Everywhere Japanese from John Fotheringham

You are not alone.

Most Japanese learners spend years “studying” the language but never reach fluency.

Why?

Here are the six most common causes.

FEELING STUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY TO JAPANESE FLUENCY?

Sound familiar?

• Putting off speaking too long: Most people don’t practice speaking enough due to fear of making mistakes. They busy themselves instead with memorizing vocabulary, tapping away in language apps, or watching YouTube videos. These activities can help, but they won’t teach you to actually speak Japanese.
• Not having a strong enough “why”: The path to fluency isn’t necessarily complicated, but it DOES takes consistent practice, day after day. You need to get crystal-clear clarity on your reason for learning Japanese, the “WHY” that keeps you going on the days where you feel bored or unmotivated.
• Not enough time on task: To reach fluency, you need thousands of hours of input (listening, reading) and output (writing, speaking). That might sound impossible in your busy schedule, but there are many ways to squeeze in time each day through “habit stacking” and using “hidden moments” throughout your day.
• Not practicing skills directly: Practicing “directly” means practicing the skill you want to be able to do. Most people get stuck studying ABOUT the language rather than actually practicing IN the language itself. Many apps or classes focus on indirect skills that don’t build fluency and won’t help you in actual human-to-human communication.
• Using  boring materials: Fun gets done, so you need to select methods that YOU will enjoy. It’s natural for language learners to sometimes feel bored and not want to keep going. This is why it’s extra important to use materials that are fun to use and fit your unique interests and goals.
• Getting stuck in “analysis paralysis”: On the other hand, many language learners feel overwhelmed when considering all the materials they could use, and as a consequence, they never actually get started. Finding just a handful of tools you love to use, and sticking with those consistently, is the antidote. Less but better.