Learning Katakana as a solo Japanese language learner

Diving into Katakana: A New Chapter in My Japanese Journey

With the foundational knowledge of hiragana under my belt, my friends—who have been learning Japanese for years—said that the next step was clear: I had to tackle katakana. So here I am, diving headfirst into this new set of characters.

Embracing the Challenge of Katakana

In the last three days, I've been drilling katakana using Duolingo, while also referencing Tofugu’s mnemonic chart to help me memorize each character. Some characters resemble pictures, while others look similar to their hiragana counterparts. The visual aid is a game changer, making the learning process much more engaging.

Pacing Myself

I've been pacing my learning, aiming for 8 to 12 new characters each day. There are a total of 46 basic characters in katakana, so I took about 4 to 5 days to memorize the essential characters.

Once I learnt them, it will be all about drilling the characters, especially through different words, into my long-term memory through Duolingo and a katakana deck on Anki.

Faster Learning Curve

Interestingly, I've found that picking up katakana has been much quicker than hiragana. I attribute this to two main factors.

First, having already learned hiragana means I’m familiar with the sounds, making the transition smoother. Second, I’ve adopted better learning techniques, particularly mnemonics, which make memorization more efficient.

Reflecting back, my slow learning pace with hiragana stemmed from my attempts to create my own mnemonics, which was slower than taking pre-made mnemonics.

Improving Hiragana

While I feel more confident with katakana, I know I still have work to do with hiragana—especially with those tricky double syllable words.

To improve, I’m stepping away from Duolingo for hiragana practice and turning to YouTube for reading tests created by Tomo Sensei. These tests flash basic hiragana words on the screen for three seconds, challenging my brain to recognize and read different combinations quickly. The goal is to force my brain to recognize Hira more quickly.

On Motivation

My motivation is running high right now, fuelled by of learning a whole new set of characters.

Additionally, I’ve noticed an increased ability to focus without distractions. I attribute improved concentration to my recent decision to embrace a digital minimalism lifestyle.

For the past two months, I’ve cut back on social media, and the results have been remarkable. My brain is adapting to much less stimulation, which has helped me embrace boredom and, in turn, increase my attention span.

Looking Ahead

As I navigate this journey through katakana and refine my hiragana, I’m reminded that learning a language is not just about memorizing characters; it’s about growing, adapting, and challenging myself. I look forward to what lies ahead as I continue to build my Japanese skills, and I’m excited to share more milestones with you all.

Here’s to more characters, more learning, and a lot more Japanese!