My Journey and where to from here

Japanese
#1

I started learning Japanese through a textbook called Japanese for busy people. I was lucky to be taught by a older teacher in Yokohama whom did it for free when i was 19/20 in university.
At the time, balancing university life was really difficult and it made it hard pursuing Japanese at the same time.
After, I graduated during my years of teaching I picked up Wanikani, and began all the way to level 11. Progress sped up, but due to a staff outing, i was present for a rifle shot during a presentation that I didn’t have time to cover my ears for. Messing up my hearing. (unknowingly)
Pandemic strikes, I’m off for months of teaching, and I apply to the JET program, get through and get in. I take Japanese seriously enough but am only able to do basic stuff. most of the other stuff was done through translator etc. But i did pick up a lot of grammar/basic words in the years i was there. Truly an unforgettable experience.
However i feel really dejected because my hearing actually made it hard for me to comprehend very light speakers (>90 percent of kids in japan) and I feel like I was set to fail.
I entered an n4 course and got about halfway before budget made me unable to pay for said course.
Now I wandered to bunpro, and imported my wanikani (lvl 13) and am now noticing some of the Kanji i thought i knew had different uses and conext then I learned.
I feel super dejected for a multitude of reasons → my hearing, noticing i’m not learning properly, im getting older and feel like my capacity to learn is going down.

In your opinion, what/where should i focus on.
My goal is to return to Japan and survive conversation, and be able to read japanese text/watch japanese media.
What are your thoughts?

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#2

Personally, it took me many years of studying before I finally felt like I was learning “properly”. Sites like Bunpro are great for introducing you to concepts and giving you periodic quizzes over them, but in my opinion, reading is really where the majority of language acquisition happens (both in second languages and in one’s own native language). Once you’ve learned basic grammar and vocab, I’d recommend finding something that seems enjoyable to read that isn’t waaay outside of your ability and start slowly working your way through it. (Everything will be at least somewhat outside of your ability if you don’t have any experience reading, and that’s okay.) At first it’ll be a slog, but if you keep doing it and making sure you understand everything (plenty of online communities you can turn to for help when you’re not able to understand something after trying a bit), you will see noticeable improvement over time and it’ll get easier and easier. Sites like https://learnnatively.com/ can help you find something to read that’s appropriate for your level, whatever that is.

This is all just my two cents, but as someone who has gone through many different phases, including spending way too much time using only SRS and textbooks, reading is what had the biggest impact on my comprehension, vocabulary, understanding of grammar, etc. Seeing stuff in the wild in a context I was enjoying (or that I thought I’d enjoy once I didn’t have to look up most things I came across) was really a game changer for me. Of course, I still do SRS (Anki for vocab, Bunpro for grammar), but that’s mostly to help me remember words and grammar points that are less common that I might not come across as regularly while reading.

Like I said, that’s just my two cents, but if it’s not something you’ve put time into then I would recommend giving it a shot and see if it helps your Japanese and your confidence about your ability to learn Japanese.

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#3

Thanks for the advice. I’m going to find a good N4 level reader after I finish posting this. My journey so has been like the errant knight in the movie Excalibur who, in search of the Holy Grail, finds himself trapped and mesmerized and unable to complete the quest.

I have been “studying” Japanese for about four years now. But that “study” consisted almost entirely of Duolingo. And it was only about a month and a half ago that I discovered that I had really been mostly wasting my time. That is when I discovered Wani Kani and now BunPro. I’ve learned more in the past 1.5 months than I ever did with Duolingo. One exception however. Duolingo did teach me a lot of N5 and N4 vocabulary. But that’s where its usefulness stops.

I can see I’m not ready for any of the JLPT exams at this point (well maybe N5), but I’m working furiously to get to N3 level in time for next year’s exam.

#4

I think any progress is better than no progress, so I wouldn’t personally call Duolingo a waste of time, even if it’s not something that can take you to proficiency. Learning those words isn’t nothing. If you’re like me, you’ll change up what you use to learn every once in a while as your needs and goals change, and that’s fine. Doesn’t mean what you were doing before was “wrong”.

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#5

Yeah, reading for me as been a mixed bag, but its a hurdle i verily stepped.
Everytime I hit a sentence pattern or word i’m not sure about i just google it and get overwhelmed by the answers.
but I gotta power through it, ill check that website, try the level 0-4 books on a different site (forgot the name)

But I appreciate your input. Thanks :smiley:

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#6

A resource that I enjoy quite a bit for reading and listening is Satori Reader. Each word in every story has a built-in pop-up dictionary feature, and there are detailed explanations of the more advanced sentences in the stories. The best part about it is that the stories are actually interesting and don’t feel stiff like some learning oriented content tends to be. You can try out the first couple of parts of each series for free, and if you want a discount code, there is one in the description of this video https://youtu.be/83YdtaZs-Os?si=pSGrxF-1kavdI4by (it’s also a good overview of Satori Reader, but it is a little bit dated).

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#7

Not what you asked, but you’ve mentioned hearing loss quite a bit. Have you seen a doctor to get that evaluated and see if hearing aids could help?

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