Transcription
You probably should not learn Japanese because if you're anything like me, you'll spend hours wasting time on Duolingo, grinding flashcards, and trying to watch anime that you know you don't understand. And the only thing it will get you is rejection from your Japanese girlfriend because you learned nothing.
However, through those failures, I learned exactly what it takes to actually learn this language. So, if you also want to visit Tokyo, order at restaurants, make Japanese friends, watch anime with no subtitles, or maybe even get so fluent that you can make videos speaking Japanese for millions of Japanese viewers, this could be you, too, if you watch the rest of this video, where I'm breaking down four essential learning strategies that lay the foundation for the ultimate method that I used to finally make Japanese click, turning me fluent almost overnight.
But none of this would be possible without strategy number one. Because the first tip I have for you is a mistake that I made that forced my language learning process to completely stop for months and it really set me back. In the beginning, I thought one method would help me focus and stay on track. And that's exactly what I did. Downloaded an app and made some great progress. Or so I thought.
I was cruising through my first 6 months of studying and it was easy to log in every day, listen to one podcast, study the app cards, and be done. But that course only lasted 6 months. And one day I opened it up to realize my normal study routine had disappeared forever because there was no more course left. So with no idea where to turn next, my language journey hit a wall. And this set me back for months while I had to find other ways of studying. And I will show you the exact ways that I studied to get myself fluent.
But here's my honest advice. There are tons of study methods out there. Watching YouTube, flashcards, textbooks, tutors. I even made an entire video about study apps that you should not watch. Here's why. It is so easy to get overwhelmed with all these methods. I actually do recommend if you're a beginner to start with one method for two reasons.
First, it's essential not just for learning Japanese, but I think this is fundamental to any new habit you want to start. Because if you start a new habit or skill, more important than finding out exactly how to do everything perfectly is just getting started on something steady that you can do every single day. If you haven't found a way to consistently make progress somehow, I hope one thing you take away from this video is starting easy is okay. You would never wake up and say, "I want to run a marathon, put on your shoes, and instantly full sprint for 4 hours." You would actually die. And I think it's the same thing with languages. I think you should start easy. Maybe run just one mile. Heck, even walk a mile or walk your dog while you study Japanese. Cosmo is old and can't go on walks anymore. But you know what I mean.
The second reason that I think one method is king for beginners is seeing your progress. It's so powerful to see progression happening, but you'll soon find out, as I found out the hard way, that using one study method will not help your progress forever. And after the first few months, it's time to upgrade. And since I've started using multiple methods, I've been learning a lot faster, and it's been a lot more fun.
But if you really want your language journey to grow long and strong like this bamboo, you're going to need strategy number two. Because what I learned on my Japan trip hit me like a slap in the face. See, I made the mistake of one-way learning. If I saw a Japanese flashcard, I'd recall the English every time. But if you told me to translate that English in my head into saying that word out loud in Japanese, impossible. Why? Cuz I forgot what learning a language truly requires. Balance. It's like yin and yang. Wait, that's Chinese. Language uses listening, reading, speaking, even intuition, feeling, culture.
So, if you truly want to become fluent in Japanese or any language for that matter, it's impossible without using multiple methods. So once you've started that habit and that flow of studying that I told you from strategy number one, try a new way of study. So if you're mostly doing flashcards and reading, add some listening in a podcast. If you spend most your time listening to input or watching content, challenge yourself with some output and some speaking. I know this is a huge struggle for a lot of you. So I'll share what I used to get comfortable speaking later.
But first, I'll share my favorite part of multimemethod learning because this strategy also allows you to find the ways you like to learn and double down on perfecting that. And although it sounds obvious, a surprising amount of people still don't do this. If your goal is to have conversations, start having conversations. This also goes with the topics that you like. If you study anime, you'll see the same words again and again inside every anime that exists. Although those anime words will not help you in the convenience store, or definitely not in a business situation. But if you decide to learn words to make friends, use at the gym, pass the JPT, your language will become what you surround yourself with.
Look at my Japanese for example. similar to my English. I think it's very energetic, fun, friendly, and kind of YouTuber-like. And you guessed it, most of my Japanese study came from watching Japanese YouTube and talking to friends, which also means I know almost zero formal or business Japanese. But if working in Japan becomes one of my goals, I can just add that to my study regime later, and that's okay.
But even if you build a perfect study habit with well-rounded study methods, it's useless if you wake up the next day and can't remember anything you just studied. So, now that you've learned what to study, our next three strategies will teach you how to study, so you become not just books smart, but you can actually use the language in real life to understand anime with no subtitles or talk to your Japanese girlfriend.
And to show you the wrong way to study is my mom, who after 10 years of studying Spanish, tried to say my pleasure in front of 50 women at a conference in Costa Rica, but instead famously said, "I pleasure myself." And to make sure this doesn't happen again, I'm challenging her with one of my favorite language learning strategies, stealing. Mom, you like stealing? >> No. No. Well, you better use this strategy because if you can use LingoPie to learn 15 words before the end of this sponsorship, you get a free flight to Costa Rica. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Cuz here's the thing. You guys are not bad at languages. Maybe she is. But I think you guys have just been doing flashcards wrong. I did the same thing when I studied Japanese. Open a random flashcard deck and learn random words. Tree, dog, door. Not only is this boring, but it's actually way more difficult to remember because your brain doesn't care about random words. Your brain cares about memories and things with meaning.
Mom, how many words have you remembered so far using Lingo? >> Oh, at least five while you've been chatting. >> How are you going so fast? >> Look, you can just save the words you don't know. To say hello, save it. >> See, the reason I think this is so cool is cuz when I did this method, I had to install so many sketchy apps on my computer and do everything manually. It was impossible for me to enjoy any show when every 20 seconds I had to pause just to write down my word. LingoPi has dual subtitles automatically. You tap a word and it instantly shows you what it means, how to pronounce it, and sends the flash card to your phone. >> I love how it uses the footage from the scene. It doesn't just use the word. >> And then I can just take my phone to the gym on walks. And since I'm already naturally familiar with the words cuz I already watch them in the show, my review time is actually cut in half. They even have daily challenges. I genuinely don't do any normal studying anymore. And this is what I mean by stealing. Taking real Japanese, real Spanish, or whatever language you're learning, and turning it into memories that your brain actually wants to keep. Just like my mom might be able to keep this Costa Rica trip if you can tell me how to say you can get 2 weeks of Lingo Pie completely free with the first link in the description in Spanish. >> I have no idea if that's right or not. So comment below if she got it right.
Now before we go to strategy number three, I have to expose you because I know you are not focusing on kanji as much as you should. But Tyler, you said it yourself. If you want to learn to watch anime, just watch anime. If you want to talk, then talk. I did say those things. And I too wanted to only have conversations and watch anime without studying kanji. Believe me, I did not want to start kanji either. And in fact, I always thought I didn't even need it until one of my friends who's lived in Japan for 10 years told me that that's a bad idea, bro. So, I reluctantly started adding that to my study plan. And those extra 10 minutes of kanji per day actually changed the way I learned this language. I know I say that a lot, but it's true. Okay?
First of all, learning kanji makes it so much easier to learn and remember words. Cuz if you already know the kanji and the meaning and the reading, you will already know 99% of Japanese words by default. And then when you hear a new word, it's not that foreign to you because you already know both of the characters. You're already learning the words and phrases that have kanji connected to them. Just go ahead and learn the kanji. It's not that hard. Trust me, this makes a huge impact. And remember, learning a language really is a language journey. It's not a destination. So, learn to love the journey and all the new things that you can learn along the way. And one of those things that you unfortunately have to learn along the way is kanji.
But when I first studied kanji, it was impossible for me to memorize these words. I can't even remember why I walked in this room. What was I talking about? Right. Remembering Japanese. Luckily, there is one proven money back guaranteed way to never forget anything that I used to become fluent. And it's strategy number three, spaced repetition, which I know you hear all the time, but doing this really works unless you do it wrong. cuz I see too many learners, especially beginners, wasting one of the best tools to study because they don't know any better. And neither did I until now.
See, if you don't know what space repetition is, basically right when your brain is about to forget something, you remind it and then wait a little longer and remind it again and again at longer and longer intervals until you remember it for actually eternity. And I'm sure now you're wondering, Tyler, this is the most optimized strategy for learning. How can I be doing it wrong? I'm glad you asked. If you watched the segment with my mom, you would remember learning words out of context is bad. Learning only using vocab cards, which for many flashcard decks is standard, is honestly a waste of time. Why would you study only one word at a time when you could repeatedly practice an entire sentence? Then you can not only study that one focus word and the meaning, but you can also refresh yourself on the other words you've already studied in one card. This could double, even triple the speed at which you learn. Not to mention getting context on the words you want to learn helps you know when it's appropriate to use so you don't end up telling people you pleasure yourself.
Many YouTubers have already talked about this concept before. Replacing vocab cards with sentence cards. But I think we can take this one step further. Because even better than a random sentence card is a sentence that you create yourself from an anime YouTube video or even better using one you came up with in your brain or created using Chat GBT's help. Any way you can connect a word or sentence to a story, a memory, or a thought that you can relate to is the best way you can lock in that language that you learn forever. And I've been doing this for years, generating flashcards and example sentences from new words that I've heard. Not just by watching anime and YouTube, but hearing in my conversations or even taking pictures of signs, sending it through ChatGpt to create an entire lesson off of that sign and all the words that are involved with it. If you have zero budget, using chat GPT to create lessons based on what you want to learn is actually incredible. It works way too well and it can even help you a little bit with the first round of spaced repetition. Although I find it forgets almost everything very quickly. So I recommend downloading an app like an or even using LingoPi.
But although passively using space repetition cards helped me a lot with my memorization, it still wasn't enough for me to learn the language because the biggest thing I did was not just another study method. It was a simple mindset change that made me never struggle to study ever again. It literally took me from feeling like I'm grinding words, still not understanding anything, to actually making Japanese click, helping me understand anime with no subtitles, and unlocking my fluent Japanese conversation ability.
But in order to effectively make Japanese click for you, there is one more piece we need to study that most people get wrong. Because every YouTuber on the internet tells you you need to be immersing. But nobody tells you how to do it effectively. I'll tell you right now because after studying not just Japanese but learning how to learn Japanese, here are three ways you can actually use immersion to get yourself fluent.
Number one is a mistake literally everybody makes because similar to our first study method, people can't even start immersing properly. Think about this. Do babies understand everything their parents say? No. In fact, they don't understand 97% of what they hear. But they don't stress about it. They just keep listening. Whatever mama dada is saying, that's what they hear. And by the time they start going to school, they don't need an English teacher to explain what food means. We've been immersing since we were literally zero. We don't need English classes. We need Japanese classes in school. Even though you might agree with me on that, I still see too many people with baby Japanese brains stressed out trying to study every single word they don't understand. If you're pausing every 4 seconds to study every single word and grammar that you don't know, that is not immersing. That is straight up studying. And that is not what we're trying to do in strategy number four. So, when you immerse, I encourage you to just enjoy your show. Maybe save a few words per episodes, but don't stress about it.
However, immersing yourself with this strategy alone won't help you fully learn the language. But here's the best part of immersing because eventually you will experience this incredible feeling. Cuz after a while, watching anime, Japanese YouTube, or other content, there will be a time where you're doing flashcards, watching a new anime, or reading a book, and you see it, a word that you've never studied, but somehow it feels familiar. You might not know the exact definition, but you've seen that word pop up on your screen before, and it creates a huge connection for you to already have a huge first step for learning that word. Multiply that times the thousands of words you're unconsciously soaking in every single day. And trust me, this gives you such a foothold for every word you study. Instead of seeing a new word and thinking, "What on earth is that?" You'll think, "Oh, I remember people saying this in this scene and this scene." And your study life will get easier. Unlike number one where immersion helps you familiarize familiarize with with words before truly studying them, it also helps reinforce the words you're already studying. Turning them from just text and some definition into ideas that create feeling, remind you of situations, and you really can live life in Japanese through consuming content. And that life you live is what starts creating a Japanese brain full of its own experiences, culture, emotions, all using your target language. And if you can develop this part of your brain, that is when fluency begins.
The final reason you should immerse is it is the ultimate motivation booster. See, when you can watch an anime and hear a sentence and you know what the character said, it guarantees that you will never get burnt out. Just watch Your Name again after studying Japanese for 6 months. Trust me, you will cry 80% more because you know 80% more Japanese. Guys, this movie gets me every time. I'm serious. You need to study Japanese just to watch this movie in Japanese. Bro, >> I'm going to do you a favor. Hey Siri, remind me to watch Kimon Nawa in 6 months once I'm fluent and then come back and comment on Tyler's video how it made me feel. My laptop just went off and I hope that reached your phone too. And as you learn more words, you understand more of the content, making it easier to watch your favorite shows and talk more with friends. And it keeps building and building and building until accidentally you've become fluent.
But these strategies alone are still not enough. You can stay consistent. You can use all the best study methods for your goals. Use space repetition to remember everything. You're even immersing every day with effective content at your level. And you still can't seem to understand that anime. You still failed to order at restaurants. There is one thing that you need to combine with these study tips to finally make Japanese click for you. And this is the bonus tip that actually changed my life.
What have we talked about this entire video? Practice. It really does make perfect. First, you practiced building consistency. Then you started focusing that practice time to spend it correctly on what you're good at. Then you started grinding flashcards and immersion to remember everything, practicing listening. But you still aren't practicing the most important thing in language learning. Because possibly the best thing you can do for your language journey is training your Japanese brain.
Think about your normal English brain. When you hear something, say something, have an internal thought even. What do you think in order to make that thought happen? When I ask you, what is this? You don't think what are the definitions of those words he just said? Let me recall how to say the word tree because it comes automatically. You've been reading, hearing, speaking English your entire life. That's obvious. But you did not build your English from these simple things. Oh no, no. Your English, your personality, the way you talk, the way you think, everything you do comes from what you've experienced. The thoughts you've had, the memories that you have deep in your brain. So, in order to make Japanese truly click to the point where you can watch anime and don't look at subtitles, you need to unlock the ability for Japanese to skip translation and go straight to your heart.
Now, I'm sure you're thinking right now, how on earth is that possible? Am I supposed to just throw out my English brain and get a new one? Elon Musk doesn't have that technology yet. And you are right. I thought the exact same thing when I started my language journey. But if I could go back and learn Japanese all over again, I have two effective ways that I found to create a Japanese brain for you as well.
Number one is quite simple. Maybe you've heard it before. Straight up talk to yourself. As you do things throughout the day, try to think about what you're doing in Japanese inside your head. Simple things like, "Turn on the lights. Cosmo, come here." Except he can't walk. These simple daily tasks can help you remember and even more importantly, program your Japanese brain to start thinking in Japanese throughout the day. And an even more effective way to do this is shadowing the content that you're watching. I will say this is extremely difficult. So either watch content at 0.5 speed or rewind and do it a couple times. But this helps massively with your pronunciation and also builds your Japanese brain almost as good as mindset strategy number two.
Whenever you study new words or new phrases, do not learn the definition. At least don't take the definition at face value and don't remember it as it is. You should not just read the definition that it gives you or the single piece of context that you learned in that moment. Every word you see, you need to think of how you would use that word. Try connecting it to like a relatable anime character that you like or your favorite hobbies and just think of some ways that you would personally use that word in the future. And I guarantee you will be surprised how many times that situation that you thought of in your head while you studied that new word will actually come up in real life.
So, finally, here are the four practical things that you can do starting now to get fluent. But this is not a list. This is a 4-week mission because I'm challenging all of you to execute this fluency challenge. Start now dropping a comment saying you're doing it and come back in 1 month to update everybody on how you did and support everybody else taking this challenge with you.
Week one, build a habit. If you aren't spending at least 30 minutes a day doing something, you will not make progress. I'm sorry to say that, but it's true. Another pro tip for the habit is put a reminder in your phone. Wake up every day with a reminder that says study Japanese or whatever time studying works best for you.
Once you have a strong habit foundation, spend week two experimenting with other study strategies. Find effective things that work for you, things that you enjoy doing and multiple methods that align with your goals and keep you well and keep you well you well-rounded in reading, writing, speaking, listening both in English to Japanese and from Japanese to English.
By week three, you should start using space repetition flashcards along with the methods that you like to never forget anything. And finally, activate your Japanese brain by thinking in Japanese as you go about life and connecting new things that you learn to something that you can relate to. Honestly, this could be 4 months instead of 4 weeks. So, feel free to go at your own pace. But the best strategy that you can do is just start learning Japanese. Studying, immersing, thinking, listening, subscribing, reading, watching, literally doing anything will get you closer to fluency.
And if you want to know the exact apps and strategies that I use to immerse, learn kanji, do flashcards, meet Japanese friends, and ultimately become fluent, I break down everything I use in this video, where I rank every app to see which ones are actually worth your time. And if you already spent your time watching this video to the end, thank you so much. I cannot wait to see you in the next.