Smarter Language Learning Strategies for 2024
How I’m rethinking my language learning this year
2024: The Year of Language Learning (but smarter, not harder)
This year, I’ve dubbed 2024 “The Year of Language Learning,” but halfway through, I had a bit of a revelation: more studying doesn’t always mean better results. My Japanese has grown leaps and bounds since I moved here nearly six years ago, but I’ve realized my skills aren’t exactly balanced across all four language modes. While my speaking has seen the most improvement (thanks, Japan!), I’m probably most confident in my listening. My reading? It’s okay-ish—I can handle anything meant for junior high schoolers, but throw in something more advanced, and I’m lost. Writing? Well, that’s mostly theoretical at this point—something I haven’t really touched since university. So, yeah, there's room for improvement, and with the year more than half gone, it's time to kick things into gear.
The YouTube Rabbit Hole: Where Productivity Meets Overwhelm
Ever fallen down a YouTube rabbit hole of productivity and language learning gurus? You know the ones—claiming that every way you’ve ever organized your life is wrong. I’ve binged those videos, convinced myself that I had to "min-max" my life like an RPG character after discovering some hidden mechanics. (Pro tip: when that happens, you kinda want to start over and become a sneaky archer, right?)
But here's the thing I eventually figured out: I don’t need to be the most "optimally productive" person on the planet to succeed in language learning. Sure, some habits might be holding me back, and others could help, but it’s not a race to become a language-learning machine. It’s more about finding balance and habits that work for me.
Extensive Reading: Chill, You Don’t Need to Know Everything
One of my worst habits is obsessing over every unknown word or grammar point I encounter. If I stumble across something unfamiliar, I have to stop, look it up, add it to my Anki deck, and study it to death. Rinse and repeat until one page of text takes an hour to get through.
In theory, this sentence-mining approach is great. You not only learn the word’s meaning but also understand how it’s used in context. But in reality? It’s exhausting. And eventually, it leads to me avoiding reading altogether.
Enter extensive reading. Unlike intensive reading (which is what I usually do), extensive reading is all about longer, easier texts and just…reading. No stressing about every little word. Just letting the context fill in the gaps. My plan is to start with 30-minute reading sessions, wean myself off my dictionary, and slowly move toward enjoying reading in Japanese like I do with watching TV.
Right now, I’m working through an old Haruki Murakami short story collection, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi by Makime Manabu. I also want to dive into more blogs, news articles, and manga—without pausing every two minutes to analyze everything.
Beyond Flashcards: Anki’s Good, but Understanding Is Better
Life with a toddler doesn’t leave a ton of time for dedicated language study. I’d love to have two solid hours a day to study, but these days, I grab time where I can. Flashcard apps like Anki, WaniKani, Bunpro, and Kanji Study have been lifesavers, giving me those quick 15-minute study bursts.
But here’s the rub—sometimes it feels like I’m just spinning my wheels. You know that feeling of taking your daily vitamins and wondering if they’re doing anything? Yeah, that’s flashcards for me. Despite my daily efforts, some kanji or phrases just refuse to stick.
I even created a shame deck in Kanji Study, tracking how many times I got a kanji wrong each week. If a kanji trips me up three times, I make a note about it, jot down example sentences, and try to come up with a mnemonic. But the truth is, I’ve got it backwards. Instead of doubling down on flashcards, I need to use these kanji more—whether it’s through reading or writing. Practice in context is always more effective than endless review.
Other Study Hacks I’m Trying (Or Want to Try)
Here’s a quick rundown of some other ideas I’m experimenting with this year:
The Elmo Method: Watching the same TV episode five times. (Inspired by my daughter, who can happily watch the same Elmo clip on repeat.) With each rewatch, I catch more and more of the dialogue, and even little details in the actor’s body language. Definitely something I want to keep trying.
Handwriting Practice: I haven’t handwritten much Japanese since arriving, but studies show writing things out can improve retention. There’s even research from Chiba University that suggests writing kanji by hand helps you recognize their overall shape, which could come in handy.
Creative Writing Exercise: Copying a text word for word. Writers do this to study their favorite authors’ styles, so why not apply it to language learning? It’s the opposite of my extensive reading goal, but it could deepen my understanding of sentence structure and vocabulary.
Multilingual Mastery?: I live in an area with a lot of Spanish and Portuguese speakers, so I’m toying with the idea of learning one of those languages…through Japanese. It sounds crazy, but who knows? It might help my brain make new connections.
Wrapping It Up: Smarter, Not Harder
I’ve realized that 2024 isn’t about cramming more study time into my schedule but about refining my approach. By taking an honest look at what’s working and what’s not, I hope to shake off the less helpful habits and embrace ones that’ll actually move the needle. And who knows? Maybe by the end of the year, I’ll finally feel like I’ve leveled up across all four language modes.