Hello! I’m the Solo Student and a few years ago I decided to learn Japanese using self study methods as a hobby. I couldn’t afford a tutor or classes so I’m on my own using resources, books, cds and apps.
Learning Japanese Solo will provide my thoughts as I progress and show that it is possible to self study successfully! I will be reviewing both free and paid apps, comparing books, techniques and making study plans so you don’t waste your time finding the good stuff!
So let’s get to learning Japanese!
My early history failing to learn Japanese
Like most kids in my generation, my interest in Japan started with watching anime along with my regular morning cartoons. My primary and secondary schools regularly had exchange students from sister schools in Japan to visit. With a few basic phrases we became fast friends.
In high school I took beginners Japanese but dropped the classes in senior as my workload shifted. In my early 20s I took it up again to pass time during slow periods at work. I played My Japanese Coach, made flash cards and tried to write to my friends… but nothing really ever stuck. I didn’t progress past basic pleasantries, couldn’t remember kanji, became frustrated at my inability to express myself and gave up.
Fast forward to few years ago, having visited Japan a few times and with more free time on my hands, I finally decided it was time to prioritise my hobbies and tackle Japanese once and for all.
I had no money for classes, so I went about teaching myself.
What resulted was frustration at trying to find the best courses, the best way of learning and actually sticking to it. The App Store is full of junk and there are so many boring text books out there that it’s hard to find anything worth doing. It took a long time to weed through and find the real gems.
After a lot of trial and error I’ve found some great ways to learn and I’m finally enjoying the process!
Learn Japanese Solo will help you avoid my mistakes
The site was born out of my need to keep a record of what has worked for me and what has been a waste of time. My aim is to answer common questions and save you from making the mistakes I did. By providing my study plans and my favourite resources I hope your learning Japanese through self study is smoother than my early years were!
So let’s get started!
