日本語のアドバイス

Japanese
#1

Hey all, I’ve never made a post or really interacted with any Community before, I’m just wanting some advice. I’m currently in Japan studying abroad for roughly 9 months and am at an mid-upper N4 level early N3 grammar, but I’m a bit lost right now. I have used Bunpro, WaniKani, and Anki, but I have so many reviews about 800 counting with each and more to come and I want to keep studying Japanese, but not burn myself out (again). What kept you all learning Japanese and how can I try to make Anki cards and these reviews more fun. I’m wanting to pass my Japanese Uni’s mock N4 test, and it’s in two weeks. I’m reviewing N5 and N4 grammar/vocab and just not trying to feel bad about my reviews I’m working on.

The constant cramming that I’ve been doing in my Japanese school just unmotivated me and almost ruins my drive for learning. I have a month left here and wanted to vent a bit. I’m sure you all have experienced language learning burnout. Thanks in advance. I look forward to reading responses.

Respectfully,
Fish :fish:

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#2

General advice regarding what I’m not seeing in your learning journey is reading books, which is actually the most important thing to do.

I would recommend actually applying your knowledge through reading, such that it becomes entangled with the entirety of your brain, rather than a small unconnected cluster of knowledge that is hard to pry the answers from.

Options for easy reading:

  • Try something like NHK Easy for some low threshold reading on the go.
  • Maybe a book or story you already know, translated into Japanese, if you want to be sure of a good translation as a reference during reading
  • Or lastly, try to find a book that is available as a vocabulary deck on bunpro, and mostly focus on that for a while, while reading through it bit by bit.

Basically, focus less on the cramming aspect, and more on enjoying the knowledge you have right now to solidify the foundation you’ve built.

Stop doing lessons for now, and get your reviews down by doing at most 100 a day, spread over whatever apps you’re using. If you feel like you can do more, do more, if it’s too much, do less, but start off at 100.

Then, define a sort of maximum for your lower SRS levels for these apps. For example, I blocked myself from doing lessons in Wanikani if my apprentice was higher than 100, and at some point even higher than 50. This all should be a comfortable marathon, not an agonizing sprint that has you stumbling half way through.

Lastly, make sure to get through this with your mental health intact. If you don’t pass this test, it sucks massive butt, but you’ll be fine. There will be other opportunities in life and you’ll be there to grab them. But make sure that you are ok at the end of the day. Mental health matters more than achievements.

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#3

Language learning burn out is such a real thing! It can be so easy to become overwhelmed with the various apps and accure hundreds of flashcards a day, but feel like you aren’t moving forward as all you are doing is keeping your head above the water.

I think for me, I would scale back the new stuff so you don’t add to the review pile for a while. Try to stagger out your reviews, popping areas on vacation mode whilst you focus on one area.

The one thing that helps me is to find the thing that gives you joy in language learning. Think about what you enjoy doing - do you like reading, writing, conversation, listening to music, TV, YouTube? Try to focus on ensuring you do something that you love each day.

If you only have 1 month in Japanese I would do what you can to engage with people in real life, go to a coffee shop or izakaya, start up a conversation, practice your speaking and listening etc etc.

Cramming has its purpose, but you can do that anywhere in the world, make the most of what you have in your current location.

Im not sure how much this helps but I do recognise how you feel and its valid, just dont sit with those feelings for too long :slight_smile:

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#4

I totally second this, great advice!

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#5

This as well! You’re in such a beautiful place right now, and in the perfect spot to practice what you’ve learned :slight_smile: Get out there and order some yakitori somewhere and cool off from the summer sun with a nice kakigoori or something, and just enjoy your stay for a bit :wink:

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#6

Honestly, I learnt so much in the 3 weeks I was in Japan and my confidence in speaking really improved. Real life conversations and reading books etc is so much more enjoyable that studying for tests.

We are having a heat wave in England now, I would kill for Kakigoori!!!

Edit: we are having a heat wave, not a hat wave haha

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#7

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wild-west-cowboy-on-a-horse-waving-his-hat-at-the-knotts-berryfarm-C7FXMT847×1390 180 KB

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#8

Hey Pep95 thank you so much for the feedback! I’m trying to go back and reread old Genki 1-2 kanji stories and will check out NHK Easy. I haven’t tried looking for books on bunpro, but will for sure. Doing at least 100 reviews seems like something I can definitely do. Yeah, you hit me with the truth with mental health. You’re right there are other opportunities in due time. Hell- in the future I could always come back to Japan. Thank you so much again for the post.

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#9

Yeah that feeling of not moving forward really hurts sometimes. I’m surrounded by students that are basically fluent, and I’m barely surviving my N4 classes and trying not to give up. I need to remind myself again as you stated in your post the things that give me joy in learning a language. I love the speaking, the laughs, and the fun I have when making my own new sentences. I also need to remind myself that I started from nothing. I didn’t know how to read or write hiragana/katakana and I’ve come along way. - I’m wanting to go out and engage with Japanese people. Hopefully, when this semester ends. I’ll go and adventure out for a bit on my own and adventure. I honestly just go to the gym and Sukiya. Gotta get me some キング牛丼. Thank you so much Jessietora for the post. I needed this. :fish:

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#10

Go into maintenance mode, turn on vacation status, and do the least amount of studying to let the tsunami of reviews abate. Focus at least on doing a minimum amount of reading/grammar. Allow the content to percolate for a while, maybe for several months if you get to the point where you’re ready to quit. Find something fun in Japanese, like a playing a game or watching something interesting, without worrying about studying new content.

The main goal is to preserve your sanity and rediscover the feeling that made you want to start learning in the first place.

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