Hey guys Itachi here!! So you want to learn JAPANESE!!?

Well hop on board!!  That's absolutely fantastic because that's my goal as well for this Summer! More specifically I want to become fluent in Japanese and well versed in reading and writing Kanji (The Chinese characters).  Although I may not get there 100%, this is the mentality that I NEED in order to accomplish my goal.  I have come to realize that if you want to learn any skill in this life and become proficient at it, you must dive in with 100% commitment! I have already taken a few steps and have felt that they have helped me immensely so far which I will share with you!  I have some prior experience in Japanese as I used to visit my grandparents in Japan every summer and took Japanese class on the weekends when I was a kid.  Fast forward to high school and college, I took a total of 6 years cumulatively.  My Achilles' heel lies in the Kanji, as I only know the very basics.  However, I have come to realize that there are only really 2000 kanji that the average Native Japanese learns during their educational journey so breaking that down into 20 kanji a day would mean I would get it down in 100 days or 3 months!!  This is perfect as I have a lot of down time this summer.  

So where do I learn my Kanji??

Well I have found a hidden gem on Youtube and I am happy to share it with you all!  This will also give more exposure and attention to my sensei on you Youtube. You can follow his channel here --->

 

Okay but where do I learn THE BEST WAYS to REMEMBER Kanji??

This is a great question. What is the point in studying for Kanji if I can't find a methodical way to remember them? Well there's an answer to that and it's a book by James W. Heisig called "Remembering the Kanji" Vol 1-3.  James Heisig does a great job explaining how you can use visual imagery to associate to the roots of the kanji!  This unorthodox method will surely help you not only memorize the kanji but also help you understand the general meaning of a kanji when you see it!  You can torrent this online! 

Alright, enough with the Kanji- What about dialogue and listening??

Though ideally the best way is to talk to a Native Japanese person, my favorite alternative is watching anime!! Watching anime is not only entertaining but also very educational depending on which ones you watch!  My favorites so far have been Naruto, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and Slam Dunk for the very basic use of the language that they use!

Fair Enough Itachi. But I have money and I'm not playing games- I want to be fluent in the fastest way possible... How do I achieve it?

Heh, well pack your bags and buy a plane ticket to Japan because that is certainly the fastest way to becoming fluent in Japanese.  I have always found that when I visited my grandparents in Japan I always left 10 times better at Japanese than when I came in.  Why? It's because my grandparents don't speak a lick of English and therefore I was FORCED to speak Japanese.  Though it may seem like a pain, this is really where most of my progress has been made!!

Conclusion:

If learning Japanese is truly one of your goals, then man up to it and put all your effort into it because the rewards are invaluable.  Being bilingual truly opens a lot of doors for networking, your career, and life in general and don't forget that the Olympics 2020 is hosted in Tokyo! ;) Time to impress everyone you meet in Japan~

If you found my guide useful, please resteem/upvote/comment!! Follow me @itachi for more daily content!! <3