Put this under all languages as I’m sure it will be of use to anyone who is struggling with this regardless of what language you choose to learn.
Listening is a massive issue for me and becoming more of an issue as time goes on. It’s not just trying to find suitable content, or engaging content but also trying to train myself to actively focus on it. Finding content at my level is an issue in itself. The easy stuff is too easy and everything else is too difficult.
Passive listening is fine but active listening is extremely difficult for me as though I’m burned out even though I’ve had barely any exposure to it recently.
I need more active listening practice but I’ve no idea how to incorporate it into my learning in a way that actually helps but also doesn’t make me want to pull my hair out with frustration, or switch off completely because it’s boring the life out of me.
I’m still deep in the “how do I listen” part of my own listening language journey, so my thoughts here may end up changing as I go.
Active listening is difficult for me as well; it’s difficult to tell my brain it needs to focus when there’s no outside stimuli (i.e. a test, a conversation partner, etc.) to motivate it. There are two methods that I’ve found some success in, though take them with a grain of salt, as I’ve done very little of both in the grand scheme of things. Both involve audiobooks and their written book counterpart:
Method 1: Reading along with an audiobook with a book that’s at or just slightly above your comfortable reading level. The narrator is often reading faster than my internal voice is reading, so this forces my brain to start having to process the words faster. This also helps me build an audio mapping in head of some of the less common words I’m reading so that I can hopefully recognize them easier in the future in pure audio settings. I’ve been a bit concerned for a bit now that maybe reading while listening will allow my brain to “cheat” and disregard the audio, but I think the narrator’s speed + picking a slightly more difficult book helps to sidestep that.
Method 2: Picking a lower-leveled book, one closer to your actual listening level but still difficult enough you don’t understand the majority as you go through, and repeating this pattern for the book: audio-only listen to a chapter/section → listen and read to the same section → audio-only listen to the section. This is really grindy and takes a long time since you’re essentially listening to the book three times in a row, but I did notice specific improvements by the end of the book I was trying this method out on (デルトラ・クエスト 1 沈黙の森 | L26).
Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure that listening just takes a ridiculous (to me at least) amount of time to actually notice solid improvements in. :\ I’ve been alternating method 1 with watching TV in an effort not to burn myself out, so I still need more long-term data on it.
If i find myself zoning out when im doing pure listening i usually pretend i have to explain whats going on to someone that doesn’t speak my TL and it tricks me into locking back onto the content.
Method 2 is how I boosted my listening along with using Subs2SRS flashcards (I made my own but I know not everyone can. There are pre-made ones available). I didn’t add cards fast but focused on making sure I could break down and understand longer/faster/more difficult ones well.
I also extensively listen. Easy content is fine if I’m enjoying myself as it’s still engaging with the language. So is content where I’m having to guess a few words from context. Pausing to look up words from sound is also fine.
Listening is where I really saw a difference in skill as I put in the hours. 100 hours, especially when starting out, makes a massive difference
Honestly, watching lots of anime with JP subs did a ton for me (if kanji-heavy vocab is an issue, Animelon lets you have JP and/or hiragana-only subs on). Even better if it’s something you already know well, since then comprehension issues won’t be as frustrating. Without subs is great too, but I think earlier on, it’s better to have text (can’t prove this)
Audiobooks are more optimal in theory (higher word density), but I find they take much more concentration to stay focused.
Voiced comics (manga panels + voice acting) might also be cool, if you can find them for manga you like. Ex:
I will also echo TV with subs or an audiobook + text at a little bit above your comfort level as something that will be helpful. But I also recommend watching/listening to things at a lower level without any subs. From my own personal experience, I feel like watching/reading with text is actually more helpful for reading than listening, unless you are only using the text to check what was said (ie not reading the entire subtitle/book/transcript along with the audio).
My current “study” plan usually looks like extensive listening to audio books and/or podcasts for about 20-30 mins per day, some number of TV shows with or without jp subs (depending on difficulty of the show and availability of the subs), and some reading with audiobooks for another 20-30 mins. I don’t really have any quotas here, just what makes sense for what I’m reading and watching, but I’d estimate I’m doing about 60-120 mins a day of Japanese audio. I honestly feel like my listening is getting better faster than my reading is (), so I think that might even be overkill.
If you’re finding it too hard to understand things that you feel are challenging enough, perhaps you could also consider pre-studying a TV show or podcast (if you had one with a transcript) with jpdb (or anki, if you wanted to make your own flashcards or were able to use Subs2SRS). If you don’t want to work that hard even, you can check out episode summaries ahead of time so that you’re not lost in the content and then just watch. I personally find that TV is a lot more engaging when I don’t understand everything, but you should play around with different things to find out what feels sustainable to you.
This could work, method 2 especially. I’ve a few lower level books that I should be able to read fine but the audio vocab is a little above my level and they are short enough that I shouldn’t have too much of an issue doing the same sections a few times. Could also use this for some of the quartet reading sections as those have audio too.
My output is still a little low for me to try to do this and make it feel real, but it’s definitely seems like a good way to increase both active listening and my output skills. Maybe I could tie this in with my lessons and get the tutor to check my writing.
Flashcards are a bug bear of mine but perhaps pre checking a vocab list before a listening session may help me to retain and understand more. Extensive listening I was doing a lot of last year around October and did seem to see vast improvements but wasn’t sure if that was just a fluke as it kind of filtered away pretty quickly to leave me floundering again. Maybe I need more extensive listening too.
I was burning out a bit on the anime I was watching regularly but maybe if I coupled that with the manga or a light novel so I know the approx story it might help a bit. I have tried some stuff on Netflix with subs (my subscription options are limited to what the household has that I already pay for), I already knew the rough story and then having the subs helped a bit when looking up words or checking if I had heard correctly. So there may be something in having text at least at the start.
I did not know these existed. I have Ruri Dragon and enjoyed it a lot so thanks for linking these. I have a few other popular ones as well so may be able to find those too.
So reading wise my comfort level is probably around natively level 19-20 (for unknown grammar/ vocabulary being limited to less that 3 per page). I’ve been reading Lv 24 stuff recently but even that there are about 10-15 unknown words/ grammar minimum per page, some times more.
Comfort level Listening wise, is probably around level 16-18 (Kitty detectives) though I can get the gist from context when speaking with my tutor or exchange partners, they still use more basic explanations or have to repeat themselves when I don’t understand. (Podcasts level is still around N4 level, like Japanese with Shun up to podcast 50, though I need context to figure out unknown words). That’s not to say I can’t understand the Lv 24 stuff when listening but there are large chunks that I miss because I can’t get the gist quick enough or I get hung up on individual words and miss parts as a result. Slowing things down a bit and my comprehension will most likely increase a few levels.
There are some lower level TV series and also a few lower level audio books I have that I could try for the listen while reading option. For low level stuff without subs, my tutor recommended things like Peppa pig and Bluey (not sure if that’s right but I did struggle to understand those before) as well as things like Pokémon concierge and chi’s sweet home (both of which felt a lot easier for me than Peppa or Bluey)
That’s actually really helpful, thanks. I could try something similar for a while and see how I get on (building it up slowly, not just jumping in at 2 hours).
I tried a flick through of the vocab of Frieren previously using the deck on jpdb and it did help me to pick out certain words using context that I never would have picked up otherwise. Never thought to try this regularly though (which sounds stupid because it makes sense to continue with something if it was helping).
Thanks everyone, I’ll try out these suggestions and see how I get on
Progress is always fastest at the start of something. Later everything will slow down, this does not make it a fluke. It’s just “work“ that has to be done, sooner or later.
I myself, started listening quite early, did it with English subs the first half year, but then thought if I keep going like that I would maybe never stop it.
I started with quite easy TV programs, like shows for 4-6 year olds. They have many songs, puppet shows, games, some explanatory shorts, children who tell stories on their own (-> very easy grammar and words) etc.
Then I ventured into anime, like apart from some easier stuff, one of my first were about the first 250 episodes of Pokémon, or the first 50 episodes of chibi maruko-chan and such things. These are very old series that are shown at a rate of one episode per day, and I watched the one of the previous day together with the new one. I am still doing this for more complicated series; well, at the start chibi maruko-chan and the like were more complicated series
So with time I watched even more complicated stuff, like I tried the first episode and if it went ok-ish and I liked it, I continued, otherwise I cancelled the series. With about 40 new series/continuations or repeats of series per season there was never a short of appropriate stuff.
The first years I watched about 4 shows per day, later I reduced to three. I almost never used subs, as for 1) when I started I was not fast enough to read them, 2) when I started they were full of kanji that I didn’t know, so all in all they were useless, if I didn’t stop after every sentence and look things up. But as this would have turned recreation into real work, I stopped it almost immediately, like after the second short series.
While I don’t think those are bad choices, I find that media for very young kids is a bit harder than for adults/older kids. I’d actually recommend looking at something like Takagi-san, especially because there’s 3 seasons and the live action version. They speak a lot slower and in more realistic dialogues that the make-believe that’s in Bluey (and I’m assuming Peppa, I’ve only seen like two episodes of her in English before ).
Bluey is something I’d maybe recommend as a “final boss” for the N5 listening content.
I also think that finding something that you enjoy enough to watch without full comprehension is probably the best thing here. If that means you really enjoy watching Fieren with a lot of pre learning scaffolding/rewatching, I think you should do that rather than look for a perfect level series you’re not super engaged with.
I understand that. It just seemed to help my speaking and processing across October then it was like everything went back a few steps after that and hasn’t really caught back up since then.
But maybe the quantity of listening is what switched my brain over for processing quicker at that point and I just need more experience to make that kind of thing last for longer periods.
I wish I knew what to look for with this kind of thing. The stuff I watched as a kid was more Disney films than any actual TV shows but then TV was a lot more limited back then. Maybe just trying things out and seeing how it goes until I find something that kinda works.
But then looking for something that seems about that level and trying it out might be the best option. At the very least if I don’t like it I can always try something else
Bluey was so so in terms of the language, seemed a bit more polite and interesting than Peppa. I’ve not tried Takagi-san though it is on my list. So might be worth a shot. Thanks.
I’ve a few series I want to watch but lots of ambiguity was making me feel burnt out so maybe I just need to try that again but a bit less of binging and more focusing maybe on an episode at a time and building on that instead.
I’m not sure if you’re familiar with subs2srs but they’re audio flashcards of entire sentences. I think a lot of early listening issues come from not being able to handle those longer or faster sentences and so I’d do flashcards which were like “the estimated time of death was midnight” or “the victim’s height was 167cm and died from a stab wound to their lower abdomen” (can you tell I mined crime shows? ).
Could also just liberally make use of the replay past 5-10 seconds to get the same effect if flashcards are not your thing.
I didn’t know they were audio flashcards. TBH, I haven’t looked into subs2srs as I thought they were like most of the decks I’ve seen/ tried previously and didn’t realize it was different.
I’ll take a look and see if it helps.
Tbf, I’d probably end up with mostly fantasy ones with weird magic names or something, at least yours might be semi useful irl in certain situations. Mine would end up being virtually no use outside of fantasy content
I don’t know if this will help you, but a reframe I got from someone in the forums (apologies, I cannot remember who ) is that once you understand everything you aren’t learning anything anymore. So if it feels uncomfortable because you don’t understand every word, it’s probably actually good for your listening.
I also think if you go back to some of the research all that’s important is that you understand the gist, not individual words. Speaking from experience (I also really struggle(d?) with ambiguity), the more you’re willing to let go of perfect comprehension, the more fun you can have because there’s going to be a ton of things that you’re not going to get everything, but you’ll get enough to follow (especially if you look up summarizes if you get too lost).
Trying to cultivate this mindset really helped me challenge harder series and I think it’s paid off. It will also give you the chance to come back to something you didn’t fully understand the first time around and boy does that feel amazing!
You probably know far more words and grammar than I did at that time. I used it as a way to do listening without knowing many words, as I did not start with reading back then, just because my main goal was and is watching stuff.
It’s true, they explain things in these shows, but things that are interesting to children. They are kind of a Japanese version of Sesame Street, like I remember a scene where they explained what kind of things are e.g. ふわふわ and these explanations you might never forget, even if just heard once.
But I don’t think that with just listening you can learn new words fast. It’s more like you can recognize the words that you already know. The words i.e. vocab you‘ll have to get from somewhere else. And I still believe the fastest way to learn new words is reading with or without look-ups, as before, nothing new here.
What makes listening hard at the start is, I think, to make the connection between the read words and how they sound. So probably to read along with audio or such newer methods are good for that.
My goal for 2025 was also to work on my listening, but I’m also a bit clueless how to go on about it…
The last weeks I’ve been trying to just generally up my listening hours, regardless of active or passive. I’ve been listening a lot to various podcasts, trying to also have non-learner-aimed ones in the mix.
Mostly during work (which doesn’t help so much since I often get distracted with - well - work) and on walks (which I should do more often but… cold )
Another thing I’ve been trying is to watch Japanese News. There are a lot of 24/7 news channels on Youtube which I just leave running in the background. The stories are short and there are some interesting local things strewn in here and there. You don’t have to have a big attention span to follow a segment of maybe 2-4 minutes. Then it repeats like every half an hour, so if you didn’t get it the first time, you might understand it the next time in the cycle. There are partial subtitles (most just a static title describing the segments and when people are interviewed) that help somewhat.
As I’ve been doing this for just a short while, so I have no idea if it actually works, but just by inputting a lot I feel like my “listening fatigue” has gone down (similar to how “reading fatigue” becomes better with time spent reading).
About 50% of my study time has been pure listening in kr. (except for the first year where i didnt really do any because my vocab was too low)
i have certain parts of my day that are dedicated listening time. Getting ready, commuting, making dinner, chore time etc.
i never listen during work or shopping or when im distracted. passive listening does nothing for me and i dont want to get listening fatigue without benefit.
i prioritise high comp material (initially learner orientated podcasts, audiodramas, livestreams, chatty vlogs) and mix it in with slightly harder content (easy native podcasts, audiobooks of books ive already read etc). if i cant at least follow the general story then i leave it for the future.
news and audiobooks of new books are hard material for me because of unknown vocab so im leaving them for later.
idol livestreams and audiodramas were a goldmine of easy listening content for me the first couple years. livestreams are naturally easier because its generally one speaker and no noise or overlapping speech, pretty simple, familiar and repetitive topics. audiodramas have sound effects to help and the tropes mean you can generally know what to expect. also theres an endless supply of both idk if japanese has similar things.
sorry to be more clear when i said “passive listening” i meant low attention listening when i an focused elsewhere like driving or working where i have to read or type.
doing simple tasks like washing the dishes or getting ready is high attention listening for me because i am primarily focused on what i’m listening to
Things like this could be pretty helpful for some words. I got that one from watching a group video chat with people learning Japanese.
Yeah, my reasoning is more about learning to recognise and get quicker at understanding and using words/ grammar I already know. Reading regularly has been the best way for me to learn vocab so far.
This is something I’ve struggled with a lot, trying to increase regular listening. Recently, most of my listening has been from either Japanese videos I’ve been sent, or from game voice overs (which so far are too difficult to play fully in Japanese), since these are the easiest for me to access without spending a ton of time trying to find suitable content that is also interesting to me without taking up loads of brain power. I can read while at work but listening isn’t possible due to being on calls.
That makes sense. Maybe that’s why I felt like I had taken steps backwards after October when my listening habits changed again and I started focusing more on reading.
Live streams are an issue as I would have to pay a licence to watch any live streaming or live TV (I literally could go for years without using TV if I wasn’t using YouTube, Netflix and Disney for Japanese listening), but I’ve seen a lot of YouTube channels which do one person just wandering around Japan talking about a topic or what they are doing (similar to thought dumps and cultural info streams), those might be worth a shot. Thanks😊
Yeah, I struggle with this too. Music is fine when driving but I couldn’t listen to an audio book or such and I can’t listen and write or type at the same time
This reminds me!
I recently watched a Zelda playthrough from a streamer who I thought was very comprehensible.
Most of her streams are Zelda games, so if you don’t want to watch someone playing Zelda it’s probably not the channel for you. But she speaks clearly and reads most of the game text (I was watching one of the games with no voice acting so that was a big plus for my stream).
ot: BBC license
Wait you are supposed to pay for a license if you are watching live streams on an app? I did pay for my license when we were there to get (legitimate ) access to iPlayer, but I thought anything that wasn’t on that didn’t interact with the license requirements?
I guess I’m glad I paid for it when we were there…
Perfect, thanks! Zelda series is one of my favourites so will be sure to check this out
BBC Licence
Yep. Any publicly broadcast live streaming or Live TV whether on apps, other TV services (Sky, Virgin, even live streams on YouTube and Twitch), even live streamed foreign channels (such as NHK news etc) you now require a license to watch live or to record. If you’re caught recording things you can also be fined. On demand content is ok as is old recorded content as long as you weren’t the one who recorded it (eg old YouTube streams are ok or things like Netflix). They changed parts of the eligibility criteria recently as it wasn’t as strict previously.
Living expenses can be expensive enough without them charging for the privilege to see live news etc. I catch most live news from text updates or from work since I work in one of Sky/Comcast’s call Centres.
), so I think that might even be overkill.
).
)