Strengthening Your Japanese Abilities
Aiya Perrine (Yuri Block PA ‘23)
Let’s Begin! 始めよう！
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Is studying interesting? Engaging? Or all-out soul-crushing?
What is your self-prescribed Japanese level of ability?
Do you actually want to improve your Japanese?
Hungry? Sleepy? Tired? Fine?
Where are you beginning?
Where do you want to go?
Do you enjoy Japanese?
How are you?
01: Where are you beginning?
Beginner: I have no idea what I’m doing! I just want to get some Japanese abilities under my belt.
Intermediate: I have some Japanese abilities, but I want to improve and learn more
Advanced: I pretty much know everything, but I want to keep my Japanese chops polished and learn the secrets of the universe
02: Where do you want to go?
What are your goals with learning Japanese?
Become the first Matsuo Basho-level foreign haiku writer
Watch anime without those pesky subtitles
Make friends in Japan and converse with my coworkers
Live in Japan 4ever <3
Get that JLPT certification
No matter your goals, any amount of Japanese can and will improve your daily life!!
03: Do you enjoy Japanese?
“the combination of effort plus desire to achieve the goal of learning the language plus favourable attitudes toward learning the language”
(Gardner, 1985: 10)
04: How are you?
Don’t stress yourself out with the added pressure of studying. You and your health are the most important!
On the other hand, learning Japanese will give you a purpose and something to focus your energy on.
It will also help you in your daily life, and will likely make you feel less homesick and more connected with your community!
What materials and techniques can you implement to turn yourself into a ペラペラ god?
Having goals
And remember…those goals have to be important to you. You need to be internally motivated to really learn!
Having concrete goals is one of the best ways you can help yourself in all aspects in life!
Textbooks
Don’t underestimate the power of paper
Having something tactical that you can write in is wonderful for memorization
Workbooks are a must!
Writing
“Repeated writing…is a common memory strategy for the Japanese, especially when learning new logographic characters. The to-be-remembered items are written down not as external prompts, as with reminder notes, but to be memorized in the course of writing them down over and over again…the effect occurred for both Japanese and American subjects, suggesting that it was not the result of a cultural background associated with a logographic language. Instead, the effect seemed to be accounted for by the encoding specificity of visual-motor information, because repeated writing improved free recall” (Naka M., Naoi H.)
AKA: repeatedly writing things over and over again (especially kanji, hiragana, and katakana) is proven to help in recall
Kanji: Drill, drill, drill
As mentioned earlier, repetition is very important–especially when it comes to kanji!
Repetition/SRS-focused resources (like Wanikani and Anki) can be great for this
However, the relationship between writing things over and over again and free recall cannot be understated!
Kanji: They’re radical!
Kanji is made up of many components, and radicals are one of those!
Finding these radicals and noticing their patterns can be a huge help in your kanji retention
Kanji: What does it sound like?
One of the biggest headaches regarding kanji is the way in which one character can have multiple different pronunciations…
Try to look for patterns in pronunciation, and don’t try to memorize everything at once!
Generally speaking, on-yomi often show up in multi-kanji compounds, and kun-yomi are more often stand-alone
on-yomi: based on original Chinese pronunciation
kun-yomi: Japanese reading
Flashcards
Flashcards are one of the most tried-and-true study methods
But MAKE YOUR OWN! Writing/typing what you need to remember yourself makes all the difference
Read out loud (talk to yourself)
My NUMBER ONE recommendation for pronunciation practice!
Don’t be afraid to have Japanese conversations with yourself!
Resources: Dictionaries and databases
Jisho.org: great for some things, but not for everything!
ejje.weblio.jp: amazing resource that is often updated by native speakers
Google.com: the search bar is your friend!
Never trust this guy…
Resources: Online learning platforms
newsinslowjapanese
Countless well-tested resources online for learning Japanese, so I’ll just mention ones that I’ve personally used and recommend
These are all basically free except for newsinslowjapanese.com, which is about $7 USD/month
Resources: Japanese classes
Great news–CLAIR has lots of free resources for us!
Make use of these while you still can!
Resources: Japanese classes
You may have in-person Japanese classes in your city!
Check your local community/cultural center for details. Classes at community centers are often free!
Stay consistent!
Whether its an hour a day, half an hour a week, or any amount, make sure you stay on top of your goals!
Neglecting a language for too long can really damage your skills with it
Refresh yourself every once-in-a-while, even if it’s just one kanji a day, a word a week, etc.
It was only inevitable that we would end up here.
What is it and why?
→Receive a certificate of
proficiency after passing
→N1 and N2 can allow you to
get a job in Japan or in translating/interpreting work outside of Japan
→N5~N3 will get you motivated to attempt N2~N1!
→Great material to put on your CV
→Bragging rights
Japanese Language Proficiency Test
日本語能力試験
Textbooks
There are lots of wonderful textbooks out there to prep you for the JLPT
Many of these textbooks are split up into weeks, which makes staying on target a breeze
You can find a lot of them used (and your fellow ALTs may have some that they’re not using anymore), so make sure you ask around!
Practice tests
Practice tests are one of the best ways you can help yourself in prepping for the JLPT!
Assuage some anxieties (or create some anxieties that you didn’t realize you needed!)
Figure out what you need to improve/
concentrate on
Timelines and goal-setting
Think about where you are now, and how much time you have until the test
Make a plan!
For example: 6 months until the
test→8 chapters in my textbook→
I will finish 1.25 chapters per month
and review everything at the end of
each month
Diversify!
For example: I have kanji, vocabulary,
grammar, reading, and listening
textbooks→I will alternate between each
textbook (going over the same textbook
every 5 days)
Logistics
The JLPT is about ¥7000. But if you pass (N3-N1), you can apply for a grant/waiver from the JET Program!
Make sure you have the correct materials going into the exam: voucher+ID, HB pencils, erasers, led/sharpener, analog watch
Pay attention to test dates and when you can sign up! Sign up is about 3-4 months before the actual test
There are two tests per year (July and December), so make sure you’ve signed up for the right one!
Test taking strategies
The JLPT is broken down into language knowledge (vocabulary, kanji, grammar), reading, and listening
Tips:
Studying is important, but a fueling breakfast, good night’s sleep, and appropriate amount of caffeine take precedent!
And even if you don’t succeed…
What small things can you do every day in order to improve your Japanese abilities?
Turn your life Japanese
Immerse yourself as much as possible!
Put your phone/laptop in Japanese
Write down your grocery/shopping lists in Japanese
If you keep a planner or calendar, try writing those in Japanese
This encourages your brain to think in Japanese first, which is invaluable in becoming proficient
Read, read, read
street signs
labels
handouts on
your desk
menus
Keep those eyeballs open! Read absolutely everything you can and look up what you can’t
Become a professional eavesdropper
Always have your ears open!
See if you can pick up on what’s being said around you/jump into conversation
Listen to your JTE during class! You can learn a surprising amount of Japanese in English classes
Get involved, make conversation
Start conversations in Japanese with people! It could even just be about the weather
If someone stops you to talk to you, talk to them (as long as you feel safe of course!)
Don’t be worried about making mistakes!
Consume Japanese media
As much as possible, fill your brain with Japanese!
Leaving Japanese music or news on in the background can help get you into an immersive state
Explore and have fun with it! There is so much wonderful
Japanese media and
content out there
Lovely Summer-chan
ラブリー
サマーちゃん
Ayano Kaneko
カネコアヤノ
Aimyon
あいみょん
indigo la End
インディゴラエンド
drama recommendations
Tokyo Diner: Midnight Stories
深夜食堂
First Love
初恋
Boys Over Flowers
花より男子
Old Enough!
はじめての
おつかい
Banana Yoshimoto
吉本ばなな
magazines
Haruki Murakami
村上春樹
Sei Shonagon
清少納言
SPEAK!!
Number one tip in becoming proficient in a language is…fake it ‘till you make it
Put yourself out there!
-Make small talk with people you
encounter on a daily basis
-Do that terrifying phone call
-Order something off the menu you
can’t pronounce and learn
something new
And HAVE CONFIDENCE!! (even if you don’t)
Email me any lasting questions you may have!
akitayuriblock@gmail.com
Credits
Please keep this slide for attribution