies within the different pronounciation of kanji characters in different scenarios so even if i know the meaning of it , i dont know how to read them accuretly , do you have anytips for that ?
Manga was most helpful for me. For example, you might see 悪人（あくにん）on one page and then 悪い（わるい）on the next. In my experience, if you're immersing yourself consistently, you'll naturally remember the readings overtime. I'm not necessarily saying this is the best method out there, but it's fun and it worked for me.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Super AJATT-inspired. Your Japanese is very impressive!
Didn't know about AJATT at the time, but definitely a similar approach. Thanks for your feedback!
You earned a sub and like simply for the Naruto study method.
A fellow Naruto fan?! Pleasure to have you here.
how did you learn or repeat the grammar, like vocab and kanji is going good for me because of srs and mnemonics as you said but grammar I don't know man as much as I try to understand how some grammar structures work, I still have trouble
I used the Nihongo Bunkei Jiten a lot, but it's pretty high-level. I would often use grammar structures I found there when talking to myself, modifying them bit by bit with my own words. For an easier start, I'd suggest checking out this series if you haven't yet: www.amazon.co.jp/Dictionary-Basic-Japanese-Grammar-日本語基本文法辞典/dp/4789004546/ref=sr_1_6?__mk_ja_JP=カタカナ&crid=3MO2IPSACZQK7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ba3QEzGumJFnu7En62aQA_OyHpaJmjJx_jM0MlRiIrec3K4z6k5kBTmy80GtbiKyz2FexEr5G3OdjV3ir4dixxSv8GxVUOxSxyhTGZQPGhyb6vnZIYgGwyAdGlPqzvDGY996doEPQRqeUSWQIF3V4Jl2tqTE_KAVjwTtvdCqphOWpIU1xDuoOpB8_UL49fjJXEpz-GqPtleljo7AKqUBD48Ic4VkQc9lA0TnvZY9o-imZthO1DrDuAGj5u_ng-uVtsM6MpEIINkJdM8aZtzWu2ELx6aj6Bib3lG_hW5iH7s.7AdpjdD6HjF_Jr1tECspJLu5p1NLLPG7IggKnCUm0qQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=japanese+grammar&qid=1714545162&sprefix=japaense+gram%2Caps%2C249&sr=8-6
Thanks for the inspiring video! Recently finished RTK and trying to learn the readings through kindle text books with furigana which is helpful because you can tap on unknown words to look them up in a couple seconds. Haven't tried reading manga & am excited to give that a try, though I wonder if you gave any tips for quickly finding the meaning of unknown words. Did you primarily read physical manga and just keep a dictionary on hand separately for unknown words?
Thanks for watching and commenting and congrats on finishing RTK! I'm sure you put a ton of work in.
Yeah, at the time, I only read paper manga and looked up words on my phone on the free dictionary app "imiwa?". Often, though, I wouldn't even look up words. I'd just pick up their basic meaning from context and let it get refined through repetition over time.
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL Thanks for the response! Appreciate your practical approach to learning & am inspired by your story. Have a great weekend.
I have a grasp on how to get to around N3 level, but I don't know the best methods to get above that. I have am currently N5/N4 (more to the N4 side) level and have an N5/N4 anki for vocab, I am studying the kanji for N5/N4, and using a textbook and some RUclips videos to help my grammar and I can see that taking me to N3 level. Although I don't know how to increase my Japanese from there. Nice Vid.
I think at around the N3 level, reading and listening immersion with the intent to comprehend is really, really important. The more hours you put in, the better you're going to get. A lot of people who immerse don't even require flashcards to learn new vocab and grammar.
Thank you for this. It’s a great approach. I’ve been grinding my wheels and progressing too slowly, knowing it’s due to my lack of speaking. I’m good dealing with text, but face-to-face I get lost quickly.
Definitely try some talking to yourself! Mimicking speakers in dramas and RUclips videos should help a bit too.
I've been trying to learn Japanese usually as little paid resources as possible, but it seems like everyone why has gotten fluent quickly has at some point use a stack of textbooks and traveled to japan
There are a lot of good free resources out there, but it might be worth investing in at least a good grammar reference with audio. Would you be interested in a video about learning Japanese entirely for free?
As far as coming to Japan goes, you can get a company like NOVA to pay for your plane ticket if you have a university degree and are willing to teach English.
I've been slowly learning Japanese over the last 5-7 years, but this has motivated me to really be more... aggressive(?)...at learning.
You mentioned something that Sayaka (japanese teacher on RUclips) said that she said was probably the most important thing for learners, which is output. Just speak. I learned Spanish and I'm fluent in it, but the thing that gave me the most improvement was just speaking out loud to myself or to people. Thanks for the video.動機とビデオをありがとう
Thanks for watching and commenting! Let me know how a more aggressive approach goes for you.
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL I'll gladly let you know, it might take some time though lol.
I do have a question about the language and I'm hoping you'd be able to answer (although it might not be simple enough). If it's too detailed for a comment, please don't worry about it, it's more just passing clarification about particles.
With the infamous -は and -が particles, I've always been taught は is topic and が is subject particle, but my teachers never got detailed about it except just that, and they pretty much said "you'll get the feel of it by learning different examples" which I kind of did. For example, they said certain verbs like 好き / 嫌い , ある / いる always use が. Which would make something like 僕は僕の犬が好きです and also 僕の犬がいます.
I've recently learned that は and が determines where the focus is. When は is used, the focus is what comes after, and when が is used, the focus is on whatever が is attached to (which made so much sense in hindsight on why が is used with 好き / 嫌い , ある / いる. Would you agree with that? So if I said これが僕の犬, that would mean "_this_ is my dog" (as opposed to the dog next to it being my dog). And similarly, if I said これは僕の犬, that would mean "this is _my dog_" (as opposed to my cat). Would that be an accurate explanation of は vs が? I know が can be used for other things, depending on what it's attached to, like ですが, but in terms of differentiating how to use the topic and subject marker, would that be accurate? 読んでくれてありがとう!
@@Djinnerator The way you described the difference between は and が in your last paragraph is spot on! It can sometimes be helpful to think of は as "as for." これは僕の犬 → As for this, it's my dog. あれは僕の猫 → As for that, it's my cat. You wouldn't translate it this way, of course, but I think it captures the sense of は in these sentences.
It's true that が is usually used for 好き・嫌い and ある・いる, but there are some exceptions. For example,
A: すしが好きですか？Do you like sushi?
B: サーモン*は*好きですけど。As long as it's salmon.
A: えー、サーモンだけなんだ。Really? Only salmon, huh?
Or,
A: 奥さんいますか？Do you have a wife?
B: いや、彼女*は*いますけどね。Not a wife, but a girlfriend.
In these examples は can be replaced by (and has essentially the same meaning) as なら.
I hope that helps, and let me know if you have any other questions.
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL there are some determined and indetermined articles. When you learn Japanese from Spanish, where we use always articles more often is easier.
@@SsaidakInteresting! I didn’t know that about Spanish.
Impressive. I've been studying 2 years and haven't even attempted JLPT N5 yet, though I feel I'm close to trying it.
It's the hours, not the years, that count. Keep your chin up! It's okay to go at your own pace. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I've been studying Korean on and off for five or six years and still can't hold a conversation. Keep us updated on your JLPT and Japanese progress in general, and let me know if you have any questions or requests!
I'm really struggling with Kanji! Thanks for the tip!
Check this one out for more advice and encouragement: ruclips.net/video/oDy28pTNI_w/видео.html.
And let me know if you have any specific questions about the kanji. Thanks for watching!
After watching the video, I guess my question is, did you do other grammar studying after Genki? If not, how did you pick up the advanced grammar needed for N1? Because as far I am aware, Genki 1 and 2 (I have used both) only covers to maaaybe N3. As well, I am also shy around speaking to people in a foreign language. The only issue when just talking to yourself is you don't get any feedback on whether you're right or wrong. I can speak to myself all day in broken Japanese, and even if I could pronounce words fluently, it would still be grammatically incorrect.
Would love to hear your thoughts (and others too if they have the same problem). Thanks
Thanks for the excellent questions!
First of all, my grammar score on the JLPT N1 was only 43/60, so grammar certainly wasn't my strongpoint. The advanced grammar I DID pick up was mostly thanks to the Nihongo Bunkei Jiten. I'd look up grammar I encountered in manga or elsewhere, and then just browse through the related entries, reading sentences out loud and taking notes along the way.
When talking to yourself in Japanese, your best bet for accuracy is to just say sentences and phrases that you know are correct. To give a super easy example, take 私（わたし）はAです. If you've understood your textbook, you know for a fact that the "A" in this sentence can be any noun, right? So you just make as many sentences as you can with that pattern. If you're still unsure, you can just recite lines from a textbook dialogue or book you're reading, while periodically checking to see if you're right.
I'd love to hear your response, and let me know if you have any other questions!
What the... You sound like a well-spoken native, with all the particular little quirks in tone and cadence of this generation included. My brain was short circuiting for a minute straight. So amazing!
I really appreciate the affirmation. Still working on my accent though! If you can forgive my goofy fashion sense, you might enjoy this one too: ruclips.net/video/-z588Vf6Z3M/видео.htmlsi=KAHjhK_RoSEku3TO.
Thanks a ton for watching and commenting!
I notice that ユニクロ t shirt from a mile away. Love it, stocked up on so many when I was there
These are great aren't they! You've got quite the eye, haha.
Hi John, very inspiring...i am trying to get a job in Japan and lots of good ideas here... いいアイデアがいっぱいでありがとうございます
見てくれてありがとうございます！
What kind of job do you have in mind?
When you were speaking in your room alone, would you question if you were saying things correctly or "natively" or if you would just speak at the level you were at at that time? When you lacked a word did you look it up in that moment or did you try to work around it by only using the Japanese you knew in that moment? (Great video, im in japan rn studying abroad and have fallen in love with learning the language and would love any tips on speaking!)
Excellent question! As much as possible I would try to limit my speaking to sentences I knew were 100% correct. The best way to do that is to repeat what you see in your textbook (or encounter during immersion) and then change adjectives to other adjectives, verbs to other verbs, etc. When I lacked a word, I'd often just bask in the sense of frustration. More often than not, I'd encounter the word I was looking for in the next several days. This created an emotional experience of tension and release, which helped engrain new words in my memory.
question. when u were starting to speak japanese, how did u get over the roadblock of saying things the way japanese people would? thats such a huge thing in the way for me because i dont want to translate english to japanese and want to be able to say things the way natives would. for example like asking "do u know where my phone is?" or "have u seen my phone?" translated from japanese would sound more like "do you know my phone?" or "携帯知らない?" would love any advice or words of wisdom on this.
Great question! The best way to sound Japanese is to learn phrases and collocations rather than trying to go directly from English word to Japanese word. Drama and anime are great resources for this. If you prefer books, this is a good place to start: www.amazon.co.jp/Common-Japanese-Collocations-Learners-Frequent/dp/1568365578/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_ja_JP=カタカナ&crid=7YBU8ZLZQUCX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1WWXRUFv_YGk00OtTJZ1kIH6KVAfyveWeHQKnnDpMzT0PApVqvWk0UmTgbjJ6S4JrbdhcrLdlCdSXHhtEta5lBy6RtUX2Y4a1MGpd-GVYAaYSF8r3Pj10OvPUGlFo5wUXCzjwIbGtihBnL0xyAv-SnQCUGzaFebX35lnBaP2rxMXJD8pL4POxMNM8FWZLsEE54ElEEI_FVhs-uyqytTBRNZ4avjjslhlE-lE6E0Ozdpyl1tiTkFUmppNd_5o6iQBvRcGhmk4bEuHCdDafxJqS5exkA3ONroSxhdp4WxARBg.XWP-I76GmXMSMtvEpCBlJgPjW7h1K776j20n8F9MGxE&dib_tag=se&keywords=japanese+collocations&qid=1714487914&sprefix=japanese+collocation%2Caps%2C239&sr=8-1
Very interesting - thank you 😊 I still learning katakana- long way to go. 😅💪🏼
Part of me envies you! You're in for a wonderful journey.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I just started taking learning japanese serious so I bought genki and remembering the kanji and this video help me to validate my purchase, because I now know that somebody got to a high level of japanese with these books. Thank you very much for this video :)
Absolutely! Thank you for watching. Let me know if you have any questions along the way.
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL Just a quick question, how much time did you usually spent in a day to study japanese ? I want to stick around 1 hour to not burn myself out...
@@kushyme Short answer: 3 hours a day + passive immersion.
Detailed answer: ruclips.net/video/DJ_9wugjUQs/видео.html.
Thanks for the question!