One Year Ago

When I decided to start learning Japanese, I also decided to start a YouTube channel.

This wasn’t just a way for me to document my progress. It was a way to hold myself accountable.

In light of my personal pledge to start living more ‘deliberately’, I knew that if I was going to do this, I had to see it through.

And now, somehow, I’m one year in.

(There are 7068 people subscribed to my channel!)

I can confidently say that I understand more Japanese.

But I also understand how much Japanese I don’t know…

Anyways, now that I’ve reached the one-year mark, I thought it would be a good time to look back at what I did right, what I did wrong, what I’d do differently - and most importantly, what I plan to do as I move into year two.

What I Actually Did

Now, I’ve done a pretty good job of documenting what I’ve been doing through my YouTube videos, but to lay it all out, here it is:

• Hiragana & Katakana (2 Weeks)

I began by learning the Japanese syllabaries (alphabets), hiragana and katakana.

Two sets of 46 characters, 92 in total.

Hiragana is primarily used for native Japanese words and grammatical elements, whilst katakana is mostly used for foreign loan words, names and a few other things.

I set myself the goal of learning both in two weeks - and I did it!

At first, so many new characters sounds quite daunting, but I found this site:

https://vedxyz.github.io/kana/

Then I just drilled them over and over again.

Some people suggest learning hiragana first and then moving onto katakana but I learned both the characters for the same sound at the same time. (2 for 1)

あ / ア = a

か / カ = ka

さ / サ = sa

And so on…

If I struggled with remembering one, I’d rely on a mnemonic to help it stick.

The good thing is that once you start actually studying Japanese, you see these characters so often that you eventually stop consciously reading them and you just like, know them, idk?

• Kanji (3 - 4 Months)

So after learning the kana, I planned on jumping into a beginner vocabulary deck on Anki.

Then, I met kanji…

And, well. It was overwhelming!

I wasn’t familiar with kanji at all at that stage, and even a beginner desk like Kaishi 1.5K throws quite a lot at you.

So, after struggling through it for a few days I finally decided to deal with kanji on it’s own.

Okay, I’ll say this now.

This approach is not for everyone.

Nor do I think it has to be.

But after watching a fair few videos from people praising ‘Remembering The Kanji (RTK) by James Heisig’, I decided to take on what was probably the toughest learning challenge I had ever set myself:

TO LEARN 2136 KANJI IN 3 MONTHS! - and I did it!

It took around three to four hours everyday, but I was following a guide I had found from another YouTuber called ‘Brit VS Japan’.

https://www.britvsjapan.com/learn-kanji-fast-ultimate-guide-to-remembering-the-kanji/

It was a monumental task but it did help a lot when it came to understanding kanji.

In fact, I had a much easier time tackling that beginners vocab deck once I knew the separate meanings of the kanji I’d see.

It also made for a pretty good YouTube video.

• Vocab Deck - Kaishi 1.5K (8 Months)

As I am writing this, I’m just about to finish Kaishi 1.5K.

This, is a beginners Anki deck designed to give you a foundation of around 1500 common Japanese words.

It’s taken me longer than I originally expected.

Partly because I’ve been learning grammar and doing other things alongside it.

(Like making some other videos unrelating to language learning)

And also because I’ve realised that forcing more and more words into my brain is not the best way to learn.

You can’t rush these things.

But I generally aim for around 5-10 new words a day, depending on how my reviews are going.

Some days, my brain is a sponge.

Some days, my brain is a colander.

You can’t beat yourself up about it.

All you can do, is keep showing up.

Consistency is key here, and my Anki streak proves it. (334 days)

I’ve kept it up for all of these months and now I can look at basic Japanese sentences and actually understand some of it.

A year ago I would have had no chance.

But knowing 1500 words makes a real difference.

Now I need to learn more.

(I am also working on a video on learning these words)

• Grammar - (On-going)

Grammar is different. It’s a little hard to quantify.

It’s not just something you can learn and move on from.

Unlike the kana, kanji or a basic Anki deck, there isn’t really a point where you can say:

Right. Grammar. Done

I’ve jumped between textbooks, websites, YouTube videos and even Chat GPT.

And honestly, grammar is probably the area where I’ve changed my approach the most over this first year…

In fact, I recently wrote an entire article about my toxic relationship with Japanese grammar, so I won’t put you through that again.

I do make time to study grammar separately, but I’ve also realised that a lot of my grammar learning happens outside of these sessions.

When I’m reading Japanese, going through example sentences or just consuming Japanese content, I constantly come across grammar I’ve studied before.

Each time I see it being used in an actual sentence, it seems to make sense.

I think that’s been one of my biggest realisations:

Actually consuming Japanese is part of learning grammar.

That’s why you’ll sometimes hear people say they’ve barely ‘studied’ grammar at all.

That doesn’t mean they haven’t learned it. They’ve just learned a lot of it through immersing in the language over and over again.

Personally, I think I need both.

Studying grammar gives me the foundation.

Consuming Japanese teaches me how it’s used.

What I Did Right

• Being Consistent

The best thing I did was keep going.

I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true.

There have been plenty of days where I haven’t felt like studying Japanese.

Days where my Anki reviews have been shite.

Days where I’ve been questioning if I’ve even progressed at all.

But despite that, I still showed up.

I didn’t do loads everyday.

But I at least did SOMETHING everyday.

And after doing that for an entire year, it starts to add up.

• Exploring Different Methods

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from spending far too much time watching videos about learning Japanese.

It’s that everybody seems to have an opinion on the correct way to do it.

Eventually, you just have to find what works best for you.

I’ve always been willing to try different things, but I’ve also been willing to move on if something isn’t working.

And honestly, only you can judge that.

You are the one learning.

If a method is working and you’re making progress then keep doing it.

If it’s something you enjoy and can stick too, then definitely keep doing it.

It doesn’t have to be the most efficient method.

It doesn’t have to be the method everyone else recommends.

The important thing is finding something that keeps you in the language.

Because the best method is useless if you don’t want to do it!

• Anki In The Morning

I made Japanese the first thing I do.

It’s now become part of my morning routine.

I realised pretty early on that if I left my reviews until later in the day, there was always a chance that later would never come.

I’d get busy, tired or something else would come up.

(Also knowing I had my Anki to do was on my mind ALL day which is annoying)

So, I do it in the morning.

And then I can get on with my day.

Eat that frog.

What I Did Wrong

• Treating Japanese Like A Checklist

I’ll admit it, I’m a simple man.

I like order, and structure.

I like to learn things in a linear fashion.

I like knowing what I’m doing, why I’m doing it and what comes next…

And this is how I had approached Japanese.

It helped a lot at the start of the first year.

But now it’s become one of my biggest problems.

I think I spent too much time preparing to understand Japanese, rather than trying to understand Japanese.

I wanted a perfect foundation first so that when I eventually started reading and listening to real Japanese, I’d be ready.

But I don’t think you ever feel ready?

At some point, you have to be willing to understand almost none of it, and still struggle through.

The struggle is part of learning.

And I wish I had of embraced that sooner.

(Although it is a pain in the arse)

• Watching Too Many Videos About Learning Japanese

Ironic, I know.

Considering I make videos about learning Japanese.

But I think I spent too much time watching other people tell me how to learn Japanese when that time could’ve been spent learning Japanese.

Although I can’t be too harsh on myself.

When you’re teaching yourself there’s nobody around to hold your hand.

And so naturally you look for reassurance to know that what you’re doing is right.

HOWEVER,

There is so many different opinions about what is right and wrong, that at some point you just have to decide for yourself.

I think there’s value in learning from other people who are further along than you.

And I still do that.

But eventually you have to stop researching how or what to do.

And just do.

You say:

Okay, I’ll give this a go.

I’ll find out.

F*ck around and find out.

What I’d Do Differently

• 3 Months On RTK

So, if I had to start learning Japanese again from zero, what would I change?

For starters, I probably wouldn’t spend three to four months learning all 2,136 jōyō kanji through RTK.

I don’t regret doing it, because it helped me become familiar with kanji on a level that has continued to help me.

But I’m not convinced I needed to go THAT far before moving on.

I’d probably do something like RRTK instead (something I learned about after RTK) Apparently it’s a condensed version that focuses on the more common kanji.

That way I’d be able to move onto learning vocabulary much sooner.

Or honestly, I could’ve just persevered with the vocabulary deck from the beginning?

I could have lowered the number of new cards.

Accepted that kanji was going to look confusing for a while.

And then taken my time.

I would’ve kept on going.

• Chat GPT Is Actually Useful

I know people hate to hear this…

But Chat GPT and all of these other AI programs are really useful when it comes to language learning.

Yes. They can make mistakes now and then.

But so can we!

I’ve started using it more often since I’ve started studying grammar.

I get it to break down sentences and explain them in detail.

Then it answers all the questions I might have.

Instead of spending half an hour trying to find someone who has asked the exact same question on a forum twelve years ago. I can just ask!

I still use other resources and I don’t blindly trust everything it tells me, but I wish I’d have taken advantage of it earlier.

It’s another tool in your arse.

In your arsenal*

• Tolerate Ambiguity

This one’s important.

I have a tendency to want to understand EVERYTHING.

If I read a Japanese sentence, I want to know what every word means, what every particle is doing, why the verb is conjugated that way and why the sentence is structured the way it is.

But sometimes…

It’s okay to not know.

Maybe you understand 70%.

Maybe you understand the general idea.

Maybe there’s one word you’ve never seen before and you just keep reading.

I’m slowly learning that I don’t need to stop and dissect absolutely everything.

Sometimes you just have to accept the ambiguity and keep going.

Because chances are, you’ll see it again.

And next time, you might understand a little more?

Year Two

Which finally brings me to year two.

After a year of kana, kanji, vocabulary and grammar (and a lot of hours on Anki), I finally feel like I have a decent foundation.

And so now, I want to use it.

My focus going forward is going to shift more towards actually consuming Japanese.

Reading.

Watching.

Listening.

Finding comprehensible Japanese that is just slightly above my current level.

(This is what people often call i+1)

And mining useful sentences and vocabulary from the things I actually consume.

I’ll still use Anki.

I’ll still study grammar separately.

I’ll still look things up when I don’t understand them.

But I want to spend more time immersed in the language itself.

I want to spend less time PREPARING to understand Japanese and more time trying to UNDERSTAND Japanese.

And to be honest, that fits into something much bigger that I’ve been trying to do with my life.

I want to learn a language.

I want to read great books.

I want to experience things.

Learn things.

Create things.

I want to pursue things that actually mean something to me.

And learning Japanese started as one of those things.

A year later, it still is one of those things.

I have no idea how good my Japanese will be a year from now.

But I know that now I know more than I did a year ago.

And if there’s one thing this first year has taught me, it’s that I don’t need to have the entire journey figured out.

I just need to keep showing up.

This has been a long post so for making it this far. I’ll let you in on a secret…

I’m going to Japan.

I. When I First Met Grammar

When I began learning Japanese I had it all mapped out.

Step 1 - Learn Hiragana & Katakana

Step 2 - Learn Kanji (2000+ Using RTK)

Step 3 - Learn The Most Common Words (1500 Using Kaishi 1.5K)

Step 4 - Learn Grammar

Step 5 - Consume Japanese and Begin Sentence Mining

And since I began last year, I’ve stuck to this plan.

I’ve worked through this ‘to do’ list, completing each task before moving onto what’s next. I like to approach things in a linear fashion.

But GRAMMAR, was different…

I remember opening IMABI for the first time and scrolling through what seemed like an endless list of grammar points.

And scrolling.

And scrolling.

And crying.

Suddenly, learning Japanese wasn’t just about remembering what words meant. I had to understand particles, verb conjugations, adjective conjugations, sentence structure, polite forms, plain forms and all of these other constructions that seemed to completely change the meaning of a sentence!

(I didn’t even know what the words ‘verb’ and ‘adjective’ meant!)

Grammar, was complicated.

Needy.

High maintenance.

And apparently, if I was serious about Japanese, we had to get used to spending a LOT of time with eachother.

I needed help.

So, like any beginner trying to teach themselves Japanese, I went online and encountered around a billion different opinions and lot’s of advice.

Eventually, I decided on Genki.

II. My Brief Relationship With Genki

(more like a one-night stand)

Everyone said Genki was great.

Reliable. Well organised. Good for beginners.

The kind of textbook you could take home to meet your parents.

So I though f*ck it, I’ll give it a chance.

I bought the textbook.

Then the workbook.

Then the answer key.

(which btw is a bit of a joke, having to buy another book just to see the answers)

Things started well.

I’d work through a lesson, complete the exercises in the workbook and then check my answers.

We has a nice routine.

And for a while, I thought this might be it!

But eventually the spark disappeared…

I lost interest.

We broke up.

It wasn’t Genki’s fault.

(it’s not you, it’s me…)

My problem was that I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t using my study time as effectively as I could.

It just wasn’t for me.

Maybe I’ll run back to Genki one day.

Maybe we met at the wrong time?

But for now, I decided it was best for both of us if I just moved on.

III. Tae Kim’s Grammar Guide — A Perfect Match?

I wasn’t looking for anything serious.

After things didn’t work out with Genki, I thought maybe I needed some time on my own.

But then I met Tae Kim’s Grammar Guide.

And I’d seen it around before.

People online were always talking about it, saying how good it was at explaining things.

And most importantly…

It was free.

It was casual.

And it explained grammar using Japanese logic as opposed to English translations.

What could possibly go wrong?

Rather than trying to work through another textbook from beginning to end, I started slowly reading through this guide whilst doing my usual Anki reviews.

And this is where things finally started to click.

You see, whilst I’d been learning vocabulary with my Kaishi 1.5K deck, I was also being exposed to hundreds of Japanese sentences.

Every card contains an example sentence, which meant I wasn’t just seeing words in isolation. I was repeatedly seeing them used in context.

Over time, certain words, expressions and sentence patterns started to feel more familiar.

But there was a problem…

Although I could often recognise every word in a sentence, I still had absolutely no idea WHY the sentence meant what it meant.

Knowing the words wasn’t enough.

I needed to understand how they all came together.

I needed someone who could explain things to me.

I needed…

Tae Kim’s Grammar Guide!

It was there for me, when I needed it most.

It explained why verbs change.

It explained what the particles were doing.

It explained how adjectives work.

It explained why Japanese sentences that once looked like complete nonsense were actually following patterns.

Finally, I felt understood.

But there was someone else involved…

Anki.

You see I’d been seeing Anki every morning for months!

But to my surprise, Tae Kim and Anki worked really well together.

Tae Kim gives me the explanation.

Anki gives me the repetition.

Whenever I learn a new grammar point through Tae Kim, I suddenly start noticing it in my Anki cards.

Then I see it again.

And again.

And eventually it starts to feel familiar.

I guess it’s a three-way relationship?

And somehow, it works.

It turns out I didn’t need to memorise every grammar rule before I could start understanding Japanese!

I just needed a little explanation, followed by a lot of exposure.

So maybe this one has potential…

IV. It’s Complicated

Okay.

I haven’t been entirely faithful.

Tae Kim is great, but sometimes you start wondering what else is out there.

I also started going on YouTube.

Watching videos from Game Gengo, Cure Dolly and Tokini Andy.

They all explain Japanese in slightly different ways, and I’ve found them really useful.

(Whenever I’m too tired to do any actual studying, I’ll often watch something)

Not only have I been dabbling in these YouTube videos, I’ve also been spending some time with Chat GPT.

I don’t really know what we are.

Teacher?

Study partner?

Someone I call at 4am when I don’t understand what は is doing in a sentence?

Whatever it is, things are getting serious.

AI gets a lot of criticism when it comes to language learning, and some of that criticism is fair. I wouldn’t blindly accept everything it tells me.

But for the way I study, I’ve found useful.

Especially when it comes to breaking down sentences.

What is this particle doing?

Why is this verb conjugated like this?

What does this grammar point mean here?

Why can’t I understand anything?

And unlike Genki, it answers back.

Communication is important.

That’s why I've also been using the voice mode to practise basic Japanese, even asking Chat GPT to act as a teacher and give me lessons.

So at this point, my relationship with grammar has become rather crowded.

There’s Tae Kim explaining things.

Anki constantly showing me examples.

YouTube occasionally catching my eye.

Chat GPT answering my late-night (or early morning) questions.

And somewhere in the middle of all this…

Is GRAMMAR!

The one I was actually trying to get to know in the first place.

But I think I’ve finally realised something.

I don’t need to choose.

There probably isn’t one perfect resource that’s going to teach me Japanese grammar…

They all have their good points and bad points.

They’re all just different ways of helping me understand the same thing.

The important part is making sure I spend more time with Japanese than I do endlessly searching for the perfect way to learn it.

Because the grass isn’t always greener.

Sometimes you just need to stop looking over the fence and put some effort into what you’ve already got.

That’s called commitment.

V. Settling Down

When I first met Grammar, I thought it was Step 4.

Something I could learn, cross off my list and then move onto Step 5.

I don’t think that’s how this is going to work.

I’m almost finished with Kaishi 1.5K now, and once I am, I plan to start consuming more Japanese and mining sentences from the things I read and watch.

But that doesn’t mean I’m finished learning grammar.

That’s when the relationship gets serious.

Grammar isn’t going anywhere.

It’s not just a phase.

We’re in it for the long haul.

My alarm goes off at 3:50am.

I get up.

I brush my teeth.

I make a black coffee.

Then I sit down at my PC and open a program called Anki.

Before I start, I ask myself:

“Do I feel like learning Japanese today?”

Sometimes the answer is:

“Not really.”

But that’s irrelevant.

There is no negotiation.

I’ll still do my reviews.

I’ll still learn some new words.

I’ll still do my best.

Well... sometimes I don’t learn any new words.

But I always do my reviews.

and if they don’t get done first thing, they’ll get done somehow.

I’ll do them on the toilet.

I’ll do them on my lunch break.

I’ll stay up a little later and do them before bed.

(thank god there’s an anki app)

At the time of writing this, my streak is over 200 days long.

and yes... I’m scared of losing it.

Like seriously, hats off to whoever created that anki heat map add-on.

Seeing those little squares fill up over time is so satisfying.

Maybe I place too much importance on that.

but at least it gets me to show up.

and that’s the important part.

I usually learn somewhere between six and ten new words a day.

But after a while, the reviews start to pile up.

So I slow things down.

I might learn five new words.

I might learn one.

I might not learn any at all.

But I’ll always do my reviews.

At some point, it stopped feeling like discipline.

It just became something I do.

And over the last year I’ve realised that consistency isn’t about doing your absolute best every single day.

It’s about making sure there’s a tomorrow.

If I’m maintaining the habit, I’m maintaining momentum.

Sometimes a habit has to shrink before it breaks.

And that’s okay.

Because anything is better than nothing.

That’s what I keep telling myself.

Not just with Japanese.

With YouTube.

With writing.

With almost everything that’s worth getting good at.

It’s funny, because we often imagine progress happening during the big moments.

Those marathon study sessions.

Those huge bursts of motivation.

Those moments where everything just clicks.

But I don’t think that’s where progress is made.

I think it’s made over the course of many ‘ordinary’ days.

Even when you don’t feel like doing the thing you know you should do.

There is a reason I set my alarm for 3:50am instead of 4:00am.

Those ten minutes allow me to lie there for a moment.

To think.

To convince myself to get the hell out of bed.

Sometimes I just want to shut my eyes and drift off back to sleep.

But not today.

Today I’ll get up.

and I’ll do what needs to be done.

9:00 a.m.

I need a coffee.

Work Colleague 1: “So, what have you got planned this weekend?”

Ah shit.

Quick.

Just say the usual.

Dan: “Not much.”

The conversation moves on.

God, they must think I’m boring.

You see, the truth is, I almost always have plans.

I just don’t talk about them.

If I did...

Well, they’d probably still think I’m boring.

You see, most of my time is spent making YouTube videos.

And if I’m not doing that, then I’m probably still thinking about it.

Work Colleague 2: “Dan! Are you even listening?”

Dan: “Huh? Sorry.”

Work Colleague 2: “What are you always thinking about?”

Dan: “Not much.”

The conversation moves on.

God, they must think I’m weird.

You see, the truth is, I have a ‘wild’ imagination.

My mind is almost never where my body is...

It’s not that I don’t care about my job and the work I HAVE to do.

It’s just that I care more about the work I WANT to do.

I’m always thinking about my next ‘project’.

I am an ARTIST...

(Outside of my 9–5, at least.)

Someone once said:

“Everyone’s an artist until rent is due.”

I don’t remember where I heard it.

But I understand what it means.

My creative pursuits don’t prioritise revenue.

I’ve never sat down to make a video and asked:

“What’s the most profitable thing I could create?”

Usually, I’m asking:

“What’s the most interesting thing I could create?”

That’s why I need to be careful what I wish for.

I don’t depend on my art to pay the mortgage.

And that freedom allows me to follow my curiosity wherever it leads.

If my art became my only source of income, I’m not sure it would remain the same.

It would risk becoming something else.

(and when money is the priority, things get a bit skewed)

Every creative decision would suddenly carry a financial consequence.

Would I still make videos about learning Japanese?

Would I still spend weeks making something that only a few thousand people might watch?

Would I still follow ideas simply because they interested me?

I don’t know.

Maybe that’s the price every professional artist eventually has to pay.

Or maybe I’m romanticising the struggle of being an amateur.

Either way, for now, I have one foot in each world.

The funny thing is, almost nobody knows about the other one.

Most of my colleagues don’t know I make videos.

Most of them don’t even know that I’m learning Japanese.

But that’s my own doing.

The more important something is, the more private I seem to become.

Part of me is worried about outside influence.

Not criticism.

Not even judgement.

Influence.

Ideas are fragile.

I like to keep them to myself.

I wake up early.

I make my videos.

And then I go to work and tell people I don’t have any plans for the weekend.

I’ve developed a habit of working in private.

Not because I’m trying to be ‘arty’ and ‘mysterious’.

But because some things are best built quietly.

At least for now.

When I was at school, I couldn’t wait to drop my French and German classes - and if they’d have been a Japanese class, then that would’ve been dropped too.

I’d of even dropped English if I was allowed to. but NO - that one was compulsory.

(I still had to google what a verb and adjective was when I began studying Japanese grammar)

‘Why would I ever need to speak another language’, was my thinking. I’d rather spend my time doing more ‘important’ things.

But what’s important to a 16 year old?

[video games, skateboarding, girls, trying to get some beers and cigarettes?]

I just did what everyone else did.

Another decade passed, and I was in my mid 20’s.

Life carried on. I went to university, I got a job, I bought a house, and I even travelled a bit…

and I did have my ‘own’ interests.

but languages remained firmly at the bottom of my priority list.

HOWEVER, I had. been. to. Japan!

and looking back, I think that’s where the seed was planted.

But it wasn’t until another five years later - at the ripe age of 30, when I decided to LEARN Japanese.

but why Japanese?

COS I LUV THE CULTURE + WANNA WATCH ANIME WITHOUT SUBTITLES!!

(ok I may of said this in my first ever YouTube video, but that wasn’t the truth)

Whilst a lot of people learn this language to consume different media, I’ve never really been big on anime. I mean, I probably will get into it when my Japanese improves, but that wasn’t my reason why.

and whilst I do of course love the culture etc etc. that’s not my reason why either.

Because the reason WHY I started learning Japanese, was because it’s difficult.

Yep. It’s one of the hardest languages to learn (apparently)

and I love a good challenge. Actually, around the time when I started, I NEEDED a challenge.

Recently I made a YouTube video titled ‘At Age 30 I Decided To Start Living’.

In short, It’s about my decision to ‘stop making excuses’ and to finally do the things I’ve always wanted to do - whilst I have the time to do it.

It was all about living ‘deliberately’.

and learning another language was just a symptom of that decision.

I saw it as a way for me to prove myself. To actually stick to something

(and why not document the entire process on my YouTube channel?)

and so I made my first video learning Hiragana and Katakana.

and then I made a video learning Kanji.

Now I’m waking up at 4am each morning to do my anki reviews and learn 10 new words day.

(I also wake up so early so that I can work on more videos)

Somewhere along the way it stopped being about ‘learning Japanese’.

The language was just the excuse.

What I really was learning was how to show up everyday.

How to keep going when progress feels slow.

How to stick to a plan and see where it leads.

I’m playing the long game.

and for the first time in a long time, I’m excited to see where it goes.