learnjp: My RegretsHey guys, I can’t thank you guys enough for being patient with me and my in
learnjp: My RegretsHey guys, I can’t thank you guys enough for being patient with me and my inactivity on this blog for the past couple of weeks. I’ve had a lot going on in my life, including both university and some difficult personal matters too. I still have two exams next week but I just couldn’t stay away any longer!One of my friends who has recently begun studying Japanese asked me, “What do you wish you had known or had done when you first started learning Japanese?” and that got me thinking, it might be worth making a post about the things I regret or wish I had done when I first started, so that new learners can avoid these mistakes or bad habits! It’d be great if other people could reblog this post and add their own regrets so that we can all share our valuable tips!My regrets:Wasting time trying to find the most efficient way to learn Japanese - I wasted a lot of my time when I first started out, just trying out various methods and tricks on ‘the best way to study Japanese’. Really, all I needed to do was find a good textbook or a useful website and just stick to the lessons and guides that it offered. There’s no need to find fast, efficient, or accurate ways to study. Of course I’m not discouraging anyone from trying out different study methods until they find one that suits them, I’m just saying that once you find something that suits your learning style - stick to it, don’t waste time trying other methods out too if you already have one that works for you.Avoiding kanji - when I first began studying Japanese, kanji looked impossible to read, write, and memorise, so I ignored it and simply used hiragana and katakana. I regret this because kanji is honestly so useful and important in regards to Japanese. So please, don’t shy away from it, just dive in headfirst and start learning it. When learning new vocabulary, try to learn the appropriate kanji that is used with them.Using romaji - I relied on romaji way too much at the start, and this did make it difficult for me when I finally decided to stop using it and focus on actual Japanese characters. Romaji just isn’t worth it. It’s fine above new kanji that you’re learning and trying to remember, but don’t rely on it. Just try to memorise the characters and their sounds - yes this will take some time, but it’s much more effective and efficient than using romaji.Focusing on grammar instead of vocabulary - I spent most of my time trying to learn how to say something, but I didn’t know enough vocabulary to actually use in the sentences that I had learned. It’s important to have a wide vocabulary otherwise you’re going to have trouble in terms of speaking, reading, and listening to Japanese. Plus, I found that grammar is easier for me to remember with a wider vocabulary.Of course this is purely based on my own experiences and I am in no way suggesting that you should or have to follow these recommendations. These are just some of my own regrets and I hope that they can be of help to you guys who are just starting out! -- source link