Hey everyone! Matthew here. I just hit my 200-hour mark and wanted to share my progress, routine, and a few thoughts on how the journey is going so far.
To give you some context, I am not using a pure, Comprehensible Input-only method. Comprehensible Input takes up about 90% of my overall study, while the rest of my time is spent studying vocabulary and grammar on renshuu and learning Kanji on the app Ringotan.
My Background & Goals
About 15 years ago, I studied Japanese for roughly 9 months. This consisted of one 90-minute in-class session every week as well as at-home study (about one hour a day). In that time, I learned Hiragana and Katakana. I gave up trying to learn after that, but I have consistently watched Anime in Japanese with English subtitles over the years. This helped me retain a lot of words, which I believe gave me a bit of a boost when I first started Comprehensible Input. I recognised many words as well as some basic grammar.
I have set myself the goal of becoming conversationally fluent in Japanese by January 2028. That is a B2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). I think that is roughly equivalent to a high pass (112 points or higher) on the JLPT N2 exam. However, since the JLPT doesnât test for conversational fluencyâonly passive listening, reading, and grammar proficiencyâI am using the CEFR framework to track my ultimate milestone instead.
The Numbers
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Total Time So Far: 200 Hours (Started on April 10th, 2026)
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Daily Average: Around 5 hours per day (some days I push it to 6 hours if I have the energy, while lighter days are around 4 hours).
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Primary Sources: Comprehensible Japanese (Complete Beginner and Beginner playlists), renshuu (Vocabulary/Grammar), and Ringotan (Kanji).
My Current Daily Routine
I try to keep things structured but flexible enough to avoid burnout. A typical day looks like this:
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renshuu (10â25 mins): First thing in the morning, I sit down and study some vocabulary and grammar. This isnât an intense study session. I glance at some grammar points occasionally, but most days I simply review vocabulary words and study ten new words. Iâm not interested in brute-force memorisation; I just want to give my brain something to recognise during my hours of immersion. To be honest, when I recognise a word Iâve seen on renshuu pop up in a video, I get a great dopamine hit that encourages me to keep watching. The bulk of my study is CI; I just use renshuu as an anchor point to boost my development.
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Active Listening (~300 mins): After renshuu, I normally go straight into the Comprehensible Input videos. I prefer to do this in one main block with only a couple of 10-minute breaks in the session. This is just my styleâI feel much more motivated in the morning and would rather get the work done. If I waited until the late afternoon or evening, my attention span would be worse and I would likely get fewer hours in.
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Kanji Practice (~10 mins): I use the app Ringotan to study Kanji. Itâs a handy app that teaches the correct stroke order. Every day I get reviews to keep them fresh. I have the app set to show me a new Kanji every half a day, so I learn two new Kanji a day. Iâm not focusing on the different ways to pronounce them right now, only the writing order. I then go into renshuu and add the Kanji I just learned into my âKnown Kanji Listâ so that they appear in the words on my daily vocabulary list. I prefer reviewing them throughout the day as they come up rather than in one big bulk session at night, as it feels less intensive.
Notable âWinsâ at 200 Hours
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The âEtoâ Takeover: For whatever reasonâand donât ask me whyâmy brain suddenly decided to start using the word eto (ăăŁă¨) instead of âumâ when I am thinking. I even draw it out into a long eeeeeto. I donât even know what video I picked this up in! I didnât initially realise it was used for âumââI thought that was ano, but I guess both work. It doesnât matter if what Iâm thinking about is Japanese-related or English-related; I now use eto instead of âumâ in most instances. This happened before the 50-hour mark. Strange but true⌠and personally, I think itâs hilarious.
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The Hydrangea Video Click: One of the videos I struggled with the most was the one titled âHydrangea.â When I first saw it, I honestly thought it was a complex story about a frog and a snail that I just wasnât advanced enough to understand. While rewatching it this week, it finally clicked halfway through: it wasnât a story at all!
It was simply Yuki-sensei explaining common things seen during the rainy season. I had a good laugh at myself, but it felt amazing when the true meaning just snapped into place. -
Comprehension Tracking with Sae-chan: I recently came across a couple of videos featuring Yuki-senseiâs daughter, Sae-chan (âInterviewing My Daughterâ & âMaking Origami Cat With My Daughterâ). When I first viewed these about a month ago, I really struggled. Because she speaks at a natural, native childâs pace, my ears just werenât attuned to the speed, and I only understood about 5â10%. Rewatching them a month later⌠wow, what a difference. While I still donât get every syllable, my comprehension has jumped to around 75â85%. Her videos are incredibly helpful because she uses simple vocabulary but delivers it at a completely natural speed. Seeing that massive growth proved to me that the method is working, even on days where it feels like nothing is changing. So, thank you Sae-sensei!
Current Strategy & Moving Forward
I have finished up the Complete Beginner series. While there are still a few videos in that section I occasionally struggle with, I can understand the vast majority of them.
I have officially moved into the Beginner series and am currently floating between levels 28â31 depending on the video topic. I found the videos at level 31 really difficult to follow comfortably, so I have intentionally looped back down to level 20. I am rewatching those videos now, aiming to build up a stronger base of automatic comprehension so that by the time I climb back up to level 31, those tougher videos will feel much more manageable.
Iâve also included screen shots of my stats for CIJ, renshuu and Ringotan in case anyone is interested.
Thanks to everyone who reads this and Iâm thinking I may give a follow up at the 300 hour mark if there is any interest.
