Wrong methods to learn Japanese

Hi everyone, in section: How to learn Japanese. Learn Japanese daily has shared with you methods of learn Japanese that are effective with many people, to memorize quickly and effectively. However, it’s saddening that even though many people know which methods are good, they still follow traditional methods which are less effective. This leads to unsatisfying results. Let’s find out if you are using one of those wrong methods to learn Japanese!

Study for exams only

Keeping up with the learning habit from high school, many still have the mindset to study solely for exams and tests. When using this method, we focus on memorizing a certain amount of vocabulary and knowledge every day rather than to put what you have learnt into practice. If the amount of vocabulary is 100 words, we won’t be able to memorize all of them and forget some as times go by. In the end, there will be only 70 words left. In comparison with those who have a specific goal, your vocabulary and grammar will become more and more inferior. This is one of the wrong methods to learn Japanese. If you keep on following this method, think twice, you don’t have to study for exams anymore, you are studying to work. In high school, if you do badly, you will get bad grades. But when learning Japanese, if you do badly, no company is going to take you once you graduate. Let’s set goals for learning Japanese and don’t let that happen.

Learning without imagination

Another habit kept up from high school. There are many people, hold on to their textbooks trying to memorize the counter part of a certain Japanese word in your mother tongue and vice versa. If you are using this method, learn more about how your brain works. Your brain can’t memorize a pair of words in two languages effectively. Use your imagination, create a context using the word and create many connections between that word and your own knowledge (or vocabulary). Don’t leave what you have learnt disconnected, because you will forget about it in no time.

Rewriting new words over and over again

Years ago, I was introduced to this method. I had experienced and seen how ineffective it was. In English, since spelling and pronunciation are different, this method might benefit you somehow. But in Japanese, spelling and pronunciation are basically the same. It will be a waste of time and effort. This might benefit you when learning Kanji. However, it’s a waste of time to just keep rewriting a Kanji without actually creating a connection between strokes and units, you will then forget about it if you keep holding to this method. This method is often seen in people who have learnt Japanese for 1 to 2 years. Those who have learnt Japanese for a while are less likely to use this.

Lack of connection

Some learning Japanese without taking advantage of a language that you have already known. They learn Japanese as if it is a brand new language. There are many Japanese words derived from English, or many of them are shared with other languages such as Chinese or Vietnamese, etc. For example: ryuugan means longan, in Chinese, it is long  (dragon) yan (eye). You can check out more articles in section: Learn Japanese through stories to see how others connect words and their meanings.

Thinking learning is only when you sit down at the table reading books

Learning another language in this way means you are wasting a lot of time that you can learn. You can learn a new language everywhere and every time. For example when you are learning Japanese vocabulary by them – Food, you can think of common foods and see if you know the name. Or when strolling on the street and seeing some kind of foods, think of its name in Japanese or make a sentence using its name. That’s how you learn and practise. This way, you will memorize better than to rely solely on the textbooks.

Translating to your mother tongue

Another one of those wrong methods to learn Japanese. When learning another language, if you keep translating back and forth from your mother tongue to the language and vice versa, you will have problem when communicating. It’s hard to communicate fast and you are making your brain work harder than what it is supposed to do, that is to link the word to the object. For example: You learn the word akai, look at something red, to link your brain with that color (object carries the meaning). It’s not about linking the word akai with the color red. If you have this habit, check out this article: Think in Japanese to get rid of this habit and establish a new habit.

Leave it to the weekend

This is a farmer’s way of thinking that we have established since we were little. A farmer can weed today, tomorrow or any other day, it doesn’t matter much. Because of this habit, we tend to procrastinate and let work pile up to tomorrow, weekend, summer holiday or when you have free time… If your incomplete work keeps piling up, you will have a lot to catch up on. It will tire you out just by looking at it, let alone doing it. Out of all the wrong methods to learn Japanese mentioned above, this one is the worst. Get rid of this bad habit as soon as possible!

Above are some wrong methods to learn Japanese that some people still follow. There are still many old habits and wrong methods we can’t list them all out in this article. If you feel that your method isn’t effective, spend time studying about new methods of learning Japanese. Most importantly, apply those methods for a while to figure out which methods are the best for you. If you don’t follow them or change at all, you will stay the same, no improvement, an old method can’t give new results.

Hopefully you will find yourself an effective way to learn Japanese really soon.

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