Slowwww learners….

Heyyy! I’m (22f) looking to move to Japan in 2027 to attend language school. I’m partly going because (1)I really want to live there for at least a year and considering I am a U.S. citizen, no skill, career less, degree less, and not married to a Japanese citizen, there’s no way I can just “live” there and (2) of all the languages I’ve tried to learn, Japanese has been the one I’ve been able to stick to and actually enjoy the most.

The only reason why I am hesitant to go back to school is not because I don’t like schools, it’s because it’s been 5 years since I’ve graduated highschool and I’ve never been a stand out student if you will. I’m a little slow to learn and in a fast pace environment I fear I would be setting my self up for failure (in this case financially and mentally). I can learn, but takes me a minute.

I sit and study now for about 3 hours and I try and immerse myself in the language through YouTube, movies, music etc. for the rest of the day and still I have a hard time remembering things that I would consider very very beginner. I’ve only been sitting down and actually studying like this for 2 months now (it’s been a year since I started learning) but after seeing some vlogs on YouTube and hearing on the internet how Japanese language school is taught, I’m scared.

I have most of the money saved already and I really want to prove to myself not only can I learn a language that I really like but I’m not bound by the literal box Colorado is. My doubts weigh heavy on me though. I’m actually not sure if this is the right path if I can’t adapt to a specific kind of learning environment. I’m like 60% n5 and ideally would like to reach at least n3 by July 2027 (when I plan on enrolling) but if I can’t do that then I may just give up on this dream and cry myself to sleep forever (jk).

I guess what I’m asking for is if there are schools that exist out there better for students like me that you guys may have had experience with. Maybe any advice on if this is really a problem or just in my head. Your experience with language school. A reality check…. Whatever I’ll take it all. I do really want this but I also don’t want to set my self back big time and still be a failure.

Thank you in advance 🫶🏽

by raayyyraayyy

I’m taking Japanese at university right now, I’ve completed one semester and will go to Japan after the summer as part of the student exchange program. The course is absolutely brutal as it really doesn’t account for the fact that Japanese is completely different from Indo-European languages; there’s plenty of statistics on it taking us three or even four times as long to learn Japanese compared to an other European language, but the schedule and goals are the same as other languages. Two thirds of my class didn’t survive the first semester, which is better than many previous years, but the teachers still expect only half of the remaining to survive this second semester.

Anyway, don’t beat yourself up, it really, really, takes a lot of work (and don’t forget simple passage of *time*) to learn a language, especially one so different. School is good for being forced to keep up the routine, but university courses are not well structured to learn languages. You still have to do most learning on your own, and they focus very hard on grammar, but only as far as what’s called “procedural” knowledge – you learn how to apply the rules and you can pass the test, and then they move on to the next grammar rule. To actually use a language you need to practice the very same grammar point, over and over, in greatly varied contexts, over a long time, until you no longer have to consciously, manually think about it (called automicity). You also need much more vocabulary and kanji than is normally taught.

If you’re not already, you need to *practice recall* using some spaced repetition system. There are plenty of apps for vocabulary and kanji at least. Do some every day, it really works. And keep up the input “immersion”, but make sure that it’s comprehensible (and not just understand the meaning, understand the use of language). There’s a lot to say, I’m a teacher myself (although of computer science and software development), but that’s the most important of the top of my head.

4 comments

Due-Calligrapher-803 says:

January 22, 2026 at 9:11 pm

Question for you: what exactly are you planning to after you finish lanuage school and why Japanese specifically?
Ill_Gene_9381 says:

January 22, 2026 at 9:25 pm

I moved to Japan over a decade ago and went to a language school for 1 year. My language school was only 3 hours a day, Mon-Fri. I struggle with learning as well, but I was able to learn a lot. Get Anki on your phone and fill it with flashcards, and study it on your commute to school each day. You can do it! I recommend going for it. You are young and you’ll enjoy it! Also, on a student visa, you can work part-time, so if you are worried about money, you can get a part-time job. That will help you financially, but also help you practice the language too.

Good luck!
xix_xeaon says:

January 22, 2026 at 9:26 pm

I’m taking Japanese at university right now, I’ve completed one semester and will go to Japan after the summer as part of the student exchange program. The course is absolutely brutal as it really doesn’t account for the fact that Japanese is completely different from Indo-European languages; there’s plenty of statistics on it taking us three or even four times as long to learn Japanese compared to an other European language, but the schedule and goals are the same as other languages. Two thirds of my class didn’t survive the first semester, which is better than many previous years, but the teachers still expect only half of the remaining to survive this second semester.

Anyway, don’t beat yourself up, it really, really, takes a lot of work (and don’t forget simple passage of *time*) to learn a language, especially one so different. School is good for being forced to keep up the routine, but university courses are not well structured to learn languages. You still have to do most learning on your own, and they focus very hard on grammar, but only as far as what’s called “procedural” knowledge – you learn how to apply the rules and you can pass the test, and then they move on to the next grammar rule. To actually use a language you need to practice the very same grammar point, over and over, in greatly varied contexts, over a long time, until you no longer have to consciously, manually think about it (called automicity). You also need much more vocabulary and kanji than is normally taught.

If you’re not already, you need to *practice recall* using some spaced repetition system. There are plenty of apps for vocabulary and kanji at least. Do some every day, it really works. And keep up the input “immersion”, but make sure that it’s comprehensible (and not just understand the meaning, understand the use of language). There’s a lot to say, I’m a teacher myself (although of computer science and software development), but that’s the most important of the top of my head.
beginswithanx says:

January 22, 2026 at 11:46 pm

If you’re just going for essentially for a two year “study vacation,” then I wouldn’t worry too much about being able to keep up— yes the classes will be full time and maybe intense, but these are for profit businesses, and it’s not like they’ll kick you out for scoring poorly (as long as you’re regularly attending classes, which is required for the visa).

Since you have no plans to live in Japan afterwards (as you don’t have a degree and thus don’t qualify for a work visa) or have a need to use it in your career back in the US, it sounds like this is just for fun/personal growth. In which case, there’s really no “failure,” as even if you don’t perform as well as you’d like in class, it’s still a life experience.

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