The amount of people who watch thousands of hours of anime and dramas all over the world is huge. But not even 10% of these people learn Japanese basics. These people spend hours and hours on screen, watching shows with subtitles, but don't know a lick of the language, except things like Kawaii and Senpai.
If you intend to learn Japanese by watching anime and dramas, keep in mind that it will be a big battle, and with a small success rate. In this article we will see some tips that can help you learn and increase your vocabulary with anime.
We also recommend reading:
- Meaning of Kawaii - Culture of cuteness in Japan
- Senpai and Kouhai - What is the meaning and the relationship between them?
- How to find out the name of anime, dramas and series?
Índice de Conteúdo
get rid of subtitles
If you really want to learn Japanese with anime and drama, subtitles won't help you. As long as you see something in English on the screen, your brain will focus on the subtitles, being the easiest option to understand.
Of course, if you're going to watch an anime for the first time for fun, and you don't have much knowledge of the Japanese language, there's no need to remove the subtitles, otherwise you won't understand anything. But we find many people who like to re-watch anime, so why not take this opportunity and watch it without subtitles?
put the subtitles
We just told you to remove the subtitles, but now you have to put them in. Yes, you must use Japanese subtitles. So learn to read and write. Of course, for that, you must know hiragana, katakana and a little kanji.
In addition, following the Japanese subtitles can make you understand the meaning and grammar of the sentence, and know how to differentiate the thousands of identical words that exist in the language.
There is a great site where you can find Japanese subtitles:
You can also explore the legend by opening the [.ass] or [.srt] file with Notepad. So you can find the lines and phrases of the anime, translate them, copy them and study them.
Be patient
If you think you're going to learn Japanese just watching episode by episode, you're wrong. You will be stuck in an episode until you understand and learn everything.
It doesn't necessarily have to be that way, but you have to be prepared to answer any questions you encounter while you study. If you didn't understand a phrase or word, go back and search and understand. Most of the time, you'll hear words too fast, or you'll think it's one word, but actually it's another word.
Make sure you can read the subtitles, try to pronounce the phrases that the characters say, try to get into the dialogue. You can come up with your own way of studying the dialogues in the anime, do it however you want, just be patient and do things right.
The article is still halfway through, but we recommend also reading:
Don't forget the songs
The openings and endings of anime can also be of great help, if you are used to singing karaoke, even better. When we sing, we use another part of the brain, and we may find it easier to sing along with Hiragana lyrics than to read. If you already have the music in your head, take the opportunity to examine its lyrics and meaning. If you are just starting out, the best thing to do is analyze the openings and closings.
We recommend reading: KANA: Definitive Guide to Hiragana and Katakana - Japanese alphabet
the easiest way
If you don't live in Japan, with little contact with Japanese, watching anime and dramas is the best way to experience Japanese dialogues. There is no better way to learn Japanese than to witness and create dialogue. But before that, study hiragana, katakana and kanji a lot, and expand your vocabulary a little, so you can understand the conversations present in anime and dramas.
An easier way to study dialogue is by playing visual novels. Unlike anime, you witness calmer dialogue and with the subtitles present, in addition to having a good time to research the meanings. But know that there is nothing better than reading a good Japanese book, and practicing dialogues with friends. And of course, we can't forget about the manga.
