[kenshiro_o]

I am currently learning Japanese. My level would be "lower intermediate": I can write hiragana/katakana and know about 100+ kanjis. But I am not satisfied with my oral fluency.

What I have started doing recently is listen to a Japanese podcast on SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/senakunes/easy-japanese-lesson-12-in-...) while doing my morning workout.

Moreover, since my commute to work is short, I have also started watching a short 5min anime to pick up basic everyday Japanese conversational skills.

Additionally, I plan to spend at least 10 minutes chatting in Japanese everyday to one of my colleagues who understands the language.

I'll do this for a month or two and check where I am after this period. I do believe the key to learning any language (especially if you are not in the country) is to practise every day and use the expressions learned on the day in different contexts to cement them in your memory. This also means you most likely have to find someone who speaks the language fluently or at least understands it to an acceptable level.

Obviously, I'll have to come up with another technique if I see no progress.

[keerthiko]

I watched 1000+ hours of animé (which is an amazing pastime btw) and I am now effectively conversationally fluent in Japanese (I had a 6 hour date with a native Japanese girl almost entirely in Japanese, and it was the first time I spoke to a Japanese person). However, having no formal education in Japanese whatsoever, I can only dare to talk in casual contexts as I may make cultural errors (wrong level of respect or mixing dialect) and also cannot read or write.

Consuming media in general and enjoying it is a great way to learn a language (Bollywood movies, k-dramas, animé, j-pop, French movies are well known language learning sources) for conversational experience - just keep consuming till you reach that point where the subtitles are less and less relevant

[glxybstr]

i am also studying japanese - i'm on a similar level i would say. i know around 150 kanji and forgotten about the same amount. my problem is finding someone on a similar level to learn alongside - i've heard it's wise to have not only someone above your skill level, but also someone at your equal, to compete and learn with. if you're interested, i'd like to study together - send me an email.

[kenshiro_o]

Hey - I'd be keen yes. What's your email? (I could not find it in your profile).