Go Shopping!!!
One good way to practice your reading and comprehension is to go shopping at a Japanese store. I am sure that if you look hard enough you will find one locally. Sydney has a few Daiso stores, which are stocked completely with Japanese imports, and everything in the store (everything) costs AU$2.80!!!
You can wander around the store and try to read what everything is. And, if you are lucky you may get to do some speaking practice if the staff are Japanese and speak the language. Don't forget to ask them first though. I have heard a lot of stories about people assuming that Asians working in Japanese places are Japanese, and then people known as 'weaboos' try to talk to them in bad Japanese. So, please don't be rude!!! |
Get as Much Exposure as PossibleQuite possibly the most important study tip! The more exposure that you have to what you are learning, the better you are going to understand it. This is especially true with language studies.
So, how do you get more exposure to Japanese? Well, firstly, reading Japanese manga and watching anime in Japanese is a good start, especially if they are your major motivation for studying Japanese (which is true of many people). Just remember that in anime, a lot of pronunciation and vocabulary are quite exaggerated and silly, so don't rely on it too heavily. Another great way to expose yourself to Japanese is to listen to or watch Japanese news. Have a flick through your television guide and see if you have access to Japanese news. I think that in Australia you will most likely find it on an SBS channel. Now, Japanese news would not have subtitles, but don't let that scare you off! More advanced learners can listen and try to understand as much as possible, and beginners can listen and try to pick out words that they may know. It is also great for pronunciation. Japanese television programs are also good. You can access these on Youtube, or through websites that allow you to stream Japanese television. I don't stream for fear of viruses, so I don't know any websites to recommend, but I am sure if you Google it you will find at least one safe website. Check out your local newsagent. You may be lucky enough to have a newsagent that sells newspapers from all around the world. Just be warned that reading a Japanese newspaper is difficult even for Japanese adults (who sometimes need a dictionary to read some of the kanji), so this would really only be useful for more advanced learners. Japanese magazines however are also great. As a beginner-intermediate learner, I liked to buy Japanese kid's magazines for practice! Also give light novels and novels a try in Japanese too. If you sit with a dictionary and a book that is aimed at a younger audience (so that the vocab and grammar is not too complex), this will definitely help you! Please, if you have any other ideas about greater exposure to Japanese, let us know! |
Colourful Note Taking!
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This is a tip for visual learners!!!
I recently discovered through a quiz in a study book that I am a visual learner. That means that I learn best through looking at notes, diagrams, pictures and other such things. So, to ensure that I get the most out of my study, I now colour code my notes. I use a colour to show the grammar point of each topic in the sentences, I highlight any kanji readings that I may include in a sentence, and I highlight examples of direct translation of the grammar point. I also highlight the general usage of a grammar point in another colour. I use different colours to demonstrate which kanji I have learned in that particular week, and any useful notes are highlighted in pink. I also draw pictures here and there to go with some of my example sentences so that they are a bit easier to remember, and so that the page is more colourful. I find that having a colourful page of notes is much more engaging, and I retain a lot more from it than a non-colourful page. So, visual learners, please give this a try! You may find that you are better able to absorb important information! |