Hi, welcome back. Now let’s talk about how you can easily memorize Japanese words without feeling like your brain isn’t functioning just as it’s supposed to.
Memorizing the Japanese language isn’t as easy as it seems and can be a little frustrating (ok! Maybe more than a little), but with consistency and dedication, and the right learning technique, you can always get it done.
The fact remains that even though the Japanese language is still considered to be one of the hardest languages in the world to learn, there is no language that is as easy as ABC and there’s also no shortcut to learning any language. Every language has thousands of words attached to it. It is believed that you need to know about 20,000 words or more before you can be considered to be fluent, and about 2000 words more before you can be conversational in any language. Now, that’s a lot of words. But don’t get discouraged. This article will show you the easy and fun ways to help you learn and memorize Japanese words.
You can memorize words using different techniques including rote memorization and mnemonics. To recognize words easily, you may have to adopt a radical technique that will help you recall every word you have learned.
Using the rote memorization method requires you to accumulate so much information and repeat them continuously until some of the information sticks to your memory. Although this is not the most effective way to learn, it is one technique that has been adopted by teachers and students in their learning process.
Mnemonics, on the other hand, requires the use of memory devices or techniques that can easily help you remember something. For example, you may replace the lyrics of your favorite song with some of the Japanese words you intend to memorize. You can also use keywords that sound almost like the words you want to learn to replace them. Another mnemonic technique involves you using the first letter of each word to form an acronym that will be easy for you to understand. Hence, the mnemonic technique is considered to be effective because at one point or the other you are relating the words you want to learn to things or experiences you are most comfortable with. In fact, learning with mnemonic techniques are constantly easier and considered to be 10times faster and more effective than rote memorization.
Another effective technique is the spaced repetition system (SRS) which is based on the use of flashcards. This can help you retain a lot of words in your brain by reminding you of them just before you forget. These words are repeated to you within short and long spaced intervals depending on whether you are starting to forget or you still remember them.
Below is a detailed explanation of some easy ways you can easily memorize Japanese words.
Create a list of the words you want to learn
It is no news that you easily remember something written in your own handwriting. Although this digital age is gradually causing people to rely on writing on devices rather than using a pen on the old conventional paper and notebook. In fact, studies show that writing on a paper activates the large regions of the brain responsible for learning language, thinking, healing and working memory. Hence, we can safely say that writing down the words you want to learn and memorize is one easy way to achieve this.
Also, writing down the words you want to learn can help you categorize them into groups for easy memory retention.
Let’s try it now.
Pick a sheet of paper and write down the words you want to memorize.
Separate these words into categories like people, things, food, places, nouns, etc. (You can create as many categories as you want)
Pick another sheet of paper, write down the category name on the top of the paper.
Create four columns on the sheet of paper. (Columns can be less than or more than four depending on the language forms you intend to learn)
The topic for each column can be as follow;
- column 1- meaning of the word
- Column 2- kanji
- Column 3- Hiragana
- Column 4- Romaji
Follow each step accordingly, and be consistent in your writing. You’ll discover in no time that your memorizing skills are becoming strong.
Use flashcards
Flashcards are still the most effective and efficient means of memorizing Japanese (or other languages) words. If you find yourself forgetting words that you have learned, flashcards are your go-to. They do not only help you memorize but also integrate as well as review vocabulary that you are already familiar with.
Employ the use of online apps
After flashcards,apps are the next best tools that can help you memorize Japanese words. Some of these vocabulary apps that can help you memorize Japanese words include:
Anki – This is basically an online flashcard designed to help users with memorization. When you make use of the Anki app, it is guaranteed that you’ll remember what you learned with minimal effort.
FluentU – This app contains learning tools like vocabulary lists, multimedia flashcards that combine to.give you a personalized experience by keeping track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and recommends examples and videos to you based on the words you’ve already learned.
Imiwa -This is a vocab dictionary that lets you search for words using kana, Romaji, and kanji. It contains features that you tap on a word and hear how it is pronounced, notebook to write down your favorite words for reference purposes, JLTP vocab lists, and a special feature that allows search for a Kanji character by drawing it on the screen. It also lets you practice writing the character.
You can only become fluent in the Japanese language when you are able to memorize a reasonable number of Japanese words and use them in your daily conversations.
I hope you found this article helpful enough. Good luck in improving your Japanese words memorizing skills.