Fluent Japanese in 6 Months: Complete Guide

Hey guys, I'm Shin!
In this video, I'll share my strategy to become fluent in Japanese in just 6 months. As a native Japanese speaker, I've spent a lot of time researching and trying out different ways to learn Japanese to create this COMPLETE GUIDE. I'm going to share with you what I think is the BEST STRATEGY to learn Japanese in 6 months and ALL of the tools and resources that can help you reach this goal. This won't be an easy journey, but you'll surely be impressed by how fluent your Japanese has become if you follow this 6-month detailed plan.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:34 - The Essential 5 Pillars
2:03 - Month 1 Strategy
3:42 - Month 2 Strategy
5:23 - Month 3 Strategy
5:57 - Month 4 - 6 Strategy
7:36 - The 6-Months Learning Strategies (Summary)
Resources:
1. Marugoto: a1.marugotoweb.jp/ja/index.php
2. Tofugu's Hiragana Guide: files.tofugu.com/articles/jap...
3. Tofugu's Katakana Guide: files.tofugu.com/articles/jap...
4. Learn Japanese with Masa Sensei Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/5Vgrjvb...
5. Wanikani: www.wanikani.com/kanji?diffic...
6. Marugoto Words: words.marugotoweb.jp/top.php
7. Marugoto Download Materials: marugoto.jpf.go.jp/en/download/
8. Tsunahiro: tsunagarujp.bunka.go.jp/level...
9. The Bite size Japanese Podcast:@the_bitesize_japanese_podcast
10. Miku Real Japanese: @mikurealjapanese
11. NihongoDekita with Sayaka: @NihongoDekita
Extra Resources:
1. JLPT Sensei: jlptsensei.com/
2. YuYuの日本語Podcast: @yuyunihongopodcast
If you found this video is helpful, PLZ give a like and subscribe, so I'll be creating more video like this!
Subscribe by clicking here: / @shin-777
Follow me on social and ask me any questions!
Instagram: shinmc914

[@RazielBR]

Man, I know this is a guide to do it in 6 months, but this feels like a pretty solid roadmap to study in general. So much useful material!

[@southcoastinventors6583]

Still not really realistic would have been better if it was one year because if you still want to learn after a year you will not quit

[@Shin-777]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Brettin]

Even if you can't do it 6 months or do not wish to grind hard, these are incredible resources to use! Thank you!

[@Shin-777]

Very glad! Good luck🤞

[@NihonDiary]

I've actually been in full-time Japanese language school for the past 8 months (my job is sending me to work in Japan for a year) I study 40 hours a week, in-person, in-classroom, plus homework, listening to native material outside of class etc etc. The bad news is I'm not fluent yet. The good news is that I am getting somewhat competent. In my experience, my skills develop at different rates, my reading and writing skills are better than my listening skills, and my listening skills are better than my speaking skills. It does take time and it's important to remember that you don't have to be "fluent" to do all the things you might want to do with your Japanese like making friends. I think the recommendations in the video are really useful! Just wanted to share my experience.

[@ville2536]

Do you do anki? Are you studying 20 vocab per day or are you just immersing. Are you able to understand anime or media?

[@Shin-777]

I'm so glad you found the video helpful! Also, thanks for sharing your personal experiences and insights that can be helpful to many.

[@lisa__7364]

Are we just going to ignore the fact that he said that he is a native Japanese speaker? When are we going to stop listening to natives and start listening to people who have actually learned the language we desire to learn?

[@Shin-777]

Hey! It's true that I'm a native Japanese speaker but I'm also an English learner myself, so I know some of the struggles one needs to go through when learning a language. I've made lots of mistakes on the journey and have learned a lot too. The method I'm sharing also comes from my past language-learning experiences.

[@shakenbacon-vm4eu]

I actually prefer to listen to native Japanese speakers for Japanese. They teach how to learn the language more naturally and with perfect accent. Should Japanese ban all American English teachers?

[@gabrielgallardo5824]

​@@shakenbacon-vm4eua native don't know how they learned their native language, that's the problem

[@mariagilyova3445]

Thats a great video. I've been looking at these "how to learn Japanese" videos for six months already, i am calling off the search since your approach really resonates with me. No nonsense, all resources named, nothing vague etc. My one note is that the whole idea of learning 20 words per day, then multiplying it with the number of days is not realistic. Brain works in a certain way and it needs time to process new information and to move it into limg term memory. You will need to repeat words a lot for them to sink in. I wouldn't bet on really "learning" so many words so fast, it will just cram up your short term memory but like 1 word a day may get into long term memory, and only if you happen to see/hear it a few times here and there. Science, man.

[@Shin-777]

Thanks for sharing!

[@just_nightmare13765]

i watched this video and other, too I challenge myself to learn Japanese in 3-6 months only this is basically a time capsule or something like that as for 12th june 2024: -know all haragana basic characters(not fluent) -30 words(ik it's bad) I'll comeback to this comment when in fluent wish me luck 🤞

[@fastenedcarrot9570]

I've been using WaniKani and I really like it, totally worth the fee for the way it guides you and gives immediate feedback. It's really my only source of Vocab atm that isn't just picking stuff up from shows and what not but I am always learning at least 15 items a day although some days will only be new radicals or kanji. I recently bought Genki and have gotten started in that and I watch videos often (including NinhongoDekita, one recently made me realise I didn't know pronunciation as well as I thought). The new recommendations are great though.

[@Shin-777]

Thanks for sharing!

[@_PM__]

6 months? I really doubt it. He says you'll need to learn 3,000 words in that time. That's around 16 words every day, 7 days a week. During those days you're also memorizing the kanas, kanji, grammar, and all the other things he mentioned. That's a lot to commit to memory every day. Try learning 16 new words every day in your native language. It's not easy.

[@Shin-777]

Yes, it's going to require a lot of commitment for sure because learning any language in 6 months is super challenging. However, I hope I was able to at least show you the roadmap and what it takes exactly if you want to achieve this ambitious goal. Hope this helps!

[@Yihwa_G]

Not to mention that the brain needs to naturally learn to connect these information. You can learn 20 words a day, this is no guarantee that your brain will be able to make all the needed connections so that you can comprehend the content when you hear it and even less so for output. It is definitely a good roadmap and great resources but 6 month is in my opinion also very unlikely, even with 10 hours a day. Unless not to reach what fluency means for me.

[@StailagSon]

One of the best if not the best guides ive ever seen, man really gave us everything we ever needed. Keep it up !

[@Shin-777]

Thanks for the support! Will do!

[@_ZRAYX]

Damn brother, I wonder why this video is underrated. I really appreciate your efforts and the time you put in making this video, just to help us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 💖💖

[@Shin-777]

Thanks so much for the support 💪

[@ConiJ]

This is exactly what I've been looking for! There are so many resources out there I just needed someone to tell me what to do lol. I will definitely try this method and give my feedback in 6 months! Thank you Shin!

[@Shin-777]

Great to hear! Good luck Coni!

[@hoosierdaddy3376]

This is a very insightful video. And after having a quick look into the resources, I have to say that these learning platforms are really good. Thank you so much. I hope I can follow along the learning plan:)

[@Shin-777]

I'm so glad this video was helpful for your learning! Best of luck!

[@theboogie1460]

Thank you for all the resources!!

[@Shin-777]

Of course!

[@InvincibleUnderHeaven]

The resources that you have mentioned are really amazing, i am already using a few of them for a while and i also got to know about a few new things. Thanks a lot for the video.🤝

[@Shin-777]

Great to hear! Thanks for the support 💪

[@taitojpsuki]

This is the best video I have ever seen 😍ありがとうございます先生

[@Shin-777]

Great to hear you found this video helpful 💪 My pleasure!

[@cry9438]

I'm too weak to do a 6-month grind, but I'll definitely try all of these. I've passed N4 and registered to take N3 in July, I am currenly overwhelmed by the amount of vocabs and kanji that I have to learn, tripled the size of combined N5 & N4.

[@Shin-777]

Glad to hear! Feel free to modify my plan according to your schedule and good luck🤞

[@erwin3507]

Thanks for the guide my good man

[@Shin-777]

Happy to help!

[@megaprime67]

I needed this video, its fully aligns with my ambitious (maybe even delusional) goals, I've been regretful since I feel as though I wasted a lot of time and procrastinated my Japanese journey, this roadmap gives me a concise gameplan thanks!

[@Shin-777]

I couldn't find any video like this online, so I gave my best shot at creating a super ambitious 6-month study plan. It's definitely a lot of work, but I'm very glad you found it helpful. Best of luck!

[@shakenbacon-vm4eu]

What do you think about textbooks? I’m almost done Genki 1, and gonna power through Genki 2 soon. I’m supplementing with a lot of shows/movies, and bite sized Japanese podcast. I’m also subjecting my little kids to my broken Japanese lol, but at least I get to practice speaking and conjugating/form grammar! Also, sorry for all the negative comments. It’s hilarious how snobby and toxic Japanese learners can be, especially those from the west. It’s like this weird superiority complex they need to flex to feel special. Anyway, always appreciate your tips, man!

[@Shin-777]

As far as I know, Genki is one of the best textbook resources, so it's totally cool if you wanna stick to it! Also, supplementing with lots of other practical resources is super important, so you're doing great. Haha, I think negative comments are inevitable, so I'll take them with a grain of salt. Appreciate your support, and good luck with the learning!

[@ssreeananya]

Finally...! A practical guide along with abundant resources gets me pumped up to learn Japanese! Hontoni Arigatou gozaimasu! Can you do a similar video for learning Chinese as well...

[@Shin-777]

Glad it was helpful! Yes, I'm definitely planning to create a similar video for Chinese, but I have to make some serious efforts in researching and exploring different resources haha. Stay tuned!

[@martinaholpitova2989]

@@Shin-777 Can't wait for the video. I'm planning on taking a chinese class next semester so some resources before that would be incredibly helpful!

[@loubeano]

Time to try this out

[@Shin-777]

Enjoy the ride!

[@madoka2222]

I think this is the most useful how to learn japanese video l've ever seen so far

[@Shin-777]

So glad to hear that!

[@Nighteye88]

I'm surprised how well the marugoto site is mainly with the videos even though super scripted it looks really helpful. Also the bitsized podcasts I just checked out I really liked it too didn't know it. But, wish you had mentioned some guys as well and not all women. Like Japanese with Shun and Yuyuの日本語ポッドキャスト. This is definitely a solid guide to fluency though for a native English speaker 100% 6 months is not enough to be what I would consider fluent. At least 1 year or 2 with consistency. Also, I'm impressed by your English I'm sure you get that a lot though.

[@Shin-777]

Thanks a lot for the feedback!

[@aristides3527]

For me it is difficult remembering vocab and recalling that information whenever I talk to a live teacher. For me its interesting to be able to read a bit better than speaking. Listening seems to be close with the reading for me.

[@acacian9182]

Thank you. My goal is to be so in five months (due to circumstance; I could have been fluent a long time ago anyway). My advantage is that I'm not a beginner, so I can skip some of these steps.

[@Shin-777]

Best of luck!

[@acacian9182]

@@Shin-777 Thank you.

[@Billlkilll]

Ive started learning Japanese about a week ago. And even if I have no intention in learning it in 6 months BUT damn there are some really helpful informations and websites in that video that i wasnt aware of. ありがとうございます!

[@Shin-777]

Yeah, the 6-month plan is super intense lol. I hope you'll find your own pace for learning, and good luck!

[@southcoastinventors6583]

If you like games checkout Game Gengo

[@aaroncobeng]

Thanks, the reference for the 3k vocab is important, You can learn all the grammar you want but you would still stop and think for vocab

[@Shin-777]

💪

[@Victoria-gm5jo]

Hi Shin Shen! I really appreciated your video and plan of study! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us! I have something that I'd like to ask you, do you know a similar website of Wanikani that has the option to change de language to Japanese? My concern is that I may face some problems if I learn the names of radicals in English instead of in Japanese. Thank you!

[@Shin-777]

Hey! Thanks a lot for your kind words! I wouldn't worry too much about learning radicals in Japanese. Many native speakers, including myself, didn't study them intentionally, so we probably only know about 20ish radical names for the most. That's pretty much it lol. I think memorizing radical names is not important at all, so studying in English seems totally cool to me!

[@Victoria-gm5jo]

Thanks for having the time to answer my question! I will take note for that!

[@gabrielgallardo5824]

As someone who kow ten languages and have twenty years of experience about learning languages that's a good ideas, but without consuming content that you like do this is impossible, if you like dragon ball, watch dragon ball, if you like dramas, watch dramas, that will vary vocabulary and the forms of expression, the most important part it's the constant exposure to the language if you just do this probably you will still translating in your mind and that hinders your communication

[@Shin-777]

Thanks for sharing the insights!

[@ninadenise3969]

awesome

[@Shin-777]

Thanks!

[@southcoastinventors6583]

3000 is to few words really should be shooting for 6000 and to be at young adult level its around 15,000 to 20,000. I would stretch it out to a year to be feasible and to avoid burnout but realistically to learn Japanese fast you need at least 2 years bare minimum unless you live in town in Japan away from English speakers. Shoutout for included bite size Japanese podcast that lady can talk about out any random thing and make it somewhat interesting.

[@Shin-777]

Thanks for sharing!

[@shakenbacon-vm4eu]

I don’t think he meant 3000 is like ok that’s it you’re good. I think he meant that’s a good base to now comfortably use the language. Once you can use it, you’re learning skyrockets. Do I know 100% of English? No. Shakespeare didn’t even know all of English, and he probably had the biggest English vocab in history. I’m fluent in my second language of Spanish. Do I know all Spanish? Absolutely not, but once I reached a level where I had enough vocab to speak, and understand people speaking to me, and pick out words I don’t know to look up later, my learning went by faster than the beginning stages.

[@fastenedcarrot9570]

​@@shakenbacon-vm4eu Yeah being able to understand 80-90% of the words you encounter and having a good base of grammar knowledge means you can often just infer what you don't already know.

[@shakenbacon-vm4eu]

@@fastenedcarrot9570agree, it’s how I got fluent in Spanish so fast. Gonna do this with Japanese. Although it’ll take time with working, kids, life. Ugh. Miss my student days.

[@foysalahmed974]

I am studying in Japanese language school in japan for 6 months but cannot speak still now ! What to do ?

[@Shin-777]

I'd strongly recommend watching lots of Japanese KZbin videos and learning new words and expressions as you go. This method has worked so well for me to learn English.

[@devoutin]

1:14 As a German speaker, I can only tell you that Japanese grammar is incredibly simple compared to German. I'm currently learning Japanese and I'm always confused because I have my German mindset and have to change it first :D but the video is nice, thanks for that! I let a follow on your channel!

[@MrZelektronz]

Hallö, wie lange lernst du denn schon japanisch? Was ist deine Motivation und "wie weit" bist du ungefähr? Ich habe im Februar wieder richtig angefangen und freue mich immer, wenn ich andere Deutsche sehe, die aktuell in einer ähnlichen Lage sind 😂

[@Shin-777]

Thank you for the support. It means a lot!

[@arissinclair6419]

Hey I also recommend Japanese with shun, he’s my go to.

[@Shin-777]

Thanks! I’ll check it out👍

[@mambojambo-kv8os]

Hiragana has 46 characters. Why when I go to Marugoto website and click hiragana I see more characters there? Do I need to learn them all? Thanks for video❤

[@Shin-777]

All of the additional characters are made up of the existing characters, and yeah you need to learn them all haha.

[@bruno01.bs01]

I think that with time and effort it's totally possible! However, the struggle is big and there is a great chance of fatigue and people may give up, specially if you don't see the results in the very beginning (and you will not see). Really liked your method and recommendations, but I suggest a more smooth path.

[@Shin-777]

Hi Bruno! It’s true that the time commitment is REAL. It might not be realistic for many people but glad to know that you found the resources and method helpful!

[@cakeopchunky2276]

Start learning JP from Nov 4th 2023. 6-8 hours per day, using Anki for memorizing, podcast for listening, VRChat for reality practicing and hang out with friends. I would say you will not be fluent at all, 6 months enough to get you finish your N3 (beginner level). You will not understand much when you actually face to face with JP people, maybe 20-50%. Try to listen to real jp content, you gonna be deaf as hell 😂But after 6 months do these boring stuff, I can easily handle a jp conversation with anyone that above me 1 level (Im half-way to finish my N2 vocab). No need to thinking too much when I speak in jp (grammar still wrong but dont care that). So, you get the language YES, but fluent NO. You may learn faster than others cause you already have too much INPUT. If you really start from scratch so nahhhhhh. The key is setup with small target for each stage or you gonna be stress out, and do not give up

[@Shin-777]

Thanks for sharing your journey and insights!

[@HooTao1]

how do you use wanikani without signing up, I cant go past the home page without signing up

[@Shin-777]

Try this link: www.wanikani.com/level/1 If it still doesn't work, try Incognito mode, and it should work.

[@HooTao1]

@@Shin-777 it works, thanks! 😀

[@SuigaRou]

I doubt my garbage brain will be able to retain all that in 6 months, but these are some nice resources that I'll add to my learning, so thanks for that.

[@Shin-777]

Great to hear it!

[@HJX15368]

nice🎉🎉🎉

[@Shin-777]

Thank you!

[@jesseg1217]

出来たよ

[@SoloRPGDigitalist]

Do I need to bother with actually handwriting anything if I have no plans to ever write anything by hand? My handwriting is horrible in my native language so I can’t see myself easily learning to write kana and kanji.

[@Shin-777]

Hey! I feel like learning handwriting can be helpful in remembering, but I think it's all good as long as you can recognize them in this case (all of kana for sure, and ideally most of the basic kanji). Actually, I personally barely handwrite any Japanese these days too.

[@ridleyroid9060]

I dont think Ill be fluent in 6 years and honestly? Im not gonna stress myself over it. I intend to make my sailing to learn japanese just like my brain: smooth. Ive played through about 1/3rd of the original final fantasy (through the pixel remaster) with a dicitionary and kana knowledge and its been a fun journey so far, and Ive ni no kuni and dq11 on the backburner alongside manga and in between many grammar lessons.

[@Shin-777]

Hey! That's awesome that you are enjoying the ride, and that's so important. No need to stress yourself over it because everyone has different learning goals after all. Thanks for sharing!

[@GenkoKenja]

6 months. Impossible. Specially for people that are not familiar with chinese characters. Took me about a year to learn all kanji up to N1 and that was being really aggressive (studying kanji 4 hours daily plus vocab plus grammar and immersion. around 12 hours daily). 3000 words to be fluent…if you mean 3000 words of active vocab then maybe..but even then what you could talk about would be severely limited and you actually need to be familiar with so many more words (even if passively) to understand a wide range of topics….I know more than 30k passive vocab and it feels like only recently I started feeling comfortable with watching JDramas and anime almost without stopping to look up anything (but at the same time I do watch and read from a variety of genres and topics so that may be why it took knowing so many words to feel comfortable). I recently started watching KDramas and Chinese Donghua in their original language but with Japanese subtitles which tremendously helps in increasing reading speed (since I can’t speak chinese or Korean) While a lot of these things recommended in the video are great pointers, people need to remember learning is not a straight forward process. The most important thing is to have fun. If you don’t have fun then it becomes a chore….and if it becomes a chore you will start finding excuses to not study. Last thing, and this is very important for probably the 0.00001% of people who actually read this far into this random comment: learning all grammar, kanji, vocab up to N1 does not mean you’re used to the language. Exposure does that. I reached N1 in a year…but I didn’t understand the language, not really…it took more years of exposure, dropping anki and just focusing on immersing, exposure to the language and only using japanese to learn Japanese (using a 国語辞典) for me to finally understand the language to a near native level (and I still have a ways to go). Now, when it comes to speaking, I’m still a toddler as speaking was never my focus…so if speaking is one of your immediate goals, be sure to prioritize output.

[@Shin-777]

I'd like to say that our definitions of fluency might differ. In my opinion, fluency means being able to understand more than 80% of the language and being able to respond on a variety of topics. Being fluent doesn't mean you don't make grammar or vocabulary mistakes, nor does it mean you can understand any topic. I do think that if you learn 3000 core vocabulary words and follow the 6-month study plan, you'll be able to achieve fluency, although I know it's indeed a very challenging goal and some might find it more challenging than others. Thanks for sharing your opinions and insights!

[@tree_anna]

Watching kdramas with Japanese subtitles is genius! I'm definitely gonna try that once I get more comfortable reading Japanese

[@GenkoKenja]

@@tree_anna You could always use something like Language Reactor for Netflix since it has a side panel with auto scrolling subs which will give you a bit of leeway to be able to catch up, until you are able to keep up without it :)

[@JeromDR]

For anybody thinking of trying marugoto, DON'T. I can't possibly advice against it more. It didn't work for me at all and I've tried many different books. My Japanese class lessons used it and it's incredibly bad. from a certain level, around B2, everything is in Japanese, even the grammar explanations. How am I going to understand Japanese grammar in actual Japanese if I don't even understand it in my own language? I ALWAYS had to look up grammar from different sources because the sad attempt at an explanation that they gave you was almost never enough. Then they give you maybe 8-16 new words per chapter while using 50-100 new words without warning that you have to look up yourself because there is no translation nor furigana. It's lacking in flow and doesn't feel intuitive at all. I've tried Japanese for beginners, JLPT books, Genki and all felt so much more natural

[@Shin-777]

Thanks for sharing your personal experiences! I guess there's no one-size-fits-all method in language learning, and people have different strategies that fit them the best. I hope you find some of the resources I shared helpful in finding your best learning strategy!

[@lahorademarvin9768]

面白いビデオありがとうございます。 僕はスペイン語を話する男の子。じつわ、これは僕の母国語です。ところで、英語は二番目の言語です。 俺のストリを話しましょ。去年から僕は日本語を勉強しています。 そして，日本語は英語の言葉がたくさんいると思います。 やっぱり， カタカナでつけています。じゃ、これは君のチャネルで俺のコメントです。もっとヴィデオお願いします！

[@Shin-777]

1年間でこんなに日本語が上手になれるのは凄いですね。そして応援ありがとうございます、頑張ります！

[@jzo1414]

It really depends on how you define being fluent. Maybe you can reach a good level of comprehension in 6 months and have some surface level chats, but this for me personally is not fluency. Actual fluency, as in knowing 15k-20k vocab and being able to comprehend almost everything including complicated literature and also being able to talk about it in an eloquent manner is something entirely different and needs at least 2 years in my opinion. Your strategy should also include the use of AI such as chatGPT and tools such as JL, Anki and YomiNinja. Otherwise I do not see a way you can achieve it in 6 months with these resources, unless you are unemployed living with your parents and have 12 hours a day to do nothing else but learn Japanese.

[@Shin-777]

Hey! It's true that how people define being fluent can be different. For me, being able to have a basic conversation on various subjects and understanding 80% to 90% of daily conversations means fluency. I see your point. Though this is what I think is the best strategy to achieve the goal.

[@CainRG1]

Unless your definition of fluent is very different to mine, it is 100% impossible to become fuent in 6 months from zero, and you shouldn't give people false expectations for the sake of clickbait. 5 years is more realistic although even that might not be enough. If you're going to learn Japanese, you should realise what a huge undertaking it is and not underestimate the amount of time and effort that is required. After 6 months of studyig super hard you will still be a beginner.

[@Shin-777]

I'm not doing clickbait. Yes, your definition of fluency is different from mine. Everyone might have a different view, and that's fair.

[@moldymoss3991]

Why does the voice kinda sound like ai

[@em6bd4ck7n]

修行僧みたいな超絶ストイックな行程ですね

[@Shin-777]

僕なりに時間をかけて可能な限り簡単に学べる方法を考えたのですが、これが最終的に僕の行き着いた最低限習得するべき内容でした😅 確かにかなりストイックな学習スケジュールになってしまいましたが、少しでも参考になれば嬉しいです。