Every language skills including listening, speaking, and comprehension skills are important to achieve fluency in a particular language. Each of these skills has different methods that are best for improving them. For example, if you want to develop or improve your Japanese speaking skills, it is best that you communicate with natives. This way, you will learn how to use the different vocabulary and grammar patterns that you’ve learned, in the right context and even if you make mistakes, you have the chance of being corrected especially when you ask for help.
To build and improve on your Japanese language listening skills, Podcasts remain the best learning technique so far.
Why are podcasts great for learning Japanese
- You can listen to them at any time and anywhere. Speaking or hearing people speak particularly to you, is one of the best ways to learn a language. You don’t need to be in a ‘special’ place or position before you can access or listen to them. All you have to do is play them when you want to. You can decide to listen while you are doing your house chores, on a bus or train, walking on the street or even while you are on your bed trying to sleep at night!
- When buying a podcast online, you don’t have to buy the full course. You can choose which lessons you are interested in and which one works best for you. Whatever your reasons for studying the Japanese language may be, you can find a podcast that will teach you what you need to know.
- Flashcards, books, and other materials can develop your writing, reading, and comprehension skills but can NOT improve your listening skills. Podcasts are definitely a go-to if you really want to improve your listening skills.
- Podcast has a way of building your imaginations too. You don’t just listen, you try to imagine the situations surrounding each lesson you listen to and this is considered healthy for learning.
Now that you understand why podcasts are highly recommended for your Japanese learning journey, here are 3 podcasts I used to learn the Japanese language and I think you should try them also.
Japanesepod101
This is simply one of the best podcast series out there for learning Japanese. This podcast has a clear and distinct pronunciation feature that allows you to hear every syllable clearly.
If you are a beginner, don’t fret about getting confused or not being able to get a podcast with beginner-level lessons. Japanesepod101 is one of the few podcast services that offers an absolute beginner level even before the beginner level, hence, even if you don’t have a strong basic background in the Japanese language, this podcast service has got you. Also, you get access to weekly podcasts on different topics to choose from.
Bilingual news
This podcast is perfect for anyone who is finding it difficult to immerse into the Japanese language right away. This is because it combines both English and Japanese in delivering its lessons.
The hosts Mami and Michael started this podcast in 2013 and has unfailingly provided new podcast on a weekly basis. Their topics range from religion to philosophy, politics and much more. Mami speaks only Japanese while Michael speaks in English. Sometimes, they even invite special guests who are Japanese to join their discussions.
NHK World
This is a radio broadcast specially designed for those who are learning the Japanese language. It contains over a hundred topics to choose from.
NHK is far-reached and so, it is regarded as high-quality news all around the world. Its lessons are simply structured and run over a course of 10 minutes. Hence, it is considered a great option for beginners.
Other features of this podcast include
- Lessons are intermixed with English and Japanese to provide easy usage for learners who are finding it difficult to understand the Japanese lessons.
- Interactive sessions to test your understanding of the Japanese language after each session
- It shows how each Japanese words and phrases are used in different situations, including how native speakers use them.
- Each Japanese sessions are moderately paced for easy comprehension. The hosts also take their time to repeat conversations, strongly focusing on pronunciation as well as grammar and analyzing them with more details for explicit understanding.
How to maximize the benefits of these podcasts.
- Give yourself time – you can’t learn everything thing in a day. So, give yourself time to get familiar with these lessons and in no time you’ll become even better than what you expected.
- Start all over if you have to- if you find yourself getting confused at any point in time, don’t be scared or reluctant to start again. After all, it is more practice that will help you achieve the learning goals you intend to achieve.
- A break is absolutely necessary-don’t overstress your brain. It is ok to cram but doing it too much may affect the other information stored up in your memory. Take a break and recharge when necessary. This way, you’ll be able to concentrate, enjoy and understand each lesson you listen to.
- Immerse yourself- Immersion is the best way to benefit greatly from podcasts as well as any other learning materials. In order to benefit greatly from any podcast, you need to recognize the right level for you and not just jump into any level because you can. Starting from the right level will help you learn faster and upgrade easier into other levels.
- Recognize your motivation– Don’t just pick a podcast because you want to learn Japanese. If you have little or no interest in what is being discussed, you may likely learn nothing from it. So, it would be better if you can try out different podcast sessions from the beginning and decide on which sessions you find motivating. This will help spike up your interest in listening with utmost concentration.
N.B- Although podcasts are a great learning tool for the Japanese language, I don’t recommend that you rely on it alone because it doesn’t cover up for all the skills you need to learn in order to become fluent in the Japanese language.
