Didn't work Japanese
Ten years of classes, textbooks and apps — and still barely past beginner
Posted by u/kawaraban_ in r/languagelearning on 2025-10-27 · read the original
Summarised here as captured on 2026-08-27. Posts can be edited or deleted after that.
Time120 months
Per dayunknown
Est. total hoursnot stated
Started fromscratch
Prior related languageunknown
Level claimedbarely past beginner after ten years
Level evidence: self assessed. The learner graded themselves. Treat the level as a claim, not a measurement.
In their words
No teacher ever taught me the most important part: what to do outside of textbooks and courses.
I think it's also important to talk about what doesn't work, not only sharing success stories about what did work.
Excerpts only — the full post is the author's.
What they used, and what for
Grouped by the job each tool did for this learner.
structured lessons
- Classroom courses not in our catalogue
Their verdict: never taught what to do outside class
grammar
- Textbooks not in our catalogue
daily drill
- Apps not in our catalogue
SRS
- Flashcards not in our catalogue
Approaches in play
- The Grammar-Translation Method — Learn the rules and the paradigms, then translate sentences and texts in both directions. The school method your parents suffered.
- Spaced Repetition — Review each item just as you're about to forget it, so a fixed amount of study buys far more long-term retention.
What this account leaves open
- No hours are given across the ten years, so intensity is unknown and the elapsed time alone says little.
- The level is described rather than tested; no JLPT result is mentioned.
Not a criticism of the author — a guide to how far the log can carry you.
Read this one with care
The author states plainly that the post promotes something of their own.
The author links their own YouTube video and labels it plainly as their monthly self-promotion post. Disclosed promotion, which is a materially more honest case than an undisclosed one — the account of the ten years stands on its own.