Learning Japanese From Scratch

Minasan Konnichiwa!
I wanted to post about a project that i am in the works of. What project? Japanese from Scratch of course! This is a channel on YouTube that will be helping people learn Japanese in a fun, fast, creative way!

There's only one problem... I'M ONLY ONE PERSON! That's right, for a project like this to work, I'd need resources from all over! Where better to get those resources than from JREF!

If you like learning Japanese and have discovered some Trips or Tricks to make learning this difficult language easier, share them with me here!

I'm also looking for others who like the idea of creating videos to help others! These others would help me in the creation of videos, projects, homework assignments, etc. Basically, volunteer teachers? Some what!

We can talk about your knowledge and what exactly you wish to bring to the community!

Like i said before, right now it's only me. I'd only be able to produce 1 to 2 videos weekly and even than, that's a stretch goal for me. I ask you to share this with anyone you think might be interested in being a part of this project and or would enjoy learning some Japanese! I hope people are interested and share this will anyone and everyone they know that want to learn Japanese!

Up until what level do you intend to teach the language? Only introductory - common phrases that tourists can use - or more involved, i.e. actual grammar/kanji? If introductory, there are already tons of channels that to this (e.g. JapanesePod101, Discover Japan). If you're intending to produce an actual textbook alternative, going from zero to beginner/intermediate, you should keep in mind that videos are not very suitable for learning. They prevent the user from going at their own pace - you can read text as fast or as slow as you want, but if a video is going too fast or too slow for you, there's nothing you can do about it. Plus, rewinding a video to repeat something you didn't understand, or even finding back a specific point in time in a video that you watched before, is harder than re-reading a sentence or finding back a passage in a textbook.

lanthas said:

Up until what level do you intend to teach the language? Only introductory - common phrases that tourists can use - or more involved, i.e. actual grammar/kanji? If introductory, there are already tons of channels that to this (e.g. JapanesePod101, Discover Japan). If you're intending to produce an actual textbook alternative, going from zero to beginner/intermediate, you should keep in mind that videos are not very suitable for learning. They prevent the user from going at their own pace - you can read text as fast or as slow as you want, but if a video is going too fast or too slow for you, there's nothing you can do about it. Plus, rewinding a video to repeat something you didn't understand, or even finding back a specific point in time in a video that you watched before, is harder than re-reading a sentence or finding back a passage in a textbook.

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The plan is to teach enough to pass the JLPT N3 test. That is my goal as an individual. If and once i am able to get more people on board with this project, than the sky is the limit. I do understand what you mean by how reading is a good way, if not better, to learn Japanese. Sadly, there are those who aren't to keen into read a 200+ page book on materiel they may or may not understand. I'm also aware of other sites and programs like Rosetta Stone and JapanesePod101. As someone who has tried both these systems and many more, i find that they don't work efficiently, or in a way that worked for me. There are hundreds of thousands of people just like me when i comes to this. They need a different way to learn but don't want or can't afford a tutor, special programs like Rosetta Stone, etc. My goal is to make learning fun and different. I don't plan to follow a specific "curriculum" or anything of that sorts. I plan to do things in a way that memorization is max, studying for long periods can be fun and enjoyable, and the creativity of the users mind is being used to it's maximum potential. How am i exactly going to accomplish this? By taking out all the boring parts of learning, like research and hours of repetition, and doing them myself. After everything is all figured out, i use any and all the tricks i learned while studying and learning to create a funner and easier way to learn. That is the dream at least. Thank you for your interest and feedback.

Do I understand correctly that your own Japanese learning has yet to reach N3?

I can't find your YouTube channel.

Mike Cash said:

Do I understand correctly that your own Japanese learning has yet to reach N3?

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That is correct. That is why this is a project. I am still learning, i'm developing ways of doing things in a simpler way. That's why i think this can and will work. Because you're not learning from someone who's learned Japanese already and is N1 or higher. Someone who's long past the struggles and is teaching you at a cost. You're learning from someone just like you, who was in the same boat as you up until a week or two before hand. Someone who's figured out tricks to getting things down faster. It's all still fresh in my mind, not only does it help them learn but continues my studies thanks to repetition. In turn, it's a very efficient program for both. Discouragement of this project because of the fact that i, myself, am still a learner is ridiculous.

Why do you leap to the unsubstantiated conclusion that I am discouraging you?

From the wording in your post it wasn't clear if attaining N3 was your goal or if providing materials sufficient for achieving N3 was your goal. All I did was ask for clarification.

You need to use the correct channel name for your YouTube or people will have trouble finding it. Is this you?



If that's your video, are you open to feedback on it? Or would you resent it?

Mike Cash said:

Why do you leap to the unsubstantiated conclusion that I am discouraging you?

From the wording in your post it wasn't clear if attaining N3 was your goal or if providing materials sufficient for achieving N3 was your goal. All I did was ask for clarification.

You need to use the correct channel name for your YouTube or people will have trouble finding it. Is this you?

If that's your video, are you open to feedback on it? Or would you resent it?

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Yes that is our channel. And feedback is always welcome. I didn't think you were discouraging or planing to. It was just me putting a little "disclaimer" Normally, someone would be against the thought of a student teaching someone else. The fact is, all through out high school, i learned more from my friends than the teachers because they understood the work and where able to simplify it. It's a great way to learn. I'm sorry if it came off as me jumping to conclusions.

First off, your name would render as セザール, not セサル.

For family members, you run into the problem of there being different terms for ones own family members and other people's family members. It isn't really a problem if beginners use the terms for others when referring to their own, as the meaning and the cause of the error are obvious. The problem is that you have a mix there and using a term for one's own family members when referring to others doesn't sound very nice.

お母さん and お父さん are fine when addressing either your own parents or other parents, but not for referring to your own parents.

兄 is fine for referring to your own elder brother, and that's it. Not for addressing anyone.

姉妹 means "sisters" and outside of Christian circles is never used as a form of address.

こんにちは is not an appropriate greeting pretty much any time of the day.

Your pronunciation is quite good and your attention to elongated vowels is commendable.

I'm curious....what have you been using to learn Japanese so far and how long have you been at it?