Selene Araujo

Hello there, thanks for the questions & sorry for the late response! This is so open-ended that I initially didn’t want to write half-baked answers, but I eventually I ended up forgetting it in my drafts ><;;

I think self-teaching is the most difficult in terms of time management & perseverance, but it’s definitely doable with all the resources online. I’m written out steps I would personally suggest to learn by here already, but in addition to that, I’ll try to write a little bit on self-teaching by itself!

Self-teaching a Language

Create a list of general goals you want to achieve in the language & topics you want to explore

Whenever you are almost done with the list, add more topics/goals & never let it run out

With this list at hand, you will always have tasks to work on

Split every goal you have (e.g. memorizing the hiragana chart) into multiple smaller, less intimidating steps

Set yourself objectives to fulfill for each week or month

This will give you a sense of progress & motivation to keep studying

Create a specific schedule for yourself that accommodates a set free time you have every week and plan when/how long to take breaks between studying

Try not to overbook yourself & schedule based on your individual work habits, but at the same time, don’t slack off from the schedule as it’ll be hard to recommit

Practice pronouncing the sentences & words you see & write, as well as sample dialogues

Watch many instructional & other videos with Japanese speech

As you are studying by yourself, one of the greatest components you will be missing is hearing practice, so your easiest method of making up for that is through exposing your ears to the language as much as you can

Mix your language studies with fun cultural studies (whether it be pop culture or traditional arts) as well, as a breather from constant memorization and incentive to continue fueling your passion for the language

Intriguing news/facts: Rocketnews24

J-entertainment news: Aramajapan, Tokyohive

Japanese Cooking: Mosogourmet, Cooking with Dog, Ochikeron

Japanese CMs: JPCMHD

J-fashion: KAWAIIpateen, TokyoFashionNews

Lolita fashion & sightseeing: Deerstalkerpictures2

Sightseeing & food: Simon and Martina

Lifestyle: Rachel and Jun

Find websites or friends to correct or help you with your Japanese

Peer-proofreading site: http://lang-8.com/

Practice, practice, practice! Practice does make perfect

Because you don’t have any pressure from grades as in a classroom setting, it will be up to you to drive yourself to work

I was all: