How Did You Become Fluent In Japanese?

[@takashiifromjapan]

Go! Go! Nihon (Live and Study in Japan): gogo.study/TakashiiFromJapan Go! Go! Nihon Japanese Crash Course: japaneseonline.gogonihon.com/courses/online-japanese-crash-course?ref=355ae7 Akamonkai 12-week Japanese Beginner Course: japaneseonline.gogonihon.com/courses/akamonkai-japanese-12-week-beginner-course?ref=355ae7 Akamonkai 12-week Japanese Pre-Intermediate Course: japaneseonline.gogonihon.com/courses/akamonkai-japanese-12-week-pre-intermediate-course?ref=355ae7 Akamonkai Beginner & Pre-Intermediate Bundle: japaneseonline.gogonihon.com/bundles/akamonkai-beginner-pre-intermediate-bundle?ref=355ae7

[@sam2303]

🙌🙌👍👍

[@The_official_jaijai]

I want to use this program so bad!!! However I’m in the military right now.

[@ganqqwerty]

I think it's only fair to also attach a link to Refold. The best attempt to describe the philosophy and sequence of steps for the immersion learning

[@SpectreFTL]

takahashi, the weird horizontal lines you get on this video are from interlacing artifacts -- you may have exported this video as 2440i instead of 2440p.

[@haruhikoichijo4620]

Do you think this online course will help if i want to learn Japanese?

[@65fhd4d6h5]

The moment you realize Takashii doesn't magically find these people randomly hanging out in the street, but he actually schedules the interviews and records them outdoors 😂

[@w花b]

My life is a lie

[@voccapoei]

WHY ZA FHAAK IS MATT HERE?

[@luizemanoel2588]

He Just got random people in the street, testing whether they are fluent, and Matt and Nick were passing by chance.

[@lorddarthvader6289]

I'd like to imagine they're like NPCs waiting for Takashi to interact with them

[@thepierre396]

@@luizemanoel2588 Yeah, no

[@justsomedude69]

The "you're never going to be ready" is totally accurate. You can spend years getting ready to start.

[@holliswilliams8426]

this is actually also true in academia and scientific research

[@Bread_Bug]

This is true for everything. Those years are gonna pass anyway, so you may as well start learning now

[@BelaPuma]

If you slack then ye

[@nobody4741]

that applies to all languages, when you talk to someone you kinda improvise, you dont plan each word you say like you do when texting. Going from just texting on discord to a VC in English was one hell of an experience

[@tilda9068]

I totally agree. I mostly learned English through reading tons of books and watching movies and KZbin in English. And in the beginning, I was so confused, especially because there are sooo many verbs that all express the same thing. But after a few months it became easier and now it just comes naturally… now that I’m studying Japanese though it’s a bit more difficult than with English but it will become easier and easier with time and practise :)

[@Szchandler]

the first guy, Nick, really gets it, I can tell when someone is linguistically intelligent and he is, he understands the learning process of a language hence the level he has achieved.

[@spartanwarrior1]

He made a point with babies learning a language-he starts at practically zero and learns gradually starting with the very basics.

[@seedsofdoubt2578]

Taking around 10 years to really be acquainted with a language is on point. You may be able to speak with others and understand, but it's nothing like getting the cultural references, slang, and so much more.

[@ianwhitehead3086]

He’s also funny.

[@yerisonL04]

Yes love his straight forward comment. I think I listened to about 12 hours today. Let’s go!

[@DANGJOS]

​@@yerisonL04 I wish I had that kind of time

[@flashgordon6510]

Great interviews, especially the first guy who said 5-8 years to become fluent. I think the people who make the "fluent in three months" videos might not realize how much they're hurting people who reach the three month mark and give up because they're nowhere near fluent. I'd rather hear the hard truth, that's it's going to take a lot of time and effort, than have someone lie to me and tell me it's easy.

[@危ないハムスター]

I was one of them, kind of. It does hurt, only take advice from actual fluent people.

[@leredditcommander8208]

Those youtubers are dumb AF. They only learn a set conversation for every language they want to show off, they know the responses they are going to get so they just study for that small convo, its always the same sht. IM LOOKING AT YOU XIAOMA. Id believe they are fluent when they can turn on the news and tell me whats going on.

[@RestoredMedia]

I mean when I came to USA it took me 6 months to learn English, but now trying to learn Japanese in my forties is gonna take a couple years. I think it’s really based on age and how pro active and motivated you are at the time of study.

[@MoeRenai]

@@RestoredMedia Complete fluency also just takes a really long time, as you have to learn so so so much more about a language and get to a point where it actually feels as natural as your first language, with a proficiency well beyond everyday conversations. I think another aspect that affects how long and difficult learning another language can be is whether the language you’re trying to learn has something in common with a language you already know. Like, although English is a Germanic language, it’s one that also has a lot of Latin influence, so English speakers can often find Latin languages like Spanish or French easier to learn. Japanese and Korean both have roots in ancient China and a good portion of vocabulary is shared across those languages today, so speakers of any of those languages have a better starting point for learning the others. I think when our known languages and the language we want to learn don’t have a traced common origin, that makes the learning curve that much harder because you really are starting from zero, like an infant. It’s doable! But definitely takes a ton of time and effort

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Bang Bros Shin Tokyo

[@milessmith2248]

“Is there anything you did that you didn’t need to do” is such an amazing question and maybe the best one of this entire video. Takashi-San is so good a interviewing and asking interesting and poignant questions.

[@Amins88]

I haven't even begun to start learning yet, but I'll say that the real breaking point that makes Japanese, or really any language seem more approachable and less intimidating is when you can hear a conversation and it doesn't sound like random noises anymore. It sounds like an actual language. Maybe you don't know what most of the words mean, but you can identify them as words.

[@irrelevanthero7410]

That first guy really nailed it. You learn the foundation and then you practice. I learned grammar, conjugation (both polite and casual), and enough words and kanji to read up to N4 in about 8 months. It'll easily take many many years of practice to become fluent.

[@bapples1233]

where did you start learning from?

[@irrelevanthero7410]

@@bapples1233 I used the paid apps Human Japanese and Human Japanese Intermediate. Those apps gave me a fantastic base to branch off into learning from the dictionary and casual Japanese websites. There are demo's to try out for free.

[@Brakdayton]

I can imagine you did little else. I’ve been in Japan for a year and I can barely string a sentence together.

[@KirboWurbo]

​@@Brakdaytonnot everyone learns the same or at the same pace, I can pick up things pretty quickly but for others they would need more time, on the other hand if I don't use it I lose it, whereas others have it stuck yk what i mean?

[@keithmckay-u6p]

It took me 21 years and I'm still not fluent. However I can keep up with most conversations at a native clip.

[@Mironman98]

As a teacher I'm so glad more and more people are starting to realize that learning from textbooks isn't the way to go. You simply need tons of input, repetition and opportunities to use the language and make as much mistakes as you can, that's the most fun part of it :D

[@leredditcommander8208]

Man, ive made some mistakes in japan and it just pisses people off. Like the first time i shipped something with kuroneko (yamato), dude at the store just yelled at me for not knowing what a denpyo was and for not knowing which store was the one corresponding for my neighborhood! Like dude, i dont live here, im obviously not japanese, no one in my family is AFAIK, im just visiting for a few months. Compare those reactions vs americans, mexicans or latin americans, who are chill AF, will help you out anyway they can, everyone friendly AF, someone will always jump out of nowhere go out of their way and help you even if you are choking with english or spanish, and im sorry but i had multiple experiences like that in japan.

[@Mika44044]

There are those of us who have learning disabilities, in which textbook learning is the hardest way to learn any new language. Immersion in anime and movies has helped me train my ear to hear the words instead of jibberish. After a time, Removing subtitles all together helps as well. FUNIMATION and its writer/translators are notorious for changing what's actually being said to something else. Quite often chaninging the context alltogether to something that has nothing to do with what's said. As well as they do not not really understand the context of the word and how to properly use it. I recommend just never watch the English dubs ever. But pay close attention as you progress to what's actually being said compaired to what's written in the translation. You'll be surprised at how different they can be. Immersion into music and lyrics are another helpful tool I constantly use. Both are great for picking up phrases and words. But they both really help with building vocabulary. Still, I feel that learning to read and write Kanji is important if you plan on visiting or moving to Japan. Once you leave the airport and tourist areas, Romanization of words disappears in my experience. Makes it difficult if you can't read kanji. You'll be dependent on someone's good will to translate for you.

[@datfatpug]

@@leredditcommander8208 That's a bummer, sorry you had to deal with that.

[@rikinendo3496]

@@leredditcommander8208 Whenever I will come across a Japanese who makes a mistake, I will give them hell to avenge you.

[@Boredness90]

@@rikinendo3496 that.. is so weird and not the way to go. you're basically just using that as an excuse to be racist lmfao

[@azabujuban-hito8085]

I came to live in Tokyo with ZERO knowledge of the language! That being said, I was lucky that the company provided me with a language tutor. Also my roommates were all very supportive in teaching me the language too. I was also joining the local community activities to further my language ability and to make a network. Oh, daily reading of Japanese newspapers and magazines and watching local news also highly suggested !

[@agamersinsanity]

I think it's a good thing to integrate yourself as much as possible when you come to a new country especially if you intend to live there for a few years. Like you said learning the language, read the newspapers, magazines etc once you get the basics of the Japanese language. I would love to learn the basics, but paying 10k for 8-12 lessons here in Sweden feels a bit sour. xD

[@azabujuban-hito8085]

@@agamersinsanity Back in the day, one of my housemates who really helped me a lot with the Japanese language learning is a Swedish.

[@Niconicoshizuko]

@@agamersinsanity Wow that's so expensive! Maybe you can find a cheaper alternative if you really want to learn. I found an online group class for 10 weeks for $250 USD but I saw on a lot of other websites you can get a teacher for cheaper. Like fivver or italki

[@alanguages]

@@agamersinsanity Even something like ITalki you can get private tutors for about $20/ hr. If you are going to school for your Japanese lessons in Sweden, and they cost the price you posted, then it isn't worth it. Even commercial programs, like Pimsleur, Michel Thomas, etc.. you can purchase from Audible would get you further. 10k is exorbitant.

[@WhatIsItToBurn]

I moved to Japan 3 weeks ago. How can you read newspapers or watch local news when you don't know anything? I feel like, if I pick up a Japanese paper, it will mean nothing to me.

[@Pulko172]

I'm from Serbia and I started learning English by watching youtube. I only knew a few keywords like colors, numbers, and some others that I learned through playing Minecraft. It took me about 2 years of listening to understand about 70-80% of the content I was watching but to learn how to speak the language you need to talk with others. In my case, I switched to playing multiplayer games with voice chat and now I'm almost fluent (I'm lacking in vocabulary and often get in situations where I can't describe something because I can't remember the correct word)

[@harveythecat]

Your grammar is very good. You write like native speaker

[@rdred8693]

Excellent writing.

[@trii0dide]

you're basically native level now

[@gogomaximoff4554]

Kreni da ucis Japanski polako. Zanimljivo je 😋

[@Pulko172]

@@gogomaximoff4554 zanimljivo al ne vidim korist od toga. Imam dosta stvari na repertoaru i ne bih imao vremena za tako nešto, morao bih da imam koristi od toga da bi mi bio prioritet

[@AymenDZA]

I always find it fascinating how speaking a different language changes so much more about a person then just the spoken word, mannerisms, attitude and the way they think about stuff, there's even studies that show that your brain functions differently depending on the language you choose speak. Amazing.

[@1cosmicdebris]

I noticed that too! Like the first guy. He holds his body a different way when he spoke Japanese.

[@g_rr_tt]

@@1cosmicdebris 芸能人てそういうもんだ

[@OWRen5432]

Personally i feel like my personality is very different in english than when i'm speaking my native language

[@bullshitdepartment]

"brain functions differently depending on the language" this is actually something linguists and researchers scoff at, although it is a very popular idea books and hollywood

[@powerpuff4ever]

Feels really weird seeing Matt IN Japan for some reason but he looks pretty happy compared to probably any video he’s posted on KZbin. It seems like he goes out more

[@ulterior_web]

I think I saw him at a doughnut shop a couple months ago lol did a double take

[@chadbailey7038]

Yeah. He finally got to travel there! After years of study and COVID cancelling previous plans! 🎉

[@rollforever85]

Was great to see Matt actually living in Japan and enjoying life xD

[@TR12365]

He’s a social loser. Speaking Japanese in Japan doesn’t make you special.

[@BenjaminHari]

The first guy is REALLY smart and knows what he talks about!! As someone that learned English I can attest to what he says that what you learn in school or a course is just a foundation and after that you have to immerse yourself within the language by reading or listening in it DAILY. Luckily for me it was easy as I loved watching TV, browse the internet etc. so comprehension of English came easily. But now I'm trying to learn Italian for over a year and I keep struggling but that's because I'm not watching and reading in Italian....as he said the first year or so is THE HARDEST and is the reason why people give up.

[@guigui78340]

the first two guys perfectly summed up my experience learning english. but somehow i haven’t been able to replicate it for japanese. it’s also worth noting that i’ve been hesitant to immerse myself in japanese by fear of losing my english.

[@calebmclarnon6211]

Your're creating a false barrier for yourself man. Don't worry about losing your english dude. Once you hit a critical mass in a language your're good. Even if you forget some english (you probably won't forget that much tbh) you can learn it all back in a couple months of immersion lol. Re-learning a language is WAY easier than learning new one.

[@jame254]

Bro, that is a false mentality to have. Make time to learn each language. I have been working on Japanese for about 6 years now. And still learn something new in English which I am a native in along with Spanish.

[@BelaPuma]

@@calebmclarnon6211 yep

[@BelaPuma]

That's not a thing , i speak 8 languages and barely using my native and only words i forgot was some highly scientific shite

[@sprenzy7936]

You are going to lose it to some degree but only in the fact that there is something you want to say in English but in Japanese it fits way better

[@commentarytalk1446]

These were some very, very proficient speakers of Japanese who have dedicated a lot of effort into learning and becoming fluent in Japanese. It is inspiring to hear their stories as well as their advice and tips for helping to learn more. Thank you for the links to learning. I personally think the Japanese language is very appealing and would like to become a proficient speaker one day.

[@NFAA-NotFunnyAtAll]

I love your videos! It's so nice to hear many different people's perspectives on one topic. I'm renting a room in Seattle, Washington, from a lovely older Japanese woman and completely agree that having a friend to help critique your progress is very helpful. COVID cancelled my previous plans to visit Japan, but I hope to arrange a trip within the next six months. For a casual tourist I would also suggest using Google translate's camera feature to help with realtime written text translation, especially with signs, instructions, menus, or product packaging. I use it often in grocery stores here in the USA. Apps can't replace thousands of hours of studying, but can help you navigate as a tourist, or pick a tasty snack. 😋 I would definitely recommend visiting a country as a tourist, even with limited language skills, before investing years of studies, and not having your first visit be your relocation.

[@arturobandini4078]

The first guy gave some of the simplest but effective advice for learning any language. His method will work.

[@Eagle_Eye9810]

Nick is a godsend, I've been trying to learn Japanese for 3 years in America, I've looked on the internet for a straightforward answers to how but it was always just materials for learning. Now I feel more obligated to try harder and focus on my Japanese and stop bothering with the how's and why's.

[@chadbailey7038]

And I highly recommend Matt vs Japan’s (the 2nd guy) KZbin channel. Amazing advice on there!

[@Linoxism]

I'm currently studying Japanese in Japan, and I haven't had too many chances to conversate with Japanese people, and it really shows. I have little muscle memory when it comes to conversations in Japanese, but I know the grammar and sentence structure. My next goal is to actually make Japanese friends this year 🙃 which has been harder than I thought it would be

[@Sango-po5pi]

Get on to KZbin! Ive found that japanese people arent really used to dealing with people who speak their language as an L2, so they dont know how to communicate across that barrier which is not what we are used to as english speakers, we are very accustomed to speaking to people who are learning our language and have mich better control over our soeech level in that regard. So, get netflix and watch stuff Movies, anime, drama etc. Watch and enjoy, and pay attention to the noise around u when u go out, u will acquire the language faster. I also suggest using meetup apps and other things to meet Japanese people who are willing to meet you. Good luck!

[@goyam2981]

Watch the anime Azumanga Daioh. Lots of useful phrases for daily life conversations.

[@rominarobles3331]

That’s my situation now. I wish you good luck in make some Japanese friend 😊it’s my goal too

[@arigabou]

try finding people to talk to on the internet. Tinder whatever

[@Tsumasaki.]

友達になろうか？笑

[@terribletimmy2]

As someone who studied French in School for 6 years, and then lived overseas in France for 2 years, I can confidently say that how Nick explained his journey to learning a language is, IMO, the best way. There's an enormous difference between studying and actually being able to speak and understand, to say nothing of cultural nuance, accents, etc. I immersed myself ridiculously hard (12 hours a day focused on talking to people and 1-3 hours studying), and I learned more in 3 months than the 6 years I spent learning it before that. After 2 years of 12 hour days, I was extremely confident in my French, particularly in knowing the areas I was weakest in. I will say that French is SUBSTANTIALLY EASIER to learn than Japanese for English speakers due to being a romance language. The basics are extremely similar, so you start out with an enormous foundation already... it's just learning what that foundation is before you can get started truly speaking confidently.

[@yaoimefloi25]

holy shit it's timmy lol- been a long while since tfall man :D

[@brightrrs1740]

I agree for the most part, but you are aware English is Germanic and not Romanic, right?

[@Nikki_the_G]

​@@brightrrs1740 English is a mashup of everything. Half our adjectives are taken from the romance languages.

[@MrShem123ist]

The Japanese subtitles really work well for me. As someone who's an absolute beginner, I first watch Tokyo Revengers, and Japanese dramas with English subs first, and then I rewatch it with Japanese subs. Little by little, I learned to be familiar with more phrases and sentences. It's not an easy process, but as long as you are willing and disciplined, you can learn anything. A very amazing video, Takashi san! 素晴らしい！！！👏👏👏

[@RetroSmoo]

I do similar but I also read the manga in Japanese afterwards lol

[@MrShem123ist]

@@RetroSmoo yeah I do that sometimes. When I was reading Tokyo Revengers manga, I switched from English to Japanese after reading the former.

[@Aace00]

I'd suggest watching kids shows first since the language composition is easier. Doraemon is perfect to watch and read as a beginner, particularly because the manga uses very little kanji.

[@MrShem123ist]

@@Aace00 Thanks for your suggestion. I'll consider this as well. 😁

[@Bobsan2023]

頑張ってください！ 最近ゲームと番組も日本語で始めた。 Still a long way to go with my lesson’s twice a week too but can’t give up.

[@kira_y]

Although thousands of learning hours were mentioned, it's important to also be prepared to make a big effort. The more you can concentrate on Japanese, the better your odds are. On the other hand, you shouldn't stress about mistakes or having difficulty. I believe perseverance is also a large contributor to acquisition.

[@tomomiko202]

Japanese people are very forgiving of mistakes, when you try to speak Japanese. They know it's a difficult language. And they admire anyone willing to tackle it.

[@aaronlamb923]

These longer type of interviews were great Takashi. Would love to see more of these in the future.

[@CaptZenPetabyte]

I am 47yrs old, have spent time in the martial arts so dont really know much but I have always wanted to learn to speak ... so much valuable advice here, it makes me excited to want to learn

[@dylloz6735]

Great advice! Really shows me the path of how I can become fluent in Japanese. Very helpful interview, どうもありがとうございました!

[@foxoy9559]

This video is the most significant video I’ve ever encountered when it comes to learning Japanese. It is crazy how listening to the first two guys for just few seconds did it for me!

[@satosa]

It was very cool to hear all the different experiences and approaches to learning Japanese. Becoming fluent is still on my bucket list all these years later. Thank you, Takashii, for these interviews.

[@vincentforce1]

I’m currently stationed in Tokyo. When I first came here a year ago I knew the basics like hello and thank you. After a year of KZbin, active listening and practicing it on Japanese people I am now wayyyy more comfortable with my Japanese. I am in no way fluent but I definitely can get around comfortably. The first guy is 100% correct. You need to experience it daily to really understand how Japanese is actually spoken day to day instead of reading it from a text book.

[@TheZenomeProject]

Nick and Matt vs. Japan are like the archetypes for Japanese learning on the KZbin language scene. I can't help but respect and admire their grind, especially the insane amount of hours that both of them spent per day listening to Japanese (in different contexts, but still).

[@lullemans72]

that guy nick looks like a modern version of john connor from terminator 2. the hairstyle, the voice tone, the way he speaks, the attire. he's got it all.

[@reflex9238]

Matt is a scammer, starting something called project uproot in which he was working with a well known scammer who’d make Japanese courses only to take the money and run.

[@Φωτό-ρ7π]

​@@lullemans72 must be okabe from steins gate doing

[@DexFlex_YT]

i love matt

[@orinblank2056]

@@DexFlex_YT Me too. He helped me get an MRI once lmao

[@tomomiko202]

Nick is absolutely correct. About everything. :-) Matt's dedication, and insight about learning, is phenomenal. Ashiya and the young woman from Nepal have become highly proficient in at least three languages and that is amazing for so early in life. I hope people learning Japanese will heed everyone's advice.

[@TheZenomeProject]

I wouldn't say that the Nepalese girl is "highly proficient" in Japanese yet, but you can tell that she's on her way to learning it well. I would say that the Russian girl is very good at speaking Japanese, though, and genuinely can be thought of as fluent. The first two are legitimately extremely proficient. Nick has the stronger American accent but they are both crazy-skilled. Those are the two that really understand how to acquire a 2nd language in the most thorough way.

[@freehongkong8732]

I do also think Nick saying it'll take 5 years living in Japan before you're fluent is pretty off. You'd be comfortable in Japanese after 18 months or less.

[@TheZenomeProject]

@@freehongkong8732 That's nonsense for a native English speaker. Japanese and English developed on the opposite sides of the globe and are so divergent from each other that to truly get fluent, it genuinely takes that long for the average English native to become fluent in Japanese.

[@tomomiko202]

​@@TheZenomeProject I'm sure that is true for some people. A lot depends on the study environment and one's natural affinity for languages. Fluency can be achieved much more quickly. The US department of defense and also the state department send people for full-time studies in many foreign languages. And I believe the official expectation for them is 22 months of full-time immersion to become fluent in Japanese. So an 18-month estimate isn't very far off. If all the conditions are right. As a general point, I would say that whether or not one is in a formal immersion program, it's wonderful and memorable to have a lot of Japanese friends, but that only helps your language skills if they speak Japanese with you. I think several of these interviewees made a similar point. This is especially important for people who come to Japan for work, and speak their native language in the workplace. That was my situation, many many years ago. 😅. If we'd had social media back then, I wouldn't have had to learn that point by trial-and-error.

[@thepierre396]

@@TheZenomeProject Nick's example is pretty extreme. Being fluent in a language means you can talk about anything with anyone, and you can definitely reach that state before 5 years in the country

[@imhong28]

All the interviewees gave great feedbacks and advices to learn a language. One of your best videos, Takashi!

[@zdravovule]

first guy NICK is best example of normal , down to earth guy who exel in understanding of learning language. second guy MATT is one of my favorite language geeks . I wish he countinues doing videos 😊

[@n3ttx580]

This interview was extremely helpful, as someone that has been learning just a few months now, using different apps and workbooks (and empty paper to practise writing), having vastly different views on how to approach learning Japanese is extremely resourceful. Thank you Takashii. Also just a side not, around 8min mark, he talks about how anime is not different from normal, day-to-day spoken Japanese. I think many people gets the idea that it is different, because anime is in overwhelmingly many cases unreal by its nature - magic, robots, special abilities, fantasy/sci-fi worlds, even the character design itself is unreal. And after you watch some shows or movies, your brain automatically assigns "anime = not realistic", and "japanese language in anime = unrealistic, because anime = unrealistic".

[@skadoo7859]

Big difference is the fluent vs. proficient argument. You can maybe become proficient in shorter than a few years, but you're not going to be FLUENT. Don't give up!

[@scottevensen2615]

Fascinating! Thank you Takashii! Excellent interviews! It makes so much sense how they talked about their learning processes.

[@N5PRDGY]

you ask such great questions!! as a monolingual english speaker, i find these explanations absolutely fascinating. thank you for what you do!!

[@sophiaisabelle027]

We appreciate your interviews. They’re all insightful. Keep up the good work.

[@madebyarmadillo]

This is one of your best videos so far. Great flow and pacing, great camera and audio quality, just great! Thank you for your wonderful videos!

[@The_official_jaijai]

TAKASHii thank you so much for this video!!! This is so helpful and very motivating to continue learning Japanese.

[@brianreed3919]

Dude I've been aggressively learning for the last two months and I hired a tutor. She's been pushing me to only speak in Japanese and it's been so helpful. I'm starting to finally catch on.

[@schmatever]

I learnt Hebrew to an advanced level. It's different to Japanese completely but it's still a challenge to learn. The secret and challenge to learning any language is by accepting that you will make a lot of mistakes when you first start. Many people fear this, they don't want to sound stupid (and even have strangers laugh at them in public). If you can deal with that initial uncomfortable feeling then you will progress and in fact once that doesn't bother you anymore in fact you realise that now you are "local".

[@EnaamJatt-hw5dm]

How long did it took you to learn the language?

[@schmatever]

@@EnaamJatt-hw5dm Took 6 months to get the basics but I lived in Israel in a kibbutz at the time.

[@xpmedia8660]

When I first learned Spanish I worked at a Mexican grocery store. I learned Spanish through them and watching movies with their daughter I actually ended up dating. They laughed at my mistakes. I laughed with them. Eventually we'd be talking mad sh_t about people lol. A black guy talking mess with a Mexican family..what were the odds. But I learned salsa, are traditional Mexican food, which also helped me learned. I can't give you an exact word of the method...input.. immersion. Because it was a combination of listening, speaking, doing, dancing, eating..etc. and I did the same with French, and Russian.

[@valley2thebay319]

@@xpmedia8660how long did it take for you to communicate in Spanish

[@xpmedia8660]

@@valley2thebay319 that depends on you and the effort you put in

[@Shumai888]

These interviews are very well done, the questions are relevant, and the people who answered also gave excellent advice. Thank you very much for this video!

[@jackivan7632]

I like how Nick does the perfect explaination for learning any language

[@hardstylelife5749]

Well nick summarized the whole process most eloquently; no need to add anything after his explanation. it took me a very long time to come to the same conclusions and start applying them day by day. Btw: first guy, brilliant and intelligent, admitting that takes several years of commitment to master a language. All the other interviews were equally interesting and helpful. Very nice video, thanks for sharing it

[@NadiaMichelle]

Tnx! I adore how unedited and honest your content is.

[@agustinn2231]

Im an english teacher, and the things nick talks about are really backed uo by theory! For example, when he says "think of yourself as a baby", he refers to Gouin's and Berlitz's language learning theories which argue that langs are best studied in a deductive way... also, Matt's view is mostly based on other theories such as Krashen's "Natural Approach", which mainly argue that lang learning is all done through input... it actually also make reference to the learners having a "silent period" where no production is made. Interesting!

[@juicygoosy1749]

I love how applicable this advice is for all languages

[@Passion84GodAlways]

This was SO informative and SO ENCOURAGING for me to give myself GRACE & TIME when learning other languages! 🤗🥰🙏🏾 THANK YOU! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@dpacc88]

A Russian woman giving an interview in English about how she learned Japanese. Amazing! 😂

[@hg77777]

And she is beautiful

[@SomyHeartcanBeat]

Your camera quality is fantastic! Great video, as always! I love hearing about other people's Japanese language learning journey!

[@tee1532]

I really like Nick. In every interview I've seen him in, he has great magnetic charisma

[@starlights13]

Learning with kids media is a great idea , definitely going to try that.

[@ctakahashi]

That was a very good episode. Very helpful hearing from people who have gone non-traditional paths to fluency.

[@JosephGio]

Your videos really give me a courage boost to keep studying. Thanks for your work!

[@youtubeuserzzzz]

The first Guy being interviewed (Nick) is correct 100%. "One lives in the best times to learn a language." This is so true true true. Back in the days, it was so difficult, it wasn't a huge selection of material. Now there's plenty. I speak 3.5 Languages. The .5 is American Sign Language. I need to practice more, to become more confident. Like an Interpreter. Greetings Takashi, great video!🇯🇵🇺🇲👍🏾

[@footballdude6824]

I love this video so much thank you TAKASHii I’m currently attempting to learn Japanese, I’m on my second week of it and I’m using Rosetta Stone but I wanted more avenues of how to learn and thankfully this video has helped a lot, I hope to take a month long trip to Japan in a couple years and want to be prepared for the full experience.

[@emilyeskew9817]

I went to Akamonkai in Nishi-Nippori 10 years ago in my early twenties. It's so cool to see that they have online courses now. Before there were a lot of online language sources it was a great way to learn. If you can go and live in Japan and immerse yourself in a language school, I'd highly recommend it.

[@NoMady688]

3:24 a melhor forma de se aprender o idioma é esse, pois você se torna mais confiante como ouvinte, claro que não é do dia pra noite, mas assim que começar a assimilar as palavras que estão sendo ditas você tem que colocar no idioma original e se já estiver preparado você começa a ouvir sem legenda. (eu pensei em 7 anos, ele sendo mais experiente disse 5 anos) ❤❤❤

[@youbyou8148]

Watch your videos every day. Love it. Got some Japanese friends in the Netherlands. It's sooooo interesting. Love your culture: It's all reflected in the language! I don't speak Japanese, but I'm learning a little everyday.

[@johnprager662]

Takashii, your channel is blowing up. It's crazy that you're already over 700k. I think you could hit 1 million by the end of the year.

[@morbusxx7]

The first gentleman is so right about all the resources available today. I was in Japan in the late 70's to early 80's so no internet, no apps, no KZbin. I knew a couple of guys who spoke Japanese but they had an advantage, Japanese wife, Japanese girl friend, and Japanese friends. I kick myself now because I wished I would've have learned Japanese, it would have opened a whole new world and better experience being in Japan. I guess it's a young peoples world now with all the videos I watch it's all young people living and enjoying Japan. I'm an old dude now retired. But I wish I could live in Japan even now. Great video, thank you.

[@Joebusyguns]

This video was amazing Takashii! Truly appreciate the work you do

[@Joe.The.Pirate]

I've been watching this channel for like 6 months or a year and I can hear your English getting better.

[@asiyatokyo]

ありがとうございました〜

[@takashiifromjapan]

こちらこそありがとうございました！！

[@jeffvallese5232]

Watching your interviews is really helping me listen to the Japanese language. I've been studying for about 3 months now

[@hantuumt]

Dear Takashii, I started following your videos very recently when I was in Japan. You are undoubtedly one of my favourite youtuber. Thank you once again for posting videos that are very informative. Lots of love from Australia.

[@peterchau636]

When I saw Matt in the thumbnail I was like "No way, he still exists? And he's in Japan now?!?" (Despite some of the controversy, I hope he's well) The interviews with Nick and Matt were a treat to be able to watch. Thanks for all your hard work Takashii! 😁💝

[@secretahsieg]

Who is he? Here for the tea 🫖

[@Zepego-jk2iz]

@@secretahsieg Also here for the T

[@yeepsleep]

@@secretahsieg google matt vs japan controversy, the wanikani and reddit discussions will tell you all you need to know. i was on his mailing list for a while, pretty cringy stuff. i respect the work he's put in to his own japanese study, and i aspire to reach that level someday, but his business practices are shady and gross.

[@victormaiasouza5702]

What controversy?

[@barnabasisegrim7482]

@@victormaiasouza5702 He pretty much admitted that he's scamming people

[@christopherdrury9307]

I've been learning Japanese at home for a Year now, " love it " Great , informative video with some very useful advice. Thanks 🇯🇵🇬🇧

[@marleneschick4768]

Hello! I am Japanese-American, 4th generation. I was born and raised in Hawaii. I am 59years old and have been to Japan 10x since 2013. I love it there. BUT, I do NOT know how to speak Japanese. Neither do my parents. They were 5 and 6 years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Japanese had to prove they were loyal to the U.S. There have been a few times that Japanese people, old AND young have been very rude to me when they discover I do not understand Japanese language. Perhaps you could interview people about how they feel about Japanese from other countries who do not speak the language.

[@Iancreed8592]

Nice to see GoGoNihon is still around. I went through them for a year long course in Yokohama back in 2011. Best time of my life.

[@nkosikhonangidi7251]

I'd agree that those apps and websites are one thing then being actually in Japan is something much more different. I've been in Japan Osaka since October, communication was extremely difficult at 1st but now I'm much better. The only was to learn is to get involved, it only gets better.

[@lizvalentine1811]

Thank you for always putting the links of the people you interview. 👍

[@francy80]

👍Thank you so much for this very useful video. All the people interviewed gave excellent advice, however I think that each person has their own method which varies according to their personality, the goals they want to achieve and the time they have available. I totally agree with the first very nice guy who in a very funny way said it's a bit like going back to being children learning to speak 😄. See you next video! またねたかしさん❗🤗

[@nekonesu]

I went to a language school in tokyo via gogonihon back in 2017. I loved it! So it made me happy to see their sponsorship😊

[@francis7336]

It's all about input. Textbooks are a good basis, but languages are constantly changing and developing, so textbooks are often not up to date. Use them to learn common grammatical structures (NOT set phrases - looking at you, どうぞよろしく) and then throw yourself into Japanese media - shows, books, whatever interests you. It worked for me with learning English and I feel like it's working for me with Japanese too. I learned the JLPT N5 vocab, the most common uses of particles, and now I've started playing video games in Japanese and reading Japanese short stories. It was a bit tedious at first, but it's gotten much easier already.

[@briancombs9671]

この面白くビデオを作ってくれてありがとうございます。日本にすぐ行きたい。日本で楽しく生きたいために勉強するのが頑張ります。

[@myon9431]

Nick looks wayyy younger than he actually is, pretty handsome!

[@Droidzi]

I love the variety of people you have, and the niche topics you cover, in your interviews and videos - observing people in the backgrounds is cool as well (what they wear, what they are doing etc.)

[@noahlomax1]

Very great video, Takashii. Your style of asking the best questions to some of the the best non-native Japanese speakers helped me understand the "how" and the "why" of obtaining a better way to study Japanese and to begin to master it. And no worries, your English is very good too.

[@ags1370]

Thanks!

[@arsnakehert]

Regarding learning Japanese from anime, I've learned English to a point where I've been able to fool native speakers into assuming that _I'm_ a native... and one of my main starting points in getting English input as a kid was playing Japanese games with funny English translations. My native language is Portuguese, and although I watched a lot of Dragon Ball Z as a kid with the Brazilian dub and all its voice acting quirks, I only talked like cartoon characters _sometimes,_ lol, now I speak like a normal person. I'd say any source of input is a good source of input, you can always adjust the way you speak later.

[@Savan_Triveda]

Amazing people all of you. I like this interview very much. No small talk, no artificial show. Just straight forward.

[@jimtepedino9295]

What is just as amazing is that all these interviewees spoke English so well. They are from a non-english speaking country and live in Japan and can rock out fluently in English with ease.

[@jsy5128]

two of them were from states

[@jimtepedino9295]

@@jsy5128 aside from them, lol

[@jimtepedino9295]

@@mfreak1126 LOL, my mistake.

[@marybiddle1248]

I often have this same thought when watching Takashi’s videos.

[@jimtepedino9295]

@@marybiddle1248 I guess they’re the ones that make the cut.

[@massvt3821]

Honestly, one of your best videos. Definitely worth watching more than once, too...

[@khakisohn9710]

I've been studying Japanese since 2019 and I've been watching children's Japanese shows ever since. It's helped me develop my language skills considerably, and I always recommend it to anyone who wants to get used to it. Japanese children's shows typically speak slower too, and some have Japanese subtitles so it's easier to read along and take notes of what means what.

[@VeloriaMyVey]

any recommendations?

[@khakisohn9710]

@@VeloriaMyVey for japanese kids shows? I'd totally recommend おじゃる丸. It's very cute and the storylines are very easy to follow.

[@VeloriaMyVey]

@@khakisohn9710 oooh that is super cute ^.^! I've been making due with japanese peppa pig lmao, so I'll def check this out, thanks!

[@YDProper]

How did you get fluent? Bro said “I was in these streets” 🤣🤣 💀

[@kobearbis4196]

Holy shit, it's Matt. I thought he disappeared. He's been my Japanese-learning role model for many years, even despite recent controversies. Glad to have him back to making public appearances. Thanks Takashii!

[@hushlek734]

if you go to the refold youtube channel he frequently makes videos there i thought he stopped to but hes very active hahaha

[@ariah5093]

@@hushlek734making money is not wrong. Especially off of something he passionately spent years perfecting. Walmart and every other company maxs profits.

[@animagamer2]

@@Chocolatepain He's trying to monetize his skill set! What a disgusting capitalist pig! /s

[@ssbVanilla]

@@Chocolatepain hes just an asshole thats pretty much it, theres a vid of him yelling at his employee threatening him and just looking childish

[@mskyba]

@@hushlek734 Those are all archives of content he recorded years ago; he is not active on KZbin at all except for these third-party appearances. Matt is pretty active on Twitter, though, which is where I found this video from

[@TomTomosan]

So fascinating. And resonant. I am 208 days into studying for two to five hours a day ( Duolingo, videos, movies, textbooks, manga) and just now occasionally understanding a sentence as it rushes past. Oh, btw, I’m 67 years old - not the ideal age for language acquisition. Acid test in January and February when I visit for the first time on a trip to see bird species. Nervous and excited. I hope I am not too ugly a foreigner. Thank you, Takashii, for your hard work on all these excellent videos.

[@littleDainolf]

First time I have heard japanese with russian accent, sounds pretty cool. Also Takashis english have improved alot.

[@joely03]

Your English accent has improved so much in a year 😮 keep up the good videos I love them all

[@freehongkong8732]

The fact that Nick's mind went for the word 準備 before the English counterpart shows why he's so fluent.

[@eulachster]

great video! this is very helpful and greatly inspirational for people who are starting to learn the language. thank you takashi-san!

[@extremelucky1]

I learned a lot from Busuu. I am far from being fluent but I can hold basic conversations now. My learning plateaued at some point using their normal curriculum. Switching to Manga made it really fun and watching Midnight Diner. Should make my second trip easier to navigate 😂

[@Zultzify]

very inspiring, been learning for 6 months, have hirigana, katakana and about 25 or 30 kanji under my belt so far, i need to focus on pronunciation and grammar, i actually really enjoy learning how to structure sentences in japanese!

[@jellyacc]

your friend is absolutely right about this currently being the best time to learn a new language. i think im probably more or less his age and back in the day the only way to learn a foreign language was in school, and even then sometimes it only went up to level 2-3. AND moreover schools usually only offered basic foreign languages which were either spanish, french and italian. in my case japanese and german were two of the languages i wanted to learn but it was almost impossible. and now, omg theres SO many ways you can learn any language even on your own. the resources now are unlimited

[@tomomiko202]

My Japanese studies began exactly 30 years ago. It would be so much easier today because there are so many tools we didn't have back then. Not everyone learns in the same way or at the same pace. Today everyone can find a tool to match their learning style and pace. Now is definitely the best time we've ever had to learn foreign languages.

[@melissawijaya]

Thank you for the video! It really give me encouragement to keep going and study harder.. Sometimes I almost give up when learning Japanese, but I know learning language is not simple.. it takes years and years to become better and fluent..💪🏻

[@daniisaurushax]

YES the first guy had so much good advice. Treat yourself as a baby in the language. Talk to people along with studying because speaking with a native speaker and learning textbook japanese can be different (words dropped out of sentences because they’re not needed everytime you speak, slang, proper usage of honorifics and such etc). For baby Japanese learners that are struggling to start: learn katakana. You can go immediately read words and know what it says!! Katakana is used for foreign words from my understanding, so even if it’s spelled slightly different than it would in English, you’ll still figure out words. And it makes you so excited to learn more! Just move to hiragana next and bam, you’re learning!

[@nikitaw1982]

Babys try to talk constantly. So do little toddlers. They say a lot of stuff with no meaning as probably about playing with the grammer

[@moyga]

It seems to me like Matt doesnt accurately represent his own learning history. He didn't only do input. He also did highschool and university classes and studied abroad and talked with Japanese students at his uni and so on. So his main focus was doing tons of input but he was also doing some output which I think is totally different than true 100% input with no output.

[@sesudesu]

Yeah haha i felt so betrayed by Matt when he said he had spent time with a host family during high school and was taken in by the japanese community at his college. He tries to come off as the total DIY anime/ flashcards guy when thats not the case. I have learned almost entirely that way and it can be frustrating when you aren’t able to get opportunities like that. There is NO success story where the learner did not spend time in Japan/ have relationships with Japanese.

[@Aaron-xq6hv]

Matt has always been a liar and a shill though. There's a reason he only exists in the KZbin world.

[@rickivan_RICK]

I mean yeah he’s a known liar and con artist. It’s too bad Takashi probably didn’t know or he wouldn’t have featured him in this video.

[@ketchup901]

He wasn't doing any output in the beginning. You can watch his 3 hour video but he only started outputting after doing only input for like a year iirc. And his university classes he dropped out of because he was taking them after he was already fluent and they weren't teaching him anything new. He says IN THIS VIDEO that he recommends studying grammar and getting a textbook. I don't understand how you got "I only did input" from that.

[@HarrisonHoude]

7:08 I needed to hear this... I keep putting off watching or reading -- but I am semi-fluent as I speak to a lot of Japanese friends. I think beginning to read and watch more Japanese content will help me get to the next level! ありがとう！