What does "studying" look like for you?

Japanese
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I’m using this setup too. It allows me to read with yomichan basically wherever I am. While I do enjoy reading at my computer, it’s nice to actually go outside sometimes.

I too like to aim for a certain amount of characters per day. Before, when I set time goals rather than character goals, a lot of the time I “spent reading” wasn’t really reading. I would spend a bit more time going through monolingual definitions than actually reading the book. While that still technically counts as reading, I would rather be spending that time with the actual book. :sweat_smile: It also meant I didn’t have to constantly start and stop a timer. (I couldn’t trust screen time since I know how much of that time wouldn’t actually be reading)

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22

…maybe it’s a silly question, but what’s ttu? :sweat_smile:

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reader.ttsu.app is an online e-book reader. People use it so that you can easily use yomichan with e-books. If you have an epub of a book, all you have to do is drag it onto the page. You can even use it offline as long as you have the page loaded. It even works on android with yomichan if you use the Kiwi browser. You can even mine Anki cards if you use ankiconnectdroid!

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ooh, thanks! i didn’t know it was possible for yomichan to work on android.
this is really helpful :purple_heart:

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If you are going to ttu on android, I recommend that you switch from the infinite scrolling mode that is the default to the paginated mode. I find that can be really laggy and pretty much unusable on mobile devices, especially with longer books.

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thanks, i had no idea there was an option like this. i hate infinite scrolling on desktop browser too, let alone on mobile!

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Apologies in advance for this long comment: So my studying is a bit of a mixed bag. I’ve used several beginner textbooks (some to study from, some to review from and some to help friends or family to learn from along side me) though I’ve settled happily on using Minna no Nihongo for my overall studying (I prefer the immersion style than switching between Japanese and English).

For speaking I’m using Paul Noble’s Japanese audio courses and shadowing materials.

For reading, I use a variety of resources; ebooks, graded reader, bilingual short stories, reading sections in textbooks, reading easy NHK News, novellas for language learners, parallel texts etc. but I’ve mostly stuck to things I can read or things still within N5/N4 level and not upscaled to full native content though I have a good variety of LN, Short story collections and novels, both original Japanese and translations into Japanese to work from once I’m ready to make the switch. I prefer physical books but do have a good stock of ebooks as well since they’re easier to read in dark lighting and at work etc on my phone.

For listening, I tend to use audio books, Video games with Japanese voice overs, podcasts by native speakers both for language learners and just random podcasts about daily life etc but full Japanese with no English speakers, anime series, dramas, films, music and reality TV series like Terraced house.

Writing is my weakest skill but that’s more from not knowing what to write about. I use a multilingual website for language learners called Journaly. You can write posts which natives or higher level language learners of that language can correct. And you can correct posts for any languages you know natively or to a higher level.

My favorite dictionaries are the dictionaries of basic/intermediate/advanced grammar in physical form, my kodashan kanji learners dictionary and in digital form imiwa, and Kanji lookup (good for compound kanji).

Only SRS I use currently is Wanikani (Kanji, radicals and vocabulary) and Renshuu app (grammar and vocabulary from textbooks and other sources)

My time for studying (active or passive) varies based on my needs, if I’m struggling with anything, work constraints (I do have weird shifts and sometimes work 12 and a half hours in a day) and generally how I’m feeling. I tend to get about 4-8 hours per day when not working, 2-4 hours when I am working (at least half active, the rest passive). I get passive listening time while driving or doing menial tasks (music, audio books, podcasts), reading is focused time, mostly extensive reading with little looking up but I will re read chapters a second time while looking up vocabulary I’m unsure of. Watching a film, episode or such I don’t count as studying since I mostly just watch and keep a note of any vocabulary I’m unsure of and try to recognise grammar points but don’t pick it apart piece by piece, also don’t use any subtitles).

I tend not to set any specific goals for reading but will note approx times for reading and how long it takes to read a chapter while still understanding it then see if I improve on that as I continue or if my next read through is any quicker and if I’ve picked up any new words etc.

Time wise for the different skills; reading, writing, speaking, listening, I tend to find that each will have different time allocated to it depending on my focus but I actually don’t set out to think I’ll spend x amount of time reading today or x amount of time listening. I just do what I feel like and switch when either I’m bored or I’m feeling overloaded and can’t focus. Since immersion works best for me, all my free time activities are Japanese immersed unless I’m accessing things like here or Wanikani, so even if I’m not actively studying, I’m usually either listening or reading in Japanese and very rarely do any activities in English unless it’s something with friends or family who aren’t studying Japanese.

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28

I think for the most part my study doesn’t look like studying at all.

Grammar I learnt mainly through watching YouTube videos as I’m not a huge fan of textbooks and doing exercises.
From past experiences I’ve found that really just paying attention is the most effective thing I can do and I feel like textbooks get in the way of that for me.
That and while I guess I could rote memorize grammar points more effectively if I did do exercises, I don’t think there’s any way to truly internalize grammar without loads of natural exposure.
Of course some study will get you there faster than no study at all, but I think it’s a lot less than what textbooks normally prescribe.

I feel a similar way when it comes to SRS.
I used Anki in my first year for vocab but when it came to vocab it felt like reading and listening were the real heavy lifters.
So I dropped it, and a year later still no regrets.
I still use SRS for kanji though.

Mainly I try to engage with the language as holistically as possible and supplement here and there with more traditional methods of study when it piques my interest.

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  • Grammar skimming, then workbooks for comprehension check
  • Immersion for amount
  • Kanji in a vocabulary, for applicability to other words. Also, looking up Kanji in JJ dictionaries. (Technically, Wiktionary might as well works)
  • From vocabulary reading, guess (possibly false) etymology and related words. Take note of comparisons.
  • Google for vocabularies and phrases, and cultural references
  • SRS for Kanji and vocabularies, focusing on initial memorization, rather than burning
  • Currently I put focus on number of books, and probably number of series.

And of course, read other people 's advice.

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30

The beginning was a bit bumpy I had to find the right textbook for me and the best way to immerse.
I tried some podcasts, jpop as music, some animes with english and japanese subtitles and anki next to learning with the awesome Genki books.
But I found out it was too early for me to immerse that way I didn’t understand anything with the audio, the anime subtitles in hiragana went to fast to follow and I lost interest in continuing.
So I concentrated on the textbooks mostly and attended a class ones a week and began to meet my Japanese tandems who helped me with my homework.

But I still have a learning plan, completing the JLPT levels with choosen textbooks so that I can be sure to get the grammar, kanji and most of the vocabulary done.

I spend one hour each day with learning Tobira now and have classes on Italki. My feeling is that I will become much better with this book to start immersing again.
Then I will watch movies on Netflix Japan, try the Harry Potter series and other japanese books and listen to some entertainment podcasts as well.

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31

Well I think there is a fair balance of input and learning. I change my routine frequently but I am constantly trying to maintain some sort of reading/listening input + some sort of directed study (WaniKani and Renshuu as of writing this). I think I am in the middle section of learning Japanese where I am just kind of filling in my gaps and doing what I can to improve, but my hope is in 2 years I will just be focusing on maintenance. The last 5 years have been getting to around N1 level in all areas (writing not so much but I can write whatever kanji you show me to write).

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32

Very interesting thread! It’s nice to see how others are organising their study.

In my case, I studied a bit of Japanese 15 years ago at university (I got to N4 level) and then abandoned it. During the pandemic I decided to retake my Japanese and started from scratch.

Now I’m starting my year 3 of Japanese learning and I have just started preparing for JLPT N1.

JLPT for me it’s a yearly checkpoint and what keeps me focused in continuing.

With Japanese it think it’s very important to set myself short term and long term goals to keep me motivated.

My short term goal is trying the JLPT N1 this December (with low expectations) and next year take a sabbatical from work and move to Japan for 6 months.

At this level I am completely reliant of natural material so I have my 新完全マスター for vocabulary and grammar, I use the apps iKanji and Anki and I read novels and manga daily.

I am not a big anime fan so I mostly watch drama and movies on Netflix (with Japanese subtitles) and I have started focusing more and more on shadowing (I use 日本語話そう).

I feel like I’m getting better and better at reading but I need to step up my game when it comes to speaking and listening.

Finally, I am not a big fan of italki, it’s hard to find a good tutor that can keep you engaged and never run out of topics. :face_with_diagonal_mouth: what’s your experience with it?

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33

I have just begun to learn via Italki with a professional teacher. I can say I’m glad I have found her because she is working with my textbook as well which I didn’t expect a teacher to have. She is making the lessons vivid with adding extra material from the Internet which is conected to the theme we are talking about.
Maybe it’s a bit of luck to find someone. I guess it’s also a good idea to choose a professional because they are highly skilled and have some structure of teaching.
I have one question about 日本語話そう. Have you got a link for the shadowing technique?

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34

I think, teachers have more of an impact in lower levels, when you are still going through the basics and benefit from textbooks.

In higher levels, they really mostly just provide you with ideas/techniques on how to pass the JLPT or achieve whatever specific thing it is you are working towards.

When it comes to talking, I have learned that you need to be proactive. Asking the teacher questions about things you are interested in, about their own experiences, ideas, etc. Bringing topics that are interesting to you. Simply telling them about your own life without them having to ask you a million questions, is kinda key to keeping a conversation going.

You are basically looking for a paid friend with language knowledge, not so much a teacher. So, when you have your introduction lesson, tell them what topics you would like to talk about and get to know what they are interested in. Otherwise you’ll probably run out of things to talk about quickly.

35

Hi there!

日本語を話そう has a book and audio cd or downloadable files (you can find it also on YouTube). The way they design their process is:

  • you have various chapters organised by level (level improves from chapter to chapter)
  • each chapter has sections.
  • in each section there are between 4 to 10 short dialogues.
  • based on their method, you should read the text first and understand it.
  • then you listen to the audio and start shadowing it.
  • you are supposed to continue with the same section for 2-3 weeks before you pass to the next one.
  • they recommend to do max 10 minutes per day at the beginning but be consistent over time.

For reference, this is the basic to intermediate version: https://www.amazon.com/-/es/gp/aw/d/4874248500/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile

There is also one for intermediate to advance and a third one that focuses mostly on business language.

Hope this helps! :slight_smile:

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36

Ah I see. Then it is probably a kind of a textbook.^^
And it is a way to shadow with it. I like the idea but would do it with my actual textbook which has also audio files. :grinning:
I think shadowing is a good way to learn a language and I’m looking for more ways to practice it. Lately the idea to memorize songs and listen to them repeatedly has arised which is also a fun way. Thanks for your inspirations!

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37

I guess it depends what you read. One of the reasons I stuck with WK was because I kept coming across kanji & vocab that I had learned from it (I think I was on L30 when I started trying to read native material). I’m now drudging through the last 7 levels, for the sake of completion. Some of the kanji at this point seem a bit useless, but I’ve still been coming across some of the recent vocab, at least

That’s cool about the antonyms!!

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Anki/WK/Grammar guides or textbooks - Hard Study
Reading books/manga, playing games, or watching anime/dramas - Soft Study

Doing some combination of these throughout the day means I studied that day.

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