Make sure this show has subtitles, ideally in both your target language and native language. If it’s on a topic you know you’ll want to talk about in everyday life, even better! You’ll learn useful vocabulary and phrases that are relevant to you. There are much faster ways to learn Japanese!īut TV, when used properly, can be a form of active study and listening practice.įirst, you’ll want to pick a show that’s really interesting to you. There are a lot of issues with passive learning, and it will take far too long to really grasp anything of use.
Keep in mind that, as far as a study method goes, it’s not the best. That’s a plus! And, it can be a great brain break while still immersing yourself in your target language. Most notably, you’ll gain cultural insight. not actively trying to learn, but just sitting back and watching - can have some benefits. Like I said, watching TV passively - i.e. If your hope was that you could sit in front of the TV and suddenly begin to understand, well… That’s not how this works.
How to Learn While Watching Japanese Dramas And even if you passively watch the shows, you’re still exposing yourself to the tones, body language, and culture - and understanding all of these is necessary to truly become fluent.īut, if you want to really learn something from Japanese dramas, you have to learn how to use your TV time effectively. All work and no play makes language learning dull. Well, you can learn Japanese from TV shows! In fact, I highly recommend including Japanese TV shows as part of your language learning routine. Now you may be wondering, “Can I really learn Japanese from watching dramas?” After all, we’re ingrained to think that study time equals textbooks and classes, and TV is mind-numbing.
What’s great about that is you don’t get stuck in one type of story or character set - you can binge through one show, and then jump to a new one! And by doing that, you’re increasing your exposure to different language usage and dialects.
While there are some shows that have long runs or multiple seasons, they’re not as common. One nice thing about Japanese dramas? They’re usually only one season long and about 10-12 episodes. And they’re a fantastic way to gain some insight into Japanese culture, language, and locales in Japan. J-dramas are easy to get sucked into, especially because they’re so different in format from most Western shows. Need a break from Japanese textbooks and vocabulary flashcards? Then it’s time to chill with some Japanese dramas!
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