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Learning Methods

How to Make Studying Japanese a Habit

How to Make Studying Japanese a Habit

Having a goal for studying Japanese can be a help or a hinder. Some people swear by goal setting, and by telling the whole world about your goals. I used to be one of these people but found that eventually

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Niffer January 31, 2022February 7, 2022 Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

10 Tricks to Improve Japanese Vocabulary – For ALL Levels!

10 Tricks to Improve Japanese Vocabulary – For ALL Levels!

Sadly there’s no magical way to plug vocabulary into your brain and learn it instantly. (I really wish there was.) Some effort is still required, but it’s worth it in the long run because more vocabulary means it’s easier to

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Niffer June 13, 2021June 14, 2021 Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese, Tips and Tricks Read more

Japanese Practice Questions Online – JPDrills Review

Japanese Practice Questions Online – JPDrills Review

I love drilling Japanese. Personally, I find the “hands on” method of learning better than rote learning. In other words, I’m a kinesthetic learner. I like using Japanese, so when I study it I find speaking with a Japanese teacher

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Niffer April 23, 2021April 23, 2021 Learning Methods, Review, Teach Yourself Japanese, Tips and Tricks Read more

Should I Read for Fun or Read for Study?

Should I Read for Fun or Read for Study?

Read for fun or read for study? AKA extensive or intensive reading? I’m specifically referring to reading books in Japanese, but this can be applied to any subject or language you want to learn.   Extensive reading is a fancy

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Niffer November 21, 2020May 10, 2021 Advanced Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Learning Methods, Reading Japanese, Reading Japanese Manga, Reading Japanese Novels, Teach Yourself Japanese, Tips and Tricks Read more

Studying Japanese Through Translation

Studying Japanese Through Translation

There are a plethora of English translations of Japanese novels and out there. But is reading translations a good way to study Japanese? Can you learn Japanese effectively through translation? This article looks at some methods for studying Japanese through

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Niffer October 18, 2020May 10, 2021 Intermediate Japanese, Learning Methods, Reading Japanese, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

5 Second Trick to Remembering Vocabulary When Reading Japanese

5 Second Trick to Remembering Vocabulary When Reading Japanese

Different people learn and remember information in different ways. This is obvious when you talk to different people about how they learn languages, such as Japanese. (I personally like using mnemonics but my spouse is a wizard an can “just

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Niffer July 16, 2020May 10, 2021 Learning Methods, Reading Japanese, Reading Japanese Novels, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

How to Get from Intermediate to Advanced Japanese

How to Get from Intermediate to Advanced Japanese

Many language learners hit this point around intermediate level where they feel like they’ve plateaued. It’s the same for Japanese learners, coming in at around JLPT N3 to N2 level. This point, where you feel yourself stagnating, is the time

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Niffer June 20, 2020June 20, 2020 Advanced Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Learning Methods, Motivation, Resources, Tips and Tricks Read more

How to Remember Japanese Vocabulary

How to Remember Japanese Vocabulary

Remembering new words can be difficult. Remembering new words in an entirely different language, can be an even greater challenge. Not to mention that Japanese is notorious for being a language that takes time to learn for English speakers. (Especially

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Niffer December 8, 2019December 8, 2019 Learning Methods, Memrise, Teach Yourself Japanese, Tips and Tricks Read more

Language Learning Tips from a Polyglot Conference

Language Learning Tips from a Polyglot Conference

I attended the Polyglot Conference 2019 in Fukuoka, Japan this last weekend. All the workshops and presentations were held by polyglots, people who know multiple languages. As a bilingual (and aspiring polyglot) I was really eager to find out how

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Niffer October 22, 2019October 22, 2019 Learning Methods Read more

Using Twitter for Japanese

Using Twitter for Japanese

Social media can be a great tool for learning and practicing Japanese. Not just the language, but the culture and current affairs too. Actually it has so many benefits for learning and practicing Japanese that I don’t know why people

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Niffer November 8, 2017November 8, 2017 Learning Methods, Motivation, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

Get The Most Out of Language Exchange

Get The Most Out of Language Exchange

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

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Niffer September 24, 2017November 12, 2017 Learning Methods, Speaking Japanese Read more

Japanese Flashcards: Dealing With Backlogs

Japanese Flashcards: Dealing With Backlogs

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,

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Niffer September 18, 2017September 18, 2017 Learning Methods, Memrise, Review Read more

How to Avoid Study Burnout

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

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Niffer September 11, 2017March 14, 2018 Learning Methods, Memrise, Motivation Read more

Keeping a Diary in Japanese

Keeping a Diary in 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,

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Niffer June 30, 2017January 18, 2018 Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

The Minimum Japanese You Need to Know

The Minimum Japanese You Need to Know

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

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Niffer June 19, 2017March 10, 2018 Learning Methods, Speaking Japanese, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

Why You Shouldn’t Study 1 Hour A Week

Why You Shouldn’t Study 1 Hour A Week

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

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Niffer June 12, 2017March 17, 2018 Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

How to Draw Kanji

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

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Niffer May 23, 2017December 13, 2017 Guest Post, Kanji, Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

The Benefits of Studying in Japan

The Benefits of Studying in 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

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Niffer May 15, 2017May 17, 2018 Learning Methods, Visiting Japan Read more

10 Ways to Study Japanese After You’ve Stopped

10 Ways to 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

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Niffer April 21, 2017December 13, 2017 Advanced Japanese, Beginner Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

Study Japanese When You’re Busy

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.

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Niffer March 4, 2017January 6, 2018 Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

I Don’t Have Time to Study Japanese

I Don’t Have Time to Study 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

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Niffer January 18, 2017December 13, 2017 Learning Methods, Motivation, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

Achieving Japanese Goals

Achieving Japanese Goals

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

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Niffer January 5, 2017December 13, 2017 Learning Methods, Motivation, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

More Tips for Studying for the JLPT N1

More Tips for Studying for the JLPT N1

Over a year ago I wrote Tips for Studying for the JLPT N1 and Tips for When you Take the JLPT N1. The I gave general studying advice as well as what to look out for and tips for taking the exam.

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Niffer September 27, 2016March 29, 2017 Advanced Japanese, Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), JLPT N1, Kanji, Learning Methods Read more

Videos About Learning Languages

Videos About Learning Languages

Often in the process of studying Japanese I’ll hit a point where I need inspiration and advice to get me motivated again. The best thing for that are videos about learning languages. This post looks at some of the best

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Niffer June 6, 2016December 14, 2017 Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

Video Game Japanese

Video Game Japanese

When I was 11 my sister got our very first video game, Final Fantasy IX. Little did I know it would greatly shape me to be who I am today. I’m sure many people who fall in love with video

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Niffer May 2, 2016December 14, 2017 Beginner Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

Best Japanese Study Resources

Best Japanese Study Resources

There are a lot of lists like this on the internet yet quite often I find they only list the most popular resources, not the best Japanese study resources. The following list are some of the best Japanese study resources

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Niffer April 17, 2016March 7, 2018 Advanced Japanese, Beginner Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Japanese Lessons, Kanji, Learning Methods, Teach Yourself Japanese Read more

The Importance of Using Japanese

The Importance of Using Japanese

Do you find that no matter how much you study, no matter how many days in a row, how many hours you spend a day or points you rack up with apps like Memrise, that you don’t feel like you’re

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Niffer February 25, 2016January 23, 2021 Japanese Lessons, Learning Methods, Motivation, Speaking Japanese, Teach Yourself Japanese, Visiting Japan Read more

I’m Afraid of Kanji

I’m Afraid of Kanji

I’ve noticed that lots of people want to start learning Japanese but the prospect of kanji is intimidating. A lot of people tell me they’re afraid of kanji, and don’t want to learn it! It’s not like hiragana and katakana

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Niffer February 18, 2016March 7, 2018 Beginner Japanese, JLPT N5, Kanji, Learning Methods, Romaji Read more

Tips for Studying for the JLPT N1

Tips for Studying for the JLPT N1

For those that probably aren’t aware, I took the JLPT N1 exam a few weeks ago (July 2015). This was the first time I’ve taken the exam. I took the N2 in July 2013 in Japan and managed to scrape

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Niffer July 15, 2015December 15, 2017 Advanced Japanese, Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), JLPT N1, JLPT N2, Learning Methods Read more

JLPT – Hitting the Wall

JLPT – Hitting the Wall

With only two and a half weeks before the JLPT for July 2015 some of you may be feeling a number of things. Stress, anxiety, boredom. Keeping yourself motivated is something I’ve written about in the past but I feel like

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Niffer June 17, 2015December 19, 2017 Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), JLPT N1, JLPT N2, JLPT N3, JLPT N4, JLPT N5, Learning Methods Read more
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Popular Posts

The Benefits of Studying in JapanThe Benefits of Studying in Japan
The Minimum Japanese You Need to KnowThe Minimum Japanese You Need to Know
Why You Shouldn’t Study 1 Hour A WeekWhy You Shouldn’t Study 1 Hour A Week
How to Draw KanjiHow to Draw Kanji
Speak Japanese Fluently in 1 Year Challenge (Part 2)Speak Japanese Fluently in 1 Year Challenge (Part 2)
Keeping a Diary in JapaneseKeeping a Diary in Japanese
Improve Japanese Reading [2 Week Challenge]Improve Japanese Reading [2 Week Challenge]
Techniques to Improve Speaking Fluently [For ALL Levels]Techniques to Improve Speaking Fluently [For ALL Levels]

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