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Soft Power and Translating Manga

New Memrise Course – Anime Grammar for Beginners!

Retaining Your Japanese

Advanced Japanese Reading Practice 1

Soft Power and Translating Manga

The head of the Theory and Practice of Translation program for my MA was an elderly Chinese man who often made snide remarks about how translating manga wasn’t a “real” form of translation. A view I worry is often shared among professional translators. When the topic of manga comes...

New Memrise Course – Anime Grammar for Beginners!

To go along with the Anime Japanese posts I’ve been doing recently I made a memrise course for people to learn informal grammar used in anime and manga. It accompanies the Beginners Anime Japanese course which focuses on basic vocabulary. Because this is a beginners course it only tests on...

Retaining Your Japanese

“I’m trying to learn Japanese, but I keep forgetting what I’ve learnt!” I hate it when I go to use a word in Japanese and I have to stop myself and think “I just learnt this! Why can’t I remember it!?” *Flips table* Well over the years I’ve found that...

Advanced Japanese Reading Practice 1

Advanced Reading Practice on Memrise Articles: 「イスラム国」がシーア派６００人を殺害かカナダ日本人女性不明で捜索「決闘」容疑で少年グループ書類送検 Tip 1: When studying the vocabulary read it out-loud – Even if you’re just moving your lips (because you’re in public, for example) reading the vocabulary and what it means out-loud will help cement the readings and meaning in your memory. Tip...

The JLPTs

If you are studying Japanese, even if you are doing so for fun, you should do the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (or the JLPTs). Many people learning Japanese have heard of the JLPTs but don’t know what they are. They are 5 Japanese language exams that are held twice a year...

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Get The Most Out of Language Exchange

By Niffer September 24, 2017 September 24, 2017 Learning Methods, Speaking Japanese

A while ago I set the first 3 month challenge for Speaking Japanese in 1 Year. A lot of it involves booking a speaking partner or teacher at least once a week (ideally twice) and practicing Japanese with them. Even as a brand new beginner this is doable. However many beginners might not know where to start or what to do, and put it off. This article was requested by a Patron on Patreon (ありがとう！) and covers how to get the most out of a language exchange. Whether you’re beginner, intermediate or advanced, these tips should help! Finding Language Partners… Read More…

Japanese Flashcards: Dealing With Backlogs

By Niffer September 18, 2017 September 18, 2017 Learning Methods, Memrise, Review

As many readers of Japanese Talk Online know, I LOVE using Memrise. I use it practically every day for Japanese flashcards when I’m studying for a test. But there are often times when I won’t use it for a week, a month, or several months. This creates a lot of backlog of items to review, and seeing that long list of 2000+ words I need to review can be really daunting. This post will look at how to deal with huge review backlogs you often get with flashcard programs like Memrise and Anki. How Spaced Repetition Flashcard Programs Work SRS,… Read More…

How to Avoid Study Burnout

By Niffer September 11, 2017 September 8, 2017 Learning Methods, Memrise, Motivation

It can be really exciting when you get started on a study binge. You’re feeling motivated. You have the time to study for a few hours a day. You’re storming through level after level on your flashcard program. Then you get burned out. Burnout can happen after studying for several hours or several days in a row. Your brain is a muscle and it’s not good to overworked it for long periods of time. When you over work it you can get headaches, feel tired and irritable. And in worse cases get migraines! This post will look at how to… Read More…

Reading Japanese Texts in an Innovative Way

By Niffer September 4, 2017 September 7, 2017 Advanced Japanese Reading Practice, Reading Japanese Novels, Review

One of the most difficult aspects of learning Japanese for any level of ability, is reading Japanese texts. In particular Japanese that’s written for native Japanese people. It doesn’t matter what level you’re at vocabulary, kanji, and grammar that you haven’t studied will appear. This often means that reading is slow and difficult as you spend a lot of time looking up words and kanji. Then you have to take your notes and vocabulary and learn them! Putting the time and effort into doing this is a HUGE benefit to your Japanese abilities, but it’s also a chore, and even… Read More…

Understanding Formalities in Complex Japanese Sentences

By Niffer August 23, 2017 August 23, 2017 Japanese Grammar

This article was requested by a Patron on Patreon! ありがとうございます！ One tricky part of Japanese is the different formalities. Then how and when those formalities are used with different people, or even the same people! This article goes over the different formalities in Japanese, who they’re used with and when. As well as how to break down long, complicated sentences. Japanese Formalities There are various different levels of formality depending on the situation. These situations vary depending on your relationship to the person you’re talking to. But first here is an example of the different formalities in Japanese from… Read More…

UPDATES to Anime Japanese Vocabulary and Grammar

By Niffer August 10, 2017 August 31, 2017 Memrise

Just a simple announcement that Anime Japanese for Beginners and Anime Grammar for Beginners on Memrise have been updated! Anime Japanese for Beginners One of the very first Memrise courses I made was Anime Japanese for Beginners. It was a simple short course that had some of the most common vocabulary found in anime. So it was in need of an update. I had originally made each level to focus on a different type of anime, although the vocabulary overlapped a fair amount. Here are the levels and what was changed to them: General Anime School/Slice of Life Sports/Fighting… Read More…

14 Weeks: 1500 Japanese Words, 280 Kanji, 100 Grammar

By Niffer July 27, 2017 August 25, 2017 Beginner Japanese, JLPT N4, JLPT N5, Teach Yourself Japanese

This is a great tool to help you teach yourself Japanese for free! I made this half for the Speak Japanese Fluently in Just 1 Year Challenge! (Part 1) and half for someone else. It lays out 14 weeks (3.5 months) of studying the beginner JTalkOnline courses on Memrise. Instead of just studying 1, then moving onto the next, this guide combines vocabulary, kanji and grammar study all at the same time. What is Memrise? For those that don’t know, Memrise is a website and app (for iOS and Android) which provides you with the software to make and… Read More…

Speak Japanese Fluently in 1 Year Challenge (Part 1)

By Niffer July 20, 2017 August 24, 2017 Speaking Japanese

This is a step-by-step guide from complete beginners who want to challenge themselves to speaking fluently within 1 year. This is aimed at beginners but these techniques can be picked up by anyone who wants to speak Japanese fluently. These tips and tricks focus on speaking only although knowing how to at least read hiragana and katakana is necessary. NOTE: This guide is broken down into 4 parts for every 3 months of studying! Here’s the challenge: to be able to speak Japanese fluently in 1 year! Ok… but what do you mean by fluent? I mean be… Read More…

The Best Way to Learn Japanese Particles

By Niffer July 13, 2017 August 25, 2017 Beginner Japanese, Japanese Grammar, Japanese Lessons, JLPT N5, Memrise, Teach Yourself Japanese

Learning Japanese particles as a beginner is a MASSIVE pain in the butt! There are LOTS of guides online for how to use them, but they’re not very useful all the time. Sometimes the explanations are too complicated as they try to explain EVERY possible usage. But it’s mostly difficult because these sites offer no way to practice them. And often the best way to remember how they’re used is to use them yourself. But how do you use Japanese particles? Making up sentences is tricky as a beginner because you’re often tempted to directly translate from English… then things… Read More…

Keeping a Diary in Japanese

By Niffer June 30, 2017 June 26, 2017 Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese

You may or may not have ever considered keeping a diary in Japanese. This is actually a really, really, great way to practice Japanese and learn new things! It doesn’t matter if you’ve just started or at an advanced level, keeping a diary is great for learning Japanese! Why Should I Keep a Japanese Diary? Improves writing. Improves memory. Introduces you to new words. You use more words relevant to you. Practice words you’ve learned. What Kind of Diary Should I Use? To be honest, anything that you know you will use on a regular basis.… Read More…

The Minimum Japanese You Need to Know

By Niffer June 19, 2017 June 19, 2017 Learning Methods, Speaking Japanese, Teach Yourself Japanese

How much Japanese do you need to know? What Japanese do I need to know? These are tricky questions but ones that beginners really want to know. The following tries to answer these by clearly laying out the minimum Japanese you need to know. The 80-20 Rule Ever heard of the Pareto Principle? Or maybe the 80-20 rule? To boil it down the idea is that 20% of the efforts bring in 80% of the results. In the context of Japanese you only need to know about 20% of the language to be able to get by 80% of the… Read More…

Why You Shouldn’t Study 1 Hour A Week

By Niffer June 12, 2017 June 14, 2017 Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese

I have been studying Japanese for so long that I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t need to study too much (unless I have an exam coming up). So I haven’t felt what it’s like to be a beginner in a long time. Then I started learning Korean and my early days of Japanese came flooding back. When I started learning Japanese it was before the era of smart phones and easy-to-make websites. Which surprisingly enough wasn’t that long ago! I would spend 1 hour a week with a teacher and then would sometimes study on my own and… Read More…

Always Sticking With Japanese – Interview with Japanese Level Up

By Niffer June 8, 2017 June 9, 2017 Guest Post

Always Sticking With Japanese

I recently did an interview with Japanese Level Up, talking about my experience studying Japanese. This was a fairly short interview but seemed to help a fair number of people in terms of motivation! Basically, it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to study Japanese. Go at your own pace and keep working on it! Always Sticking with Japanese no Matter What Read More…

My Experience Making Movies in Japan

By Niffer May 30, 2017 May 30, 2017 Guest Post, Japanese Culture

by Max, founder of Shield and Sword Productions and creator of Cyber Ninja Tekkaraiger Tokusatsu; Live action Japanese special effects cinema. For most of the world the only reference they have is Godzilla and Power Rangers. But the number of productions that fall into this category are endless. Many people are making them independently across the world. Being a fan of anime since before I was born, I eventually stumbled onto tokusatsu at university. Since then I have become hooked on it along with anime. I wanted to combine this with my other passion of film production, to make my own original tokusatsu series.… Read More…

How to Draw Kanji

By Niffer May 23, 2017 May 24, 2017 Guest Post, Kanji, Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese

how to draw kanji

by Gabriel from Koipun Why learn to draw Kanji? In the era smartphones and computers, is it still worth it to learn how to draw kanji i.e. Japanese handwriting? Nowadays even native Japanese speakers are having a hard time maintaining their handwriting skills. Why should a Japanese learner bother with handwriting? There are actually several great reasons why you should learn Japanese handwriting in this day and age. It is magic. Being able to write kanji by hand from memory feels like being able to cast magic spells, and it is! Being able to write out so many different characters by… Read More…

The Benefits of Studying in Japan

By Niffer May 15, 2017 June 14, 2017 Learning Methods, Visiting Japan

A lot of people who learn Japanese do it in their home country. Which is great, but they often never consider actually studying it in Japan. Visiting Japan, sure, but never to go for a long period to study it. But there are so many benefits from studying in Japan! It was my friend who suggested we studied in Japan and I’ve studied there two more times since then! I loved it so much, it’s well worth going if you’re serious about Japanese. NOTE: It seems like many people think I’m talking about studying at University in Japan. But no! There… Read More…

Japanese Study Based on Incredible Experiences – Interview With Koipun

By Niffer May 10, 2017 June 9, 2017 Guest Post

I had a fantastic interview with Gabriel at Koipun all about my experience studying Japanese. Mostly covering all the things I failed at but learnt from when studying Japanese! And how I’ve used these experiences to write articles for Japanese Talk Online to help others not make the same mistakes. Japanese study methods based on incredible experiences Jennifer shares how she continuously experiments with her learning methods and the story behind the learning insights she has striven for. Read More…

5 Japanese Light Novels (in Japanese) for Beginners

By Niffer May 8, 2017 May 15, 2017 Advanced Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Reading Japanese Novels

Japanese light novels are a fantastic way to practice your Japanese! Light novels (or 小説) are, as the name suggests, smaller, easy to get through stories. Japanese light novels often have long on-going series with 6-20+ books! So if you don’t like the first book you can easily drop it, but if you love it you can hooked for long on-going stories which improves your kanji/vocabulary/grammar even more!! The title for this says “5 Japanese Light Novels for Beginners” but by “beginners” I mean people who have never read a Japanese light novel before. I strongly suggest you have at least… Read More…

Using Anime in Japanese Studies

By Niffer May 1, 2017 May 15, 2017 Anime & Manga, Anime Japanese, Guest Post

How would you react if I told you that anime could be a great tool for studying Japanese? “Anime Is Not Good For Japanese” Maybe some of you view the idea of studying Japanese through anime with skepticism. Throughout the Internet, there are a lot of arguments against utilizing anime – and I for one, actually agree. Here are some of the reasons why anime is not a good resource: 1. The Voice Acting Voice acting is a respected form of performance in Japan. In fact, Japanese fans sometimes choose to watch an anime just based on the appearance of… Read More…

Advanced Japanese Reading Practice 6

By Niffer April 27, 2017 May 15, 2017 Advanced Japanese, Advanced Japanese Reading Practice, JLPT N1, JLPT N2, Teach Yourself Japanese

Advanced Reading Practice on Memrise Articles: ソニーがＶＲゲーム機器を世界同時発売羽生結弦に「究極」を超える進化はあるのか Tip 1: When studying the vocabulary read it out-loud – Even if you’re just moving your lips (because you’re in public, for example) reading the vocabulary and what it means out-loud will help cement the readings and meaning in your memory. Tip 2: When reading the articles read out-loud – Your brain will have to work harder to sound out every word. This is important because when you read in your head you’re more likely to skip over words and readings, which won’t help your comprehension. Tip 3: Time yourself when you read an article – Make a… Read More…

Advanced Japanese Reading Practice 5

By Niffer April 26, 2017 May 15, 2017 Advanced Japanese, Advanced Japanese Reading Practice, Business Japanese, Japanese News, JLPT N1, JLPT N2, Teach Yourself Japanese

Japanese Reading

Advanced Reading Practice on Memrise Articles: 大手企業でのキャリアと英語力を活かしSEO対策を提供お祝いしたいけれど・・・悩ましい「敬老の日」事情 Tip 1: When studying the vocabulary read it out-loud – Even if you’re just moving your lips (because you’re in public, for example) reading the vocabulary and what it means out-loud will help cement the readings and meaning in your memory. Tip 2: When reading the articles read out-loud – Your brain will have to work harder to sound out every word. This is important because when you read in your head you’re more likely to skip over words and readings, which won’t help your comprehension. Tip 3: Time yourself when you read an article – Make… Read More…

Advanced Japanese Reading Practice 4

By Niffer April 26, 2017 May 15, 2017 Advanced Japanese, Advanced Japanese Reading Practice, Japanese News, JLPT N1, JLPT N2, Teach Yourself Japanese

Advanced Reading Practice on Memrise Articles: Pokemon Go の勢いがすごい、公開数日で米国の約750万人がダウンロード営業マンの印象の良いビジネスメールの特徴 Tip 1: When studying the vocabulary read it out-loud – Even if you’re just moving your lips (because you’re in public, for example) reading the vocabulary and what it means out-loud will help cement the readings and meaning in your memory. Tip 2: When reading the articles read out-loud – Your brain will have to work harder to sound out every word. This is important because when you read in your head you’re more likely to skip over words and readings, which won’t help your comprehension. Tip 3: Time yourself when you read an article –… Read More…

10 Ways to Study Japanese After You’ve Stopped

By Niffer April 21, 2017 May 15, 2017 Advanced Japanese, Beginner Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese

Study Japanese After You've Stopped

Sometimes when you’ve been studying Japanese for a while you just stop. Often for seemingly no reason. A day goes by, then a week, then a month, then 6 months without learning anything. Even I’ve been guilty of this! It can be really difficult to pick up learning a language after you’ve stopped studying for a while. Often this is because it starts to feel like a chore… but you know you need to keep studying… but studying is boring… So what’s the best way to study Japanese after you’ve stopped? Here are 10 ways to study Japanese after you’ve… Read More…

Chronic Illness and Disability on the JET Program

By Niffer April 9, 2017 May 15, 2017 Guest Post

Chronic Illness and Disability on the JET Program

I interviewed a friend of mine who is working as an ALT (assistant language teacher) on the JET Program (Japan Exchange and Teaching). She wanted to tell her story about her experience working in Japan with chronic illness and hoped it would be helpful to others worried about their own disabilities. Who are you? I’m a third year JET ALT who teaches junior high and elementary English in Eastern Japan. In my third year, I became a member of a prefectural JET committee which creates prefecture-wide conferences and seminars for all JETs. I am also an ALT leader at… Read More…

How to Talk About Hobbies in Japanese

By Niffer March 31, 2017 May 15, 2017 Beginner Japanese, Japanese Lessons, Teach Yourself Japanese

Talking about hobbies is a great way to get to know someone when you first meet them! It’s also a good way to use and learn a lot of new verbs and interests in Japanese. Talking about Hobbies in Japanese “What’s your hobby?” / “What are your hobbies?” 趣味（しゅみ）は何（なに）？ [Casual] 趣味（しゅみ）は何（なん）ですか？ [Polite] (しゅみは) [noun] だ。 [Casual] (しゅみは) [noun] です。 [Polite] Note: You see lots of articles online saying 「わたしのしゅみは___です」, but this is a very “textbook” answer and sounds very wooden… Read More…

Anibros Podcast – Anime Japanese

By Niffer March 24, 2017 June 20, 2017 Anime Japanese

A few weeks ago I recorded a podcast with the Anibros, two podcasters who talk about anime. So what else was I going to talk about on a show like that but studying anime Japanese? Although it quickly delved into some really bad advice for studying Japanese…… You can listen to the podcast here “Episode 112 – Banned for Life” The Anibros are Laven and Jack. They’re really nice guys who watch a lot of anime and make entertaining podcasts about shows they’re watching. They also go to a lot of conventions in the Pacific North West where they run Anime… Read More…

Learn Kansai-ben With Cats ①

By Niffer March 14, 2017 June 16, 2017 Japanese Culture, Japanese Lessons, Japanese Phrases, Romaji

Ever wanted to learn more about the infamous Kansai dialect of Japan? From a Japanese person? Through the medium of cats? Well now you can learn Kansai-ben with cats!!! 関西弁にゃんこ (Kansai-ben Nyanko) is a fantastic book by Maki, a Japanese illustrator and writer from Kyoto. 絵がすごくかわいいですよ!!! Her art is so cute!!! And following her on twitter is great Japanese practice! If you have LINE you can buy her Kansai-ben Kitten stickers here! This book is currently unavailable in English but I got special permission to translate parts of it for Japanese Talk Online readers! This isn’t a very long book… Read More…

Study Japanese When You’re Busy

By Niffer March 4, 2017 March 29, 2017 Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese

study japanese when you're busy

Studying another language can be a challenge, especially when you’re busy. Even just sitting down for even 20 minutes a day can be hard! But it’s really not impossible. Here are some tricks to help study Japanese when you’re busy. 1. Label Everything This is a great trick when you’re starting out. Label all the objects in your house/office in Japanese. Don’t write the English, just the Japanese. That way you can read the Japanese for those objects every day. It doesn’t take long to label things and it’s great practice. You can even cover the labels with another… Read More…

How to Become a Japanese Translator

By Niffer February 25, 2017 June 1, 2017 Becoming a Japanese Translator

“I want to use my Japanese with work and become a translator!” I’ve written a number of articles in the past about how to translate for beginners and getting translation experience. It’s been a while since I wrote those and my attitudes towards translation have changed. This post is for people who have the Japanese skills and are now looking at becoming a translator. If you are an intermediate/advanced Japanese skilled person and want to become a translator in the future, the following articles should help you. Useful Articles: Getting Translation Experience I – How to bulk up your Japanese skills… Read More…

Speak Japanese as a Beginner

By Niffer February 6, 2017 March 29, 2017 Beginner Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Speaking Japanese

“I want to be able to speak Japanese but I’ve never done it before and don’t know how.” I remember when I started learning Japanese I did not speak that much. I actually barely spoke Japanese for the first 2 years of my study! This was a HUGE mistake! I didn’t start actually picking up the Japanese fast until I was in Japan and forced into situations where I HAD to speak. So how do you force yourself to speak as a beginner? Speaking Japanese is Key to Becoming Fluent In Videos About Learning Languages every single person giving… Read More…

How to Make Simple Japanese Sentences

By Niffer January 25, 2017 August 25, 2017 Beginner Japanese, Japanese Grammar, JLPT N5, Romaji

Japanese grammar is actually surprisingly easy once you get it. Basic grammar is at least. It’s like a maths problem; + x – etc., all have their own uses and places, it’s the numbers around them that change the meaning of the formula. In Japanese these are called “particles”. They are set sounds that have set uses. Once you know the basic ones it’s very easy to create a wide variety of sentences by changing the words. Here’s a guide to creating simple sentences using particles. – How To Practice Making Sentences I wanted to write this first because I feel… Read More…

I Don’t Have Time to Study Japanese

By Niffer January 18, 2017 March 29, 2017 Learning Methods, Motivation, Teach Yourself Japanese

“I want to learn Japanese, but don’t have the time to study.” Have you ever said this to yourself? Have you thought about studying Japanese but then it’s suddenly 10pm and you did nothing? Yeah, we’ve all been there. Sometimes it’s hard to put aside the time to study. Especially everyday! You have real life stuff getting in the way like that one TV show, or school, or work. At least… that’s what you tell yourself. If you really, really, really want to learn Japanese then here are some suggestions for fitting it into your busy life. – Find Little… Read More…

Studying Anime Japanese – Intermediate Techniques

By Niffer January 10, 2017 March 29, 2017 Anime & Manga, Anime Japanese, Beginner Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Teach Yourself Japanese

A while ago I wrote some basic techniques for studying Japanese anime. This was followed by a number of articles focusing on common basic vocabulary and grammar found in anime, manga and games. This is a look at studying anime Japanese – intermediate techniques. Popular media can be a great tool for learning and practicing Japanese! Studying Anime Japanese – Basic Techniques A quick summary of this article: Watch lots of anime. Listen to the anime – turn off subtitles. Make notes of vocabulary and phrases. Study basic vocabulary on the side. Study intermediate grammar. Studying Anime Japanese –… Read More…

Achieving Japanese Goals

By Niffer January 5, 2017 March 29, 2017 Learning Methods, Motivation, Teach Yourself Japanese

Happy New Year!!! With the new year we all set ourselves goals. I want to learn Japanese, to pass the JLPT, to be able to read a manga. I’ve had similar goals in the past, but actually achieving Japanese goals has never gone quite as planned. There can be a number of reasons for this. The following is suggestions for achieving Japanese goals in 2017! Break Down Your Goals Saying “I want to teach myself Japanese” is a great goal! Buuut it’s not easy to achieve because it is so big. Even saying something like “I want to read manga” can… Read More…

On Christmas Break!

By Niffer December 23, 2016 February 7, 2017 Uncategorized

Hey guy! Just letting you know Japanese Talk Online is on break for Christmas and New Year. It’s a busy time and people aren’t learning that much Japanese right now anyway. If you are, then good for you! ^-^ Feel free to message me on the Japanese Talk Online Facebook page, I’ll be checking it frequently! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! メリークリスマスそしてあけましておめでとうございます！ Read More…

Passing JLPT N5-N4 Listening

By Niffer December 17, 2016 March 31, 2017 Beginner Japanese, Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), JLPT N4, JLPT N5

Passing JLPT N5 N4 Listening

This years round of Japanese Language Proficiency Tests are over! Yaaaay! Well done to everyone who took them! I hadn’t realized that taking the JLPT twice a year (in June AND December) was only done in a few countries. The US, I was saddened to find out, only holds the exam in December. Which at least means any US readers have a year to practice! Out of all the resources I offer on here for beginner learners I found out that I’ve been lacking advice for passing the listening section of the exam. For many of the people taking the… Read More…

The Best Way to Study Grammar for the JLPT

By Niffer December 5, 2016 March 29, 2017 Japanese Grammar

I have this bad habit of avoiding grammar every time I study for the JLPT. I’ll either avoid it altogether or leave it until the last minute. But now I’ve found a great way to study grammar for the exam! It takes a lot of work but is really effective. This is, I think, the best way to study grammar for the JLPT. 1. Buy Yourself a JLPT Grammar Drill Book Even if you don’t like spending money it’s well worth buying yourself a grammar drill book. Do this asap! I suggest starting this at least a month before the exam… Read More…

Beginners Japanese Reading

By Niffer November 26, 2016 March 29, 2017 Uncategorized

It’s often hard for beginners to find suitable materials for practicing Japanese reading. It’s tricky to find something suitable for you because every person is different. What you learn as a beginner, what you enjoy, what works best for you, etc., will be different from someone else. Below are some suggestions (including pros and cons) for beginners Japanese reading and listening including text books and materials made for young Japanese natives. Beginner’s Japanese Reading Books Textbooks If you’re in a class and working through a textbook there will often be reading sections. These are great because they will cover grammar,… Read More…

Studying Japanese Grammar When You Hate Grammar

By Niffer November 14, 2016 March 29, 2017 Japanese Grammar

I hate studying Japanese grammar. I always have. I hate just how vague it can be, and all the rules that go with it. I’m happy when I know a grammar without needing to think about it because I don’t need to remember those rules, I just know it. (Everyone will get to that point) But because I’ve never liked grammar I’ve avoided it. And because I’ve avoided it there have been times when my Japanese suffered. It’s difficult to study grammar when you don’t like it, but here are some suggestions to make it more bearable. Studying Beginners Grammar… Read More…

How Not to Use Memrise

By Niffer October 23, 2016 July 6, 2017 Learning Methods, Memrise, Teach Yourself Japanese

Memrise is one of my favorite tools for studying Japanese. That’s well known to people who have read previous Japanese Talk articles. I’ve created many courses for others through JTalkOnline as well as lists for my own study. What is Memrise? For those that don’t know, Memrise is a free online community created flashcard program with spaced repetition software. You are rewarded for studying by gaining points, and can compare your points to others. Because the courses are created by the community there are a HUGE number of courses for Japanese (and other languages). Some are made by people like myself… Read More…