Learning Japanese
You can learn Japanese much faster and much more efficiently than you are doing currently. There are all kinds of tools out there to help you, and there are some great guides you can follow to have a better learning experience. But the bottom line is this: you can learn significantly more on your own. The path to being fluent looks rocky and difficult from the outset, with so many obstacles that this shining goal may seem almost impossible to reach. There are lots of times when you will feel like you cannot possibly ever become good at what you are doing. Studying the traditional way—with textbooks, CDs and perhaps a teacher—is only a small part of reaching beyond beginner and lower-elementary level.
If you study Japanese in a classroom, then you are following a set program laid out by your teacher. This program is most likely designed to teach you grammar, vocabulary and written Japanese. Learning in a classroom means that you have a community of people to practice with. You also get, more or less, the complete package. You get to learn spoken and written Japanese as well as some literature. If you’re taking classes once or twice per week and think it’s not enough, then this article is for you. If you’re out on your own trying to self-teach, this article is for you.