Learn Japanese NOW!

by 85 Comments

Think of this post as an “inspirational” post…or something like that. Might be the opposite, depending on who you are.

Over the last five years or so, I feel like I’ve noticed an influx in “instant gratification textbooks.” Everyone is trying to claim that they can teach you Japanese faster. One book will say it can teach you Japanese in 12 very easy five minute lessons, another will say they can teach you everything you’d ever need to know in a week. I’ve even seen some that say “Learn Japanese now!”

I think sometimes we forget that speed isn’t the point. Learning  Japanese FAST is like cramming for an exam. Maybe you’ll remember for a little while (a very little while), but in the end, you’ll just end up forgetting and burning yourself out. It’s not a race, and it should never be thought of that way.

I could be wrong, but I bet a lot of people get tempted into buying one of these “fast” Japanese language books. People want instant gratification, and when a book markets this temptation, they sell books, but people don’t learn very much. When I go to the bookstore, it feels like most of the books in the Japanese section are like this: Quick one-night-stand textbooks that steal your money on the way out the next morning. They must be making money.

Basically, all I’m saying is don’t get tempted! Take the high road! Learning Japanese takes a lot of time, but trying to skip steps to speed it up won’t help any. If you want to speed up what you are learning, just study more; that’s all there is to it. If you spend too much time trying to figure out innovative new approaches to learning Japanese, you’ll waste a lot of time that you could be using to study.

Here is a little video for you to watch, mostly just entertainment, and me making a fool out of myself. Besides being the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done, his video is dedicated to Erin, because she hates this song so much, and I love it.

[youtube:http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=AVg6uphc7iQ]

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  • WC

    You know, claiming that none of these books work is just as irresponsible as the ones that the claim to work and don’t. If you haven’t actually -tried- the book (or better yet, done an intensive study on others than have tried it), how can you say it doesn’t work?

    Some of those books are based on new learning methods that really do help you learn faster. Yeah, some of it helps in the short run, but that’s called a ‘head start’ and if they keep practicing with that knowledge, it will stick.

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    Funny you should say that – this was part of my university thesis :)

  • mwpsmith

    Great video, Koichi. I was just expecting straight advice on not falling for these books and got rick-rolled. I agree with your point that you should take the high road with learning Japanese. It’s the same with everything that takes a lot of effort, I suppose. Like learning a musical instrument.

    Wouldn’t it be great if Doc came up to you saying that caption in the picture, though? “1.21 Jigowatts of Japanese Learning Power!!” :)

  • Livvi_Spatula

    I’ve never actually listened to that song all the way through until now. That was awesome. You rock!

  • Tonio

    Lol, never expected that! Hilarious!!!

  • St

    Is that 「完全マスター語彙 日本語能力試験1・2級レベル」 you’re holding?

    Anyway I totally agree with the sentiment. Japanese may be somewhat hard, but if it were easy it wouldn’t be worth it, right? People sometimes have strange reasons for wanting to know Japanese, more so than with other languages in my impression. I study Japanese simply because I enjoy studying it, it gives me intellectual satisfaction. I do not intend to study Japanese in 10 minutes a day (reading nothing but manga of course) in order to one day live out orientalist phantasies in Japan with the Japanese as an embarrassed captive audience.

    It’s the same with all these people who claim Japanese textbooks are boring because they only want to read about manga or bushidou instead of learning how to talk to your superiors, how to exchange small talk in polite company or how to make sure you don’t get ripped off in the store because you don’t know how to haggle. Of course they’re boring. You’re just learning the basics, you’re not entitled to have fun.

    Haha oh I do sound awfully grumpy.

  • http://altf4.net lawnmowerlatte

    Oh man, I can’t see the video (YouTube is screened where I work) so I didn’t get rolled.

    That aside, this was a really good article. I’ve been studying lightly for a while (at university and on my own), but I’m trying to get serious again. My friend challenged me to the JLPT test, so now I have a goal at least.

    (This is my first post here, so I thought I’d also mention that I love the site. Found via YouTube.)

  • Zaywex

    Isn’t this the third video of it’s type? x)

  • Kirt

    fucking. amazing.

  • http://tofugu.com Tofugu_Erin

    Thanks for the dedication :D

  • JohtoKen

    Speaking of which, are you still gonna post up your thesis on the blog, or is it gonna be available through the Tofugu store that should be popping up sometime in the future?

  • Tania

    so funny! lmaoo!!

  • Esthgram

    Hi, I´m studing japanese, great video, I have a question what book do you think are good for learning=? I´m using MINNA NO NIHONGO, is that a good book=?

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    Yep, I’m planning on it (it’s taken forever, I know). It will be rewritten and part of an e-book I’m working on for the site. I don’t work very often on it, though, so I’d expect it sometime at the end of summer / beginning of fall.

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    Lol, that would have been a better header on this picture :)

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    I listen to it all the way through, every time I get rick rolled

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    yeah, I have like all the kanzen master 1級 books. They are so friggin boring, but have so much information (when it comes to grammar, though, much of it seems useless). Still, I like them a lot.

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    It’s even better than getting rick rolled!

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    Yeah, but they’re all slightly different, and people need reminders about this sort of thing, I think. This video was going to take quite a different direction, but then…I just got into the music a little too much…

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    yeah, that’s another one of the ‘real’ ones. Def def

  • Esthgram

    ^_^ GOOD! ^_^ thanks that’s such a relief .

  • http://davidinjapan.wordpress.com David L

    Nice dancing, man. ^^

  • http://www.youtube.com/user/CHESTERlikesSUBARU Chester_King

    It’s not real dancing if there’s no pole.

    And I DON’T mean the nationality.

  • fredydb327

    That was hilarious and disturbing and educational and [insert what you want here] all at the same time. I also listen to the whole song sometimes. I honestly can’t stand yet like that song.
    I almost bought Genki in Japan but it was like 30,000 ¥ that I needed later. Japanese malls are huge…. or at least very high, hahaha.
    When’s the Rosetta Stone article coming? It’s not that great in my opinion, but it can at least add some vocab and practice, but in actually learning details for language and to form your own speech, i don’t think so. Then again, I haven’t used it to its full potential.

  • http://aruri.deviantart.com 8Dhi

    lol, was the rick roll really necessary OTL

    I agree though.. I think those textbooks show you how to parrot back phrases in Japanese… and so you can claim you know it, but it doesn’t really teach you the structure of the Japanese language >>

    Oh! and what were those books in the video?

  • Mr. Kevin

    Those books are for people that are on business and want to learn enough to get around. I think they are usually marketed towards those type of people, they don’t really care about the language just need to know enough so they can ask where the toilet is…

  • http://altf4.net lawnmowerlatte

    Yes. Yes it was.

  • emiko

    yay! new video!

    I’ve never really seen instant gratification textbooks, but I have used rosetta stone before. I was trying to learn Tagalog. My mom (fluent speaker from Manila) said that it gave me a weird accent T.T . . . now I’m afraid to use them!

  • WOTDsctoo

    Hahaha, I don’t know who is more ridiculous singing this song, koichi or that little white Rick Astley guy. That was a compliment…or something, by the way. You get cool points.

    I don’t know, I guess I’m lucky that I have a class so I don’t get enticed into buying these things. I don’t really do actual studying from books outside of class, just exposure and practice from other sources, so there isn’t really the temptation to buy these things. I guess it’s a good thing…wouldn’t want to get rick rolled!

  • Ank

    Great video, although the open shirt might have difused my attention a little from the actual message (^ – ^)*

    (I did get the message though. Way before xD I enrolled in a Japanese majors program for September =D)

  • emiko

    japanese major classes? yay for you!

  • chris[tine]

    my first time here and… crap, I just got rick rolled.

    LOL good job, you made a very good point about the whole “learn japanese NOW!” issue.

    i will admit that i was once a fool to this trick, although i never touched this one book i bought that promised i would become fluent in only a few months. six years’ worth of high school/college japanese language courses later, i know better.

    gambatte, koichi-san!! consider this site bookmarked :D

  • http://Wafukari.intothenew.net Wafukari

    Good to hear. I have finished both Genki 1 and 2. At the university I have been excepted to in Japan they use Minna no Nihongo. So, I am happy to hear that it is a good book. Think there will be a lot of repeating of some things since I have finished Genki 1 and 2?

  • http://Wafukari.intothenew.net Wafukari

    I have to reply to my own post and say how retarded I am. “I have been accepted…”

  • Ank

    Yeah, mucho yay! =DD
    It’s the only national university Japanese major so.. 8D
    (I’m not American btw xD)

  • emiko

    only a national university? that is still a big thing! good luck!

  • Ank

    Well, we only have national universities, since the Netherlands doesn’t have states xD So getting into uni is a pretty big thing.
    And thanks =D

  • http://stshores24.com stshores24

    I’ve been…tofu-rolled? LOL.

  • emiko

    you’re welcome

  • emiko

    am i the only one having troubles reading the plasticky crepes? . . . i want to read it, but it isn’t showing up on my computer . . . weird

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    no problems here, as far as I can tell

  • Eevee

    I love how the aviators went over the regular glasses. xD Made it so much better.
    Very, very good article. All I see when I go to sites with anything to do with Japanese… “Learn Japanese in 5 minutes!!” etc, etc.
    The lying and false promises leave you even more discouraged than ever, so start and finish learning the language right!

  • emiko

    really? that’s weird . . . i’ll keep trying

  • http://www.tofugu.com Viet

    What browser and operating system are you using to access the article? Try clearing out the cache from the browser.

  • Amset

    Haha nice. This is the first time I’ve been here as well… I’ve been trying to teach myself Japanese for the summer so far and you can be glad I’m taking the high road and everything :P. Studying about 30 minutes a day… I’m actually using that Genki text (among others) that you recommend on here by coincidence… But anyway, yeah nice blog :).

  • http://gollydays.wordpress.com ace

    waaah!!! my 3 favorite people + united by that song.

    Rick was just here in Manila and made riot.
    http://outthewindow.multiply.com/journal/item/1…

  • françois

    dan..i sure wanna learn japanese some day to go to japan,but i’m way to lazy to do that…maybe i should try one day…

  • Maciel

    stop playing starcraft =P (just kidding) and u will finish it in no time

  • http://www.myspace.com/stuka82 Stuka

    i want to bang a japanese woman 10 years ago

  • hidaki9

    hi this is an awesome work i congratulations to you, koichi im a japanesse culture fan and im from mexico im start working on a spanish=japanesse, im working on a spanish network on south california usa, and let me tell you you work is just awesome, i want to ask you if is possible to use some of your videos to make a spanish =japanesse version :D

    hidaki9@hotmail.com

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