Employing the use of Anime to learn the Japanese language can make your learning process interesting and fun. We all know how difficult learning the Japanese language can be. With all the materials you need to read, YouTube channels and podcasts you need to watch and listen to, and all the flashcards you need to memorize, learning this language can become a stressful thing to do. Hence in order to remain motivated and learn in a fun way, Anime is your go-to plug.
The Japanese Anime is a popular method used by many Japanese language learners to comprehend and improve on their Japanese knowledge, as well as enjoy their favorite Anime shows. Although the Anime is a great learning resource, it cannot teach you everything you need to know about the Japanese language hence, it should be used as a complement to other learning resources.
If you are looking to learn some Japanese vocabulary and sentence structure from Anime, well, I’ll advise that you learn the basics of the Japanese language before you move onto this phase. The basics you require include learning the Japanese vocabulary, kanji, and grammar. Only with these basics will you be able to understand the expressions used in Anime shows.
What is Anime?
Basically, This word which is usually pronounced as ah-knee-may” is the abbreviation for animation. In Japan, anime means any cartoon, without specifications, while outside Japan, Anime is referred to as “animation from Japan”
Anime is such a popular phenomenon that has been in existence for over 40years. At first, although amine was made for children, it was enjoyed mostly by adults for its entertainment purposes. Most animes now are marked with adult themes and subject matter and so, some may not be considered suitable for children’s viewing. But because animes’ subject matter is broad reached, it’s possible to find anime aimed at just about every age group.
I believe in one way or the other, you must have watched and enjoyed an anime. For example, the anime Dragon ball Z, pokémon, Naruto the last air ender and so much more were widely viewed and loved by fans all around the world. Personally, I believe the intimate glance into Japan’s history, language and worldview, and the beautifully crafted storyline is why anime viewers just can’t get enough of it.
For some time now, most Japanese language learners from around the world consider anime to be a helpful tool in their learning process. They believe it helped to improve their listening, speaking and even pronunciation skills.
Since anime is gradually being incorporated into the Japanese language learning process, how then can you learn Japanese with anime?
Watch actively, not passively
Don’t just watch anime for the purpose of entertainment. Pay close attention to vocabulary, kanji, and grammar. Write down every new word you learn as it will help you remember these words even when you see or hear them somewhere else.
Remember that watching anime can help you develop your listening skills hence, Listen attentively to the grammar, vocabulary or speech patterns being used and take note to strengthen them in your mind by using creating your own grammar, or speech in likewise patterns Every time you sit to watch an anime, make jotting your companion.
One more thing, you don’t need to be obsessed with learning or understanding everything you hear. Just take your time to process every information because complete comprehension will take time and practice.
Turn off the subtitles
If you really want your Japanese language skills level to increase and improve, then you must watch animes without subtitles and try to decipher and understand everything on your own. This is because if the subtitles are on, your brain will take the easier way out. In other words, instead of heightening your listening and comprehension skills, your brain will easily settle for reading subtitles in order to avoid stressing itself. You can only leave the subtitles on if they are only written in kanji or kana.
Another thing to do is to turn on the subtitles after you’ve watched without them and have jotted down every vocabulary and grammar, and you’ve taken note of pronunciations and speech patterns. Turning on the subtitles may require you to watch all over again, but it’s ok because you can’t rush your learning process. You have to go over again and again until you are satisfied with your results.
Don’t skip the building blocks
What are these building blocks? you may ask. These are the basics of the Japanese language. You can’t move ahead in your learning process without a firm knowledge of these basics. These basics include hiragana, katakana, grammar, and even kanji. If you don’t have an idea of the Japanese vocabulary and grammar, how then will you understand them when you watch an anime?
Anime Does not ‘teach’ you these basics from the scratch, it only strengthens the Japanese you’ve already learned. As you learn the Japanese grammar and vocabulary, you’ll probably hear them be in used in an appropriate context in animes and then, you’ll have an idea on where and how it is used.
Work on the vocab
Every time you watch an anime, write down list of new words, grammar, and sentence structures you learn, check out their meaning and the patterns in which they are used. Try to create your own sentence from the patterns you learned. You can also show whatever you come up with to your Japanese teacher or tutor so that you can be guided on the appropriate use of each word, grammar and sentence structure.
Where to find good resources for anime
Since anime is popular around the world, getting good resources won’t be a difficult task. There are over 100 websites where you can pay for animes or get them for free. Here are a few of them.
Animeseason.com
Animefreak.tv
Crunchyroll.com
Fumination.com
GoGoAnime.io
Animeheaven
Chia-anime.tv
Hulu.com
9amine.to
Kissanime.ru
Note that most grammatical expressions used in anime may not be appropriate for real-life conversations and so, you need to intentional about what you learn.
