Hello, everyone! I’m excited to announce that I’ve opened up more slots for my exclusive private Japanese lessons. Whether you’re aiming to master daily conversation, ace the JLPT, or deepen your understanding of Japanese culture, my personalized lessons are tailored to get you there faster. Each 40-minute session is just ¥5,000 ($34.31, €31.6, £26.2 at time of post), designed to maximize your learning in a focused, engaging way. And to kick things off, I’m offering a FREE 40-minute consultation where we can discuss your goals, assess your current level, and see how my lessons can be your game-changer in Japanese! Spaces are filling up quickly, so don’t miss out on this chance to take your Japanese to the next level. Click the link below to schedule your free consultation and start your journey to fluency today! Sign up for your free consultation here: calendly.com/john-in-japan/japanese-lesson-consultation. Let’s achieve your Japanese goals together!
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@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!
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! ❤😊
@@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)
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 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.
2:21 ive learned first 800 in 10 days and now I'm learning 40/day and sitting at around on 920 kanji. But I thing good imagination is needed for productive work
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!
@@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?
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.
Seriously man, two years to get to where you are is unbelievable - ZERO accent. Diction, pronunciation, construct, phrasing, idioms, grammar, everything spot on! 😄👍
I appreciate the kind words! I actually filmed this 9 years after passing the N1. It was my first vid and I didn’t have the foresight to realize that viewers would assume that I took the vid right after passing. Sorry for the confusion! 9 years ago I probably sounded close to how I sound in the video but with more pitch accent mistakes.
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!
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.
I'm really glad to hear that you're applying what you've learned here. A lot of people don't realize how much writing can help their speaking, so good on you for making that discovery. Keep up the good work!
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!
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 am Japanese and I can hardly feel any pitch discomfort in your Japanese. I can tell that you have been studying Japanese very efficiently for the past two years, and I think it is very good of you to share your learning methods with other learners of Japanese.
I took this video about nine years after passing the JLPT, so I've had quite a bit of experience. Still a work in progress though. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I've started your method, it's been a week now and it's leagues better than all the time wasting boring ways I've been learning. You're the first person to explain the WHYs to your methods that resonated with me. Thanks man!
super incredible!! my jaw dropped in the beginning how good your japanese is. I really resonated with being a shy perfectionist, I also started describing my surroundings recently too to sharpen my speaking. I guess I should keep doing it ahahahah 1,000 kanji in two weeks is mind-boggling, but I guess you were just reading so much that you reviewed them relentlessly. thanks for sharing your journey!
Thanks for your feedback! It sounds like you're on the right track. I spent a ton of time on the kanji during those two weeks, and as you said, reading immersion certainly helped with memorizing them. I talk more about the kanji here, if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/oDy28pTNI_w/видео.htmlsi=iBxMS4RExlwMMzIf.
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?
You are seriously impressive if you actually got to N1 in just 2 years. It's insane. Your study approach is also very unique and different to mine. I do agree, what matters in the end is that you enjoy the learning process as you said yourself. I personally never took a JLPT but I used the shinkansen master books for grammar and vocabulary. In the beginning I mainly focused on grammar and got to about N2~N1 in 3-4 years by mainly using youtube, italki, talking to many people on hello talk, making friends, reading a novel (Tsugumi) and even writing my own little romance novels from time to time... haha I shared them with my friends and got corrected where I got mistakes or to express myself more beautifully. As for Kanji I just wrote all up to N1 (around 1000) a couple of times to learn the meaning but then afterwards I just learned them like normal vocabulary. I wrote the kanji with furigana with the english translation whenever I came across a new word. Now I am 5 years in and even got introduced to and found work in a Japanese company. New languages open new doors.
Seriously impressive indeed. But, keep in mind everyone's situation is different. Some people are working, have kids, and definitely don't have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the language in Japan. A lot of people learning the language this quickly are doing HOURS per day and nothing else. Not to discredit John or presume to know his situation, but just a cautionary tale to remember that everyone's journey is different and we shouldn't be discouraged if it takes us longer. Great tips in this video!
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. 😊
Thank you for making this video!! I feel so much better about learning Japanese! I’ve always wanted to connect with more people and want to go to a university in Japan. I can’t wait to use these new tools to help my learning!😄
yeah this is totally the way to do it. I don't have a ton of time to devote but everyday for me includes lots of listening and describing my world as much as possible in Japanese. I am 7 months in and feel like I've made decent progress already.
It's been a week since I started learning Japanese Language. This video is Truly inspirational and has ignited spark inside me to get better and better.
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?
@@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.
@@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 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.
Wonderful :) totally agree with simply enjoying learning Japanese. Currently finishing the Duolingo course, with both anime and Japanese music are also great tools. Will probably do N4 in December - at first thought about N5, but I see that even today it will probably not be such a challenge for me, so N4 sounds better.
Great insights into learning! I have studied on and off for about 6 years, spent the first year studying hard and grammar was tough for me... spending an hour or more on 1 page in a manga was discouraging and and one day reading just all of the sudden "clicked". I have no idea why. I visit every year or so and I still struggle very much speaking as I am not confident enough and second guess myself each time BUT I am happy to say I am confident reading what is around me. Immersive yourself in it, or spend 6 years like me half-assing it and regretting your life decisions LOL
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.
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!
Wow your Japanese is amazing! Typically Americans have certain accents and grammatical errors but yours is very very solid. Congratulations on your progress/achievements!!
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.
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.
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!
I’m not sure how I came across your video, but it is incredibly helpful! I started learning Japanese when I was a Chorister at Lincoln Cathedral, being taught by a friend we’d made in her 1 up 1 down Japanese style house but then I lost touch with her and the language proper until earlier this year. The clarity of your explanation and love of the Japanese language is just the thing to make me want to learn again. I would love to be fluent in Japanese, just to thank our old friend for her help. Will certainly be buying the books you mention on PayDay. Thanks again 🙏🇯🇵
Glad to hear my video helped spark that fire you needed! I offer personalized guidance here, if you're interested: www.patreon.com/johninjapanofficial/membership. 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
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.
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 🎈
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.
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.
The best part that benefited me is that you talked to yourself in the room. As I am in Pakistan so there is no one available for the output but this tip talking to oneself is going to help me
Thank you for sharing your experience. I already started learning nihongo. Hoping to pass this coming JLPT N4 level for now. But the target is N2 until next year.
Nice video! The ideas discussed are simple and real - build a foundation, immerse with comprehensible input, then practice outputting. For beginners who find it hard to get straight into reading manga in Japanese, I'd highly recommend graded readers like Tadoku.
Honestly I'll just watch all your videos now, you help me alot in this one day imagine a month I'll watch and like to all your videos now, also keep up the good work, thanks again
@@JohninJapanOFFICIALhow about particles especially the wa vs ga debate, it's very confusing, so if you can, please make a video about it, your explanation makes lots and lots of sense, for a 10 min video it helped me alot, I really appreciate it, tysm for the help and for the explanation that made lots of sense, so if you can please make a particle video
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!
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.
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.
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.
Grahhh, I'm getting ready to take the JLPT N2 and I'm just barely passing the practice tests. I've also been studying for 2 years but had a full time job during the first year. Not an excuse though. From what I've seen in your video, I'm definitely lacking that push and that drive that would be there if I was having to interact with Japanese people regularly. I need to actually be immersed in the culture if I want to be invested. Thanks for the tips, best of luck.
Bro, I studied Japanese for 5 years and lived in Japan for 1 year studying Japanese at university and still, your pronunciation sounds more natural than mine 🥲 Still struggling to get the N1, but I hope this time I will make it! Hello from Brazil
Just to clarify, I passed the N1 in about 2 years, but I've been living and working in Japan for 11! Thanks for watching and commenting, and keep doing your best!
"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.
This is how I learned English, also accomplished in about 2yrs. It was out of love for the language❤ and I continue to learn the language everyday. Now I want to learn Japanese, I’m so in love with anime and want to fully understand it in Japanese. Thanks for the video.
whats helped me memorize some kanji outside of books, is actually video games. like the legend of zelda series, persona, etc. so many games made for kids to teens in japan may have either voice acting or furigana, which is insanely helpful for picking up on vocab and readings. lovely video, the tools are much appreciated :p
Learning with games sounds like a great approach. I hadn't thought about the fact that they often include furigana. I suppose you get a lot of repetition with games too, right? Like from using the same items over and over again, etc. Thanks for your comment!
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL oh yeah 100%, helps with memorizing simple kanji or phrases that'd be used in regular conversation (even if the situation is not regular LOL)
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 studied for about 6 months then stopped 2 years ago. And now I want to re-study, I saw your videos and definitely agree and will try all your suggestions! ありがとうね！うまくいく欲しいなあ 。
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!
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.
Definitely a good place to start! Try to add simple immersion as soon as you can. Japanese with Shun (on RUclips) might be a good option, depending on your level. Best of luck!
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 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!
Hey john, i really enjoyed your video and it was straight to the point unlike some videos. I speak arabic, french and english but ive learned them in school and uni. The first language that i wanted to learn from scratch was japanese but i got demotivated due to some reasons. I decided to start today because i couldn't let all that research on the japanese culture go to waist and you gave me a new starting point with those two books cuz ive heard duolingo isnt enough but it felt fun using it
I'm glad to hear you got something out of my video. I talk more about RTK and learning the kanji here, if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/oDy28pTNI_w/видео.htmlsi=xcdbVY7c38YLElDJ. Thanks for watching!
Hello, everyone! I’m excited to announce that I’ve opened up more slots for my exclusive private Japanese lessons. Whether you’re aiming to master daily conversation, ace the JLPT, or deepen your understanding of Japanese culture, my personalized lessons are tailored to get you there faster.
Each 40-minute session is just ¥5,000 ($34.31, €31.6, £26.2 at time of post), designed to maximize your learning in a focused, engaging way. And to kick things off, I’m offering a FREE 40-minute consultation where we can discuss your goals, assess your current level, and see how my lessons can be your game-changer in Japanese!
Spaces are filling up quickly, so don’t miss out on this chance to take your Japanese to the next level. Click the link below to schedule your free consultation and start your journey to fluency today!
Sign up for your free consultation here: calendly.com/john-in-japan/japanese-lesson-consultation.
Let’s achieve your Japanese goals together!
日本人ですが、この人やばいです。発音も話し方のトーンもネイティブです。外国人の方の独特のクセがないです。
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
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?
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. ❤
Well done JohnG ! Wow. Good insights.
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
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.
Inspiring, engaging video with great resources provided!
Thanks for watching!
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
i like how bro was honest about having a clickbait title but at least he gave actual good tips
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
@@SkyeAten I'm a girl and have the same jawline 😭
When i saw the thumbnail in my recommended, i went looking for this message.
2:21 ive learned first 800 in 10 days and now I'm learning 40/day and sitting at around on 920 kanji.
But I thing good imagination is needed for productive work
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?
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.
Don't worry, you'll remember it once you encounter it enough times! Take your time and you'll get it!
That's why you consume so much content that you just end up reading or hearing it again
You're right, learning language isnt about competition but about finding new things and understand different aspects of oneself.
Nicely put!
Seriously man, two years to get to where you are is unbelievable - ZERO accent. Diction, pronunciation, construct, phrasing, idioms, grammar, everything spot on! 😄👍
I appreciate the kind words! I actually filmed this 9 years after passing the N1. It was my first vid and I didn’t have the foresight to realize that viewers would assume that I took the vid right after passing. Sorry for the confusion! 9 years ago I probably sounded close to how I sound in the video but with more pitch accent mistakes.
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL you achieved the N1 test living in the US ?
@@artturcassol No, I took it about 22 months after coming to Japan.
All I'd say his Japanese sounds kind of feminine, but otherwise pretty much perfect
@@crazyfutureradio Thank you! Which parts sounded feminine?
The most realistic and direct explanation I've heard. Thank you!!
Thanks for watching and showing your appreciation!
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!
おすすめ出てきました！めっちゃ日本語上手です👏🏻
ありがとうございます！
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.
I'm really glad to hear that you're applying what you've learned here. A lot of people don't realize how much writing can help their speaking, so good on you for making that discovery. Keep up the good work!
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!
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.
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
I am Japanese and I can hardly feel any pitch discomfort in your Japanese. I can tell that you have been studying Japanese very efficiently for the past two years, and I think it is very good of you to share your learning methods with other learners of Japanese.
I took this video about nine years after passing the JLPT, so I've had quite a bit of experience. Still a work in progress though.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I've started your method, it's been a week now and it's leagues better than all the time wasting boring ways I've been learning. You're the first person to explain the WHYs to your methods that resonated with me. Thanks man!
I'm glad to hear it's going well for you. Keep it up!
super incredible!! my jaw dropped in the beginning how good your japanese is.
I really resonated with being a shy perfectionist, I also started describing my surroundings recently too to sharpen my speaking. I guess I should keep doing it ahahahah
1,000 kanji in two weeks is mind-boggling, but I guess you were just reading so much that you reviewed them relentlessly.
thanks for sharing your journey!
Thanks for your feedback! It sounds like you're on the right track. I spent a ton of time on the kanji during those two weeks, and as you said, reading immersion certainly helped with memorizing them. I talk more about the kanji here, if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/oDy28pTNI_w/видео.htmlsi=iBxMS4RExlwMMzIf.
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?
You are seriously impressive if you actually got to N1 in just 2 years. It's insane.
Your study approach is also very unique and different to mine. I do agree, what matters in the end is that you enjoy the learning process as you said yourself.
I personally never took a JLPT but I used the shinkansen master books for grammar and vocabulary. In the beginning I mainly focused on grammar and got to about N2~N1 in 3-4 years by mainly using youtube, italki, talking to many people on hello talk, making friends, reading a novel (Tsugumi) and even writing my own little romance novels from time to time... haha I shared them with my friends and got corrected where I got mistakes or to express myself more beautifully.
As for Kanji I just wrote all up to N1 (around 1000) a couple of times to learn the meaning but then afterwards I just learned them like normal vocabulary. I wrote the kanji with furigana with the english translation whenever I came across a new word.
Now I am 5 years in and even got introduced to and found work in a Japanese company.
New languages open new doors.
Thanks for sharing an overview of your learning journey. I totally agree that "new languages open new doors." Congratulations on getting a job here!
Seriously impressive indeed. But, keep in mind everyone's situation is different. Some people are working, have kids, and definitely don't have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the language in Japan. A lot of people learning the language this quickly are doing HOURS per day and nothing else. Not to discredit John or presume to know his situation, but just a cautionary tale to remember that everyone's journey is different and we shouldn't be discouraged if it takes us longer. Great tips in this video!
@@shozan269 Important wisdom here! I definitely hope people keep this in mind when they watch my videos. Thanks for the feedback.
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!
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.
Thank you for making this video!! I feel so much better about learning Japanese! I’ve always wanted to connect with more people and want to go to a university in Japan. I can’t wait to use these new tools to help my learning!😄
I wish you the best on your journey!
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！
WaniKani has been a lifesaver in learning Kanji for me! One of the best resources for beginners for sure!
I totally agree!
yeah this is totally the way to do it. I don't have a ton of time to devote but everyday for me includes lots of listening and describing my world as much as possible in Japanese. I am 7 months in and feel like I've made decent progress already.
It sounds like you're on a good path. Keep it up and let me know how your progress goes!
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!
It's been a week since I started learning Japanese Language. This video is Truly inspirational and has ignited spark inside me to get better and better.
So glad to hear it! I'm excited for your journey and am here to help in any way I can. Best of luck!
I use minna no nihongo around N4 level now. And watching anything in japanese is what keep me learning
Sounds great! Keep it up.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
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 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 video boosted my motivation like a LOT. Thanks John.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching and let me know how else I can help.
Thanks so much for this video - I studied translating and interpreting at uni and can only agree with evth you said! 😊 Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the affirmation!
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!
OMG😮すごい！！！発音がネィティブみたいにきれいです！！！
学習方法のステップがわかりやすく整理されていて素晴らしいチャンネルですね👏👏
教え方が上手な理由がわかりました！
I have to study more English 😆
I’d like to follow your lead.
Wonderful :) totally agree with simply enjoying learning Japanese. Currently finishing the Duolingo course, with both anime and Japanese music are also great tools. Will probably do N4 in December - at first thought about N5, but I see that even today it will probably not be such a challenge for me, so N4 sounds better.
Thanks for watching and commenting, and best of luck on the test!
thank you so much for sharing this video.. you are amazing for passing JLPT n1 with that short period of time.
I had plenty of free time on my hands, that’s all.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Great insights into learning! I have studied on and off for about 6 years, spent the first year studying hard and grammar was tough for me... spending an hour or more on 1 page in a manga was discouraging and and one day reading just all of the sudden "clicked". I have no idea why. I visit every year or so and I still struggle very much speaking as I am not confident enough and second guess myself each time BUT I am happy to say I am confident reading what is around me. Immersive yourself in it, or spend 6 years like me half-assing it and regretting your life decisions LOL
Thanks for sharing your story! What are some of your favorite places to visit?
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/.
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!
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!
A man of focus and sheer will
Just a super nerd! lol
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!
this guys looks like a chad. thats a compliment i would love to look like you
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 really motivated me because this is almost exactly the game plan I came up with for learning too!
Glad to hear it! Keep it up and you’ll go far.
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.
I’m not sure how I came across your video, but it is incredibly helpful! I started learning Japanese when I was a Chorister at Lincoln Cathedral, being taught by a friend we’d made in her 1 up 1 down Japanese style house but then I lost touch with her and the language proper until earlier this year. The clarity of your explanation and love of the Japanese language is just the thing to make me want to learn again. I would love to be fluent in Japanese, just to thank our old friend for her help. Will certainly be buying the books you mention on PayDay. Thanks again 🙏🇯🇵
Glad to hear my video helped spark that fire you needed! I offer personalized guidance here, if you're interested: www.patreon.com/johninjapanofficial/membership.
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!
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.
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?
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.
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!
The best part that benefited me is that you talked to yourself in the room. As I am in Pakistan so there is no one available for the output but this tip talking to oneself is going to help me
Try to make it a habit!
You can use online apps to talk to native speakers such as discord …
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.
すごい!!!まさに天才だ！
ただ日本語好きな凡人！
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？
Thank you for sharing your experience. I already started learning nihongo. Hoping to pass this coming JLPT N4 level for now. But the target is N2 until next year.
Sounds like a great goal! I teach private lessons if you’re looking for individualized support. Let me know if you’re interested!
Your tip for getting fluent was awesome, will try that too, thank you. And congrats on making it!
I appreciate it. Best of luck!
Nice video! The ideas discussed are simple and real - build a foundation, immerse with comprehensible input, then practice outputting. For beginners who find it hard to get straight into reading manga in Japanese, I'd highly recommend graded readers like Tadoku.
Thanks for the recommendation!
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
Thank you a lot, you really inspire me!!! I´ve just found the books that you mentioned, 勉強しましょ！
頑張ってください！
Honestly I'll just watch all your videos now, you help me alot in this one day imagine a month I'll watch and like to all your videos now, also keep up the good work, thanks again
I appreciate the support! Let me know if there's any topic you'd like to see covered in future videos.
@@JohninJapanOFFICIALhow about particles especially the wa vs ga debate, it's very confusing, so if you can, please make a video about it, your explanation makes lots and lots of sense, for a 10 min video it helped me alot, I really appreciate it, tysm for the help and for the explanation that made lots of sense, so if you can please make a particle video
@@XhenEissaLopez That's a great request. I just put it on my to do list!
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!
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.
Love the video, you really gave me some inspiration to take learning this language more seriously. Thank you!
Best of luck!
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?
Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
Thanks for watching!
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?
Grahhh, I'm getting ready to take the JLPT N2 and I'm just barely passing the practice tests. I've also been studying for 2 years but had a full time job during the first year. Not an excuse though. From what I've seen in your video, I'm definitely lacking that push and that drive that would be there if I was having to interact with Japanese people regularly. I need to actually be immersed in the culture if I want to be invested.
Thanks for the tips, best of luck.
Your spoken Japanese is impressive!
Much appreciated! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Bro, I studied Japanese for 5 years and lived in Japan for 1 year studying Japanese at university and still, your pronunciation sounds more natural than mine 🥲
Still struggling to get the N1, but I hope this time I will make it!
Hello from Brazil
Just to clarify, I passed the N1 in about 2 years, but I've been living and working in Japan for 11! Thanks for watching and commenting, and keep doing your best!
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.
This is how I learned English, also accomplished in about 2yrs. It was out of love for the language❤ and I continue to learn the language everyday.
Now I want to learn Japanese, I’m so in love with anime and want to fully understand it in Japanese. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching and resonating with the message! Which anime are you into?
whats helped me memorize some kanji outside of books, is actually video games. like the legend of zelda series, persona, etc. so many games made for kids to teens in japan may have either voice acting or furigana, which is insanely helpful for picking up on vocab and readings. lovely video, the tools are much appreciated :p
Learning with games sounds like a great approach. I hadn't thought about the fact that they often include furigana. I suppose you get a lot of repetition with games too, right? Like from using the same items over and over again, etc.
Thanks for your comment!
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL oh yeah 100%, helps with memorizing simple kanji or phrases that'd be used in regular conversation (even if the situation is not regular LOL)
@@100MagicChickens You're making me want to play Zelda again, lol. Have you ever tried card games like Pokemon?
@@JohninJapanOFFICIAL i havent! but i'd imagine its pretty good for reading comprehension and speaking.
@@100MagicChickens Definitely! Especially because the game requires "declaring" the moves you make as you make them. You might enjoy giving it a go.
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.
This is an inspiration for me. I am trying my best to learn Japanese every day with Todaii Easy Japanese. Hope I can achieve my goals.
Keep putting in the time!
Enjoying it* The best way to learn. ✨
You hit the nail on the head!
I studied for about 6 months then stopped 2 years ago. And now I want to re-study, I saw your videos and definitely agree and will try all your suggestions! ありがとうね！うまくいく欲しいなあ 。
頑張ってください！
I didn’t stick with Helsig’s Remembering the Kanji, I really wish I would have dug in a bit more. Maybe it’s still not too late!
It's never too late! How far did you make it?
I think through the first chapters, not far enough to make it enjoyable I guess.
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!
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.
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?
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
When you talked about "that day" , it made me genuinely happy to imagine how you migh have felt. Awesome,great inspiration :)
It was quite an exciting day, for sure! Thanks for watching and commenting.
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！
currently learning the basics on duolingo, hope this gets me to a solid starting point ^^
Definitely a good place to start! Try to add simple immersion as soon as you can. Japanese with Shun (on RUclips) might be a good option, depending on your level. Best of luck!
Thanks for sharing!❤
Thanks for watching!
Thank you again so much for all of these game changing tips mate you’re an absolute legend! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thanks for watching and commenting!
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!
making that step from heiseg to manga and using furigana is actually brilliant and fun. ❤❤
It definitely takes the "study" feeling out of things. Thanks for watching and commenting!
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!
Hey john, i really enjoyed your video and it was straight to the point unlike some videos. I speak arabic, french and english but ive learned them in school and uni. The first language that i wanted to learn from scratch was japanese but i got demotivated due to some reasons. I decided to start today because i couldn't let all that research on the japanese culture go to waist and you gave me a new starting point with those two books cuz ive heard duolingo isnt enough but it felt fun using it
I'm glad to hear you got something out of my video. I talk more about RTK and learning the kanji here, if you're interested: ruclips.net/video/oDy28pTNI_w/видео.htmlsi=xcdbVY7c38YLElDJ. Thanks for watching!