Language jealousy: the feeling that bubbles up inside when you see someone with Japanese (significantly) better than yours, despite having studied (significantly) less. You worked your ass off. You put in the time. You used the best tools, the best methods, and did everything in your power to reach mastery. So why aren’t you there yet, when others are? Why is this person’s accent, sentence construction, … Continue reading →
Being around positive people can make a major difference on whether you learn Japanese or don’t. The people you study with, the people you ask questions to, and the people who write about studying Japanese. These all go into your Japanese learning environment. While everything may begin bright and welcoming, it can turn dark very quickly… Everyone starts off extremely excited to study Japanese. It’s not … Continue reading →
In Japanese there is a lot to learn. A lot. So much that you feel like there is no end in sight, no matter how strong a futuristic language-telescope you are using. With every step forward, you start to notice increasingly complex categories of how things in the language relate to you. Things that you don’t know. Things you want to know. Things you want … Continue reading →
I talk a lot about self-doubt on this site, because it is plague that affects all learners. Regardless of your confidence in other areas, when it comes to Japanese, self-doubt pops up everywhere. In all the different phases of your journey forward, you repeatedly ask yourself “can I do this?” Then you start to imagine reasons why you can’t. Time, money, level, comfort, and a … Continue reading →
The Japanese study experience is personal. Finding out what you like to do, when you like to do it, where you like to do it, and everything else that falls in between takes time. It takes trial and error. It takes success and failure. You have to do it. Otherwise you end up studying in a way you don’t like, and then you just crash. … Continue reading →
When you’ve been doing something for a while, and start getting good at it, things feel great. You like your progress, your pace, and where it has taken to you. When things feel this good, why change into the unknown, possibly “feel bad” world that may (or you know is) waiting for you. What you’ve done has worked for you up till now, so it … Continue reading →
A while back, on Stories of a Second Attempt Learner, we had a writer who discussed her less than optimal study situation. She considers her learning adventure on a difficulty setting of hard, stopped comparing herself to other learners, and is not allowing any life situation to get in her way. I love this concept. It’s really easy to become fluent when life is perfect. … Continue reading →
Have you ever been reading through something, come across a word you don’t know, and look it up on the spot, add it to Anki, or save it for later? Of course. That’s a major part of learning Japanese and is completely normal. But have you ever been in the same situation, and after finding the meaning of the word, thought to yourself: Do I … Continue reading →
