Hi everyone Hope you’re all doing well! Last month, I posted a thread to see how everyone’s studying had gone in September, so I thought it’d maybe be fun to do the same again Did you enjoy October? What were your favourite videos? Was there anything cool you learned?
This month, I really enjoyed watching the Shashingo videos, they were very relaxing. Thank you @aki for the suggestion! I also really enjoyed the video Guessing Game with Chieko - it was super helpful to listen to Chieko先生 and Yuki先生 chatting.
Finally, I think my favourite piece of random vocabulary I learned this month was Paramedic - 救急救命士, the repetition is fun! (きゅうきゅうきゅうめいし) My friend is a paramedic, so I taught him the word too. He doesn’t know any other Japanese, but he really enjoyed saying this word
I made it through one run of the Complete Beginner videos. It’s about 38 hours.
Japanese CI has me humbled. After Spanish CI successes came quickly, I realize that Japanese CI without previous experience is a completely different challenge for me.
Now it’s time for the second round of Complete Beginner videos.
That’s amazing progress congrats, 38 hours is huge I hope you’re enjoying the challenge, it’s certainly a lot to learn - but I bet you’ll be surprised by how much easier it is to understand the videos a second time round with all you’ve absorbed so far. Good luck!
This method of learning is so fun whilst being so effective. For the first time since my failed first attempt years ago, learning Japanese doesn’t seem quite so impossible anymore. How long have you been learning for?
I only joined a few days ago, but I’m having so much fun already. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I hadn’t completely forgotten the Hiragana and Katakana that I learnt in the past, so that got me off to a good start.
@sese がんばて！I’m sure it’ll be interesting to see how much more you comprehend the second time around.
That’s awesome, you’re right, this method finally makes things feel not impossible! Reading through grammar points in a textbook is so confusing and just sends me to sleep, but these videos are the complete opposite I started learning at the end of August, so about 10 weeks or so, its a big challenge but I learn a bit more every day!
It’s great you were able to remember a lot of your hiragana and katakana, that must have helped a lot! What’s been your favourite video so far on the first couple days of using the site?
Nice! I imagine it must be super motivating to watch videos you’ve seen already and realise how much more you understand. I’ve been shocked by how many words and phrases I’ve already begun to pick up on, in just a few days!
Are you using any supplementary learning aids or are you learning 100% from the website?
My favourite video so far was the story about the Three Little Pigs, just because the ending was so unexpectedly dark.
It’s great to be able to look back and be able to understand things without struggling like before yeah!
Other than CIJ I’ve listened to a lot of a podcast called Nihongo Con Teppei, its a lot of fun, and it is great to listen to while I am cleaning or out on a walk. There are a bunch of other really good resources you can check out here too
I enjoyed the three little pigs video too Glad you liked it I’ll have to watch it again!
I’ve been listening to that podcast too, while in the shower. It’s a bit more difficult than the complete beginner videos on here for sure, so it’s been hit or miss when it comes to how much I’m able to comprehend, depending on the topic of the episode, but it’s always enjoyable.
I’ve also been fortunate enough to discover Cure Dolly (bless her soul ) on YouTube this early on in my learning process! So I’ve been gradually working my way through her videos explaining grammar in such an incredibly lucid, crystal-clear way. It’s been doing wonders, giving my ears/brain cues to listen out for, which is definitely helping improve my comprehension!
I also made a fascinating discovery while watching the complete beginner’s astronomy video yesterday evening. It turns out that the Japanese days of the week are also named after the planets, just like the days of the week in a lot of Western countries. I noticed it because they share kanji with the elements, just like the planetary-elemental associations in Western astrology. However, it turns out that Mercury (水星/すいせい) shares its kanji with water (水); it literally translates to “water star,” from what I understand. But in Western astrology, Mercury corresponds with air. This is because Chinese astrology and Western astrology differ when it comes to their five elemental correspondences. To my surprise, it also turns out that ice was discovered on Mercury in 2012, so they’re not wrong!
Hope you’re all doing well! Last month, I posted a thread to see how everyone’s studying had gone in September, so I thought it’d maybe be fun to do the same again 
Did you enjoy October? What were your favourite videos? Was there anything cool you learned?
I hope you’re enjoying the challenge, it’s certainly a lot to learn - but I bet you’ll be surprised by how much easier it is to understand the videos a second time round with all you’ve absorbed so far. Good luck! 
How long have you been learning for?
I started learning at the end of August, so about 10 weeks or so, its a big challenge but I learn a bit more every day!
Maybe try out the regular beginner videos if you haven’t already
Glad you liked it 
) on YouTube this early on in my learning process! So I’ve been gradually working my way through her videos explaining grammar in such an incredibly lucid, crystal-clear way. It’s been doing wonders, giving my ears/brain cues to listen out for, which is definitely helping improve my comprehension!