How to Remember Japanese Words You Can Actually Use in Conversation | Japanese Podcast N3+

I can't remember words even though I've seen them many times. I memorized them, but I can't use them in conversation. I think there are two main reasons for this. When you learn words, don't learn them as single words, Hello everyone! Welcome to THAT'S JAPAN Podcast! Today is another episode in the Japanese study series. Have you ever had this problem: you see a word many times but still can't remember it? You memorized it, but you can't use it in conversation. Have you ever experienced that? This may not mean that you aren't practicing enough or that you aren't studying enough. I think there are two main reasons. First, you memorized the word but not how to use it. Second, it may simply be a word you don't need. Those are the two reasons. So how can we solve this? I'm going to share some efficient ways to do input. Please listen until the end if you can. And please subscribe to the channel too. Here's the first input method. When you learn words, don't learn them as single words. Learn them in chunks. There are countless words and the combinations may seem endless, but the patterns we often use in daily life are actually somewhat limited. For example, in N3 grammar, there's the expression 「〜直す」. It means “to do something again.” When you learn this, don't memorize only 「直す」. For example, learn やり直す or 書き直す. Learn it with an actual word already in the 〜 slot. The word before 直す is the masu-form stem of a verb. Remove 「ます」 from やります, and you get やり直す. Learn expressions as chunks like this. Once you've memorized やり直す, during a conversation you won't have to think, “To do something again is ‘〜直す,’ and before 直す I need the version of the masu-form without ます...” You can get rid of that thinking process. That's because you already know the patterns やり直す and 書き直す. First, memorize one complete pattern. What you choose for that one example is today's second point. Learn it with words that you personally use. For example, someone who uses a computer. When you start using a computer, you need to log in first. If you haven't used it for a while, you may have to log in again before using it. If that's you, learn the phrase 「ログインし直す」, “log in again.” If you often make phone calls, learn 「電話をかけ直す」. It means calling again later when the other person didn't answer. Learn phrases such as かけ直す using words that you actually use. I study Spanish too, and I've noticed the same thing. I can remember words that I can imagine myself using, but I can't remember things when I can't imagine a situation where I'd use them. We quickly forget things that don't feel relevant to us, so think about situations that happen often in your life, and learn useful words and chunks that you would want to know in those situations. Some of you may study Japanese by reading the news. For example, news about typhoons. There's a word that often appears in typhoon reports. It's 「最大瞬間風速」. It means the maximum wind speed reached during a typhoon, the highest speed the wind reaches at a particular moment. Imagine you read the news while studying Japanese and come across the expression 最大瞬間風速. You think, “I don't know this,” and memorize it that day. But three days later, you've probably forgotten it. Because when you talk to someone in Japanese, you don't often have conversations about maximum instantaneous wind speed, right? So words you don't really need are hard to remember. That's how it is for me. Even if I learned how to say 最大瞬間風速 in Spanish, I'm sure I'd forget it an hour later. Because I'd probably think, “I don't really need this.” Now for point number three. Learn words together with your own experiences and emotions. For example, let's use 「〜直す」 again. Imagine you play games a lot, you're doing really well, and just when you think, “I'm almost going to clear it!”, you make a mistake and get a game over. Then you have to start the game over, right? At that moment, you probably feel really frustrated or disappointed. Remember that feeling, and learn the chunk やり直す. I think memories connected to emotions tend to stay with us longer. In Spanish, I learned the word pantalla, which means “display” or “screen.” I had a really hard time remembering pantalla. At first, I was only hearing the word pantalla. Then one day, when I came across the word pantalla, there happened to be a display right in front of me. I thought, “Oh, this is a pantalla!” Exactly. The day I heard pantalla together with that feeling, I finally remembered the word pantalla. I became a pantalla master. So I think learning words together with some kind of emotion is a very effective method. Now point number four, the last point. Don't try to memorize everything in one go. Even if you follow all the points I've mentioned, you still need to see and hear words again and again in order to truly remember them. But if, as I said, you start by inputting words that you actually use, you'll be learning words that are closely connected to your own life, so you'll naturally have more chances to encounter them again. That means you don't need to feel pressured, thinking, “I have to review this again and again.” Instead, through natural repetition, you'll probably keep encountering those words. That's all for today. Thank you for listening until the end. What word are you going to learn today? Tell me in the comments. See you next time!