How I learned Japanese by myself without studying

Рет қаралды 7,971

Күн бұрын

We back with another language video this week. A question I'm sometimes asked by friends is how I learned some of the languages I know. And in this video I wanted to detail how I learned Japanese by myself without really studying. This was virtually free, self paced and location independent too, I am happy to share. IF you read the description you are a real one and I appreciate the love and support! Don't be shy, say hello down below!
Here are some chapters in the video:
00:00 - Intro & Brief Explanation
01:40 - Language Learning Theory
02:49 - Method #1 Input Overload
06:17 - Method #2 Self Rebounding
08:13 - Helpful Resources
10:44 - Outro
In the video I also talk about some resources and I'll list them here:
Traditional Structured Learning:
Learn Japanese From Zero: • Welcome to Japanese DA...
Duolingo: www.duolingo.com/
Genki Textbooks: You didn't hear it from me but you can find some PDF's of it on reddit.
(Spaced repetition)
Anki: ankiweb.net/shared/info/16547...
WaniKani: www.wanikani.com/
Graded Readers:
Satori Reader: www.satorireader.com/
Watanoc: watanoc.com/post-1610-hokkaid...
Chrome Extensions:
Language reactor (OG's know it as language learning with netflix): www.languagereactor.com/
Translate chrome extension: chromewebstore.google.com/det...
(Not an extension but similar)
Animelon: animelon.com/video/610532c8da...
Podcast:
KonniPo: / thekonnichiwapodcast
Language Exchange:
HelloTalk: www.hellotalk.com/?lang=en
Tutors:
Italki: www.italki.com/
Grammar:
Tae Kims Grammar Guide: guidetojapanese.org/learn/
Miku Sensei: / @mikurealjapanese
Kaname Naito (GOAT): / @kanamenaito
Misc:
Khatzumoto of AJATT: • AJATT勝元殿＆龍さんの漫談
Matt vs Japan: / @mattvsjapan
Jeff Brown Acquiring Egyptian Arabic:
• How to acquire any lan...
Shoutout Tara's House too for all of the terrace house clips as well: • The Worst Sound in the...

Пікірлер: 98

@ZakHassen 18 күн бұрын

てっちゃんの声優デビュー 💪🏾 Back with another language video on how I picked up some Japanese, hope these tips come in clutch for you guys too

@RandyDang-vl7pu 18 күн бұрын

Couldn't have survived japan without you holy everyone needs a ZAK on their travels!

@ZakHassen 18 күн бұрын

ITS not an ADVENTURE without a randy let’s not forget 💪🏾

@teryakisoda 18 күн бұрын

the quality level up is NUTS i didn’t know it was possible .. gunna apply these principles to spanish tbh the telenovelas will see me

@ZakHassen 18 күн бұрын

We in the LAB! And come back to this comment in a couple months for a Spanish update

@Eric-le3uu 17 күн бұрын

Great stuff. Great editing. Great advice. I've self-taught myself Japanese as well and everything you mentioned resembles my process.

@ZakHassen 17 күн бұрын

独学 for the win 💪🏾 I’m glad to hear your learning journey has been good too, it’s a never ending journey truly but so many cool experiences unlocked because of it along the way fr

@imdp69 18 күн бұрын

This is gonna be viral soon bro, I support you... See ya in the future when u get viral af

@ZakHassen 18 күн бұрын

Appreciate the support bro a ton 💪🏾 thanks for joining early on, appreciate you frrr

@javnok9266 15 күн бұрын

Man! Your method of klearning Japanese is brilliant! That is how I learned Spanish. When I go to Mexico, I read every billboard and go to the supermarkets and read the packaging and just hang out with my wife's family and listen even if I do not understand everything.

@ZakHassen 15 күн бұрын

I feel you! It really makes it so fun and you don’t even realize you’re learning at the same time. Glad to hear you levelled up and can talk to your extended fam now too, opens up a whole new world 💪🏾

@wolfxlover 17 күн бұрын

I love this video :D Typically, I no longer click these kinds of videos because they often say the same thing, but I really liked the first hand experience you put into it. And, the effort / artistic eye you added into the video composition made it really calming to watch. I am curious, did you ever try memorizing a few conversational phrases to talk with, or was it entirely comprehensible input? I'm learning German and watch videos all the time, listen to music, etc. and I notice phrases just wanting to come out ++ it's much easier to kind of just talk with myself because I've heard a lot of people say things in fun ways. However, there is a part of me wondering if I should be putting real effort in to have a few phrases down and start trying to speak with people, and on the other hand I know that in a year or so I might just pick up those phrases on my own. What is your experience? When you spoke with your friend on HelloTalk, did you ever use a translator to fix your words? Or did you just speak/text however it would naturally come out? Thanks again for the video! Oh P.S. how long did each of your milestones take? Do you ever get the feeling you could make the same progress not in Japan?

@ZakHassen 17 күн бұрын

Your comment really made me smile, thank you so much for such kind words/taking a chance & checking this vid out. And as for memorizing I definitely did include that early on when starting conversation. Having a couple short speech’s on hand helped conversation cause I had places I could fall back too when I got nervous. I believe the concept is called a language island but I forget who came up with it. It’s something a lot of people naturally do when first learning a language(think self introductions, where you’re from, etc). And I 100% feel you on the phrases just wanting to come out, and it’s such a surprise cause it’s like when did I even learn them! And when speaking with my friend on HelloTalk I would sometimes use a translator(for concepts where I didn’t have much vocab like religion or science) but most of the time I would try to struggle through trying to express what I wanted to say with the words I knew, and get corrections from him. I also mirrored a lot, cause I would break down his voicenotes and learn new natural ways of expressing my own opinion. And as for how long each milestone took that’s a great question I didn’t formally track but I think I got to a point where I could have good conversations in a years time. And I made all my progress outside of Japan! So I don’t think you have to be in the country at all. Creating that environment at home with the media you consume and even something like changing your phone language is a big help too I feel. Thanks again for the kind comment and good luck on your German journey, I’m certain it’s going to go great! I’ll definitely join you one day soon it’s on my list of languages to one day learn.

@theblacksun2355 8 күн бұрын

Thank you so much Zak! This video was very inspiring❤ Language learning is more than a hobby it's a life stile!) Good luck to all of us in our language journey🙌

@ZakHassen 8 күн бұрын

Thanks so much for hearing me out too, really appreciate you making your way here! Language learning really is a lifestyle and it’s nice to see someone else on the path! Best of luck to you too, you got this💪🏾

@satisfaction.9706 5 күн бұрын

The quality of your videos are amazing bro

@ZakHassen 5 күн бұрын

I appreciate it my brother! We cooking up some more 🔜 stay tuned 👀

@-nf9vt 4 күн бұрын

I also learned Spanish by myself but by Immersive translate. It has been the foreign language study app for me and I'm glad it worked out.

@ZakHassen 4 күн бұрын

Oh wow that’s the first I’m hearing of it I’ll have to give it a go for sure

@4ka_tiff 18 күн бұрын

One of your best i fear!!! Wondered how you learned so many thanks for sharing

@ZakHassen 18 күн бұрын

Hope it lit the fire to get out there and learn some langs toooo!

@heymkay 18 күн бұрын

you need more subscribers ...... this video is awesome !!

@ZakHassen 18 күн бұрын

So glad to hear you enjoyed it frrr! And as for subs slowly but surely 💪🏾 appreciate every last one so far. Spread the word haha!

@navigator9282 16 күн бұрын

This is very helpful! Thank yiu

@ZakHassen 16 күн бұрын

Glad it was helpful! Best of luck on your language learning journey 💪🏾

@RidicuReddit 17 күн бұрын

All you need is a better mic and your video quality will be top notch.

@ZakHassen 17 күн бұрын

New mic loading 🔜 will up the audio quality next vid, appreciate the feed back frr 💪🏾

@lola99543 2 күн бұрын

All you need is a new profile picture. Are you even aware of who the man was and what he led to? Get cultured, man.

@Lenrads 2 күн бұрын

Big facts

@lola99543 2 күн бұрын

@@ZakHassen Why did you delete my comment?

@ZakHassen 2 күн бұрын

@@lola99543 which comment? I haven’t deleted any! Maybe it didn’t post?

@centurybeta2112 16 күн бұрын

Great info Zak! I'm using a lot of the same resources, but want to up my game and immerse more. You definitely have some additional ideas I'm going to include to improve. Thanks!

@ZakHassen 16 күн бұрын

Glad it was helpful my friend 💪🏾 wishing you all the best on your learning journey. This is a song I’ve been enjoying recently too, might be of help with making immersion fun: 丸の内サディスティック

@centurybeta2112 16 күн бұрын

@@ZakHassen Nice!! Sheena Ringo is very cool. I've heard this song before, but will give it a deeper listen based on your recommendation. There are so many good bands and artists in Japan. Btw - I have some really cool recommendations for you (but you may have heard a few of them😎🎶🎶🎶)

@ZakHassen 16 күн бұрын

@@centurybeta2112 I’m all ears for them, even if old it’s always nice to rediscover songs I haven’t listened to in a minute

@jaikarangoraya852 15 күн бұрын

incredible stuff, motivating me to pick up learning a new language!

@ZakHassen 15 күн бұрын

2024 the year of new languages 👀

@ZackaryBreen 17 күн бұрын

Great video! Your video is honestly very similar to how I am currently studying but with some added techniques. Thank you for making it! You mentioned focusing more on writing now so I want to recommend RTK if you haven’t already purchased it.

@ZakHassen 17 күн бұрын

Appreciate it my fellow Zack 💪🏾 I haven’t tried RTK yet (been tooo lazy LOOL) but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it and if you like it too I’ll def give it a go soon

@kostastsobanidis1278 12 күн бұрын

Great video bro!

@ZakHassen 12 күн бұрын

Appreciate it broski! More to come sooon 💪🏾

@brianhay-roe2951 17 күн бұрын

Bros been on the grind! Lets goooo

@ZakHassen 17 күн бұрын

We back with a vengeanceeee

@orthodocrap 10 күн бұрын

Great videos bro

@ZakHassen 10 күн бұрын

Appreciate it my man 💪🏾 more on the way soon

@GenkoKenja 14 күн бұрын

If speaking is your end goal, I can’t stress enough the fact you should speak early on. I’ve been studying Japanese for 4 years with close to zero output practice…the result? I can understand nearly everything at a very advanced level (since I always consume content by different authors and of different genres) and my pronunciation is really good (in part because of my Spanish), but when it comes to speaking I am extremely slow, always second guessing myself and can’t really hold a conversation because of how slow I produce words. For me personally that’s ok, as my goal was never to speak (since I’m an introvert who does not really travel much), but to consume media…but if your end goal is to communicate, definitely speak as much as humanly possible. Also, if you want to increase your reading speed, I recommend watching shows with a language you don’t understand, but with Jsubs (I do this a lot with KDramas since I can’t speak Korean yet). Lastly, Netflix with a VPN is your best friend. All anime and JDramas you will ever need and they are all JSubbed….even titles that are not of Japanese origin have dub version.

@ZakHassen 14 күн бұрын

Speaking a lot of facts! Output even with just yourself makes for good practice I feel. Thats such a good idea too with watching the show with jsubs for reading with the audio in a language I don’t yet understand. I’ve done Japanese dubs for new shows I start in the past as well. But with such a high level of understanding, your output is most definitely right around the corner. Maybe a trip to Japan could be what motivates you to go hard in that area! 👀

@theteacher3163 18 күн бұрын

I think this deserves to have 1m+ views. good job! I teach English where I am from and I always try to encourge my students to consume western media as much as possible as it is the easiest and laziest way to learn a foreign language.

@ZakHassen 18 күн бұрын

That means a ton to hear! And I really do think when done consciously you pick up sooo much learning this way. Best of luck to your students, I’m sure they’ll be fluent in English soon with a teacher like you 💪🏾

@DelinaKristos 17 күн бұрын

woaaah, this is hella impressive 🔥

@ZakHassen 17 күн бұрын

On my dkristos out hereee 💪🏾

@DelinaKristos 17 күн бұрын

on the road to 1mill!!

@ZakHassen 17 күн бұрын

Give it 2 years!!

@jibrilosman5078 8 күн бұрын

Damn bro u need your own anime at this point🐐

@ZakHassen 8 күн бұрын

Scope the travel vids, we got one 👀

@LunaticStruggler 18 күн бұрын

I've been trying to learn japanese only to be dropping it once i lost the streak of me staying consistent in learning and i felt like i hadn't made any progress at all in speaking. I'll try this method and see how it works for me

@ZakHassen 18 күн бұрын

Trustt once it becomes fun it won’t feel like work at all, come back to this comment in a couple months and lmk how it goes 💪🏾 make sure to check out all the resources I talked about in the description box too

@someuser4166 16 күн бұрын

I'm from Sweden and come to think of it Ive never really studied any English, I learnt it from games, country music (which has given me a bit of a southern accent lol) and dubbed anime (of all things). I guess only advantage in learning English over Japanese is that we share the same alphabet so it was easier to read stuff as a beginner and I suppose there's also the advantage of the languages sharing a common ancestor.

@ZakHassen 16 күн бұрын

Hahah I love how you picked up the southern accent too, because English is so ubiquitous I never stop and think about how hard it must be learning too with all of its quirks, so big hats off to you for learning it and having fun with it too. What were some of the songs and games you used? And dubbed anime lowkey goes hard (I love the DBZ and FMAB dubs to this day)

@someuser4166 16 күн бұрын

@@ZakHassenthank you! this was way back in 2011 so it was mostly what was popular at the time, I remember being really into the Haruhi franchise back then 😅. As for games I think it was mostly red dead and team fortress. And I suppose music wise I remember listening a lot to Grandpa Jones, boxcar Willie, hank Williams, woody Guthrie and those kinds of guys 🤔

@ZakHassen 16 күн бұрын

@@someuser4166 wow I’ve only ever heard about red dead on that list, I got a bunch to checkout. Glad you made your way here to my channel too all the way from Sverige 💪🏾

@funya3940 15 күн бұрын

Hi, I'm Japanese. I appreciate that you are learning Japanese😊 I corrected your Japanese. I hope this helps. ✅えっと、すいません、地下鉄はどこから乗れますか？ ❌ えっと、すいません、地下鉄はどこから乗れる？ The grammar is correct. However, we don't ask 乗れる to strangers because it's not polite. ✅どうやって俺は日本語を学んだのか ❌どうやって俺は日本語を学びましたのか ✅日本語は完璧にはできません ❌日本語は完璧出来ない

@ZakHassen 15 күн бұрын

本当にありがとうございますふんやさん！文法と丁寧語に苦労しています。だから君の説明はとても助かりました。 I appreciate it funya, grammar is always a headache for me 笑笑 so your explanations are a big help! I was going for a more casual vibe at the beginning but will definitely lean towards polite speech for future vids.

@ClaroKirari 17 күн бұрын

良いチャンネル見つけた英語の勉強します！

@ZakHassen 17 күн бұрын

それを聞いて嬉しい! 英語の質問があったらぜひ聞いてください 💪🏾 good luck on your English journey, I’m sure you’ll do great & I hope my vids make for good listening practice

@thepassportog Күн бұрын

Well Done.

@ZakHassen Күн бұрын

Appreciate it OG 💪🏾

@hakkam7082 5 күн бұрын

0:08 Bro went to Japan with his gang💀 im sry i couldnt resist😂

@ZakHassen 5 күн бұрын

Hahaha shadow clone Justu type beat🤣 a Japan vlog on the way tho later this year 👀

@Pseyechonaut 16 күн бұрын

Major clickbait title lol. Love the video though, super cozy with the aesthetic and vibe. I feel like I'm doing something sort of similar now. I took Japanese 1 a bit over 10+ years ago in my undergrad and I've had a few brief stints where I try to go all in but it just wasn't sustainable because it wasn't enjoyable. I've started up again and I'm definitely pacing myself more now. I'm doing RTK and a couple of other decks on anki but with less than the standard new cards per day and I'm doing a lot of input with music and having Japanese language videos in the background while cooking and doing other stuff. And I add the sentences and words that are repeated or catch my attention to my sentence/word mining decks. It's been more enjoyable this way for sure and I hope to keep it up. I'm trying to learn enough to be able to be somewhat comfortable having conversations when I finally hope to go there in 4 or 5 years. Anyway, nice video, subscribed!

@ZakHassen 15 күн бұрын

The youtube crazy title ----> reasonable advice pipeline is real hahah your approach sounds good and something I might suggest that could be helpful is getting the chatgpt app on your phone and having conversations through the voice feature. It's a great way to have low pressure conversations and you get to go back and see the transcripts afterwards too. You'll do great, 頑張れ! I appreciate you joining the fam and subscribing too frrr! Got a lot of fun ideas for future videos, so stay tuned!

@Cha4k 12 күн бұрын

Great video. Weirdly I remember Kuruma because its sounds similar to Kumara which is the Maori world we use in NZ for sweet potato. Also remembering words because I'm able to remember another word that sounds very similar. Eg "What's the word for translate?... I know it sounds like the food conyaku, but starts with H, Ah Honyaku."

@ZakHassen 12 күн бұрын

Appreciate it frrr! And it really is all about those associations and links to help vocabulary stick because then it becomes so much more than just memorizing the word. Maori sounds like such a cool Language too, would love to learn it one day

@panda_4545 15 күн бұрын

1:34 ここホンマわろたわwwww

@ZakHassen 15 күн бұрын

🤣スポンサは大事だよwwww

@trashgamerxd7612 16 күн бұрын

すげぇなあ。。。本当に面白いどうがだ。ザクさんのおかげで新しい言葉を学びて学習方法は同じだよ Input is king. Very entertaining and helpful video brother. Keep up the good work. Greetings from germany

@ZakHassen 16 күн бұрын

力になれて嬉しい 💪🏾 もうすぐ君はペラペラになります！ input really is king frrr I appreciate the support as well my brother means the world, really glad you got value from it too. Keep up the language grind too 💪🏾

@andrewoid4711 11 күн бұрын

3:15 this line sounds like james arnold taylor but where is it from?

@ZakHassen 11 күн бұрын

Hahah the “eren jeager” line? That’s from attack on titan

@user-tq5xo9is6n 2 күн бұрын

А этот парень хорош, на главе перегрузки ввода, вспомнил уже старенький фильм "13-й воин", где главный герой, в течении всей ночи, внимательно слушал разговоры викингов и так язык выучил, это конечно немного фантастика, но суть верна, при изучении языка старайтесь себя этим языком окружить, каждый день смотрите сериал с субтитрами, музыку слушайте и т.д. аудирование будет держаться в тонусе

@ZakHassen 2 күн бұрын

Спасибо, мой друг! Я пока не говорю по-русски, поэтому пользуюсь переводчиком, но хочу сообщить вам, что полностью согласен. Я никогда не смотрел фильм «13-й воин», но он звучит очень интересно, я добавлю его в свой список просмотра. Я определенно хочу когда-нибудь выучить русский язык 💪🏾

@jamayusuf8808 18 күн бұрын

BESTO FRIENDO CLAP 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

@ZakHassen 18 күн бұрын

MY BROZER

@Secondroundpick 17 күн бұрын

100k subs by the summer 🤞

@ZakHassen 17 күн бұрын

Wait on it 🤞🏾

@KhoiNguyen-zw1cn 13 күн бұрын

Just accidentally found your video on KZfaq, and tbh, it's gonna be viral. Keep it up... and invest more into microphone =)

@ZakHassen 13 күн бұрын

Glad you accidentally made your way here and chose to stay :) 💪🏾 &🤞🏾spread the word! As for the mic, already ordered one so in the next vid I’ll definitely レベルアップ 💪🏾

@Julez- 16 күн бұрын

You need to up the mic game bro. This video would've been much better with higher sound quality

@ZakHassen 16 күн бұрын

Frrr that’s my main takeaway from this one, gonna def make the audio A1 next vid. Wait on it 🤞🏾

@paulwalther5237 16 күн бұрын

Are you going to learn any more languages or just stick to Japanese?

@ZakHassen 16 күн бұрын

I actually can speak a couple others already and I’m thinking of adding Brazilian Portuguese to the list next since I’m planning on visiting Brazil 🇧🇷 in the summer, are you learning any others atm?

@paulwalther5237 16 күн бұрын

@@ZakHassen wow lol. I am a slow language learner but I’m old so I’ve studied a few over the years. I’ve studied German, some French and Spanish, Japanese for a hell of a long time, and recently Korean 4-5 years but… slow. I always try to learn through immersion activities but Asian languages are hard. I think it’s due to my low level of comprehension. The input is barely comprehensible.

@ZakHassen 13 күн бұрын

@@paulwalther5237I think sometimes tho that slow and sweet makes the things one learn stick more in the long run too! And I feel you on that trouble on comprehension at the beginning, that’s why I like to tackle it with situations and shows heavy with scenes I can understand the context of already. And initially using subs in a language I already understand as I can piece together the sound in the target language and the language I know to understand and learn the word. Using some of the unfair advantages you already have from your other languages like with French for Spanish or Japanese for Korean can be a big help too with the loan words. Would love to one day learn Korean too, once I start the kdrama input grind I fear I’ll be locked in for life hahah their media seems so interesting from the outside looking in.

@paulwalther5237 12 күн бұрын

@@ZakHassen yeah I choose Korean because I liked several kdramas but unfortunately it’s not as unlimited as anime. I literally can watch anime every day and not run out of things to watch years later.