is it possible to learn japanese by watching anime

by Hellen Daugherty 7 min read
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The good news is, it's possible! You can absolutely use anime to boost your Japanese studies, to a degree. While it'd be unwise and difficult to attempt to learn Japanese entirely from anime, there's no reason you can't leverage a love of anime to help you learn Japanese if you're smart about it.Aug 26, 2021

What is the best way to learn Japanese by watching anime?

It involves listening to the audio, in this case. of the anime, and attempting to simultaneously verbally echo what they hear. This technique is designed to force you to focus on the sounds of the Japanese language and over time, develop the correct pronunciations that mimic the language.

Is learning kanji through anime a good way to learn Japanese?

Kanji will be hard to learn through anime due to having some meaning but only forming a word in context and with different pronunciations. While you may learn some, it is much better to take a class, study it on its own, and/or find someone who is fluent. Originally Answered: Is watching anime actually a good way to practice learning Japanese?

Is it bad to read anime in Japanese?

If you try reading it and it’s too difficult, then your Japanese is not good enough for the particular anime that you’re trying to learn. This is a bummer, but you’ll probably have to level down to an easier anime until you get a bit better at Japanese.

How does watching anime affect your brain?

How this applies to Japanese with anime is that when you are watching it, your brain is going to ignore the Japanese sounds that you’re not used to hearing. Kind of scary, right?

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Can watching anime help learn Japanese?

Watching Anime can certainly be a useful tool to learn Japanese language. Yes, people can learn at least a bit watching anime! Although it may be tricky at times, it is possible to enjoy and learn Japanese at the same time.

Can you learn Japanese from watching Japanese shows?

0:3813:20Learn Japanese by Binge-Watching Shows - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou aren't learning the culture and the gestures along with the language you will never truly beMoreYou aren't learning the culture and the gestures along with the language you will never truly be fluent. So that's why watching Japanese dramas is actually a great use of your time to study Japanese.

How long will it take to learn Japanese from anime?

On a Reddit thread about how long it take to learn Japanese, users shared that it took about 800 hours of study time to be able to watch anime with full comprehension. Others said it takes 2-5 years of effort to reach mastery, adding that you could survive in the language after one year.

Can you learn Japanese from watching anime without subs?

The context and visuals convey so much nuance that the actual spoken dialogue become periphery to one's understanding of the story. In other words, it's very easy to understand the gist of anime without subtitles even if you possess very limited Japanese.

What Japanese learners should watch?

Table of Contentsドラえもん / Doraemon (Beginner Level – Cartoon)サザエさん / Sazae-San (Beginner Level – Cartoon)ちびまる子ちゃん / Chibi Maruko-Chan (Beginner Level – Cartoon)南くんの恋人 / My Little Lover (Intermediate Level – Live Action Drama)僕だけがいない街 / Erased (Intermediate Level – Live Action Drama)More items...•

Can you learn Japanese on YouTube?

YouTube is a goldmine of Japanese language lessons and listening practice. Whether you're looking for grammar breakdowns, non-textbook language, beginner vocabulary, or advanced-level Japanese debates on current affairs, you'll find it here – and for free.

How much Japanese should I study a day?

1. Study Japanese every day. I know I just said that traditional studying methods are only a small part of it, but they're an essential part nonetheless. Grab a few recommended textbooks and knuckle down for at least twenty minutes a day (ideally an hour or two, but twenty minutes is better than nothing).

Is studying Japanese worth it?

Is learning Japanese worth it for education? Yes, of course. In Asia, Japan is the preferable place for education. Students from different countries around the world come to Japan for higher education.

Can you learn Japanese by yourself?

Learning Japanese by yourself? Yes, it's possible to do that – millions of people are doing it all over the world. It takes a bit of work but you can truly make Japanese progress alone.

How much anime do I need to watch to learn Japanese?

According to US Department of State, you need 2,200 classroom time to learn the language. Assuming you only need half of that time to understand the show well enough, that's 1,100 hours, or 66000 minutes. An episode is around 20 minutes, after removing opening and ending. 66000/20 = 3300 episodes.

What language should I learn to watch anime?

However, if you want to use anime to learn Japanese, you'll need to make it a priority. Pay close attention to the Japanese language used while you're watching and try to pick up on words you know, vocabulary you haven't heard before, and overall grammar patterns that can help you reinforce what you're learning.

How can I learn Japanese anime fast?

1:2714:02How to Learn Japanese with Anime - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipStep you should learn hiragana. And katakana. They are phonetic letters. So relatively easy to learnMoreStep you should learn hiragana. And katakana. They are phonetic letters. So relatively easy to learn the pronunciation of each letter is almost always the same except for a few cases. And you can

Why is learning Asian languages so hard?

Learning an Asian language is always difficult for a native English speaker because of the different roots of the language. Also, the characters, symbols, grammar, and everything else is so very unique in Asian languages that it becomes a challenging task to grasp it properly.

How many kanji characters are there in Japanese?

There are over 7000 Kanji characters in the Japanese language. These characters are incorporated from Chinese Hanzhi style of writing. Each of these characters has a dual meaning and used to convey noun, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs.

What is the story of Sasakura Ryuu?

The story of this anime show revolves around the bartender named Sasakura Ryuu. He makes wonderful wine and solves the problems of others. This drama will be wonderful to watch from your Japanese learning perspective as well.

What does "best wishes" mean in Japanese?

When you start watching anime in Japanese, you will hear this phrase quite often. It means to give your best or all the best wishes for your endeavour. You will also hear this phrase in various sports events in Japan.

What is the meaning of Katakana?

Also, Katakana is used to give emphasis to words like the way italics are used for emphasis in English. Basically, it is a more masculine form of the Japanese writing style.

Can you write in Hiragana?

However, as there is no space in the Japanese language, you will not understand anything written in Hiragana solely unless you include Kanji style.

How to learn Japanese?

In this “learning Japanese through anime” guide, we’re going to look at a detailed process for putting all that crazy Japanese deep into your brain. Specifically, we’ll go over: 1 Learning every word of every episode (including how to do so). 2 Systematically toggling subtitles. 3 Listening to your chosen anime. 4 Drilling each anime episode into your brain.

What is anki flashcard?

For those that don’t know, Anki is a spaced repetition system (SRS). In other words, they’re smart flashcards. You can download Anki for free here, and you can learn more about how to use Anki in our free guide to learning Japanese, which you can get by signing up for our (pitifully infrequent) newsletter on awesome tips, tools and lessons for students of Japanese.

The Bottleneck

Before you start learning Japanese through anime, there’s one important thing to note: you can’t solely rely on anime for your learning process. While it is an effective method to improve your listening and reading skills, the Japanese language portrayed in anime often doesn’t speak true to reality due to the setting, characters, and genre.

So, How Do You Learn Japanese through Anime?

Here are some tips to effectively utilize anime as if it’s an online course:

Ready to Start Your Journey?

Being the best online language course, LingoTalk is a perfect choice for diving into a new lingo and bring yourself into fluency. Not only that, but you’ll also learn how the natives’ talk and their culture with our experienced tutors and exceptional online-based classes.

1. ( The Scariest Tip!) Remove English Subtitles

This is by far the most daunting thing you can do whilst watching anime, especially if you’ve never tried to properly study the Japanese language before. However, just as with many new hobbies and activities, throwing yourself into the deep end may just do the trick!

2. Language Shadowing

Language shadowing is a learning technique that people use to practice how to pronounce words better. It involves listening to the audio, in this case. of the anime, and attempting to simultaneously verbally echo what they hear.

3. Write Down New Words

Another way to learn through anime is pausing and writing down new words that stand out to you. Whilst there may be no rhyme or rhythm to this method, if you listen carefully to dialogue over time, you might be able to pick out what words are used for conversation flow and what words have specific meaning.

4. Create Flashcards & Make A Game Of It

If you’re the type to learn things through fun and games, take the previous tip and bring it a step further. Create flashcards and make a game out of trying to learn how to read the word, how to say the word, and what it means.

5. Be Selective With Your Anime Genre

This might not be an obvious one, but it is an important one! If you’re setting out to try and learn Japanese with anime, it will definitely help you in the long run to be selective about the genre.

6. Read the accompanying manga to the anime (if possible!)

Many anime series will have an accompanying manga. Take your language skills to the next level by purchasing the manga and reading it out loud.

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The (Wrong) Way That People Use Anime to Learn Japanese

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I am not bashing people who want to use anime to learn Japanese. Personally I think it’s a pretty awesome idea! And there are quite a few people who have done it successfully in such a way that lead them to fluency. But the ones who were successful used some of the strategies that I’ll talk about later on in this post. Ho…
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The Two Things That Hold You Back

  • Now that you know how most people go about it and the general reasons why it doesn’t work, let’s take a look at the “behind the scenes science” of why it doesn’t work. Afterwords we will get to some ways of approaching it that actually do work! First off, you have to understand two things about the human brain: (1) – Babies can hear every sound, but adults can’t. (2) –You brain is des…
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How to (Actually) Learn Japanese Using Anime

  • Make certain Japanese words importantto your brain. How do you do that? You first study them in isolation, that is, not while watching anime. And then you watch the anime afterwords to hear the words that you studied in action. Here are the steps: (1) Get a listof the most common words used in the specific anime that you watch to watch. This part may be a challenge if you want the word…
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