Ordspår21.01 Learning Japanese
Learning Japanese has been a long-haul project that blends structured study with lived practice. This note keeps my roadmap in one place so I can see how each phase connects to the supporting notes inside the language lab.
Learning journey at a glance
- Stabilise the foundations (JLPT N5–N4). Kana literacy, core grammar, and survival dialogues so day-to-day errands stop feeling intimidating.
- Automate conversations (JLPT N3–N2). Regular shadowing, tutor sessions, and business role-plays so workplace chats flow without constant dictionary checks.
- Sustain specialist range (JLPT N2–N1). Rotate industry reading, presentations, and writing drills to keep professional vocabulary sharp.
Phase 1 — Foundations (0–6 months)
| Focus | What worked for me | Companion notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kana & handwriting | Daily kana drills with stroke-order animations plus handwritten practice when reviewing punctuation marks. | 21.03 Symbol and Punctuation |
| Core grammar & verbs | Tae Kim and Imabi lessons in short blocks, then diary entries I later review with tutors. | 21.02 Post-Class Note |
| Listening & mimicking | NHK News Web Easy readings, short podcasts, and imitating native recordings to feel pitch differences. | 21.04 Onomatopoeia |
| Survival dialogues | Booking appointments, transit requests, and city-office scripts; I keep polished versions for later reuse. | 21.02 Post-Class Note |
Milestone: introduce myself, ask for help, handle basic transport questions, and keep five minutes of small talk in Japanese.
Phase 2 — Conversation cadence (6–18 months)
| Focus | What I practise | Companion notes |
|---|---|---|
| Business etiquette | Record mock meetings, check phrasing with tutors, and store polished keigo snippets for quick refreshers. | 21.02 Post-Class Note |
| Domain vocabulary | Rotate finance, tech, and healthcare glossaries; connect numbers and formulas back to kanji practice. | 21.07 Mathematical Formulas I, 21.08 Mathematical Formulas II |
| Extensive listening | Mix Cambrian Palace segments, NHK World business shows, and Bunka Housou podcasts before summarising aloud. | 32.01 Amazon Japan’s Convenience, 32.02 Don Quijote’s Experiential Retail Playbook |
| Writing practice | Weekly reflections (400–800 characters) with tutor corrections to iron out grammar and transition phrases. | 21.04 Onomatopoeia, 21.05 Date and Calendar |
Milestone: lead routine work meetings, ask probing follow-ups, and summarise articles without getting lost in the kanji.
Phase 3 — Specialist range (18+ months)
| Focus | How I stretch | Companion notes |
|---|---|---|
| Professional reading | Cycle through white papers, Diet briefings, and economic outlooks; flag difficult terms for spaced review. | 31.05 Daiwa Institute of Research, 21.08 Mathematical Formulas II |
| Presentation polish | Rehearse investor-style decks and record practice runs to check pacing, fillers, and pitch drift. | 32.03 Research Episode — Japan’s Competitive Reset, 21.09 Pitch Accent and Lyric Drills |
| Publication-level writing | Draft essays and LinkedIn posts in Japanese, focusing on cohesion and natural paragraph flow. | 21.02 Post-Class Note |
| Continuous feedback | Quarterly JLPT mock exams and monthly tutor evaluations to surface blind spots before they calcify. | 21.02 Post-Class Note |
Milestone: negotiate, present, and write for professional audiences with only targeted dictionary support.
Study cadence that keeps me honest
- Daily (30–45 minutes): Anki reviews, one audio shadowing pass, and quick journaling to track new expressions.
- Weekly: Two tutor sessions, one business role-play, and a kanji block tied to current projects.
- Monthly: Audit pronunciation recordings, tidy vocabulary tables, and refresh the song drills logged in 21.09 Pitch Accent and Lyric Drills.
- Quarterly: Revisit long-form writing pieces and compare mock-test results so the next phase adjustments happen with data rather than guesswork.
Feedback habits
- Log tutor takeaways and experiment notes inside 21.02 Post-Class Note while the conversation is fresh.
- When a pitch-accent issue keeps recurring, queue a focused loop in 21.09 Pitch Accent and Lyric Drills and re-record after the fix.
- Keep resource links lightweight: if a site goes stale or a workbook stops helping, remove it so the note reflects what I actually use.