Knowing a second language is definitely an asset that cannot be taken away from you. It comes in handy when you are applying for admissions, jobs, and visas.
There are various ways with which you can learn the Japanese language, and one of them is by watching movies. Each time you watch a movie, especially if it is one that you’ve watched more than once, you unconsciously pick something from the characters. Although this may not be obvious to you, movies have a way of influencing you to pick up words, phrases, and sentences that will enhance your language learning ability.
How then can you learn Japanese by watching Japanese movies?
The Japanese have very diverse movie options, and so, you can choose the one that you are most comfortable with and can easily understand. Whichever movie you choose, here are a few ways you can learn from them in the best possible way.
Exercise discipline
It is easy to become carried away with the fun and entertainment of Japanese movies each time you watch them, and so, it takes a lot of discipline to stay true and committed to learning from them. If you are easily carried away or distracted, then learning the Japanese language with Japanese movies may not be the best option for you. If you must learn with movies, then you must also learn to be disciplined and concentrate on what needs to be achieved.
Don’t depend on subtitles
Studies show that the human brain will always take the easy way out, especially in situations with both hard and easy options. In other words, watching a movie with its subtitles on, especially when you aim to learn the Japanese language from the movie, is not ideal. The subtitles for any Japanese movie you are watching should be turned on only if you are a beginner. But as someone who understands more than just the Japanese vocabulary, your subtitles should be off. This way, you will challenge your brain to grasps and understand what the speaker is saying. You are only allowed to turn it on if you want to crosscheck whether you got the meaning of what was said right.
Don’t watch without writing materials
This is one of the most effective and efficient ways to learn Japanese with Japanese movies. As a beginner, you may need to pause the movie at intervals just to ensure you get each word, sentences, and phrases right. The good thing is that you can always watch the movie again, but this time, you will have gotten accustomed to some of the things being said. For each new word, you learn from the movie, put them on your flashcards, and learn them at intervals. You can also use flashcards for colloquial phrases. It is easy to remember things that are written in your handwriting. Hence, if you continue in like manner, you’ll be able to learn the Japanese language in a fun but sure way.
Choose movies that you can easily understand
There are varieties of movies out there, and so, you must be intentional about the ones you want to learn from. You can start off with kid shows, movies, and anime because their characters speak at a slow pace that will be easy for you to catch up even as a beginner. With time, you can start to watch movies with not-so-fast speeches. If you continue this way, you will develop your reading and listening skills to adapt to even movies with fast Japanese subtitles and speeches.
Watch at least three Japanese movies weekly
Apart from the time you spend on learning the Japanese language from other sources, watching Japanese movies at least twice a week should be on your study schedule too. Since the vocabularies used in movies are incidental, you will be exposed to new vocabularies, and your memory retention will be reinforced. You can decide to watch a movie over and over with and without subtitles until you are convinced there are no more vocabularies you need to learn from it.
Why should you learn Japanese with Japanese movies?
- When it comes to learning the Japanese language or any language in general, real-life scenarios, as well as experiences, are the best. This is what the Japanese movies offer. The actors and actresses speak in the natural form and manner Japanese is spoken in real life.
- You can easily learn the Japanese culture from some of their movies.
- The Japanese movies expose you to the different styles and accents with which people speak. Therefore, you will learn how to use words in an appropriate manner, speak like natives, and mimic their accent as well as their body language.
- Not only will you learn new words or phrases from watching Japanese movies, your speaking and listening skills will also be developed.
Learning by immersion is the best way to learn any language, but if you don’t have access to Japan or a Japanese community, then Japanese movies are your next best immersion tools for effective learning.
Here are some movies that will help your Japanese language learning process.
- The boy and the beast- a young boy wanders off and finds himself in the world of beasts where he is raised by Kumatestsu, the beast-man.
- Adrift in Tokyo- the story of a guy who couldn’t pay back his gambling debt but was given an option to accompany a thug around Tokyo in order to get the debt paid. The movie basically shows both of them moving around the city and discussing. Since there is a lot of natural dialog between them, you can learn some vocabulary from it.
- Tokyo story- although this is an old movie, you can still learn from it. A man and his wife went on a trip to visit their children in Tokyo. This movie is fairly slow-paced, making it perfect for beginners.
- Nobody knows– based on a true story. A mother decides to abandon her four kids, leaving them to fend for themselves even at a very young age.