Ways to Learn Japanese from Home

If you want to learn Japanese many people will tell you “travel to Tokyo” but what if you want to learn from home, how can you feel the excitement of traveling to Japan without leaving your living room? Those who learn languages for a living (diplomats, spies, etc) already know the answer. They immerse themselves in the language for as long as possible. Let’s look at some ways you can learn Japanese from home.

Choose a Central Theme of Japanese and Work It Into the Daily Newspaper

Most Japanese schools use the “Minna no Nihongo” (“Japanese for Everyone”) series. The books come in both kanji and Latin characters. We recommend the kanji version. You will have to master kanji at some point, so why not start from the beginning. Using the characters will also give you an artistic point of view as well as an academic one. If you are a beginner, buy book 1, if you are not you are probably already familiar with these books. You will find many videos where they explain the lessons. You can also take a Japanese class in Singapore at Japanese Explorer.

The experts spend 4 to 5 hours working on the chosen subject every day: 2-3 hours in the morning and another 2-3 hours in the afternoon. You can organize yourself in shorter periods if you want. You should plan your studies by spending half of the time reviewing and half of the time learning new things, and you should study every day, okay? Good.

Now, let’s talk about the rest of your time. This is the real secret to learning Japanese at home. You must get used to listening to the language, absorb Japanese customs and force your brain to think in Japanese, and switch languages as fast as you can (at least sometimes). So immerse yourself in the Japanese language and culture.

Watch Anime, Movies, and TV Shows in Japanese

You can put on subtitles, but if you catch yourself reading instead of listening, remove them. It’s better to absorb the sounds of the language even if you don’t understand. Putting on Japanese subtitles will help you learn characters and see the spelling of words. Have a pencil and paper handy. The Japanese public broadcaster, NHK, has a collection of videos to help children learn the language.

Listen to the Radio, Music, and Podcasts

Fill your environment with Japanese. There are hundreds of radio stations with good music and a variety of podcasts that you can listen to while exercising, cooking, or bathing. This is your “time out” so don’t put pressure on yourself to try to understand every word.

Cook Japanese Food

Food is at the heart of Japanese culture. Sharpen your knives, search for recipes online, and order ingredients. And why not look up recipes in Japanese? (you can search videos with レシピ or 料理番組)

Make Japanese Friends

At some point, you’ll have to speak Japanese to someone besides your cat. The sooner the better. It’s not that hard, even if you’re at home. Download a language exchange app or use online forums to find Japanese people who want to practice their Spanish (or English if you speak it). If you want something more formal, you can hire an online teacher.