Believe it or not, through the miracle of the internet there is an abundance of resources
to learn Japanese for free! And if you are like me, now that you are an adult and no
longer in a forced learning environment such as your primary school, you realize how
much discipline and motivation it requires to study a language on your own. Learning
Japanese, like any language, requires repetition, consistency, a lesson plan, and creativity.
One method I want to encourage you to try is learning children’s songs.

Learning Through Music

Think you are too old to sing nursery rhymes? You are trying to speak a new tongue
aren’t you? So why not start from the beginning just like you did when you learned to
speak your native language. Teaching through music is widely practiced by children but
often overlooked by adults. Children’s songs often have repetition and a sequence of
vocabulary that can help you learn logical groups of words such as counting, months, and
days of the week. I started by learning songs that I already knew in English and it was
easy to make the word associations. My first hymns were 10 Little Indians, Mary Had a
Little Lamb, and London Bridge. Also, people love it when you can sing these in a
foreign language.

For a minute, think about how many passages or famous quotes you can recite. Were any
of those the Miranda Rights (USA), the Pledge of Allegiance (USA) or your country’s
national oath, or your wedding vows? Now think about how many songs you can sing:
children’s songs, music from the radio, your CD or mp3 collection. Can you remember
the theme song to Sesame Street, Cheers, Friends or another television show you
watched? What about the jingle to Oscar Meyer or the Wrigley’s Double Mint Gum? My
list of tunes I can sing is without a doubt much longer than manuscripts I can recite.

Try starting with the songs on this website or this Japanese song site for even more songs. These sites have great visuals and beginning vocabulary. Study every day even if it is only for 15 minutes and be creative. Gambate.

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