You can write by hand incredibly complex kanji that the average Japanese person can’t like 薔薇, 醤油, and 欝. You know the readings to very difficult Japanese words that are rarely used. You can pull out random old ことわざ (Japanese proverbs) perfect for the situation. You know the meanings of 4000 kanji. So what do you have a bad tendency to do? Take every opportunity … Continue reading →
Are you following every single thing I write on Japanese Level Up down to the minute details? No? While this should hurt my ego, you are doing the right thing. Japanese Level Up is just one method among many. And what is a method good for? I like to think of it as a video game strategy guide. Strategy guides are great. They get you … Continue reading →
To ever be great in Japanese you must create the need to learn Japanese. This might seem kind of contradictory at first, because unless you are escaping a Japanese prison and need to communicate with your prison mates to pull off your master plan (classy prison breaks don’t require partners), you are probably studying Japanese because you want to. However “want” is weak. It gives in … Continue reading →
Getting a good night’s sleep is one of those things that everyone knows they should be doing, but most people do not due to “lack of time.” If you want to learn Japanese fast and efficiently, you need a proper amount of sleep. I often see people study Japanese with incredible pace, and then only get a 3-5 hours of a sleep a night. I’m … Continue reading →
When you need time to think, you may be adding in many あの、その、えっと、なんか、なに (the equivalent of like, um, and you know). While this is all proper Japanese, wouldn’t you rather not have these phrases cluttering up your speech, similar to the way you wish you could probably get rid of these bad habits in English? I’m sure at least once you’ve sat there and counted … Continue reading →
As I’m assuming most of you spend a large amount of time on the computer, I don’t need to tell you about eye strain. Why should you care? It affects your focus and concentration, will make you more tired, and will leave you less motivated to study Japanese. I’ve found that reading Japanese also tends to make your eyes get tired slightly quicker than reading English, due to the finer detail of the characters. … Continue reading →
I know a lot of people studying Japanese who feel that they want to stick with the pure Japanese and avoid the English words that are becoming spread throughout the Japanese language. Do not become one of these people. Why? Because the Japanese language is constantly changing, and to sound like a native Japanese speaker, you need to use the words that native Japanese speakers use. Think of … Continue reading →
