#japanese comprehensible input resources

[rigelmejo]

Japanese Comprehensible Input, How Many Hours of Content:

As a companion to my last post, this post is going to link a ton of comprehensible input lessons and other resources that can be used as comprehensible input, and how many hours of content it adds up to. I'd like to shout out r/ALGhub that has a list of Aural Resources for Japanese, and CIJapanese has a Resources Page of other materials besides their own lessons that can be used for getting comprehensible input in japanese. CIJapanese.com has more videos on their site for a paid subscription, and a free youtube channel with lessons, I've only counted the youtube lesson hours in this estimate. I appreciate the cijapanese.com website and teachers, and may pursue using their paid video lessons in the future.

ALGhub Aural Resources for Japanese: https://www.reddit.com/r/ALGhub/wiki/index/auralresources#wiki_aural_resources_for_japanese

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yPzDDRQD6o (ALG demonstration class for Japanese)

https://cijapanese.com/ (Japan) (147 hours and 49 minutes - 2024/08/09 - all videos, taken from this: https://youtu.be/NebtveWRFGM&t=11m46s )

https://www.youtube.com/@cijapanese/featured (Japan) (27 hours and 45 minutes - 2024/09/02 - all videos)

https://www.youtube.com/@easyjapanesewithyuri2033/featured (Japan, some videos have coverable text on the right side) (13 hours and 6 minutes - 2024/09/02 - all videos)

https://www.youtube.com/@JapaneseTomato/featured (Japan, some videos have coverable text on the bottom) (0 hours and 57 minutes - 2024/09/02 - all videos)

Hours of CI lessons listed above (I have excluded links on ALGhub that were in the list below, I counted only full hours of the sources above): 187 hours Note that not all of the lessons on the channels listed above are beginner lessons.

Listed Resources on CIJapanese (Videos): https://cijapanese.com/resources (I highly recommend this page for finding videos, audio, and reading materials) Note that the resources list on the CIJapanese website lets you sort by level (Beginner, etc) so you may want to sort it by level then pick material to use.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_lynzl0m1QQD3ggIDgYCEw (Akiko_Japanese_Conversations, 8.96 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm0_bMpdJ8966au9PvrNaRw (Chienowa Japanese, 13.19 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMNVKIaw8hV8ln3dDE5z-hA (Daily Japanese with Naoko, 8.42 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC16-9M0osgdFbLKXvCwpXaw (Easy Japanese Podcast, 240.03 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj9JcUbwQt86EIbI9HimAIw (Fuji Japanese School 富士日本語学院, 9.83 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCauyM-A8JIJ9NQcw5_jF00Q (Haru no Nihongo, 172.82 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIciBLpZ6BP2XNYTFXb6eRQ (Japanese Immersion with Asami, 36.36 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKxpbf50vI49HF8GSRhz7bg (Japanese with JUN, 11.05 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0h7U8zQwWpR1LyNSZVGJ1g (Japanese with K, 3.37 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu6sZrHyl4hSS2PvlUo2XZA (Japanese with Shun, 106.97 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJBvtvWM9-PdqTIO6mmgmIQ (Japanese! わたしの いろいろな はなし, 1.64 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtUGSWuUfiTjvSTNzwb9xPw (Kiraku Japanese, 3.82 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTogTfvAp2KrCW2-9vuoFpQ (Kotsu kotsu Nihongo, 29.87 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFvMt22k_CAIcx6MIJGiHkw (Mei's Nihongo Classroom, 6.69 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Xtu6v_op552SsOr5_jWrg (Nihongo-Learning, 12.18 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx1pODtr3fv_WtVKst7mwYQ (OkkeiJapanese, 20.63 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc8dYnHr_xJsZGndDz1vTig (pekopeko vlog, 4.93 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqMY-cp1He6IAi1cIz-gX1g (Sakuri Saying, 73.28 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW2voLcEvpmicxRufe4s5tA (SeikaのJapanese Room, 29.40 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2fAVBdw5_dCArVba3grDzg (Simple Japanese Listening with Meg-めぐ-Smile, 8.99 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/@SpeakJapaneseNaturally (Speak Japanese Naturally, note there are many non-japanese language videos on this channel and the hours estimate includes those videos, 38.76)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRaqPghoTEqqhqKA5n88mgQ (Yui's minano nihonngo, 1.52 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaYX_KdvYlylMr2wZ03DMfA (優花 Yuka chan, 27.12 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCFixPTSdtURBJJPST3ClxA (【桜の間　日本語ルーム】 @yukijapanese00, 70.51 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh-GhnQ7qDQmS6Bz3pGc1Mw (あかね的日本語教室 @Akane-JapaneseClass, 125.19 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkwJXqFl-9VVvK9udYCFjMw (【アニメ】あたしンち公式チャンネル [Anime] Atashin'chi Official Channel, 52.58 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7LVTjJJuDB_Qo0BAOQ8NFg (しのせんせい Easy Japanese Audiobooks, 43.32 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdaFyOoPLyKwW8kvEvbHCwg (杏/anne TOKYO, 31.95 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI8UzOZ2NreKl5BaehyIm7w (hukumusume, 28.66 hours)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdW9Xi-leDtqqF6D-IkNJH2UPt3Wbls3Q (Peppa Pig in Japanese, 21.16 hours)

Hours total of the CIJapanese website recommended video resources (excluding their own videos): 1,243.20 hours

Total of combined hours in this list: 1,430.20 hours

I would suggest that in addition to all of these video resources, you supplement using audio-only resources like the podcasts listed on https://cijapanese.com/resources, https://comprehensibleinputwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page#Japanese, and any other podcasts you can find and understand.

Other options to get more comprehensible input: children's cartoons if there's visual context clues, vlogs especially if they're vlogs about what they do in a day/the visuals directly relate to what's going on, audio books of graded reading materials you're reading (or TTS of the graded reading material if that's the only option available) - an app like Satori Reader with graded reading material and audio would work well, rewatching shows in japanese that you've seen before (japanese dubbed shows, anime in japanese dub, jdramas), replaying games in japanese that you've played before, watching let's plays of games you've played/seen before, new shows in japanese if your level of comprehension is enough to follow the main idea (shows where the visual context is related to what they're saying will be easier - such as romance shows, slice of life shows, some reality shows, cooking shows, action shows where they talk about what they're doing, crime solving shows where they talk about the objects in the scenes).

[dreamdolldeveloper]

back to basics

mostly free resources to help you learn the basics that i've gathered for myself so far that i think are cool

everyday

gcfglobal - about the internet, online safety and for kids, life skills like applying for jobs, career planning, resume writing, online learning, today's skills like 3d printing, photoshop, smartphone basics, microsoft office apps, and mac friendly. they have core skills like reading, math, science, language learning - some topics are sparse so hopefully they keep adding things on. great site to start off on learning.

handsonbanking - learn about finances. after highschool, credit, banking, investing, money management, debt, goal setting, loans, cars, small businesses, military, insurance, retirement, etc.

bbc - learning for all ages. primary to adult. arts, history, science, math, reading, english, french, all the way to functional and vocational skills for adults as well, great site!

education.ket - workplace essential skills

general education

mathsgenie - GCSE revision, grade 1-9, math stages 1-14, provides more resources! completely free.

khan academy - pre-k to college, life skills, test prep (sats, mcat, etc), get ready courses, AP, partner courses like NASA, etc. so much more!

aleks - k-12 + higher ed learning program. adapts to each student.

biology4kids - learn biology

cosmos4kids - learn astronomy basics

chem4kids - learn chemistry

physics4kids - learn physics

numbernut - math basics (arithmetic, fractions and decimals, roots and exponents, prealgebra)

education.ket - primary to adult. includes highschool equivalent test prep, the core skills. they have a free resource library and they sell workbooks. they have one on work-life essentials (high demand career sectors + soft skills)

youtube channels

the organic chemistry tutor

khanacademy

crashcourse

tabletclassmath

2minmaths

kevinmathscience

professor leonard

greenemath

mathantics

3blue1brown

literacy

readworks - reading comprehension, build background knowledge, grow your vocabulary, strengthen strategic reading

chompchomp - grammar knowledge

tutors

not the "free resource" part of this post but sometimes we forget we can be tutored especially as an adult. just because we don't have formal education does not mean we can't get 1:1 teaching! please do you research and don't be afraid to try out different tutors. and remember you're not dumb just because someone's teaching style doesn't match up with your learning style.

cambridge coaching - medical school, mba and business, law school, graduate, college academics, high school and college process, middle school and high school admissions

preply - language tutoring. affordable!

revolutionprep - math, science, english, history, computer science (ap, html/css, java, python c++), foreign languages (german, korean, french, italian, spanish, japanese, chinese, esl)

varsity tutors - k-5 subjects, ap, test prep, languages, math, science & engineering, coding, homeschool, college essays, essay editing, etc

chegg - biology, business, engineering/computer science, math, homework help, textbook support, rent and buying books

learn to be - k-12 subjects

for languages

lingq - app. created by steve kaufmann, a polygot (fluent in 20+ languages) an amazing language learning platform that compiles content in 20+ languages like podcasts, graded readers, story times, vlogs, radio, books, the feature to put in your own books! immersion, comprehensible input.

flexiclasses - option to study abroad, resources to learn, mandarin, cantonese, japanese, vietnamese, korean, italian, russian, taiwanese hokkien, shanghainese.

fluentin3months - bootcamp, consultation available, languages: spanish, french, korean, german, chinese, japanese, russian, italian.

fluenz - spanish immersion both online and in person - intensive.

pimsleur - not tutoring** online learning using apps and their method. up to 50 languages, free trial available.

incase time has passed since i last posted this, check on the original post (not the reblogs) to see if i updated link or added new resources. i think i want to add laguage resources at some point too but until then, happy learning!!

[what-even-is-thiss]

Hey I saw you talk about comprehensible input for Spanish, and you said it was easy and it seems effective. I'm learning German, and I wanna ask what comprehensible input is and how I could do some of that

Comprehensible input means watching or listening to stuff in the language where you understand 90% or more of what’s going on. If you’re reading it’s more like 98%. Early on this usually means either watching stuff for babies or watching stuff made for adult learners if that exists. Watching stuff for adult learners is generally better because it works better if you’re interested in what’s going on. Once easier stuff is too boring for you then you move on to slightly harder stuff etc etc. it’s supposed to take about a thousand hours of good quality input for you to be able to understand native speakers with no issues give or take depending on your native language and the language you’re studying. Right now I’m at like 50-ish hours in Spanish which means I’m watching slightly harder videos that still have a lot of visual cues but it’s not piss easy either. I can also understand most quick things I overhear people say on the street to each other but I don’t really know how to talk yet. My brain hasn’t pieced that part together.

For German specifically resources for this are YouTube channels like Comprehensible German and Natürlich German. And Deutsch Welle’s learn German section of their website has a couple series like Nico’s Weg that follow a similar idea.

The key is to not translate in your head or assign meaning to specific words or try to figure out the grammar when you watch videos or read but just try to understand what’s going on.

Some people supplement this with flash cards strictly doing vocabulary and no grammar. Especially if good comprehensible input resources aren’t available for the language you’re studying. Doing vocabulary drills and watching tv with subtitles in the language you’re learning can also be effective.

Another way to do this if you can’t afford a special class or there’s no good videos available but you do have native speakers on hand who are willing to be a “language parent” for you is for them to sit down with you and only teach you the words for yes and no and then they pick up something like a kids picture book and start pointing at things and slowly explaining it to you and asking you questions like you’re a baby for an hour or two every day. Most people do not have a native speaker on hand willing to do this though. But if you do then this video where a guy documents learning Arabic with this method should give both you and the native speaker an idea of how this works.

If you want resources googling “comprehensible input (language)” should get you started. There’s also a lot of different communities for language learners of different languages or language learning generally on Reddit like r/French, r/Portuguese, r/swahili or r/languagelearning for example. Most of those places have a dedicated page for compiling resources from the community and you can also ask questions to the community and in my experience they’re usually pretty helpful people.

Right now I’m mostly using Dreaming Spanish for Spanish but also other channels like Easy Spanish and Español con Juan. I’m also dabbling a bit in the channels Comprehendible Japanese and Nihongo-Learning for Japanese but Spanish is my main priority right now.

[corgitation]

resources I'm using for studying japanese

vocab/kanji:

wanikani: I use daily reviews to learn kanji and vocabulary using the kanji. This resource isn't free, but this has really helped me stay consistent. I like the UI and find the content helpful

renshuu: this is my favorite mobile app, I use this to learn JLPT-specific vocab and kanji. I use the free version

mochi srs: the best flashcard app! The UI is super easy to use and has lots of shortcuts for making and reviewing cards fast. You can easily create and edit templates for cards, and have cards reference other cards. I have a deck for kanji and one for vocab, and my vocab template references any kanji that are used in the vocab tab. There's also super easy furigana, lots of features for japanese.

grammar:

bunpro: really good for grammar, this has lessons for each grammar rule and divides them into groups through popular textbooks and their own groupings for jlpt grammar

genki textbooks: pretty standard textbook for learning vocab, grammar, and kanji

genki study resources: great site with activities for all the genki lessons

tokini andy genki reviews: extra practice for genki lessons, explains some grammar more clearly, introduces new dialogue.

reading:

japanese folktales for language learners and japanese stories for language learners: folktales are a really great way to learn, because these references come up a lot. I've seen references to urashimo taro in evangelion, and the new pokemon dlc is a reference to momotaro. This book has the japanese on one page and english on the other, with vocabulary after the chapter. (here and here on natively)

animal crossing new leaf tobimori: I've recently started playing this and it's so much fun. I'm already really familiar with the game so I don't depend on any of the text for playing, and it's good for more common expressions, differences in speech between polite/casual/male/female etc. I have a post describing how I'm able to play this here. (here on lingotrack)

listening:

japanese with shun: big fan of this podcast, it's free on spotify and youtube, which scripts on patreon. Each podcast is about a short subject, and they're all in japanese. (here on lingotrack)

learn japanese pod: some free podcasts on spotify with more paid content, this one is both about japanese and in japanese. It will teach phrases for specific scenarios, like ordering sushi or refusing situations.

tracking:

lingotrack: I started time tracking a couple of months ago and it's been so helpful! This site is great for quickly logging study activities and seeing how the time stacks up. It helps me identify which areas I'm spending enough time in and which ones are lacking. I also use the library section for keeping track of my japanese native content

toggl: I use this online stopwatch for tracking the time for different study activities so I can log them in lingotrack. It also has a browser extension which I usually use

finding native content:

natively: excellent site for finding comprehensible input content and tracking days read. This site has a lot of reviews for books so it makes it easy to find books that are on level. You can follow me here

lingotrack: collections in lingotrack provides user generated groups of content so that you can create an see groupings of native material content. There aren't as many reviews for material here as there are for natively though, so I find material there and then add them here. You can follow me here

other:

tofugu: this blog has everything. Use it for finding reviews on japanese language resources, learning grammar rules, etc.

jisho: dictionary app, I use it as my source of truth for vocab and kanji meanings

heisig's remembering the kanji: a different approach to learning kanji, this focuses on first teaching the simplest kanji and building from ones you already know. This is different from wanikani, which will make sure you know (its own) particles before introducing the kanji that uses them, but focuses on learning kanji and vocab in priority order. I'm listing it here because I don't use it much anymore

deepl: ai translator, works much better than google translate. You can also put sentences in chatgpt and ask it for broken down explanations. Take any translations from ai with a grain of salt - they are great tools but do not ensure accuracy

edit 3/10/2024: added tracking and native content sections, added links to lingotrack and natively for media

[vorpalbun]

So I've mananged to reach B1/B2 level in Spanish comprehension using the comprehensible input (CI) method (mostly watching Dreaming Spanish) and now I'm itching to start another language using the same method.

The languages I most want to learn are Japanese, Welsh, and British Sign Language (BSL) and I think it would be interesting to try a language that I have no experience in at all (in this case BSL). It would also be interesting to see how well the method applies to a sign language (although I assume it wouldn't be that different). However, I'm not sure what suitable resources there are for comprehensible input in BSL. I had a look on youtube and found a couple of channels that might work but CI requires a huge volume of videos so I'd probably run out pretty quickly. I could also find TV shows with signing and watch with the sound off, starting with kids' shows. I imagine Welsh is similar but with somewhat more resources.

For that reason (and instant gratification), I'm tempted to go for Japanese instead since there is at least one youtube channel specifically for CI in Japanese. Maybe I'll see how any resources I can collect for each one and then decide.

[creationsbyjesska]

Pokemon Lawsuit against Palworld Information

Latest information including - Palworld Developer Responds to Nintendo Lawsuit

Over the past week, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company made headlines by filing a lawsuit against the developers of Palworld, alleging that the game infringes on several of their patents. The lawsuit focuses on certain mechanics within the monster-collecting RPG that are strikingly similar to Pokémon, particularly the ball-throwing and capturing features, which Pokémon has protected through patents. In response, Pocketpair, the team behind Palworld, has acknowledged the lawsuit and confirmed they are investigating the claims. According to Pocketpair, they are still "unaware" of the specific patents in question, as no detailed information has been provided to them yet. Pocketpair stated: "We have received notice of this lawsuit and will begin the appropriate legal proceedings and investigations into the claims of patent infringement. At this moment, we are unaware of the specific patents we are accused of infringing upon." The developers expressed their disappointment at being forced to allocate resources toward legal matters rather than game development but reaffirmed their commitment to improving Palworld and supporting indie developers pursuing creative ideas. They added: "It is truly unfortunate that we will be forced to allocate significant time to matters unrelated to game development due to this lawsuit. However, we will do our utmost for our fans, and to ensure that indie game developers are not hindered or discouraged from pursuing their creative ideas." Fan Reactions Since news of the lawsuit broke, it has generated mixed reactions from the gaming community. Many English-speaking fans have rallied in support of Pocketpair, criticizing Nintendo for targeting an indie game. Some believe that Palworld’s success has made Nintendo uncomfortable, and they accuse the company of stifling competition rather than innovating their own Pokémon series. Fan comments include: "Palworld is 100x better than Pokémon. If they are coming after you, you’re doing something right." "Nintendo would rather sue than innovate the Pokémon video game series to more modern standards." In contrast, Japanese-speaking fans have been more critical of Pocketpair’s response, accusing the developers of positioning themselves as the underdog being “bullied” by a larger company. Many point out that Pocketpair has a history of borrowing gameplay and design elements from other games. One Japanese fan commented: "It’s a stretch to make this a battle between indie and Nintendo." Legal Outlook and Analyst Insights Industry experts have also weighed in on the lawsuit. Analysts such as Dr. Serken Toto believe Nintendo has a strong chance of winning, citing their history of legal victories in Japan. Toto suggested that Nintendo likely built a comprehensive case before filing the lawsuit and expects the case to conclude with a settlement, where Pocketpair will likely pay licensing fees to continue using the disputed mechanics in Palworld. Toto stated: "Nintendo wouldn’t file this suit unless they were absolutely sure they’d win. The outcome could mirror the case with Colopl, where Nintendo eventually received a settlement and licensing fees." What Patents Might Nintendo Be Suing Over? Although Nintendo has yet to disclose the specific patents being contested, Japanese patent attorney Kiyoshi Kurihara speculated that the lawsuit likely centers around Pokémon’s ball-throwing capture mechanics. This includes key elements such as aiming a Pokéball, calculating success rates, and player input, all of which are covered by patents filed by Nintendo in Japan. These patents are robust, making it difficult for developers to create similar systems without risking infringement. Kurihara commented: "If there is any patent infringement to speak of, it would likely be this . It’s easy to infringe if you’re not careful." What’s Next? As the legal battle continues in Japan, where Nintendo enjoys strong public and legal support, Pocketpair faces significant challenges. However, it is possible that the case could be settled out of court, allowing the developers to continue working on Palworld under specific conditions, including licensing fees paid to Nintendo. Read the full article

[sugarpuptard]

finally finished my other hand of nails today since i was too tired after doing one hand and kept procrastinating lul, i'll make another post for the pics since this is my journal post ε(*´･ω･)з my nails are メンヘラ themed hehe i just gotta edit the pics

had pain management doctor and dentist for fillings yesterday im feeling good about that all getting done and started, i get to ask PT for a new wheelchair + finger splint rings soon aaaaaaaa so excited to get those, i would love a new wheelchair before my birthday so when my boyfriend is here it'll be nicer when we're in the city and everywhere else, i want it to be october and be mentally stable with a daily routine and not in pain already, is that too much to ask?

the plan for tonight is blog, watch soon to be fiancé play mario kart in the gc, play and mod the sims 4 more, and try to sleep at a good time i probably wont tho

also i NEED to find more jfashion inspo to save omg, i really wanna build my wardrobe, if anyone is actually reading this and has resources to share for inspo pls do or any good blogs to follow! speaking of japanese things, i found more 日本語 learning resources on youtube yippieeeee comprehensible input is so good it feels a lot more natural learning new words and much more joyful and motivated when you hear a word/sentence structure u understand i was like Σ(ノ°▽°)ノ it makes me happy being able to understand more

[manajareeacademy]

How long does it take to learn Korean?

Embarking on a journey to Learn Korean language can be an incredibly rewarding experience. It not only grants you access to a vibrant culture but also opens doors to exciting opportunities. In this article, we'll delve into the question that often lingers for aspiring Korean learners: "How long does it take to become fluent in Korean?" We'll also introduce you to Manjaree Academy, a valuable resource on your language-learning journey.

Is Korean Hard to Learn?

Korean is frequently associated with the complexity of East-Asian languages like Chinese and Japanese. However, it distinguishes itself by being notably easier to grasp. Unlike Chinese, Korean isn't a tonal language, meaning your pronunciation isn't tied to complex intonation patterns.

The Korean writing system, Hangul, might initially appear intricate, but it's designed for simplicity and can be mastered in as little as 20 minutes, making it an excellent foundation for pronunciation.

FSI Estimates for Reaching Korean Fluency

The United States Foreign Service Institute (FSI) categorizes Korean as a Category V language, one of the more challenging languages to learn. FSI estimates that achieving fluency in Korean would require approximately 2200 hours of study or an intensive commitment of 88 weeks. However, these estimates don't consider individual factors such as personal motivation, study methods, or your unique learning style.

How Different Is Korean From English?

For native English speakers, Korean represents a substantial departure from their mother tongue. However, this distinctiveness can be advantageous. The key to language acquisition often lies in comprehensible input, which involves considering context and progressively increasing the difficulty of your learning materials. This approach applies effectively to Korean.

The Role of Previous Language Learning Experience

If you've already learned another language, your experience can be a valuable asset in your Korean language journey. The strategies and techniques you've acquired can be applied to expedite your progress. Nevertheless, if your previous language is similar to Korean, exercise caution, as some confusion might arise.

How Are You Learning Korean?

Effective language learning encompasses four essential skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. While all these skills are important, prioritizing speaking is crucial for achieving fluency. Practical conversation skills are often the gateway to meaningful communication.

How Much Time Do You Have to Study Korean?

Regardless of a busy schedule, there are ways to incorporate Korean into your daily routines. Engaging in small activities such as listening to Korean podcasts or revisiting language lessons can accumulate over time and contribute significantly to your progress.

What’s Your Attitude and Motivation Toward Learning a Language?

Your motivation is a driving force in your language-learning journey. Whether you're studying Korean for language exams, travel, or personal interest, maintaining enthusiasm can substantially expedite your progress.

Can You Learn Korean in a Year?

Yes, it's absolutely possible to achieve proficiency in Korean within a year. However, the intensity of your study regimen can vary significantly. For instance, dedicating six hours a day for a year can yield remarkable results, while committing just one hour daily can lead to fluency in approximately 6.5 years. The key lies in adopting the right techniques and strategies to maximize your learning speed.

How to Learn Korean Faster with Manjaree Academy

For an efficient Korean language-learning journey, consider enrolling in Manjaree Academy, a trusted resource for language enthusiasts. Manjaree Academy offers a comprehensive curriculum and personalized learning experiences that cater to your specific needs and goals. With a team of experienced instructors, state-of-the-art learning materials, and a supportive community of learners, you can accelerate your path to Korean fluency.

Start Learning Korean Today with Manjaree Academy!

Embarking on your Korean language journey is an exciting endeavor. With the right resources, dedication, and support from institutions like Manjaree Academy, you can make remarkable progress and unlock the doors to Learn Korean language. Begin your journey today and discover the richness of the Korean language and culture.

[inspiration30000]

The Art of Working Smarter, Not Harder: Work Efficiency

WORK EFFICIENCY Getting things done quickly and effectively is more prized than ever in today's competitive corporate world. Increasing productivity, decreasing expenses, and maintaining competitiveness have made work efficiency a priority for many firms. This in-depth manual will explore the numerous facets of work efficiency, including its significance, real-world examples, the role of workers, and various tactics and instruments for improvement.

Learning to Maximize Work Efficiency

  Just what does it mean to be efficient at work? Efficiency in the workplace is achieving goals while spending the least time, money, and energy possible. The goal is to increase production as much as possible without lowering standards. A productive workplace is one in which workers can carry out their duties promptly with little interruptions and waste.

The Current Economic Climate and the Value of Effective Work Practices

In today's competitive market, it is essential to maximize each working minute. It helps companies get the most out of their resources, boost their bottom line, and provide their customers more for their money. Workers who can do their work without feeling rushed or overwhelmed are more likely to be satisfied. Effectiveness in the Workplace vs.The Essential Variations and Interactions While the terms are sometimes interchangeable, "efficiency" and "productivity" differ. Manufacturing more goods per worker hour is an example of increased productivity. One must minimize the inputs needed to produce a specified result to maximize productivity. However, these ideas are intrinsically linked to one another. Productivity can rise if workers complete the same tasks in less time. On the flip side, efficiency is frequently a byproduct of a productive workplace because of the effective use of resources to achieve the intended results.

Case Studies of Effectiveness in the Workplace

  Implementing Efficiency: Real-World Examples Several companies have improved their operations by using efficient methods. Toyota, a Japanese automaker, is well-known for its "Toyota Production System," which aims to reduce inefficiencies and boost output. The widespread popularity of this method has led to its adoption by a wide range of comREAD  Mastering the Art of Business: A Comprehensive Guide to Improve Operational EfficiencyPowered by Inline Related Postspanies. The Amazon online store is another such. Amazon has used many efficient methods to streamline its operations, from its highly automated warehouses to its sophisticated transportation network. Amazon has thrived in the cutthroat e-commerce sector thanks in part to the steps mentioned above, which expedite and streamline product delivery for customers. What Does Work Efficiency Mean for the Bottom Line? These instances show how efficiency may lead to financial gains for a company. Businesses may increase value for their consumers and save expenses by adopting efficiency strategies. It can give them an edge in the market and boost their chances of long-term success.

Employee Contributions to Productivity in the Workplace

  How effective is an employee in their job duties? Work efficiency is the ratio of output to input for a worker. Depending on the task, it may be quantified in terms of production per hour. If you work in customer service, you may use the number of daily inquiries answered as a metric. An efficient worker completes their work quickly and accurately without wasting materials or time. They can set priorities, organize their job efficiently, and maximize their time and resources. Employee Contributions to Organizational Effectiveness The effectiveness of a company depends on its workforce. Their efficiency and output directly affect the bottom line. They may recommend alterations to current methods, aid in detecting and removing waste, and adopt productive routines. Businesses may foster a culture of continual improvement and reach new heights in efficiency. Ability to Get Things Done Quickly Whether or not work efficiency is an honorable ability remains open. Though some may claim it is more of a state of mind, others insist it is a right talent that only requires time and effort to develop. No matter what side of the argument you're on, it's undeniable that some abilities boost productivity on the job. Skills such as time management, prioritizing, problem-solving, and remaining calm under pressure fall under this category. Workers may increase their productivity and help the company by honing these abilities. Methods for Getting More Done in Less Time Learn how to maximize your time and effort in several different settings. Efficiency and productivity are common topics in corporate education. These tools can help illuminate inefficiencies and teach you how to fix them. Learning through doing is another option. You may improve your productivity and work habits by routinely testing your ability to execute things more quickly and effectively. Getting input from superiors and coworkers can help you pinpoint problem areas and monitor your development.

Effective Leadership Methods for Increasing Work Efficiency

  Leaders' Impact on Increasing Work Efficiency at Work Leaders in organizations have a significant impact on boosting productivity. They determine the company's culture, chart its course, and foster an environment conducive to productivity. There are many methods by which leaders improve productivity. They can establish transparent norms and objectives, furnish the required means, and encourage a mindset of constant growth and development. They can also inspire those around them to improve their productivity by showing them the way. Strategies for Efficient Leadership to Increase Work Efficiency Improving productivity is possible via the application of several leadership tactics. Enhancing processes is one option. Leaders may make a massive impact on productivity by rooting out and fixing the sources of inefficiency in their organizations. Empowering workers is another tactic. Leaders may increase productivity by offering workers more autonomy and responsibility in decision-making and problem-solving through delegated authority and access to appropriate resources. Leaders may now leverage technological advances to boost productivity. Leaders may automate mundane operations, simplify procedures, and increase productivity by equipping their teams with cutting-edge software and hardware.

Methods and Equipment for Increasing Work Efficiency

work efficiency The Effect of Technology on Work Efficiency The use of digital technologies has dramatically improved productivity. They've helped automate mundane operations, simplify procedures, and free up staff time so that they can get more done. Project management technologies, for instance, can improve the planning, tracking, and administration of projects by groups of people. Communication technologies can boost productivity by reducing the need for face-to-face meetings and lengthy talks. Using data analytics technologies may help business executives get valuable insights into their company's performance, allowing them to make better decisions and spot areas for growth. Techniques and Instruments for Streamlining Task Management Improving productivity relies heavily on streamlined task management. Managing one's time, energy, and material possessions wisely is a part of this. Multiple methods and applications exist to facilitate effective project administration. One standard method for setting priorities is the Eisenhower Matrix, which ranks tasks according to importance. A time-blocking strategy involves allocating discrete chunks of time to individual activities. Various software and mobile apps are designed specifically for task management. You may use these aids to plan your work, establish due dates, and monitor your progress. They can also send you notifications and reminders to help you remain on track and not put things off.

The Benefits of Standing Meetings for Work Efficiency

  The Benefits of Holding Stand-Up Meetings Frequently Daily scrums or huddles, similar to stand-up meetings, can significantly improve productivity. Teams may get their day in sync, share successes and failures, and plan forward effectively in these brief, focused sessions. Standing meetings may save time and effort. They can make it easier to share information, work together, find and fix problems, and maintain focus on projects. Additionally, they have the potential to increase morale and motivation by fostering a sense of team spirit and togetherness. Standing Meetings: Tips for Success It takes some organization and discipline to conduct productive stand-up meetings. Some advice is as follows: Stand-up meetings should go up to 15 minutes at the most. It helps maintain a productive and focused conversation. The agenda for a stand-up meeting is often short and sweet: "What did you do yesterday?" What are your plans for the day? Maintain focus by limiting the conversation to these points. Stand-up meetings are more productive because everyone has a chance to contribute. That way, everyone at the conference will feel included and have an opportunity to speak. If problems or roadblocks were brought up during the meeting, follow up on them. Having concerns handled quickly prevents them from becoming a roadblock.

Reducing "busy work" to maximize Work Efficiency

Confronting the Issue of "Busy Work" Facing the Issue of "Busy Work" Tasks that take up time but don't add much to productivity are known as "busy work," they may have a devastating effect on productivity. Unneeded meetings, mountains of paperwork, and endless rounds of administrative activities are all examples of busy work. In addition to being a drain on productivity and morale, busywork could be more efficient. Employees who put in long hours doing menial activities may have achieved a sense of personal fulfillment. Techniques for Reducing Paperwork Several methods exist for cutting down on unnecessary tasks and increasing productivity: Review your procedures and functions to discover any that are excessive or duplicated. Consider dropping research if it isn't contributing anything useful. Use technology to automate mundane activities like data input, scheduling, and reporting. It can free up classroom time for more meaningful instruction. Do your best to give work to the appropriate persons. Refrain from relying too heavily on a few people to carry out many tasks. Look for methods to reduce the number of stages in a circular process or remove any bottlenecks in your operations to speed things up.

Information Overload and Its Effect on Work Efficiency

  Workplace Information Overload and Its Implications It is known as information overload when there is more data to take in than a person can handle. In the workplace, this can happen when workers get an excessive amount of information at once. Overwhelming oneself with data might be counterproductive. It may cause you to become befuddled, anxious, and unable to choose. Employees may need more time trying to locate the relevant data they need. Methods for Dealing with Excessive Data There are many methods for dealing with too much data and increasing productivity: Put information in order of importance. Master the skill of sorting data by significance and relevance. Utilize software to sort through data and find what you need fast. Utilize a document management system to store and track your docs and utilize email filters to arrange your inbox. Minimize interruptions and interruption sources like useless alerts and notifications. Instead of continually checking throughout the day, set particular times to check emails or texts. Keep your messages brief and to the point, and don't bother sending extraneous material. It can lessen the information load on other people.

The Mutual Benefits of Effectiveness and Productivity in the Workplace

  Improving Productivity in the Workplace Efficiency and productivity go hand in hand in the workplace. Highly productive employees can get more done in less time. On the flip side, when procedures at work are well-oiled machines, workers may put in long hours each day. Work productivity may boost efficiency in many different ways. For instance, productive workers often have higher expertise and experience, making them more equipped to do jobs quickly and accurately. They could also be more enthusiastic and invested, which would boost productivity. The Pitfalls of Hoping That Better Organization Will Increase Output While efficiency is undoubtedly a factor in productivity, it is not the sole determinant of output. Sometimes, even a slight emphasis on efficiency might be counterproductive. Worker stress, burnout, and performance decline might result, for instance, from demands that they complete their tasks as rapidly as possible in the name of efficiency. They may also be less inclined to invest in creative or innovative thinking, which can harm productivity in the long run. Finding a happy medium between the two is, thus, crucial. Strive towards effectiveness, but remember the need to make workers happy and fulfilled.

Motivating Groups to Find Their Pace

  Team Dynamics and Its Impact on Work Efficiency in the Workplace The dynamics of a team are essential to the success of any endeavor. they can get more done in less time. They know how to complement one another, work well together, and find solutions to problems efficiently. However, productivity might suffer when team members do not get along. Lack of trust or cohesiveness can decrease motivation and productivity, while conflicts or misunderstandings might cause delays or blunders. Finding the Sweet Spot: How to Guide Your Group to Success Getting your team to their productive sweet spot may be a real team effort. Taking into account the skillsets and availability of each team member is essential. It helps develop an upbeat atmosphere inside the group, where everyone feels included and inspired. To assist your group in striking the right chord, consider these suggestions: Encourage free-flowing dialogue by prompting team members to voice their thoughts, questions, and observations. Quick problem-solving and increased cooperation and trust can result. Ensure everyone on the team knows what they're responsible for and how they fit into the bigger picture. It's a great way to ensure everyone is on the same page and working toward the same goals. Promote a spirit of cooperation by encouraging people to work together. It has the potential to increase enthusiasm and productivity in the workplace. Give your team the help they need to succeed. Give your team the support they need to succeed. Training, resources, and comments are all possibilities.

Innovation's Impact on Work Efficiency

  Where Process Meets Creativity Introducing new ideas into the workplace may have a significant impact on productivity. Businesses may improve efficiency, effectiveness, and success by creating and implementing novel strategies. There are several points of interaction between innovation and a process. For instance, organizations might innovate by embracing new technology and approaches to better their operations. New approaches are also within their reach. How New Technologies Can Improve Work Efficiency There are many ways in which innovations improve productivity at work. For instance, cutting-edge tech may automate mundane jobs, streamline operations, and reveal hidden patterns in a company's success. Project management, teamwork, and the practice of constant improvement may all benefit from the use of novel approaches. Efficiency gains may also be due to introducing new products, services, or business models that might result from innovation. The production or distribution of the new product or service will be more streamlined. But remember that innovation is more than just coming up with fresh concepts. It's also important to put these concepts into practice successfully. It calls for a positive environment, open communication, and capable management.

The Digital Headquarters: Transforming the Way We Work Today

  Why Have a Digital Headquarters and What Do They Do? "Digital HQ" refers to an organization's central hub on the internet, where employees may do business and interact with one another. Project management software, messaging apps, and analytic dashboards are all examples of helpful digital resources. The digital equivalent of a "headquarters" can do wonders for productivity. Employees are free to put in time and effort whenever and wherever they choose. It can provide light on corporate performance, allowing for more informed decision-making by management. Improving Work Efficiency Through Digital Innovation Incorporating new digital technology into company processes can significantly improve productivity. It has the potential to automate mundane jobs, simplify operations, and provide light on operational efficiency for businesses. For instance, businesses may employ digital technology to streamline tasks like data input, scheduling, and reporting. They can utilize project management software to organize better, monitor, and control IT. They may better use data analytics tools to assess how their company is doing and where they might improve. Through digital transformation, businesses may boost their productivity, competitiveness, agility, and resilience. Read the full article

[kiragecko]

Oh yeah, Classical Ch'olti' was not only gone by the point of the Conquest, it was probably never a single language.

The Maya script is a bit like Hanzi (Chinese characters), in that it is based around characters that stand in for full words. This means it can be mutually intelligible in multiple languages. When writing in a different dialect or language, scribes would add characters before/ after the word characters to indicate the first (or last, or all) sounds for words whose pronunciation differed from the prestige dialect.

(If English worked this way, we might have a word for 'lorry', and Americans would write it [tru-LORRY-uck] and pronounce it 'truck'. Brits would still be able to see it was 'lorry' even in an American text.)

The post-Classical writing of the remaining codices is noticeably different from the Classical writing of the carvings and murals. The writing in the Yucatan is different from that of what is now Guatemala. Modern dictionaries often mix all of these together and call it Classical Ch'olti', just like some Latin or Sanskrit dictionaries include entries for the entire length of time Latin or Sanskrit was used, even though Vedic Sanskrit and Early Latin are VERY different from the languages used in the Middle Ages.

-

Speaking on Maya fonts -

Well, first a disclaimer. I'm white, and an amateur linguist. I'm not speaking from the perspective of someone denied my language, but as an outsider who thinks the language is really cool. This is infodumping, and might sound lecture-y, but that's only because communication is hard. I don't think I know more than any specific person, just want to share what I've learned over the last 15 years of study.

-

There is at least one real font (by George Douros), though it's only semi-usable until we get full Unicode support, and almost impossible to find. Unicode now has support for Maya numerals. There is also at least one big project that's working towards providing a comprehensive set of glyphs and their variants to Unicode. (The Unicode Maya Hieroglyph Project, starting in 2020. Which I think IS using AI to scan texts and recognize characters!) But even though Unicode is interested in supporting Maya, it's a bit more difficult than it might seem.

-

While an input method like Japanese has would work for adding characters, the final result wouldn't look like the Maya script. Classical Maya, at least, is supposed to be in blocks. Characters have a huge number of shapes, sizes, and orientations, based on where they are in a block, and how many other characters are with them. (And that's ignoring ACTUAL variants!)

Korean Hangul is composed using a method that could possibly be adapted for Maya, but it has far fewer construction possibilities. (Hangul has around 9, Maya ... I don't think all the possibilities have even been documented yet. You'd almost NEED to limit it to common constructions, which would make the font less useful for actual documentation of Maya texts.)

Also, even if we add in complex characters, Hangul's 31 characters is a LOT less than the 300 needed for any one community of Maya scribes (every community and period had a slightly different set of characters, and some characters changed appearance over time.)

And finally, there's reading order! Maya is most commonly written in paired vertical columns, but text can be based on single bocks, and both types can go top to bottom, left to right, right to left, L shaped, and more!

-

If the main goal is language revitalization, that simplifies a lot. Maya speakers can choose what limitations they're willing to trade for a script that's usable in a reasonable time.

Right now, the main people with the resources to work on this seem to be historical linguists, and a simplified system that doesn't actually let them document the full complexities of the historical languages doesn't really help them.

(The Unicode proposal system includes demonstrating a need. A main part of that is showing documents that have the characters being requested, and showing enough of them to convince people it's a priority. Most of the current published writing that includes the Maya script is research papers. We need more poetry and stories written in Maya, to help document desire!)

-

The last time I looked into it, the Maya script was one of the stated reasons that Unicode was working on a much more robust character composition system. (It will also help for things like the various Mongolian scripts, and Egyptian hieroglyphs.) They want to design something that makes it easier to add a variety of new scripts, rather than having to create something unique for each new situation.

It's frustratingly slow. I first started looking for font support around 2010. The font I have is clunky, ugly, and incapable of writing anything but the most simple texts in Latin character order. Unicode added Maya numeral support in 2018, and there's still almost no fonts for them. Who knows how long the The Unicode Maya Hieroglyph Project will take to start publishing their results, and even after they do, a proposal needs to be created, Unicode needs to implement it, and someone needs to design actual fonts for people to use.

But it isn't that nobody cares. There are people who are trying to make this happen!

Once again I am pissed that most of the Maya manuscripts are gone. So tantalizingly close to getting a look at a culture that developed genuinely in the absence of influence from Old World civilization. A fully independent data point on the development of literary culture—the kind that we know wrote philosophy, history, mathematics! And yet we barely have any of it. Can you imagine how much we might learn about humanity, about cultural universals and cultural particularities, about the history of Mesoamerica, from being able to read that work and compare it to what we know?

But it's gone. It's gone because the Spanish burned it and made learning the Maya script illegal. And it's gone because codices rot in the tropical heat and humidity, so unless you've got a continuous scribal tradition it's all going to disappear. We can't even read Maya cursive; we know there was Maya cursive, and it's likely what most codices were composed in, but it's almost all gone!

And of course this is worst for the remaining Maya themselves, who in addition to being deprived economically and legally by Spain and its colonial legacy, have been deprived of the dignity and respect that comes (for better or worse) from being part of a cultural tradition that produced great and widely respected works.

I just, you know, I just wish it wasn't gone!

But as I always say on this topic, a point of optimism: the jungles of southern Mexico and Guatemala are barely explored, they're dense and they almost certainly hide many things yet. Maybe, one day, some hidden cache will be discovered, a scribal workshop collapsed perfectly to protect the codices within from the damp. We can only hope.

[rigelmejo]

Future Study Plan for Japanese Listening:

If I do try studying japanese with comprehensible input next, i can already tell i'm going to be frustrated. Hopefully like with chinese, i am a false beginner and i'll start off knowing enough words to deal with more complex content. But... but like optimisitically I'm N4/A2 in japanese. Without kanji/hanzi similarities to guess when reading, i can only handle beginner graded readers like Tadoku. At a stretch maybe im N3/high A2 low B1, if i'm reading, and "cheating" by guessing a lot of the kanji. So i can follow the main idea of jdrama with japanese subs, but ONLY the main idea. Compared to chinese where with subs i can understand 90% or more of every actual word. I feel like i'm an upper beginner in japanese. I crammed 5000 words in glossika this winter, and i still feel like an upper beginner (also i think glossika only had like 1000 truly new words to me and 4000 truly unique words) i feel like i know 1000-3000 words in listening, and only 1000 words WELL enough to read or hear them and confidently recognize them. When I take tests, 1000 is all I know lol.

1500 words is Level 3 in Dreaming Spanish, when students can start tackling intermediate videos, and its still a long time until they can handle cartoons for kids, or shows for adults. I have tried out some Comprehensible Input Japanese lessons and i do understand the intermediate lessons, so that's promising. I also can understand peppa pig in japanese. But that's probably where I'm at. I probably still need to assume I'm studying from Level 3 onward like others. Which for a doubled dreaming spanish roadmap for japanese, would be Level 3 (300 hours). So lets say I give myself the credit of 250 hours.

I'd hit Level 4 at 600 hours, Level 5 at 1200 hours. Cartoons aren't recommended until end of level 4, shows for adults aren't recommended until Level 5.

So that's... 450 more hours of study until I could feel okay using cartoons, and a whopping 950 hours until i felt okay watching jdramas. Maybe my reading skills could lower that number? If say i watched with japanese subtitles for a while, then dropped the subs? Because I can watch Miu404, Samurai Cat, or Criminologist Himura for the main idea right now if I use japanese subs. Maybe I could jump into harder materials earlier if I started with materials I already know the plot of - like final fantasy x and death note where I can already follow the audio in japanese, because i remember so many of the lines/scenes. I just...know I'll be frustrated to stick to learner made content (which i find so boring) for 950 hours ToT

With chinese... so far this listening experiment has gone great? Yes I see there's a gap in skills and I WILL need 200-400 hours to see the improvement I'm hoping for - I'll find out exactly how long it takes when I get there lol. But it took less than 50 hours to go from cartoons from toddlers to cartoons for 5-10 year olds, and it took 20 hours to get better with discussion podcasts and that keeps improving around every 20 hours, every 20-30 hours there's a noticeable improvement in the amount of words I can recognize in audio, and I'm already at a point I can follow the main idea of shows for adults (its NOT easy lol and i only understand 50% of the actual words said - but it's DOABLE). It's way easier as a false beginner, with all the reading skills I already had, I skipped through like 1000 hours worth of listening immersion improvement in 150 hours! That's so much smaller! Easier!

Maybe my strategy for listening to japanese will be:

Japanese Comprehensible Input youtube channel, all beginner and intermediate videos, start the advanced videos and see if I can handle them. Watch once with japanese subs, once without, and listen without looking, so I get to transfer any reading skills into listening skills possible, and get a visual memory, and practice listening to words repeatedly. Maybe 30 minutes to 1 hour per day, simce this will require looking. The whole channel is only 28 hours... even repeating everything 3 times that's only 84 hours. I assume there's a couple hundred more hours on their website, so I might have to go to their site and subscribe if I end up needing way more beginner content.

Supplement with Nihongo Con Teppei. Listen to the whole thing, it's long. Maybe read the japanese subs on these once, but I probably won't because I'm lazy. Repeat each episode 3 times. Do as much listening as I can. This podcast is like 75 hours, could get 150 hours of practice from this with relistens.

Supplement with Japanese with Shun, can relisten 2-3 times as desired, I understand his podcast episodes on the first listen already. 16 hours, and if I relisten then 32 hours.

Supplement with Final Fantasy X and Death Note condensed audio - fun for me, I enjoy them, and I know the plot enough to follow along. Repeat audio files 2-3 times. Basically use these like I'm using audiobooks in chinese. I can probably get 100 hours of practice out of this with relistens.

I can also supplement with the host of japanese resources i found from cijapanese.com's site. When I run out of Nihongo Con Teppei and Japanese with Shun. (Which adds up to like 1400+ hours and should be plenty to get me able to understand jdramas)

Supplement with japanese lets plays of games I've played before - I can already follow the main idea of these, turning subtitles on sometimes (to try and transfer reading skill to listening skill), sometimes watching (visual memory), sometimes just listening. Can easily get 50 hours a game listening study out of these.

[meichenxi]

Korean learners: tell me your wisdom

A question to all the Korean learners out there:

What do you wish you knew before you started? What resources do you wish you had used? What tips do you have? What do you wish you had paid more attention to? What do you recommend? What content did you consume for beginners?

Give me all of your knowledge!!

I’m particularly interested in any comprehensive input based approaches, or textbooks/videos similar to Tae Kim’s Guide to Japanese grammar or the Japanese teaching channels that speak only Japanese: i.e. stuff that teaches you the basics of sentence structure rather than focusing on greetings, numbers etc. Stuff that teaches you the building blocks of grammar from the get-go - preferably in Korean if possible. 

Let me know what suggestions you have!

[meimae]

01/02/22

Hello and welcome to my first immersion overview of 2022! ʕ•̀ω•́ʔ✧

If you're new here, hi, I'm Mae, and this is a list of media I listened to and read this month using the immersion or input method for Japanese language learning.

I came into the month thinking I knew exactly which books I wanted to read and dramas I wanted to see. Of course, not all my plans worked out and I had to work around some weird immersion material choices and unexpected but probably overdue gaps in my learning.

And so we come to this, a month where I almost didn't watch any dramas - I wouldn't have even watched 消えた初恋 literally on the last day of the month if I didn't realize how short it was. It had a standard fluffy plot, so it was simple and easy to listen to in the background while I was dying in grammar hell. ヾ(｡>﹏<｡)ﾉﾞ✧*。

Ah yes, grammar. The bane of my Japanese language learning journey. There's a reason I picked immersion learning as my method, and it was because I absolutely hated grinding grammar exercises in the classroom. I just wanted the language to wash over me, obviously while obsessively doing look-ups while immersing, and somehow magically be able to turn my passive knowledge from input into active output.

But alas, my anxiety has gotten the best of me, and I started to fear that the language books I did read and grind in Anki, Tae Kim and the Dictionary of Japanese Grammar, had run its course and it was finally time to sit down with another grammar resource to stitch up the loose ends.

So for the past week, I've been taking advice from people who seemed to be better at the subject than I am, and I have started to grind through the 新完全マスター 文法 N1 and N2 books, and yes, even the exercises.

Can't say I'm too happy about it, since it has so far drained my energy to read for fun, but if its going to help me somewhat based on other immersion learners' experiences, then I'm willing to give it a try. On the bright side, at least its written fully in Japanese! Never a break from immersion.

And so while I was struggling to get back on the reading grind this last week, I started to read a few chapters of 無職転生. Admittedly, still not much of a light novel reader and its not even for a lack of content I'm interested in, just a lack of drive and motivation. It's something I'd like to work harder on this year.

On the other hand, ひいきびいき is as fun to listen to as ever, now that I have a better reading base. I can still tell there are gaps in my comprehension, but at least it does not sound like gibberish to me like it did a year ago. Progress!

I wish I could tell you guys that I had a good time reading visual novels this month, but honestly it felt like a mess. If seven different visual novels shuffled within a month doesn't clue you in with the kind of concentration struggle I had, then I don't know what to tell you. At least I kept my 1M reading streak. (ﾉ∀`)

My motivation reading VNs started strong and promising, and I finished PARQUET (the beginner VN at TheMoeWay Discord) within the first few days of the month. I was also made aware of the fact that the Steam version of 剣が君 had a lot of bonus content that I missed out on because of the version I played, and so my friend Alex kindly let me read everything I missed. It was absolutely lovely, 11/10. It has been months and nothing has beat this game yet for me.

Then, with my reading high, I turned my attention to the intermediate VN from TMW, and that's where it all went south. 紙の上の魔法使い' s blurb sounded so promising, but I couldn't read past (or listen past for that matter) some stupid lines from the female characters, and so it now unfortunately sits on my stalled pile of VNs. I feel like I got baited into thinking that the characters in this game were smart because they supposedly liked reading. Who knows, maybe I'll revisit it when I'm in the mood for moe girls, but something tells me that it will take a while or never.

In my frustration with the previous game, and due to some previously hyped conversations with my friend Alex from Discord, I decided to play her favorite VN on a whim without looking at the VNDB tags (which proved to be a mistake on my part - always read the tags to filter out games with triggers). Let me introduce you to Omega Vampire, something completely far from my comfort zone, which proved to be detrimental to my reading as well later on.

Count this as the review I have for this game, apparently omegaverse is a huge thing and this game does it well, but it was not enough of a pull for me because I have no idea what the omegaverse is, and I also don't particularly enjoy vampire/werewolf stories thanks Twilight so there's that. So after a while when this VN kept on showing me disturbing sexual content without consent, I had to quit after two routes. Honestly, if I sat and read for another four days or so I could have finished it, but if I had to rinse my eyeballs everytime I tried to read then I'd rather read something else. So yeah, this goes into the stalled pile as well.

Luckily, the TMW Joseimuke Media Club pick for the month, レムレスブルーの午前２時, seemed to be wholesome, so alongside あかやあかしやあやかしの, and because I was heavily inspired by my friends in voice chat, I finally ventured into output territory and did a few hours of 朗読 with these two unvoiced VNs. I also had a brief opportunity to read in voice chat while a native Japanese speaker was watching and got 上手'd for the first time - a clue that I need to put a focus on output more.

The real star of the show this month for me though was the VN Club's quarterly pick, White Album 2. My expectations were high for this one, since its one of the admin's favorite games, and finally, finally, I was not disappointed.

The writing has been spectacular so far, and the music just adds to the mood and vibe so much that I couldn't stop reading the introductory chapter for three days within 6 hour sessions.

Gosh, so jazzy, its so good! My favorite kind of music. I love vibing to this while studying grammar - it makes it less painful to do.

I'm actually still very excited to continue reading White Album 2. It gives me so many butterflies when I think about it, so it will be my main read for February alongside the VNs I've dedicated for 朗読, and quite possibly yet another otome game from the club.

At least I learned something from this - my comfort zone is my comfort zone for a reason. It's fine to try out new things, but if it makes me frustrated or uncomfortable, its not going to be worth it regardless of how much it can improve my skill. *coughgrammarcough*

-☆-

Here's to hoping for better concentration and grammar progress in February! Still don't know how I'm going to go about studying it, but hopefully whatever it is includes better time management and just reading more than I currently have. Clearly, something I was doing was working, since I could comprehend well enough and in turn produce lengthy and detailed reviews, but output, output, is where it comes down to, and the thought of it getting stalled makes me worried. It's either the dedicated grammar study or the 朗読 that's going to push it further, and I'm going to try my best on dedicating time for both.

Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you all next time! (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡

[todomitoukei]

hii! may i ask you a few questions about japanese since you speak it and i’m currently learning it? you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to 💕

I started learning Japanese last year and passed the N5 exam. I started N4 in mid December and honestly I’ve improved so much and I feel so motivated! Your translation posts inspire me to do my best because i really want to read manga in Japanese, especially Naruto.

So, my questions are:

1) When did you start learning Japanese?

2) At what level did you read manga in Japanese? or did you immediately start learning regardless of your skill level?

3) What were the challenges you faced when reading manga in Japanese?

4) At what level do you recommend we read manga in Japanese? My sensei said we can read manga targeted for elementary students after N4 and we can watch tv in japanese after N3

thank you for taking the time in answering this ❤️

Hi! Yes, Japanese-related questions are always welcome :)

First of all, congrats on passing the N5!! And I'm really happy to hear that my posts inspire you so thank you!

As for your questions;

1) Technically, I started a couple of years ago, but it wasn't consistent at all, so I would study a few weeks, or maybe a couple of months, and then go months without studying at all and by the time I decided to pick it up again, forgot so much I basically had to start all over (though a few basics were always still there!). When I picked it up again in 2020, I, fortunately, had a lot of free time (corona, obviously) and dedicated all of that to studying Japanese and since then, have been consistently sticking to it and that's when I actually started making progress.

So the short answer I always give people is that I've been studying since 2020 but I already had some basic knowledge at that point, meaning I didn't fully start from scratch.

2) I didn't start out by reading manga and also wouldn't recommend doing so. There are a lot of graded readers out there that I would recommend, or even better, my favorite and most helpful resource: Satori Reader. There are lots of stories on there that all come with audio so you can hear the pronunciation, and it also comes with an integrated dictionary feature, meaning you can click every single word and it will tell you what it means, including entire grammar explanations. Plus, you can add words to your own personal deck to study again later.

I highly recommend Satori Reader for the start, because it really helped me get used to reading whole paragraphs and since the vocab/grammar is explained in context, it's easier than looking them up online or in a generic dictionary.

As for when I actually started reading manga? Pretty much when I was around your level, so while studying N4 material. This brings me to the next question of what the challenges were -

3) When starting to read, the most important thing is making sure it's suitable for your level. If you google "japanese manga for beginners" there are a lot of recommendations. Personally, I started with yotsuba& because it's about a little girl and her day-to-day life. That way you "only" have everyday vocab, unlike with other genres that may have more specific vocab (i.e. if there's fighting, there's everyday vocab AND additional fighting-related words, etc.) so it's a lot easier.

4) Okay, I feel like I already answered this above lol, but hmmm I would say your teacher is right. Most people recommend using comprehensible input, which means consuming content that you understand roughly 80-90% of. That way, you will always learn something, but it won't be overwhelming.

I do think, though, that starting to consume content in your target language will always be overwhelming at first, so if you just make yourself aware of the fact that you won't understand everything and that that's okay, you're good and it's gonna be better than if you waited longer to ensure that you understood more.

Especially when watching anime or tv shows (and also with manga of course) having the visuals is also always going to help you, so even if you didn't understand a lot, you'd be able to follow the story due to the visuals.

Reading is easier, though, because you can just go at your own pace so I agree that focusing on reading more at first is better.

So, I guess to sum it up: honestly? I say just go for it! Start reading, go slow and you'll immediately notice what you're struggling with. Write down any new words + grammar and make sure to study those after. You will also learn so much and it's gonna be easier to remember because you learned it in context and a lot of words and grammar points will just come up repeatedly so you will remember them sooner or later through that constant exposure.

Anyway, I hope this helped! But also feel free to ask more if you have any other questions :)

[languageek]

Tips I’ve Learned from Relearning my Second First Language

This is really important, to me, and maybe to you, too. 

But first, here’s some background info on me and bilingualism in general:

I grew up speaking Japanese and English and started speaking them as a baby at the same time (simultaneous bilingual). Some of you may have learned one after the other (sequential bilingual). 

I grew up speaking Japanese because my grandma mostly raised me, and she’s Japanese. So through her, I learned Japanese. This is my heritage language. Another example, a common heritage language in California (USA) is Spanish, and I have friends who grew up speaking Vietnamese and Tagalog. 

By definition (for ease, through Wikipedia), a heritage language is is a minority language (either immigrant or indigenous) learnt by its speakers at home as children, but never fully developed because of insufficient input from the social environment. 

People who speak a heritage language range in their skillset: some speakers are more fluent than others, and some can only understand. Some may know how to read and write, but many don’t. Everyone is different. 

The past couple months, at 25 years old, I decided I wanted to start trying to learn Japanese again. Before starting to study it more actively, I could understand Japanese pretty easily, minimal ability to speak, read, and write (hiragana was the easiest, followed by katakana and some kanji). When I was younger, I attended Japanese school on Saturdays, which is where I learned to read and write. 

I had tried many many many times before to learn Japanese again, but I failed every time. 

Here are some things I wish I would have realized earlier:

 1. You can’t rely on passive skills to study if you want to improve your active skills 

Passive skills: Listening comprehension, reading Active skills: Speaking, writing 

Active skills focus on the production of language. For the longest time I wasn’t improving these skills because I thought that I could improve them by listening to more things in Japanese: TV shows, songs, YouTube videos, listening to my family speak. 

But why would that work if I’ve been listening to my grandma speak to me in Japanese for 25 years of my life and I didn’t gain any active skills from that? 

In order to gain improve your active skills, you have to practice by using your active skills. 

I know, if you don’t speak a heritage language and are reading this, you might think DUH! I learned Portuguese and the only way to get good at speaking it is to speak it. I don’t think I realized this was the case with my Japanese because I already had an “in.” But this still applies. I had to speak and write more in order to be able to, well, speak and write more. 

2. You have to try 

You grew up speaking another language. It’s a special gift. But if you’re lacking in certain skills, you still have to work to try and strengthen those skills. 

A couple years ago, I went back to study at my Japanese school as an adult because I thought it would help. It kind of did, but not really... 

I TRICKED MYSELF into thinking I understood all the material because I could understand everything the teacher was saying, when in reality I wasn’t able to retain the kanji or the syntactic structures I was learning. 

By tricking myself into THINKING I knew things, I sabotaged my own learning experience. 

You have to try, and you have to really want to learn it because already knowing parts of the language have the potential to hold you back. 

3. Use what gave you the language to your advantage

Don’t “use” them, but you know what I mean. 

For the longest time (childhood into recent adulthood), I was too embarrassed to use Japanese with my mom and grandma. I would only routinely use a select amount of phrases that I felt comfortable using, even if my grandma was speaking to me in Japanese. 

My mom would always say “You have the best resources around you, practice your Japanese while you can.” 

And while sometimes what parents say can be annoying, my mom was right. 

But it took a HUGE change in my life to realize this and take action. 

When I was 23, my grandma went back to live in Japan. It was an emotional and difficult time for me because I was so used to having her around. While she was living with my family, we learned to communicate in a mix of Japanese-English, and I expressed my gratitude for her by doing housework for her, or buying her things at the grocery store or brought her desserts after going out to eat with friends. 

But her moving across the world meant that I couldn’t do these things anymore. A couple days before her departure, I decided that I would try and write her a letter in Japanese and slip it in her backpack for when she arrived in Japan. 

Let me tell you, I had THE MOST difficult time writing that letter. I couldn’t express how much appreciated her because my Japanese sucked. And I hated that I couldn’t tell her that in her own language. 

So after she moved to Japan, I started to write her letters--*practicing those active skills though!!! 

By being able to write letters with my grandma, not only was I practicing my Japanese, but I was creating a relationship with my grandma that I had never had before. I knew that I would regret it if I didn’t talk to her more before she’s gone. Which is sad, but it’s reality. 

And let me tell you. I’ve improved a lot. 

I can think in Japanese now. It may not be perfect, but I know how to structure my sentences. Words are coming more easily to my brain now. I can communicate with my grandma. 

4. It’s never too late

I considered late high school/early college the prime of my language learning career. I got myself to a decent level of Spanish, I learned Portuguese, I took classes in Mandarin and French. 

But for some reason, I thought my Japanese was always DOOMED because it was just way. too. hard. for. me. to. learn. 

Japanese is hard. But it’s not impossible. 

I realized that at 25. It’s never too late to learn a language, but it’s also never too late to try and relearn a language you were familiar with before. 

Just take it one step at a time. 

I always thought Japanese was overwhelming because I KNEW how difficult it was. I thought about everything--kanji, onyomi and kunyomi, all the sentence structures and everything all at once. This freaked me out and made me think I could never learn it. 

But if you learn it little by little, it’s not as overwhelming. 

# 

That’s pretty much all the major points of things I wish I realized earlier when it came to studying Japanese. 

Language is something I’ve been interested in for a long time in terms of academics, so Japanese is naturally, important to me as a language. For other heritage language speakers, it might be more of the food that’s important, or cultural aspects, or other parts of their heritage that is important. 

Everyone is different. 

But this was for you, heritage language speaker, if you needed a little push. 

[tenaciousdreamer]

Language Acquisition (1 of 2)

Want to learn a language but you suck at memorizing vocabularies? Want to learn a language but you’re having a hard time understanding the language’s grammar structures?

Fear not! For there is an alternative way to familiarize yourself with your target language - the way babies use to have a comprehensive understanding on their mother tongue! Behold, language acquisition!

Below (keep reading) are the tips given by polyglots for familiarizing oneself with a particular language

TL;DR: Pay close attention and absorb as much as you can in your target language. What you’re trying to do is basically subconsciously learning a language through your surroundings. This can be done through reading kids’ storybooks, listening to nursery rhymes, or even through watching TV shows.

Language acquisition is basically subconsciously picking up a language and it is what babies use to pick up their native tongue.

Comprehensible input

Input from your surroundings causes acquisition. Unlike learning, where you memorize vocabularies, grammar rules, etc., acquisition is a subconscious and implicit way to learn a language.

Don’t study grammar, acquire it

Wait until you're fluent (or semi), that is when you can start learning grammar. You may also browse through grammar bit by bit, but you must not focus on it. There is a concept called “Monitor hypothesis” wherein studying grammar even makes it harder for the learner to speak the language as grammar rules come in the way. Hence, majority of your focus should be on comprehensible input - hear/read, not write or memorize. Basically, just absorb your target language as much as possible.

Natural approach by Dr. Krashen and Terrell

In this learning approach, students don't get grammar instructions - grammar is acquired naturally. Students are also not corrected. Language throughout the lessons is done in target language.

TPRS - Teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling

The full form of the abbreviation basically explains everything. Or, in short, students acquire language through lots of stories accompanied with reading.

Proof that natural approach works

Decide which language you want to acquire

1970 experiment: half of the courses used traditional, while other half used natural approach. Natural approach students remembered more words, spoke more words, and scored higher.

Dr. Mason: teaches English in Japan using story listening. Similar experiment from above was conducted and after 5 weeks, 36% was remembered from traditional approach, 75% was remembered from comprehensible input.

The State Department of US has a list of languages and their corresponding difficulty levels for native English speakers, and the estimate number of hours one has to spend acquiring the language. (Level 5 Japanese 2200, level 4 tagalog 1100hrs)

Minimal reading or writing

While these may be great ways to polish your knowledge, the problem is, less time goes to comprehensible input. (Babies don't do reading or writing for a long time.)

Find a language parent (or an alternative)

Ask help from people around you who speak your target language. If none available, trades- talk to someone who wants to learn your native language. Other apps mentioned are: Crauglist, Tandem, Hellotalk.

The magic / most important part

Need magazines and children's story books. The important thing is pictures. Talk about those to your language partner. Storytelling is a very important part. Listening to your partner talk about the stories and pictures are fine. Acquisition is more on input rather than output. Throughout whole conversation, try staying in target language.

TPR - Total physical response

From its name, TPR is acquiring language through movement.

Read, read, read

Self-explanatory. It puts the puzzle pieces together. (Students who read 100 to 150 pages per week had the best results)

i+1

Acquire knowledge slightly higher than your current level; you won’t acquire fluency by listening to fluent audios if you’re at a beginner level.

No corrections

Having corrections are like having formal instructions, very technical; some improvements may be made albeit the minimal retainment.

Rosetta stone and apps

Use your phone

Rosetta stone: super boring, missing conversations and interactions, but better than nothing (it doesn’t come close to comprehensive inputs)

Duolingo: problem is memorization

Listen to recording of your sessions (especially children stories)

Study abroad (if you can)!

Meet people, build relationships, trade languages.

Disclaimer: The tips above are not mine, I only summarized the information (and included information I deem most important, to keep the post concise but informative) from Poly-glot-a-lot’s video. If you want a more detailed and comprehensive understanding about this topic, you may watch their full video. I also advice you to read other related videos and articles about each theory/concept mentioned in this video.

Side note: I think that if you want to do language acquisition, you don’t have to necessarily and strictly follow all the tips mentioned above, that might only result in discouragement in your part. (reminder: I am a common man in terms of language acquisition and I am only a learner. Prior to watching this video, I have not yet tried learning a language myself through acquisition)

Other related resources I find interesting: TED talk | Video with examples for comprehensive input | Stages of language acquisition | another video ft Jeff Brown | 5 stages of second language acquisition