Comments by "Gordon Graham" (@gordonbgraham) on "How to become fluent in Japanese in 2024" video.

  1. Yes...and writing the most difficult. It took me 15 years of diligent study to be able to read and write at a high school level.
    4
  2. Underrated comment...but bang on
    3
  3. Kanji IS used in daily life, especially in the workplace. Most Japanese companies require hand-written resumes. I was required to write a 2000 word hand-written essay in Japanese about 2nd language acquisition and its corrosponding pedagogy as a pre-requisite to enter the education program at a Japanese university to obtain my teaching license. If you're just going to travel to Japan or you're going to work as an ALT or in a company in which Japanese is not requried then it's not necessary to study. However, very few companies don't require business level Japanese.
    3
  4. It took me 10 years to become fluent, 15 to become literate. That's with focused study for an hour a day. So...yeah, that's about right.
    2
  5. You can speak very *well.
    2
  6. It's incredibly hard. I'm of average intelligence. It took me 10 years to become fluent in Japanese and 15 to become high school level literate. And that's while living in Japan the entire time. Very few foreigners become fluent in 2 years, fewer still become literate in 10 years. If you're diligent, expect anywhere from 5 to 10 years to become fluent.
    2
  7. yes, that's true
    2
  8. Like learning to play the piano...reading sheet music is not the same as playing
    1
  9.  @Aeris_InJapan  I've lived in Japan since 1988. I didn't even know "konnichi wa" when I first came. That time frame is while living in Japan with far less English and no Internet. Well, there was Internet but no YouTube. It was nothing but porn, the weather and .com startups. Nothing catered to studying nor was there even Google. It was VHS tapes and casette tapes for listening practice...and just hearing Japanese 24/7. Hearing, but not understanding...just a cacophony of sounds that were discordant to my English ear. You'd think that would give you a leg up in terms of immersion, or assimilating the language more naturally. I think I would have benefited more with all the source material available on YouTube alone. Even so, it takes a monumental commitment of time and attention if you want to achieve fluency, never mind literacy, and I mean not just being able to read but being able to write at a high school level. I'm sure you'll love it here. It's awesome. I originally planned to come here for 2 years when I was 27. I'm 63 now. I still love it. Where will you go in Japan?
    1
  10. It's incredibly hard. I'm of average intelligence. It took me 10 years to become fluent in Japanese and 15 to become high school level literate. And that's while living in Japan the entire time. Very few foreigners become fluent in 2 years, fewer still become literate in 10 years. If you're diligent, expect anywhere from 5 to 10 years to become fluent.
    1
  11. Make your own videos...
    1
  12. Fluent doesn't mean knowing every single word in the lexicon. Oxford English professors don't know the entire English lexicon. I agree with your 2nd point, though...
    1
  13. It's extremely difficult
    1
  14. Just like learning a musical intrument...fluency comes from output...that is "playing"
    1