Studying abroad in that country is for sure the best way to study their language. You actually get to learn and experience the culture together with it.
It's called immersion. the more you surround yourself with your target language the better. It's so much easier to do that today than when I studied (mid to late 90's). I never had anyone to talk to, I spent tons of money on Pokey at the only Japanese store in town where I forced myself to use japanese only. But those few phrases and words didn't get me far so today I can barely introduce myself and I've forgotten all the kana and kanji I had learned.
personally, as someone whos been learning the langauge independently for a year and a half with just immersion. i cant imagine learning japanese before 2010. there is so much content at your fingertips nowadays, without even spending money with the internet. i relly too much on the creations and tools of others on the internet, like dictionaries, flashcards, emulators, retro jp games, subtitles files, jp books that i cant get outside of japan, raw anime episodes, phone apps, monolignual dictionaries, jp keyboard inputs etc...
@@Money_Man55 all the textbooks and dictionairies I have at home never taught me pitch accent nor explained why you need to use a certain phrase in certain situations. I've been re-learnibg the language by watching RU-vid and Disney+ since most of the content there is dubbed to Japanese.
I think learning school is just a way to 1.force you to actually commit to learning time 2.have you develop realistic language usage. I think a down side and upside is not being able to use any English. Abroad in Japan's video was also very interesting when he covered the topic
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m enrolled in a Japanese language school and will be moving once restrictions are lifted! Can’t wait for the experience 😊
@@Lifeisnow1234 osaka, I visited both cities before covid and did all my research while there, the amount of money that I saved been in osaka longer it is significant. I used the same money in Tokyo which I was there for a week, I used the same in 2 weeks in osaka. But pro tip, you get paid the same as is you were in tokyo. If you have any questions I can drop you email (is there RU-vid chat?)
Michael V. I know, it’s super frustrating, but I feel lucky that I have a good job right now. Plus, it just means I’ll have more money than I expected to spend on clothes and food!
I lived in Japan for 2 years and while there i was in a language school. My experience is this: in my country i already had basic Japanese degree from a school and i learned from a Japanese teacher living here. Once in Japan, the school made us do a test, almost every one had to go to first (basic japanese ) classes, even people who knew Japanese well, like my ex who was Taiwanese. I think all of this is a strategy in milking the foreign students. Also the school that i was was good for basic japanese only because as soon as you get to advanced/intermediate level, we barely had grammar classes, it was basically choice classes that didn't teach you anything, for the exception of the JLPT classes that not everyone could attend because they got full fast. To summarize this, my personal feelings towards japanese language school's in Japan are, they are mainly a business and, as a business they are focused in maintaining a good cash flow and keep you in the school (thus making the higher level classes a drag were you basically learn a few choice words and kanjis every week) also, the school model is more and more inclined towards the chinese student as, they are the main nationality. This however created biases in my school as, the classes and even the end of term test were clearly geared towards the chinese student. Not complaining but, in an international school if you tend to favor one group them you're bound to create "clicks". In my former school it was hard, even in classes, to cooperate with the Chinese, Taiwanese and Hong Kongese as they refused to join up with us the westerners even during projects. Most of the time they would just remain in their own groups. Luckily we managed at almost the end of the first term to finally make friends with them by creating a Line group for the class and we started to hang out together. This and other smaller issues that i and every one that i know that attended my school had makes me think that, yes its a good investment to study japanese in Japan if you don't know any japanese or want to strengthen your base but more than that, i just felt that i was literally paying for a Visa so that i could remain in the country. My advice is if you truly want to learn japanese, is to get a part-time job as, most of what i actually learned (specially in speaking) comes from there. All in all it's a good a experience that i recommend to people who want to learn the language or, just have an excuse to live there for a couple of years but, not recommend if you already have a good understating of the language. Oh, and if you plan to have a girlfriend while living there avoid the sharehouses.
Can you care to elaborate more about the kanji? I dunno if this os common sense but language is all input, so once you learn to read youll be able to listen and write. So my main draw back with schools here in the west is that kanji is put aside, kind like 10 per term or something, it is just ridiculous.
@@tsukun16 Were i studied we had kanji classes 2 times per week if i recall. We would learn i think 5 kanjis per class or 10 (at the beginning classes only). The thing is, while we learned a lot of kanjis the books we used were trash. We learned a new kanji and in some cases the teacher would only give us 1 sole example of that kanjis use and most often only the basic use, we rarely learned any complex words formed from said kanji. And it was even worst when i went to advanced classes, man what a joke. My advice is study by yourself and at your own pace and ignore what all the Japanese teachers say as by my experience they are trained to have a mindset of school = business so, keeping students and slowing the learning process = more money for the school. Also in my former school we barely read as well, it was mostly grammar classes with exercises but it would depend on who's your main teacher and, after talking with various people who studied in different language schools in Japan, that seems to be similar in every school, specially the part were in advanced classes they slow you down to milk you. Basically, the best bet you have is to study by yourself preferably with Japanese books that teach the language. Hope this was helpful.
@@MeanCalifa reallly appreciate man, thats really disappointing but you helped clear my thoughts and not surprised with this kind of reality at all. Spend money to go overseas and see same set up is a bummer. Thank you man.
Hello daniel. I want to know one thing like if we just know basic japanese and if we go there in japan and study there in a laguage school for a year or two, can we be able to study in a japanese uni or can be fluent?
I remember when Cathy in a video said “bread store”...who cares if you do some mistakes or if don’t know a word? The point is not to ne afraid to speak and to try to communicate anyway 💪🏻
When I was taking Japanese classes in Japan I felt like the course material was nothing special but the fact that all the teachers spoke only japanese and the textbooks were all in Japanese were really good immersion. It was a stressful experience for the first month or so because I could barely understand anything my teachers said but after a few months I noticed a lot of improvement in my comprehension. I was also doing a ton of reading Japanese outside of school work so that helped improve my vocabulary a lot more than the classes themselves. I think in general a classroom setting is not a very good way to learn a language but I still got a lot out of the experience. My Japanese improved a lot more during self study after leaving Japan though (except for speaking ability, which deteriorated quite a bit from lack of use)
@@dsudawat1112 sadly no, with the sudden covid outbreak, myself and the others that were going to go overseas didnt have the time to raise the money for it due to lockdown
When I was in the US in the early 90's for an exchange student year, I also improved the little English I learned in German school quite quickly and dramatically and I haven't lost that skill since. I is true that after a certain time you don't translate in your head anymore, if you have to interact in a certain language all the time, but that you think in it, making responses that much easier. I'd certainly tell anyone that wants to improve language skills in a certain language to go to a country where it is spoken.
i was lucky to achieve my dream to live in japan but unfortunately i had not studied the language beforehand i got the opportunity to go. mainly because i never believed i would actually achieve this dream. and that was my biggest regret about my experience. i wish i studied and did my best to learn as much of the language before. looking back at it, im certain i would have had much better experience and would have had enjoyed it much more if i already learned a proficient level of the language. i of course tried to learn as much when i was there, but definitely had wasted time and opportunities to enjoy the life there, because of the limitation of not knowing the language. of course though im still grateful i got to have my chance, hope you all as well have it, just prepare for the opportunity!!
It is more expensive to study in japan. Better study in ur country since it will be much cheaper and try to talk to ur friends who know japanese.. if u not have somebody to talk, I can talk
I saw the other comment and ik its 1 year old but if you have the money and the time you should study abroad. Its more than just the language, you also gain a lot of experience
Immersion is so important. I lived in Japan for a year as an exchange student. Lived in a normal Japanese house hold with parents who barely know english, and went to a normal japanese high school as the only foreign student. You had to learn Japanese to communicate, and you were constantly exposed to the language, so I learned so much faster than when I was studying alone.
My general idea has been to study as much as I can here, then hope to get it *more right* by immersion. Some parts of languages I'm very good at learning, others, especially where you must memorize, are not so easy for me to retain. (Admittedly some of my advance-studying in hopes of knowing what I need to learn more to go there have been a bit discouraged by the pandemic even if I couldn't have expected to get there for a couple of years anyway, for money reasons. I think the disease took away the pretense of 'Hey, what if something happens and I couuld go *right now?* that kinda motivates . Anyway, it'll take time either way, I'll keep kinda working on it.
I am waiting for response from immigration office about my student visa, which I applied for with language school, so this video hit perfect time for me! Thank you :)
I'm chilean, my mother language is Spanish, already speak English but your videos hlp me to practice my English hearing abilities and "taste" a little bit of Japanese. Great video as always, Thanks!
Please do a video series for learning japanese, that would really help us a lot, those who can't afford to buy books or take a japanese language class, your our only hope ...I hope you'll notice this and take it into consideration, I'm a big fan as always
I'm positive it really depends on the school and the teachers. I studied at KAI Japanese Language School (Tokyo) for a year. The speed and intensity of the courses are pretty high. The teachers mostly only speak Japanese, and even though you're an adult, they expect you to do all the homework and stuff (and there's quite a lot of that), they won't like it if you just try to decide yourself what to do and not do. Ultimately I think it was pretty good, and I felt like I actually learnt stuff. Got maybe halfway on the way to the JLPT 3. Passed the JLPT 4. Still wish it was a bit less strict and time consuming though. The lack of time and money meant I didn't actually get to have much fun...
Good advice, finding people who speak the language to learn more & faster with them. I've been meaning to go deeper into my Japanese language knowledge, but I just keep delaying. I need to force myself eventually. I actually want to know some Japanese before I ever visit Japan. I'm not sure I could handle lessons, but I eventually take some. I know it's a long road, but at the same, I already speak & write 5-6 languages, I think I got some advantage in learning languages. Basically just need to force myself into it and just do it instead of keep saying I'm gonna do it.
I think it's much harder to learn Japanese while in Japan than it is in your home country. The pressure of being forced to speak seems like it would hinder your ability to speak naturally. If you were to just immerse in Japanese in the comfort of your home country, without the need for speaking, eventually you'd be able to gain a solid intuition for how the language works and not really have to spend so much time and effort correcting mistakes or breaking bad habits.
I didn't have the same experience.. Wish I would. Basically I've learnt more in Germany than in Japan bc the teachers in Germany are more strict. The exams in Japan are also a joke. I know not every Uni in JP is that "easy" but many are. Basically it's bc "the hardest part is to enter a Uni but once you're in than you can chill your live". Or more precisely, you should focus more how to get a job after Uni and do a "arubaito" bc the fees and such are expensive
An actual depiction of Pre Uni classes when you're above N6 is like 90% native Chinese speakers, who obviously chat in Chinese all the time. Everything outside the school was noice but class time itself was the real culture shock.
Trying to do at least 5-10 hours a week like I do with my university studies, but need a kick in the rear to get motivated and to get going, I'm going to need it as I want to come over to Japan to learn the Japanese technique for my trade ( Traditional Chinese Medicine & acupuncture doctor) Toyohari and I would like to do it without a translator. Same with the Chinese I need to start learning. That and if I get a job in Japan well that would be a bonus, on the up side I have a friend that is also learning Japanese and speaks Chines fluently too, bonus he works in the Japanese restaurant in town so food and conversation once a week.
So let's say you know zero Japanese, or just the basic stuff like saying "hello how are you", then how the hell can you learn anything if teh teachers ONLY speak Japanese? That sounds extremely hard.
The same way children who have never learned a language before do it. Your brain is made for pattern recognition and language is all about patterns, just listening to the language everyday lets your brain subconciously dissect it and learn from it, even if you dont notice it.
I went to a school in osaka with literally 0 japanese but they managed to get me to an n4 level within 6 months. Some times you dont know what the teacher is saying but they will do their best to explain it.. sometimes using an English word or other classmates will help.. and also google translate 😅 Its very fast paced though, when I started we wrote japanese in romaji and within 1-2 months we were writing hiragana, katakana and basic kanji.
@@greaty93 dude, n4 in 6 months is not good at all, you can learn both hiragana and katakana in one week each, and using the heisig method you can learn about 10-30 new kanji per day, depending on your dedication. No offence but that school sounds like a scam, lol
@@cheekibreeki6035 hiragana and katakana you could learn in 2 days. I'm saying coming from 0 Japanese to n4 in 6 months. It's very good and realistic. Most people take 6 months to a year to hold a decent conversation in Japanese. The schooling is only 4 hours per day with weekends off.
I studied in Japanese language school for one year. I agree that studying Japanese in Japan is a lot better than studying outside of Japan. The reasons are obvious, and your interviewees have mentioned it. I must say though, I was somewhat disappointed by the style of language teaching. I realized most, if not all, Japanese language schools teach Japanese in the same way it is taught in the elementary--using rote. I felt it was so childish. This is my suggestion for language learners: if you want to learn the language, learn it from a foreigner! For example, a native English language speaker fluent in Japanese will definitely teach it better than a native Japanese language speaker. Why? Because, he will be able to explain grammar, and teach you in the manner fit for an adult in your mother tongue, not merely, by rote. Japanese language teachers cannot/do not explain grammar and syntax. They just tell you to repeat after them, and if you ask, can't you say another way, they're answer always is: no, that's just the way it is said. Everything in Japan is "manualized." Even the teaching of the language. それはとてもイライラします。
@@ottodoroki yes j'ai vu ça ! Mais le temps que ce soit mis au point et disponible sur le marché, je suis sûre que tu seras déjà bilingue en bossant assidûment ton japonais ^^ L'option "immersion" en prenant des cours là bas est top, mais hélas onéreuse...
@@Sakura_gaoo j'avais voulu faire une école de langue a mes frais 16000 euro mini pour 2 ans. Après l'immersion si tu reste qu'avec des fr ou anglican faut vraiment se faire souffrance pour avancer !
@@ottodoroki c'est clair, si ce n'est que pour rester entre fr ou anglican par la suite ça ne vaut pas le coup, surtout après avoir déboursé 16k ! Issue du e-commerce, je recherche plus un emploi managérial en cdi, juste avant la crise c19 j'ai passé des entretiens concluants pour 1 poste à Tokyo mais mon embauche a été gelée en mars... J'étais deg deg deg mais plus les mois passent, plus en prenant du recul et en voyant la réalité du terrain je me dis que c'est peut être finalement un mal pour un bien...
I was supposed to pick up Mandarin while in China for a couple months... (not intentionally, but that was supposed to happen lol) Didn't happen because a few people I was with were fluent English speakers, so I was never forced to pick up the language x3
For me it was terrible tbh. My university in Germany had a much higher standard than my exchange university in Japan. It's courses totally bored me and I was better off learning for my own with my own resources than at the university. Also, I could not make any Japanese friends there because the other students weren't really interested in exchanging languages. My Japanese was already very good at the time so I did not really improve through that uni and many colleagues of mine had the same problem over there. :/
Anyone know a good language school that isn't located in Tokyo or Kyoto? I'm thinking about more rural ones like Yamasa, or ones located in Osaka. I've travelled to Japan 3 times on vacation, and have self-studied up to around an N3 level. I want to move there eventually, but as an older person I'm more interested in a place that isn't a huge hustle and bustle city, as it'd cost a lot less and seem like a more laid back lifestyle. Also, what sort of jobs have you been able to get after language school? I have an established career, but if I can't find work in my field (3D modeling/Arch Viz/Games) over there I'd love to maybe explore translation/interpretation or tourism/hospitality jobs.
and there is me who only self-study for JLPT (without trying to improve speaking), somehow managed to pass the interview in japanese for university exam. Now, I am trembling in fear waiting when I will go to Japan. HELP...
Actually about this topic will be depend on what part-time that you have and depending on school or teacher that will teach you.. For me.. living here in Japan while studying is just a little different from studying at my country. Why?... 1. My part-time job is newspaper delivery.. I deliver newspaper twice a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. My part-time job eating too much of time a day, and I barely have a time to memorize vocabulary and review all the grammar. 2. Almost all of my classmates are chinese and they usually speak in Mandarin during break time and I can't even interact with them (because they are speaking mandarin most of the time). 3. Most of the teacher in my school don't really help us to practice to speak. They don't even correct my and my classmates pronunciation. 4. Since... My part-time job is newspaper delivery. I really don't have a chance to interact with Japanese (like I just put the newspaper inside the postbox and then go to the next house). So in conclusion.. studying nihongo in Japan well be still depend on your part-time job(if you will get one), time availability and school/teacher.
Im learning Korean and can confirm its impossible to use in everyday life. Had Korean friends for a bit, and they refused to speak to me in Korean lol. One was quite condescending, don't hang out with her anymore lol
amazing. I don't get use Japanese words over here when I studied some kanji and some vocabulary and some sentences. So I use them online. Like if I see a Japanese person on their streams, i'm not afraid to say "こんにちは" since i've learned that word when studying also is it true that some use informal Japanese online?
Most of the time learning Japanese in class, from N5 level onwards:- it's polite level. When you get to n1 level , then you learn informal Japanese. Mainly because you will be using polite form of communication most of the time(with teachers, Co workers etc). Informal Japanese is used with people who are really really close to you(close friends of your age or below). To be good at informal speech, you have to spend years learning from communicating with locals because n1 level Japanese doesn't cover those because they are not standard textbook material.
Hi there! anyone knwos the name of a japanese college, i really need to improve my japanese, any recommendation would be great, but of course good Colleges, the best ones please. thanks guys.
It can be many kinds (student, tourist, working holiday or spouse visa), depending on your situation. Long-term study will need student visa. Contact takemetojapan for free help! Link is in the description :)
@@LeCatte not hard for me, I sent my birth certificate, my high school diploma, uni degree, and my bank balance. The school did the rest and got it in a month.
Depends on how long you plan to study and what course will you take after learning Japanese. The longest period of (solo purpose) learning Japanese visa is 2 years. After that, either you find work and convert that into working/skilled visa(which you have to apply and get ready before April) If you plan to enter a university, then you will have to get admitted into a uni before 2 years is up. Then you can extend you stay in Japan for studies. Again, how long is depends on your course in uni.
Having the constant pressure to continue learning while in language school can either really push you to new heights, or completely break you. If the latter, *not all hope is lost* , but I can often forget that myself...
VoluXian I’ve heard it’s best to get ahead of class, and use it more as a review period. Can be pretty tough if u fall behind if classes move on every day
OMG! Moonie Cathy Cat perhaps someone will have to lock me up in a Japanese school so i can learn Japanese,LOL! I am learning but its getting the motivated part to continue!
You should do a interview about what people think about black women cause every time you say “foreigner” they immediately think of white people and not POV so I you could we really wanna see that 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾‼️‼️‼️
I like cathy with pigtails, or as I like to call them.....handle bars. Before you people get all defensive just remember, it's better to be a creep than a simp.
