The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) results in various emotions for many people studying Japanese. 25% of Japanese learners (over a million people) challenge themselves with it every year now. If you haven’t heard the news yet, there is major restructuring going on this year. The last time big changes happened to the test was in 2010, where the test switched from 4 to 5 … Continue reading →
We all have goals, big and small. Things get in the way, preventing you from achieving them. Not any more. This time you are going to win. Task Write down specific goals you want to achieve for the month of April Initial Instructions Leave a comment by April 1st and include:1. Your specific goal(s)2. Resources you will use3. Game plan/strategy Completion Instructions Reply to your comment … Continue reading →
There are certain things you hear as a Japanese learner that cause a varying range of reactions and emotions. I’ve covered to death over the years “Nihongo wa jouzu!” But there is another one that produces a different type of confusion. You can’t escape it, and it doesn’t even involve talking to a Japanese person (hopefully…) “Say something in Japanese!” The why The most open … Continue reading →
Vacation mode is one of the most unexpectedly popular features of the Jalup app. Because of this, I decided to take it one step further. What is Time Warp? It’s a feature that can be accessed from your Settings. It has two functions. 1. Make all your cards become due earlier by X days This is useful if you have reviewed all your cards due … Continue reading →
We all have goals, big and small. Things get in the way, preventing you from achieving them. Not any more. This time you are going to win. Task Write down specific goals you want to achieve for the month of March Initial Instructions Leave a comment by March 1st and include:1. Your specific goal(s)2. Resources you will use3. Game plan/strategy Completion Instructions Reply to your comment … Continue reading →
When you get caught up in the struggle of mastering Japanese, it’s easy to think you aren’t doing well. Your efforts are failing. You are going slow. You are doing something wrong. Others are just doing it better. But you probably have come way further than most people, and taking a look at the numbers may reveal some positive news for you. **Warning**: numbers that … Continue reading →
Why do cars have brakes? To go faster. If you haven’t heard of this before, take a second to realize how much sense this makes. Now let’s apply the same principle to learning Japanese, Why do we make mistakes learning Japanese? To go faster. Yet everyone tries to do the exact opposite. You avoid making mistakes. You avoid going faster. The bad stigma behind speed … Continue reading →
The unavoidable question. Often followed by speculative reasons why learning this isn’t necessary for my goals. Every beginner-intermediate learner asks the same questions and has the same doubts. Then the second they learn it they realize that they could never have lived without it. Spoiler: The answer to all of the below questions is… YES. Do I really need to learn kana? Most of you … Continue reading →
