I thought I'd be helpful today and make this topic.
konnichi wa! hajimete ka? jaa... genki desu. dozo yorushiku.Hello! How do you do? Well... I'm fine. Please be kind to me.
So you want to learn Japanese? Well, I have a method that I use to self-teach myself Japanese for free.
Requirements- internet
- Notepad / Word
- patience
Got everything? Great! Let's get started.
First step: Go on JapanesePod101.comYou do not need a subscription for this. Go on
http://www.japanesepod101.com/index.php (yes, with the index.php at the end, otherwise you'd have to register.) From here, you can listen to "lessons" online for free. On that page, you see where the types of lessons are? It should have different types, like "Newbie," "Beginner," "Beginner S2," etc. Click on "Newbie" as you are starting out as a noob to Japanese. Next to "Newbie Lessons," make the oldest show first. You should see the first lesson. Congrats, you are now at your first lesson!
Second step: Listen and take notesTo listen to your first listen, click on Audio under "Free Content" located at the bottom of the little "box" the lesson is in. Now, go to
http://www.animelab.com/anime.manga/dictionary/ . This is a free dictionary. You will need to use this since you do not have a Basic or Premium account on JapanesePod101, which both cost money. During your lesson, when you hear a Japanese word, they will usually say its translation. Pause the lesson and type in the English translation on the dictionary and find that word. Be sure to follow Japanese vowels: a = ah, e = eh, i = ee, o = oh, and u = oo. Once you have found the right word, copy and paste that word into Notepad / Word along with its translation. Repeat this process until you are done with your lesson.
Third step: Study your notesThis is the worst part about learning Japanese on your own... studying. You MUST study or else it will fall out of your memory. Study the words by memorization and put the words / terms to test. If you are studying Japanese with a partner, go over the words with each other and use it in a sentence. You can also make flash cards, if that helps.
Fourth step: Rinse and repeatJust repeat this over and over for every lesson on JapanesePod101 and you'll be speaking Japanese before you know it!
I will sometimes post tips and such, so keep an eye on this topic!