Tips for Studying Japanese

Learning Vocabulary

Keep a notebook for new words when you hear them. A great way to increase your retention of words is to use flashcards. They’re really cheap and available at almost any stationary store and 100 yen store.

Learning Kanji

Start off with things you’re exposed to daily like place names and co-workers’ names, and work your way up. There are good introductory texts available for learning, (last page of this section). The proficiency exam (next page) is a great motivator, and not an impossible goal. Also, it feels like you are drawing so it can be a lot of fun!

If you have a Palm OS based organizer, you may be interested in a FREE Japanese-English dictionary program called Dokusha. It accepts kana and romaji input and can be used to translate kanji. The software and users manual can be found at http://www.geocities.com/andrew_brault/dokusha/.

Along the same lines, you may be interested in buying an electronic dictionary. The Cannon Wordtank is highly recommended and can be purchased from within Japan through various Internet retailers. It offers a mountain of information, specs, comparisons and much more. Learn more here, http://www.wordtankcentral.com/.

Various Methods of Self-study

Here are some less direct, more hands-on approaches you might try:

  • Listen to language tapes, which will usually be slower and easier to understand than everyday speech.

  • Watch TV and videos. “Dramas” provide a good exposure to conversational Japanese. Watching movies dubbed in Japanese, or with Japanese subtitles, is another fun way to study.

  • Spend time with Japanese people. This is a great way to practice conversational Japanese (though not necessarily the polite forms of speech).

  • Ask your co-workers questions that you already know the answers to.

  • Learn to read the teachers’ room schedule board. Confirm changes with your teachers instead of waiting for them to tell you.

  • Get involved in the community. Many JETs are involved in sports clubs, martial arts, or traditional arts such as flower arranging, tea ceremony, or calligraphy. Not only can this immeasurably enrich your stay in Japan, but you’ll be exposed to conversational Japanese as well.

  • Read children’s books. Swallow your pride. They’re written in the syllabic scripts (hiragana and katakana, not kanji) so they’re a good way to study for beginners.

  • Keep a record of your progress in your studies, or even better, keep a journal using Japanese.

  • Sing karaoke (you might find that you take a liking to it!) and listen to Japanese music.

  • Try to speak Japanese with other JETs. Forming a regular group might help.

  • Write lots of nengajo (New Year Cards) during the holiday season.

  • Take advantage of the ludicrously quiet holidays and study!