What can be really disheartening though is the realisation that after studying kanji for months or even years (depending on your daily kanji diet), you still cannot understand your favourite Japanese Facebook page or read the subtitles of your favourite anime.

It’s a vicious circle – you get frustrated because you can’t read enough kanji and stop studying. By not studying you never reach the point where you know enough not to get frustrated.

While nailing several hundred kanji is quite an effort and requires the sort of dedication and effort that not everyone possesses, I found it wasn’t until I hit the magic 1000 mark that everything started coming together – it’s what I call the lightbulb moment.

My Lightbulb Moment

I didn’t suddenly wake up one day and yell out “Praise the Lord, I can now read all the kanji! Hallelujah!” but over the course of several months, I clearly remember being able to look at a normal Japanese sentences on TV or a website and work out what it meant. It’s an exciting feeling and a proud moment – at least it was for me ^^

Kanji compounds become far less daunting when you can look at each character and recall each of their meanings. It’s also a great motivator knowing that the 25 kanji you’ll learn today is only going to make things even clearer tomorrow.

So if you’re sitting on 200, 300 or even 500 kanji and frustrated by your perceived Japanese illiteracy, make sure to remind yourself that the lightbulb moment is just around the corner. Yours may come at 700, 800 or 1000 but it will come – that’s guaranteed.

Five or six kanji a day and you’re all done in a year. Simple, huh? ^^

Image Credit: Pixiv

• Remembering the Kanji: One Year Later
• Review: Kodansha Kanji Dictionary
• Learn Kanji: The Kanji Starter Kit
• Just remember…..
• JLPT versus RTK: It’s Your Choice

If you’ve ever undertaken the arduous (and yet rewarding) task of learning the entire Jōyō kanji then you probably have, at some point along the way, had enough of it all.

The daily grind of learning new kanji, stroke orders, readings plus going over the old ones to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything is mostly exciting but occasionally just plain old boring.

When that feeling starts to hit you again, try a few of the following quick fixes that should help keep kanji reps from being – well – repetitive. ^^

Go Old School

Forever staring at a computer or phone screen doing your reps?

Why not try going old school for a day a week and printing out a set of flashcards on good old-fashioned paper. Yes, you’re helping to kill the planet but it’s time to be selfish as you have 1,681 kanji left to learn and they’re not going to learn themselves.

Physically holding the kanji in your hand on flashcards is a surprisingly different learning experience and you should find the change helpful. It worked for everyone before 1995 and I’m guessing it’ll work for you too.

There’s a great set of RTK flashcards to print out at www.polarcloud.com and tons of JLPT flashcards available for download at all the major flashcard sites.

Ask A Friend

Many of us choose to sit in solitude while studying our kanji reps. However, once in a while it’s a good idea to invite a friend, mum, dad, housemate, lover, wife, husband or even your pet dog* to help you out.

Using the flashcards that you printed out above, pass them around to your mates and let them quiz you. They don’t need to know any Japanese – anyone can hold up a kanji card for you.

You simply give your answer and they can see on the back of the card whether you’re right or wrong. Simple and fun.

* Pet dog not recommended for long term use

Mix It Up

If you always use a textbook to study kanji, try using an online resource for a day a week.

Sites like www.jlptstudy.com (JLPT) or kanji.koohii.com (RTK) are just a few examples to get you started. Make your way through the kanji on-screen as you would in your textbook.

You’ll find that a simple diversion from the daily textbook grind can really help keep things fresh.

Kanji Drinking Game

Now I don’t condone binge drinking (^^), however if you’re of the correct drinking age in your country and you’re looking to put a new twist on kanji reps then listen up.

Using the flashcards you printed out for RTK or JLPT, line up your beverage of choice eg Redbull and Vodka, Jägerbombs etc and form a circle on the floor with a group of friends (preferably other kanji nerds like yourself).

Every correct answer gives you a pass and every incorrect answer means another shot down the hatch. It will quickly become apparent who hasn’t been studying as much as they should have ^^.

So there’s a few ideas to keep from getting bored. If you have any of your own suggestions please leave a comment below.

Good luck!

• Learning Japanese: Never Give Up
• Learn Kanji: The Kanji Starter Kit
• Learning Japanese: Do It Your Own Way
• Learning Kanji: My Lightbulb Moment
• Remembering the Kanji: One Year Later

It doesn’t happen every week or even every month but lack of motivation hits us all at some point.

However, it’s the people who push through that wall and continue their studies that will eventually become a Japanese ninja. ^_^

My favourite thought when studying Japanese seems all too hard is that even the dumbest, most stupid person in Japan knows how to read, write and speak Japanese to a higher level then you are now.

So while you’re thinking that it’s all impossible – it isn’t – there are 125 million Japanese (give or take few) to prove you wrong. They all read, write and speak Japanese to one degree or another and if they can, then so can you.

BTW I don’t like to, and never have, called anyone stupid or dumb but I think you get my point…..anyone (yes, you) is capable of learning Japanese. ^_^

Good luck!

• Learning Japanese: Never Give Up
• Learn Kanji: The Kanji Starter Kit
• Don’t Be Deaf To Japanese
• Should You Take The JLPT?
• Book Review: Japanese Graded Readers

Everyone learns a different way. It’s an obvious statement but one that bears thinking about when you’re attempting to learn a language.

For example, if you’re studying at school I guarantee that no-one bothered to ask you about how you wanted to learn Japanese?

In a typical classroom setting, you have no input in to what time of day you start or how many students are in your study group or what textbooks you use.

What if you learn better on your own? What if you don’t want to learn romaji? Maybe you’re better suited to learn kanji mnemonically rather than delving in to readings from day one?

For some of us, this type of disconnect between how we are taught and what we actually need to be able to learn, is enormous and it can seriously affect our ability to learn a language.

A common scenario is that on your first day of Japanese class you’re filled with anticipation at finally begin able to learn the language you love so much.

However, several months later, you’re lagging behind the class and have lost all motivation and even worse, you might be questioning your own intelligence. Am I just dumb? No you’re not – please read on.

Don’t Blame Yourself

Firstly if you’re reading my blog, your intelligence is beyond question – so no worries there at all ^_^

Secondly, don’t be too quick to blame yourself if you’re not at the level you think you should be. Perhaps the classroom environment and/or syllabus is just not right for you.

If you’re at a grade school there is not alot you can do about that but outside of school hours the time is your own and if you truly want to master Japanese then you’ll need to study the way that suits you and make up for the lost time in the classroom.

I’ve listed below several study variations that may help clarify in your own mind what works best for you. These thoughts apply to anyone studying Japanese – not just in school.

Goals versus Free-Form

You’re either a goal-orientated person or not. If you’re younger you may not know that yet but by the time you finish school you will.

Some people find setting personal goals to be claustrophobic and unnecessarily draconian. They would rather just take it easy, get the job done in their own time and on a timeline that suits them.

Others can’t function without goals. They need a short or long term goal to constantly maintain their motivation and feel rewarded by attaining their goals on schedule.

Both options are okay for the individual but our non-goal friends are probably not going to enjoy the classroom environment very much.

If you’re on the non-goal team, then after-hours tutoring is perhaps a better option for you or maybe teaching yourself on the interwebs. Both of these options will reduce any unnecessary or counter-productive stress caused by the classroom environment.

Be really careful not to allow the stringent nature of the classroom to dampen any enthusiasm you have for the language as it is very hard to regain that once it is lost.

Conversely, if you need to learn in a group make sure you put yourself out there and make it happen.

RTK versus JLPT

RTK or Remembering the Kanji is a well-known method of learning kanji and JLPT is of course the standard test worldwide for Japanese proficiency.

RTK focusses more on how a kanji is put together and is very visual whereas JLPT is pretty much a learn by rote system. RTK doesn’t teach the kanji readings at all (until RTK2) while JLPT starts with the whole package – kanji, radicals and readings – from day one.

If you’re struggling to remember any kanji in class then perhaps you’re more of a visual learner. In that case Remembering The Kanji may be more suited to your needs.

The trick is not to think there is only way to learn Japanese.

If something is feeling harder than it should be, make sure you look around for other options. You know you have what it takes to learn so don’t stop until you find the right method for you.

When you’re fluent Japanese, no-one is going to stop you mid-sentence and ask what method you used. If you’re fluent, you’re fluent – job done.

Classroom or Self-study

This is a big stumbling block for some people.

If you’re at school you have no choice but to learn with others in your classroom but if you’re working during the day and trying to self-study at night and getting nowhere then you might be someone who needs to learn in a group environment.

If you’re forced to self-study due to economic or time issues then make sure you get your face-to-face time with others online. Websites such as EduFire offer live video tuition for numerous languages including Japanese. You can then get your interaction fix while still self-studying.

Don’t give up now. Fix the problem by getting to the core issue of why you feel you’re not progressing. Only you know the answer to that question.

Morning or Night

Do you struggle to learn at different times of day?

Perhaps you work during the day and study Japanese at night and find yourself going nowhere fast?

Or maybe Japanese is your first class in the morning at school and you just can’t focus no matter how hard you try?

There’s morning people and night people. Some of us come alive the closer it gets to midnight while others are at their peak at 5am.

If you’re struggling at certain times of the day, then why not try re-arranging your day to see if that changes anything.

Instead of sitting down to study at 11pm, go to bed early and hit the books at 6am.

Give it a try – it might just be the thing that is holding you back.

がんばってね!

• JLPT versus RTK: It’s Your Choice
• Learning Japanese: Never Give Up
• Learn Kanji: The Kanji Starter Kit
• Word Of The Week: Choushoku (朝食)
• Have Fun With Kanji Reps

Image Credit: Fey-Rayen (DeviantArt)

Whether you’re a beginner, advanced or somewhere in between, at some point in your Japanese studies you’ve probably “hit the wall”. I’m sure you know the feeling – you’re over it, you don’t want to see another kanji or verb conjugation as long as you live.

There are many reasons this can happen – perhaps you’re bored, too busy with school or work, sick and tired of studying or you’ve simply lost your motivation.

It happens to the best of us and it’s a common problem in any endeavour, not just learning Japanese. However, it’s the way you deal with the “wall” that will define your success or failure.

If you have read anything about successful people, a common thread is that they never give up.

It is what separates them from others who start a business and then get disillusioned when they’re not making $50,000 a week, a month after opening their restaurant and give up.

Perhaps they would have had a chance at making $50,000 a week but it would take 5 years of hard work and the determination to see it through. Either way, they’ll never know because they gave up.

The world is littered with the carcasses of great dreams that went nowhere because of a lack of staying power, focus and determination. It takes a certain person to push through the pain and keep going while others fall by the wayside.

The Tipping Point

The phrase “Tipping Point” comes from a book by Malcolm Gladwell, and basically means “the process in which, beyond a certain point, the rate at which the process proceeds increases dramatically.”

Put in the lingo of language learning it means that at a certain point everything just seems to come together.

Perhaps you’ve been studying hard for a few years and seemingly getting nowhere and suddenly there becomes a point where you just feel like it comes naturally. You’re not thinking about tenses and conjugations and how many strokes in each kanji – you’re just thinking in Japanese – it’s become part of you.

Right before this “tipping point” is where the problems lie. The years of study are taking their toll and you’re wondering if you’re ever going to be fluent. This is where many people just give up as the “wall” just seems to great to get over.

Remember The Reward

If you feel yourself losing focus or interest in your Japanese studies, it’s time to remind yourself of just how far you have come and what the rewards are for sticking with it.

Your goal may be as simple as personal improvement or as life-changing as moving to Japan to live and work. Both are valid reasons to push through any walls you hit along the way.

Value Your Progress

A great way to embolden yourself and also bring clarity and excitement back in to your daily studies is to look at how much you have achieved.

Even if it’s taken you three years to learn the basic hiragana and katakana then you’ve already accomplished what most of your friends and family will never do in their lifetime.

Just think about it – you can look at hiragana, which to others is a bunch of mindless squiggles, and make sense of it. That’s pretty impressive stuff.

It is too easy to dismiss your knowledge as “simple” but if it were that simple then everyone would know it.

Open one of your hiragana text books and show a friend or family member and I bet they won’t know what anything means and conversely I’m sure they’ll be very impressed when you can read a hiragana sentence out loud to them.

While it may seem like nothing, you’ve actually come a long way and you need to acknowledge that and use it to push yourself to the next level.

Have you ever visualised being able to read an entire Japanese newspaper or watching an entire Japanese TV show and being to able to understand everything?

Don’t think you could? Well you can – it’s just a matter of using the same skills that you used to learn hiragana and katakana – study, focus and determination.

Yes, it’s much, much harder but if 125 million Japanese can do it, so can you.

Name and Shame

If you need a kick along in the area of self-motivation then why not make your plans public? If you’re stuck on the first 100 kanji, then set yourself a goal to learn them by a certain date.

In my opinion there is no better motivation than to have your friends, workmates or classmates knowing about your goals. Post something on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or even your own blog. Outline what you plan to achieve and make it public.

I guarantee the next time you feel like watching TV rather than learning a few kanji, you’ll think twice about the consequences ^_^

It’s All About You

In the end you still have to really want to learn Japanese – there is no getting around that and it is the most powerful motivator.

You can’t be doing it just to hook up with the hot new Japanese exchange student in your class or because your Mum and Dad want you to. You have to want it badly and you have to want it all by yourself.

So if you’ve hit the wall, please don’t stop there. It’s a very long road to proficiency but it’s also very rewarding.

Imagine being able to fluently communicate in another language? It doesn’t get much better than that in my book.

• Just remember…..
• Learning Japanese: Do It Your Own Way
• Learning Kanji: My Lightbulb Moment
• 3 Ways to Learn Japanese With YouTube
• Use Twitter To Improve Your Japanese