Almost fluent at Japanese: How to improve?

こんにちは～
Hello everyone~

I'm a half Japanese half English student, who has been brought up with Japanese since a child, and been using it everyday since.

I currently reside in Australia, and Australia being an english speaking country - most of my time is spent speaking english. I only speak in Japanese to my mother which is only a few times per day as I am either at school or studying for exams for hours on end.

Recently, an exchange student from Japan transferred to my current school, and I have started to have conversations with her in Japanese.

This is where I realized that the vocabulary that I have acquired from the day-to-day Japanese that I use with my mother is nothing compared to a person who has been brought up in the country itself.

I have got the soundings and tongue of Japanese perfect, as I was brought up with it - though my vocabulary is lacking quite greatly along with confusion on when to use words for the correct situation.

Watching Japanese drama, movies and especially NHK news there are sometimes where I can barely understand what they are saying...

I have tried taking notes every time a new word arises, and I find it very hard to keep up and remember every single word - not to mention kanji and different meanings it may have in different contexts. So I find myself reluctant to try new words which I "think" I know the meaning to, as I do not want to look like a fool.

So basically, I was wondering if anyone here has any suggestions, tips or resources on how I can increase my vocabulary, but more importantly learn how to use these new words in a proper fashion.

Here are some words/phrases I am having trouble with:

比較的に Hikakutekini
判断 Handan
連合軍 Rengougun

Any help AT ALL will be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you for reading and have a nice day!

My tips are: try to make as many Japanese friends as possible; internet is an excellent place in order to do so. There are many forums (mostly in Japanese, of course) and maybe your homestay friend can help you, too. Plus, for more technical words (as 連合軍, for example), reading books might be the way. You can slowly advance through lines with a dictionary by your side and thus improve your own vocabulary.

Good luck.

One piece of advice would be to not worry about making a fool out of yourself. Watch the other person's reaction when you use a new word. That way you can judge whether or not you used it correctly, or you can ask them how to use it correctly.

Making a fool of yourself sort of goes with the territory. What do you think those of us without your advantage of having learned what you have from your mother have to go through when we have to go out and function in Japanese on a daily basis here? Having that advantage doesn't make you immune to it.

Zokkon said:

比較的に Hikakutekini
判断 Handan
連合軍 Rengougun

Click to expand...

That's an interesting group of words there. I don't think に ever goes with 比較的, though. I remember having that point driven home by teachers.

連合軍 is so specialized it's not even worth worrying about all that much. How often are you talking about the Allied Forces?

As far as 判断 goes, what's the problem? Are you unsure of when to use it versus 判定, for example?

At any rate, I think the answer to this is simply exposure. Keep listening to NHK news. Keep watching movies and TV shows. Also listen to and read along with ANNニュース. Read a lot. Make sure you're being exposed to the language nearly constantly.

About reading: there are two ways to do it, generally speaking. There's the look-up-every-word-you-don't-understand way, and the reading to read way, where you don't worry about not understanding everything so much. They're both important, so do them both. Try to stick to things that are accessible in length, familiarity of vocabulary, and difficulty, but also push yourself and don't just pick overly simple material. And don't worry about not finishing. What you get out of it is important, not whether you finish. If what you're aiming to get out of it is an exercise in reading speed, get as much as you can out of that. If what you're trying to get out of it is a deeper understanding of the grammar and word usage, get as much as you can out of that. Remember what your goals are and why you started reading in the first place.

I think if you combine all of these approaches, you should start seeing appreciable results in a few months. If you're worried about forgetting the stuff you've learned, use an SRS like Anki. Also, keep talking to that exchange student. You can learn a lot from her as well, and it should keep you motivated.

Thank you everyone!

charruakun said:

My tips are: try to make as many Japanese friends as possible; internet is an excellent place in order to do so. There are many forums (mostly in Japanese, of course) and maybe your homestay friend can help you, too. Plus, for more technical words (as 連合軍, for example), reading books might be the way. You can slowly advance through lines with a dictionary by your side and thus improve your own vocabulary.

Good luck.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a great idea, I have heard online chat rooms and forums are great for general improvements in everyday Japanese. I have always had an interest in manga, so perhaps I'll try and get a few copies and start reading that~

Half-n-Half said:

One piece of advice would be to not worry about making a fool out of yourself. Watch the other person's reaction when you use a new word. That way you can judge whether or not you used it correctly, or you can ask them how to use it correctly.

Click to expand...

Thanks, your definitely right. I'm sure it's much better to make a bit of a fool of yourself then find out how a word is properly meant to be said then to keep refraining from using it, and hence never working out it's intended purpose of use.

Mike Cash said:

Making a fool of yourself sort of goes with the territory. What do you think those of us without your advantage of having learned what you have from your mother have to go through when we have to go out and function in Japanese on a daily basis here? Having that advantage doesn't make you immune to it.

Click to expand...

Your right, everything I have been struggling must be significantly harder for someone with a background which does not have anything to do with the Japanese language. I'll definitely keep in mind how lucky I am to be taught Japanese through childhood and use that as an incentive to keep trying new words and phrases regardless of the outcome.

Glenn said:

That's an interesting group of words there. I don't think に ever goes with 比較的, though. I remember having that point driven home by teachers.

連合軍 is so specialized it's not even worth worrying about all that much. How often are you talking about the Allied Forces?

As far as 判断 goes, what's the problem? Are you unsure of when to use it versus 判定, for example?

At any rate, I think the answer to this is simply exposure. Keep listening to NHK news. Keep watching movies and TV shows. Also listen to and read along with ANNニュース. Read a lot. Make sure you're being exposed to the language nearly constantly.

About reading: there are two ways to do it, generally speaking. There's the look-up-every-word-you-don't-understand way, and the reading to read way, where you don't worry about not understanding everything so much. They're both important, so do them both. Try to stick to things that are accessible in length, familiarity of vocabulary, and difficulty, but also push yourself and don't just pick overly simple material. And don't worry about not finishing. What you get out of it is important, not whether you finish. If what you're aiming to get out of it is an exercise in reading speed, get as much as you can out of that. If what you're trying to get out of it is a deeper understanding of the grammar and word usage, get as much as you can out of that. Remember what your goals are and why you started reading in the first place.


I think if you combine all of these approaches, you should start seeing appreciable results in a few months. If you're worried about forgetting the stuff you've learned, use an SRS like Anki. Also, keep talking to that exchange student. You can learn a lot from her as well, and it should keep you motivated.

Click to expand...

Great suggestions, Anki seems like an absolutely great tool - Will definitely be using it from now on. I'll start watching more news, as they often use very complex words during the broadcast. Your 2 strategies seem very useful!

Thank you everyone for replying, this information will help me immensely!