How I Acquire New Vocab

  Everyone has their own way of learning new vocab words so I'd like to share with you the way I do things. ( you need to know hiragana first for this to be effective )

Step 1: Watch anime on crunchyroll.com and turn the subtitles off by right clicking on the video (some videos don't have this option) 

Step 2: When you hear a word repeated often during the show, pause the video, try to type out the word and look it up online using Jisho. 

Step 3: Use Evernote to add the word to my vocab list. Put in the hiragana AND kanji form of the word and the definition in your native language.

Step 4: Every time you add a new word, you'll see the other words on your list. The repeated exposure to these words will eventually cause them to be etched into your memory.

I recommend that you watch Kaasan - Mom's Life on Crunchyroll since the language used is simple and it should be easy for you to pick out individual words.

Add Evernote to your Japanese language arsenal: evernote.com

Japanese Grammar a Day Email

 An important part of learning something new is repetition and daily exposure. Most people tend to check their email at least once a day, so it makes sense to turn this daily ritual into an opportunity to study Japanese a little every day.

  I currently subscribe to JGram's grammar-a-day mailing list and I highly recommend it! Every day, JGram will send you an email with a randomized mini lesson on Japanese grammar and vocabulary. JGram's grammar-a-day can also be customized according to your current skill level so no matter where you are in your Japanese studies, you'll be able to get use out of it!

 Sign up for your daily grammar-a-day email at this link: http://www.jgram.org/pages/signup.php