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This topic contains 5 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by  johnDoe 8 years, 11 months ago.

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  • #47880

    Alejandro
    Member

    Hello,

    I don’t know if learning Japanese is for me or not. Just a quick background of my learning history. When I was in high school. (3 years ago) I began with learning hiragana and a little bit of Katakana. in addition I would scroll casually through free Japanese lessons online (I wasn’t a very good learner at the time.) When I was done with high school I took a year and a half break because I served a mission. when I came back I told myself I would keep learning. I started learning the language again, but now my motivation went down.

    I want to know what are some things that keep you motivated and what are your reasons and if you have any suggestions for me

    • This topic was modified 9 years ago by  Alejandro.
    #47884

    Staying motivated to learn a language is tough. I’ve been doing that with Japanese off and on since high school. I spent a good chunk of my adolescence growing up in Japan and another couple years working there. It was all on a US military base but the experiences I had while living there were amazing. My wife is Japanese, so is her daughter (now my step daughter) but I want to learn Japanese because I want to connect with their family.

    Other things that keep me motivated are listening to Japanese bands/music and watching films/anime in Japanese. Some of the bands I like are Asian Kung Fu Generation, Yui, Mr. Children, Dragon Ash, M-Flo, Crystal K, Bump of Chicken…just to name a few. I’m a huge fan of Akira Kurosawa films so I would definitely check out his library of films. Takashi Miike is pretty awesome too.

    /r/learnjapanese is an awesome subreddit too, so be sure to check that out!

    #47887

    Hello!

    I always found learning something new was much tougher when I was in high school/college. I would spend my days cramming my brain with information that was absolutely necessary to get good grades, and spent less time working on things that interested me. As an adult, coming home and studying is something I look forward to. I try my best to not overwhelm myself by cramming, but rather go through everything at my own pace. If I learn one thing each day – even if it is something minute – it is more than I knew when I woke up this morning!

    I watch anime and listen carefully to comprehend phrases. Sometimes I’ll read manga and look up kanji I’m unfamiliar with.

    Don’t get discouraged. We are all in this together! Maybe you can look into a local meetup and see if there are others studying Japanese. Languages are easier to learn when there are people to practice with!

    #47888

    Gigatron
    Member

    OP, I can’t offer any help, but I can certainly relate to this. I’m currently going through a really bad ragequit/burnout period and I’m also beginning to question if this is really something I want to continue pursuing, and second-guessing the entire reason I’ve spent so many years on this. :/

    #47890

    I just came here, but the best tip I can offer is to set up a goal that requires you learn Japanese to get that goal. For me I want to learn Japanese so can become fluent, so I have another lens to view the world through, and pick up chicks.(just kidding) Maybe you want to setup up business in Japan and being bilingual will help that business. Anything just find a way to link it to a goal, then break that goal into smaller chunks.

    #47925

    johnDoe
    Member

    Hey man,
    Although I never question the fact that I want to learn Japanese, it’s been pretty harsh since the whole wanikani/textfugu journey began: I’ve had some up and downs and sometimes litt 0 tome to dedicate.
    It’s now been almost 3 years (somewhere along that line) and I’m still not doing better than o’Genki desuka crap.
    Of course I do know much more Kanji than I used to but it feels really frustrating like everyday.

    On the other hand, I always think about this video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxGRhd_iWuE
    and what I’ve learn from Japanese and Japanese people/culture, is to NEVER EVER give up.
    Better go down a slow path thant no path at all and as my ancesters have said it before me : chi va piano, va sano e va lontano.

    You can do it.

    ps: read this thread too http://www.textfugu.com/bb/topic/damn-ive-reached-that-damn-dip/

    • This reply was modified 8 years, 11 months ago by  johnDoe.
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