How I learned Japanese - with textbook recommendations!

Here's some old video footage I found explaining how I learn Japanese! The methods are still the same although the video is old. Learning Japanese is really doable and these are my 5 ways I learned it.
Japanese resources on my website: www.lindiebotes.com/japanese-resources
Japanese textbooks mentioned in this video:
Japanese for Busy People Beginner: amzn.to/3pg78u5
Japanese for Busy People Intermediate: amzn.to/3AisSfp
Minna no Nihongo: amzn.to/3pg7qBb
Sugu ni tsukaeru Nihongo Kaiwa mini phrases: amzn.to/3dskxws
Nihongo 500 Mon N4: amzn.to/3JNSOmc
Nihongo 500 Mon N3: amzn.to/3QnpEwL
Nihongo 500 Mon N2: amzn.to/3zPOG0w
Nihongo So Matome N4: amzn.to/3drL6Ca
Nihongo So Matome N3 grammar: amzn.to/3C1vS0R
Nihongo So Matome N3 Kanji: amzn.to/3PeYCq1
#learningjapanese #speakingjapanese #jlptn3
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Welcome to my channel! My name is Lindie and I share my love for languages and design on this channel. I'm a senior product designer and co-founder of Kaards.io. I also write blog posts about languages at lindiebotes.com, and mentor language learners, and offer UX consulting for language apps at superpeer.com/lindiebotes. I'm a Christian and strive to shine God’s light in all I do. May this channel inspire you to reach your language goals and learn more about design.
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Enquiries & partnerships: [e-mail]
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:46 Method 1
01:38 Textbook recommendations
04:30 Method 3
05:13 Method 4
07:00 Meeting native speakers and final tips

[@RubyDuran]

ahhhh, Japanese is one those languages I really desire to acquire at least an intermediate level in, but with my other languages I'm prioritizing (2-3 languages hehe) it seems to be placed in the back burner and that makes me slightly sad 🥲 your journey is so amazing and always inspiring!!!!!! Thank you for sharing 💗

[@lemonpebble]

I feel you, your comment sounds like it could be mine as well 😅 But I'm sure we'll finally manage to give Japanese as much attention as we want 😊

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

😊😊👍👍❤❤

[@chimeiamv]

The usefulness of these tips cannot be underestimated. I've been doing Japanese for 5 yrs and just now aiming for N3. Registered for the December test. Anyone else taking N3 this year? Lindie was my inspiration!

[@ole4ka791]

I'm taking N4 on December 4th. Good luck to all of us

[@finiamh5032]

did you pass?

[@chimeiamv]

@@finiamh5032 have not gotten results yet.

[@finiamh5032]

@@chimeiamv i hope you get a good mark!

[@bobfranklin2572]

For five years?

[@ricichien]

I am watching this as a Portuguese speaker, using English as my second language to get tips on how to learn Japanese. Everyone should learn more languages, it is so cool.

[@marcoseduardo1277]

Português brasileiro?

[@corinna007]

I can attest to that first tip about listening to the language; I've been learning Finnish for seven years, but I finally started italki about a year ago to try to improve my conversational skills. I made a comment to my tutor about knowing I have an accent, and to my surprise she said that my accent isn't as strong as I think it is, and that she thought it's because I listen/sing along to a lot of Finnish music, and that helped me learn how to pronounce things.

[@user-oq6kd5dc4z]

I’m Japanese and your Japanese is just awesome! 敬語 is nightmare to me as well, nobody blames if foreigners made a mistake in 敬語.

[@fridayoclock]

Oh yes, new vid and about my new language obsession 💝 ready to enjoy it, thanks, Lindie 🌸

[@josueacunauwu]

OMG!!! I understood everything from the beggining without looking at the subtitles!!! There were just two words I didn't know, but I could understand everything by the context Also, thank you for those tips, I think my main problem with Japanese is that I don't stick to a resource and I lack consistency, but I will try hard to do better. You're the best Lindie :3

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

This is an incredible video. I hope I can learn Japanese. You always inspire myself. You are the best ❤❤

[@loslibrosdemarcela5442]

Last night I found some awesome pdf books from Spanish (which is my native language) to japanese and I was super happy because they're actually really difficult to find. And with the experience you just shared, I feel so motivated to continue! Thanks! 🖤🇨🇴🇯🇵

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

❤❤👍👍

[@kingusensei2853]

Hi, Could you tell me how or where can I find those PDF books? I would really appreciate it.

[@RyuAkutagawa]

hola! me alegro de que los hayas encontrado!, será que me puedes decir cómo hacerlo también, por favor 🙏

[@danielsancha6385]

Dónde se pueden encontrar

[@snoopie1054]

Te puedo pedir esos pdfs?

[@norma94]

Thank you for the tips Lindie! I’m just starting my Japanese learning journey

[@alessaxreacts9935]

I am currently learning Korean and the way I am learning is through watching KZbin videos lessons and daily conversation phrases

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

Thank you for this valuable advice, my friend. I am so gratitude for that ❤❤

[@mariefielsallan2011]

Lindie, I decided to study Japanese because you have inspired me. Thank you!

[@misstarzan124]

Thank you for this videos! I really appreciate it!!!

[@MarchingBandsFromHome]

I can’t wait! September right around the corner. 😃 Btw, I thought this was on older video until I saw the time release. Old school video vibes. 👍🏼 This video came just in time. Thank you.

[@ellenfry]

Thank you for the video! Life took a random turn and I have to move to Japan in a month so now I'm trying to study as much as possible

[@kristinnagy1005]

これは素敵なビデオですね！最近、「二回目日本語を勉強したい」と決まりました。三年間勉強して、中級になりました。でも、他の言語を勉強して、忙しくなりましたから、二年間から勉強しなかったんです。たくさん忘れたけど、今、毎日日本語を勉強しようと思います。いい習慣を作りたいです！いつものように、素晴らしいアドバイスをありがとうございます、リンディさん！

[@slaymotomami]

you are such a inspiration

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

❤❤😊😊

[@someperson9536]

I've been practicing my Japanese language skills with an italki tutor. I make conversation on a wide variety of topics. If I don't know hot to say something, I always get help from my tutor. For example, I tried to talk about a movie that I saw. I learned new grammatical structure and vocabulary words as a result of this. I kept doing this for other topics.

[@aimaniqbal6219]

Thank you for the tips☺️

[@Jzaday]

Been learning Japanese for a few months but recently life events have meant it went on the back-burner for a while. However I'm about to start my masters at uni and I'm ready to start again 😊 I have a penpal from Japan which really helps and I'm going to try and get a tutor so that I can speak more so hopefully start to make some good progress now! Thank you, your videos always inspire me to keep going. So many utube channels make me feel like I am so behind but you make it feel like its ok to be going at my pace. ありがと！

[@pardeep_08]

Old lindie vibes☺️☺️ İ used to learn Japanese but i am now learning Turkish Cuz i thought it is a good start Definitely will start it again in future

[@denisalzuflen8964]

Thanks for the video. I'm preparing myself to learn Japanese.

[@gelflingmusic9428]

ありがとうございます。最高な本です。

[@arwameissa9708]

Thanks for your help, I wanna ask for a video plz that you give us the methods that help you to learn Chinese and what you do to stay consistent and motivated in language learning

[@jasminedubois6711]

I'd love to see a video like this for Korean.

[@erossutra4064]

The problem with me is that I get bored and sleepy when engaged in something that isn't stimulating my brain. So, right now I feel unable to do any kind of deep work. I try finding a way around this like watching attractive and entertaining KZbin short videos or Tiktok videos. I am trying to find a solution to this. I know that the more energetic I can get myself physically and emotionally, the greater will be my output.

[@user-oc2bv5br5e]

The problem with TikTok and KZbin shorts is they are a distraction from actually studying the language, every swipe isn’t going to be useful content so you are swiping until something useful lands on your lap and if you’re a doom scroller by nature it’s 100% a pointless idea to learn a language that way. It’s more useful to purposely find your content and engage with it. What are your goals? It’s one thing to want to speak the language I’m sure everyone would like to know more than 1 language if they were given the ability but to want to learn it in the first place you need a purpose, without purpose you’ll have a hard time wanting to spend thousands of hours learning something you want simply because it’d be nice to speak a language instead of spending thousands of hours learning a language because you want to connect with another culture or you want to be able to enjoy anime in its native language etc. Like anything in life finding purpose in anything is the key to unlocking your motivation. Good luck!

[@player_name_here]

Then you're not ready. When you are, it will keep you awake.

[@lovelaine4475]

Do you have ADHD?

[@eeeee323]

Mi maestra de inglés habla muy bien japónes y la admiro mucho 💚 algún día también aprenderé Japonés

[@nicoleyoshihara4011]

one of the most difficult languages. considering studying again but it gives me a headache from all the kanji hahaha but it's good 😂❤

[@poxalmazro3e734]

I've been watching anime since I was a kid, I'm used to listening to Japanese but I can't understand a full convo, after using Japanese from zero 1 I was able to understand sentences here and there and some grammar points, main problem is vocab

[@marcoseduardo1277]

In this moment, I only study japanese because my shortless time don't allow me to learn other languages, but I feel happiness and got enough satisfaction to do this everyday with a single language

[@user-lm5jf9tw3l]

Textbooks get you ready for reading. Reading gets you ready for listening. Listening gets you ready for speaking. If you want to be fluent, check out this structure: STAGE 1: use a textbook or language app like duolingo, babbel etc. for beginning stages to become aware of the basics of the language's grammar and learning about 100 or more essential words. STAGE 2: after understanding basic grammar with a small vocabulary, dive straight into immersion (reading / listening). Reading is more reccomended in this stage but if you hate reading, listening is still good and can still get you fluent. (it just will take longer if you skip reading.) But as a beginner, you should have a 3 to 7 ratio. 70% of your immersion should be reading, 30% listening. (In the beginning stages, reading is much more useful. ) reading is a great way to learn the majority of vocab since you will see the same words over and over (basically drilling them into your head, getting deeper into your memory). STAGE 3: if you love reading, keep reading. But this stage is very focused on listening. Now the ratio will change to 30% reading, 70% listening. Keep in mind, your reading comprehension will transfer to your listening comprehension. You just have to listen more to hear the sounds better. FINAL STAGE: after all 3 stages (approximately 1.5 - 3 years) (notice how this entire time was just based on input) now it is time for output (speaking). Because of not speaking the target language yet (if you already have, thats okay.) It will feel very awkward, but you just have to speak more so that you will get used to it. (After so much input, you should be able to speak fluently without having to think of the grammar). Now you are fluent and you can now read, understand tv, movies etc. And have deep conversations in that language. God bless.

[@tokyoskytree153]

Your Japanese sounds so natural 😉👍✨

[@FC-BS]

ありがとうございます

[@leaanc]

The Textbooks: Japanese for Busy People are really well made! I used them, too..

[@kurapika7222]

I'm using the Genki book as an absolute beginner and it's been amazing, I only wish it had more Japanese in it but the moment I reach N5 in Japanese I'll get a book fully in Japanese for N4.

[@TheAliceCafe]

Thank you Lindie for another great video! I was wondering could you record something about how to find a job/internship in Japan? Could you share with us some of website and tips? Thank you!

[@LindieBotes]

I have some videos about that already!

[@brucemoreno5947]

Hello from California and I am currently studying a bit of Chinese tho I'd also like to learn some Japanese as well in the future.

[@sanazintheuniverse]

Wonderful. 🇯🇵 konnichiwa.

[@bananabs3624]

Hi, can you please make a review in Falou because I can’t decide between it and Speakly, they both look sooooooo good and I thought that your advice could really help me :)

[@user-es6bj2fu6i]

이분의 능력과 열정은 놀라울 따름입니다. 항상 응원합니다~~

[@br41nd34dThing]

so cuuuuuteee

[@StudywithMiejie]

本当にありがとうございますリンディさん! (◍•ᴗ•◍) I love studying foreign languages and you inspire me to study hard to also become a polyglot few years from now. I’m studying Japanese on my own. I also know very basic Korean, Mandarin & Spanish but I’m currently preparing for JLPT N4/N3 so I’ll focus first on studying Japanese. 😊 By the way, I’m a Filipino and I’m really glad to know that you’re also learning Tagalog. Looking forward to more language learning tips from you! (｡-ᴗ•)✧

[@DishonoredGOD]

Don't worry. Just study 1 minute each week. 大丈夫。何とかなるてから。

[@schrodingerscat3912]

ありがとうございます、やっぱり役に立つです。ところで、 どの日本語能力試験のレベルを受けっていますか？

[@sunglee3935]

I’m a Korean and Japanese grammar is very similar so it’s easy but learning all the kanji is daunting because I grew up in US and didn’t learn many kanji characters before I came to US.

[@corinna007]

I have a question: how do you keep from reverting to English when you don't understand something? I understand a quite a bit of Finnish and German, but when I try to actually speak, I get stuck, and go back to English if I'm not sure how to say something.

[@keeritidutta8673]

Hi, please let me know about the books you had used for N

[@LiaAwesomeness]

i have the same cheap ikea lamp ✊🏻✊🏻

[@YinYin-cy2wf]

Very happy Be the first to comment on the sofa

[@coolbrotherf127]

I always get caught up on that writing system. I'll get stuck trying to learn vocabulary and burn myself out on it. I've always been a bit bad at spelling in my native English and learning to spell in another language is hard for me personally.

[@OneBiteoftheCherry]

I hear ya. English isn't a phonetic language, that's why it can be difficult

[@coolbrotherf127]

@@OneBiteoftheCherry Fortunately Japanese is a lot more phonetic, but it does still have it's little quirks.

[@fivetimesyo]

Come to think of it, I could make a video about five ways I didn't learn Japanese...

[@AliMalik-er1mh]

You look fantastic

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

I totally agree with you, my friend. She is nice ❤❤

[@Elena-hu4wf]

I spent a long time thinking about whether to learn korean or japanese. I chose japanese. But I cant start learning it yet because I have two languages at a beginner level fhdjjddjdf. Does anyone know of a book to learn japanese through french?

[@zionuorah3056]

Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, or Japanese - which do you recommend to learn first, if I want to learn all three?

[@iwastubed96]

I’ll speak from experience (Chinese and Japanese). I studied Mandarin for 2 semesters in uni and was able to speak just the absolute basics. A year later, I decided to study Japanese and I had absolutely no issues with kanji because of the Chinese studies. Plus the onyomi(Chinese pronunciation) is just easier to absorb. This gave me a chance to focus more on grammar and some vocabulary.

[@monaahmed-ni9qi]

could i use thoes methods to learn any languag??

[@goldenarm2118]

Can you recommend an English - Japanese dictionary?

[@MuhammadKhalid-jw1gd]

what about chinese?

[@MM-lr4yi]

What you think about learning 2 languages at the same time?

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

I think it is so hard for me.( This is just my personal opinion)

[@carlaasantos]

I think she has talked about that before… Basically it’s better to choose 2 languages that aren’t too similar so you don’t get confused, and also “stacking” the languages. First, you achieve an intermediate level in 1 language (or until you are comfortable with it), and then learn the second language in the other one. I don’t know if you understand what I mean 😅

[@ChickenSoupHamilton]

I recommend learning from different language families to avoid confusion 💖 I’m learning French, Arabic, and Japanese, and I’ve found it’s helpful since the alphabet and grammar structures are different so it’s easier for me to not confuse them. I believe in you tho and I think u can learn whatever languages u want as long as u out enough effort in

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

@@carlaasantos ❤❤👍👍

[@deutschmitpurple2918]

@@ChickenSoupHamilton Thank you for that, my friend ❤❤🥰🥰

[@erzascarlet03]

I can't wait to be fluent 😖 I'm planning to go to college for Asian studies focusing on Japanese 😃

[@user-py5qs4sr4v]

Hello!! Do you know a good tv show/series/anime suited for beginners?

[@rztrzt]

Sazae-san サザエさん is good as it uses normal everyday Japanese as spoken by real people. I also enjoy Musashi (2003) NHK series.

[@user-py5qs4sr4v]

@@rztrzt thank you :D

[@rztrzt]

@@user-py5qs4sr4v ありがとうございます

[@Oszintebohoc]

Szia, Lindie, jól vagy? Most már minden rendben?

[@user-fi5sd5lc3e]

Have you ever thought about learning Mongolian?

[@--REI--]

I want to buy (すぐに使える 日本語会話超ミニフレーズ200) book, but i can't find it could someone send the link to it please

[@LindieBotes]

Hi! Here is the link: geni.us/QuickEasyPhrasesJP

[@--REI--]

@@LindieBotes the icon "Add to the bin" doesn't show up! (or maybe they don't have service to ship to Iraq 🇮🇶)

[@alessaxreacts9935]

한 국 말 다 배 우 고 있 요.

[@shahoodusane6421]

Did you get a haircut again or is this an older video? Anyway, it's really helpful 😊😊✌️✌️

[@LindieBotes]

Read the description ;)

[@shahoodusane6421]

@@LindieBotes oops 😅😅

[@norma94]

Haha I really thought she just cut it too! It looks cuute

[@bobfranklin2572]

Learned, in the past tense. She's done, finito

[@LindieBotes]

Yes, not a word left to learn 😂

[@imwortyoflove369]

If you're intermediate or advanced Japanese learners, my advice might help you! 😊🇯🇵⤴️✨ 1.Graduate from a textbook Japanese. Learn/use a practical and natural Japanese that native Japanese speakers use during actual conversations instead! Because I hear that a textbook Japanese doesn't sounds natural and real. 2.Try not to speak Japanese like you speak your own native language. You should learn/memorize/use natural Japanese expressions/phrases/words. Because Japanese is the complete different language compared to your own language. 3. Don't rely on any translators as much as possible! Because the translations sounds unnatural most of the time! (In my opinion) Good luck!! 💫✨

[@user-lh2hx5xf4e]

One way you can learn Japanese is by watching the KZbin channel 日本語の森

[@azencsovem8198]

A legrégibb nyelv a magyar. Magyarul nem tanult, tanul? Miért?

[@joyfredanaman2570]

Whoever you are, Jesus loves you

[@kougamishinya6566]

00:05 べん⤵きょ X べん⤴きょう ◯

[@MarKeLiuZ]

That slightly "non-pronounced u" is not even important regarding speaking, lol. Focus on the many important topics this video offers 🙂

[@kougamishinya6566]

@@MarKeLiuZ I didn't watch the video lol i was bored one day and looked up how i learned Japanese to see how many seconds people who learned from textbooks make a mistake lol. People who name listening or anime as their main resource tend to score better on this.

[@kougamishinya6566]

@@MarKeLiuZ I also missed the 今日のトッピック which she said 今日 flat but should be き⤵ょう pitch dropping. If you make 2 pitch errors in the first 10 seconds of speaking you're prob not qualified to give tips on learning Japanese lol

[@kougamishinya6566]

@@MarKeLiuZ btw it was originally meant to help her out if she wants to improve since Japanese ppl rarely point out mistakes like this, they are too polite but they notice it all the time. I've had direct conversations with them specifically about how hard it is to understand other foreigners when they make these kind of pitch errors. So it's not minor

[@MarKeLiuZ]

@@kougamishinya6566 If you didn't watch the video why focusing on making such comment lol. Pitch accent is definitely way below on the list in regarding how important the different skills are, probably the least important, if your pronunciation is okay that is enough. Stop trying to pretend to be a native and speak perfectly, you will always make mistakes, needless to say that this applies to every language. Cheers! 🙌

[@imamsanji]

I think you need a better microphone

[@LindieBotes]

Yep. This footage is very old