Why People Stop Learning Japanese

When you first start learning Japanese it can be fun and exciting. You're on your way to learning a new language! First you learn the alphabet, then start learning useful words and phrases. There's a lot of progress in the beginning and learning Japanese looks very promising. But then you hit a wall in your learning Japanese. Whether it's conscious or not, you start to find a reason to stop learning. If you find a good enough reason, it won't look like you failed in learning Japanese.

I'm going to go through these "reasons" why people stop learning Japanese and give you realizations that it can still be done. There is sadly no good excuse for not learning Japanese. If you just want to stop that is acceptable, but don't try to use one of these excuses because it will just make you look bad in the long run.

"It's too hard."

I agree, it is very hard to learn Japanese. That means you need to put in more effort though, especially if you truly want to learn it. If you are young you have a better chance at learning Japanese or any language because your brain is still able to learn and absorb material. As you get older, it has been scientifically proven that learning a new language will be hard. But once again, that just means you need to work harder at it. It's not impossible.

Remember when you were in high school, how your parents probably questioned how hard you studied for a test when you came back with a test result of a C. You probably told them that you studied as hard as you could (I know this from experience). But what you really did was study for a few hours the night before and maybe tried to cram the information in your head before class started. You didn't bother studying for the test because the subject was just too hard for you and you felt the results would just be the same. That's exactly what's happening here when people give the excuse "it's too hard" when learning Japanese.

"I don't have time."

Really? You don't have time? Yet you have time to watch TV, play video games, go see a movie with friends or waste your life away on browsing through social media. We all get trapped in this cycle of time wasting (I usually spend it reading manga or watching anime instead of writing my blog or uploading videos on my YouTube channel). We need to realize what we are doing with our time and reevaluate how we should really be using our time. If you really want to learn Japanese, you can take at least an hour out of your day to read a textbook and do some example questions, or even do a few rounds of flashcards for some vocabulary studying. Once the hour of studying is up you can go back to whatever you like doing. So having no time is not a good excuse to use.

Taking learning Japanese on -the-go with apps. Here are some that I use!

"I don't understand it."

You are probably either taking a class to learn Japanese or teaching yourself. If you're taking a class and still "don't understand Japanese" you need to consider either being taught by another teacher who understands your study methods and needs or just teach yourself (you know you best). Everyone is a different kind of learner and we all learn in different ways and paces. If you are self taught Japanese and you're still saying you "don't understand Japanese" maybe you should start considering a teacher whether it be a formal class or just an online tutor. Maybe having a tutor will motivate you more and can help you understand and approach the language in a different way that may help you. The "I don;t understand" excuse is a super easy fix.

"I'm not using it."

This used to be a great excuse when the internet wasn't as big as it is now. You don't even have to go all the way to Japan to learn and use Japanese. It's literally a click away. Try to make Japanese friends on Twitter or Instagram (I can vouch that this is a great way to use your Japanese). Many Japanese people are willing to talk to you if you stay open to the idea. It's a great way to practice Japanese and make friends at the same time. Easy as that!

"I couldn't find an easy way."

What?!?!? Are you serious? "An easy way"? If you're trying to look for an easy way to learn Japanese then you should just stop trying. There is no easy way to learn a new language. It's not just going to come to you. You need to work at trying to learn Japanese through various methods and stick to the methods that work for you. If you work really hard it can possibly happen in a year, but many people don't fully learn Japanese for many, many years. Learning Japanese is a journey. Instead of trying to rush through it, trying to find an easier way, maybe you should just enjoy the ride. If hard work isn't your thing, then learning Japanese isn't either.

So much to study when it comes to Japanese. Just gotta sit down and learn it. No easy way.

Hopefully this has put some perspective in your Japanese learning. I'm even guilty of a few of these thing in my younger years, but I came up with the realization that there is literally no excuse for not learning a language, and I even have a learning disability. So even if it gets tough, as long as you have goals you can climb towards you can always learn Japanese.

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See you in the next blog!!