How to become fluent in Japanese? - Interview with Steve Kaufmann

Steve Kaufmann

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[Thelinguist]

Really enjoyed our discussion and happy to see so many comments from people who are enthusiastic about learning Japanese and getting to know Japanese culture and society, as I did over 50 years ago. Thanks for the interview.

[OrientalPearl]

I’m so happy to see this collab. You’re both awesome!

[jagsart]

This message is so true. I been studying Japanese for three years and I have notice it takes a lot of time and practice. I am still currently not able to speak much but I started to be able to watch movies and shows in Japanese without subtitles. So for everyone learning just keep trying and don’t give up!!!! You will get it :)

[mrsTraveller]

I must say, for me the key is FIRST to learn to LISTEN to the language, to hear what it exactly sounds like, the pronountion, the "melody" of the language, THEN start to learn it. That is how you not only learn to speak it, but you also learn to pronounce it fluently.

[Momo-qois]

Excellent interview! You are very talented in interviewing people. Takashi-san knows how to bring out the best from whom he interviews with. He has an excellent listening skill.
Yes it’s very true. Steve picked up Japanese vs. Mandarin and English vs. Spanish. I have been learning Japanese together with Mandarin, while learning Spanish together with English. They can support and relate to each other. It’s also very important to take each language individually and understand everything behind the languages.
I am very glad that I listen to this interview. Many thanks to Steve for sharing these amazing techniques. I am fully motivated to enjoy the learning process.

[tiffanyacuff]

I love Steve Kaufmann. He has had a huge influence in the way I have directed my Japanese learning/acquisition. It is nice to have a "well seasoned" opinion and view about things. Thanks for sharing!

[otakuperofresa]

oh god, thank you so much takashii for this video and for all of your content, I really enjoy it and is very useful for my studies in japanise! どもありがとうございます。

[MrShemist]

"Language learning is a process that never ends."

Thanks for the motivation, Mr. Kaufmann!

Glad you also talked about Friends, that really made my day.

Great video, Takashi san! 素晴らしい!

[CesDayrit]

What a very insteresting topic! I’m now currently studying nihongo here in Japan. But before coming here I used to watch alot of Japanese drama series. I think the best way to learn Japanese language/Culture is to watch alot of Japanese movies or drama series😄 It will be very helpful to understand their culture, society and environment.

Thank you Steve and Takashii!
おつかれさまでした。

[LIJ]

This is a great video! Very encouraging for learning Japanese (and true I think). I especially liked what Steve said about the Japan of today, I do think it is more open than ever.

[ganndalf]

I agree. You have to go through the repetitive process. I strugled so much with katakana, some hiragana and now vocabulary and kanji but I forced myself to repeat it every single day and now when I'm through basics i am so curious about the langauge and everything, I try to read and understand everything I can and it's so much fun for me. I even approach Japanese and try to practice with them now and most are happy to help. But also the mindset is a thing, I was just talking with my Japanese friend how we are friends for a while but despite that our cultural differences are still a thing so it still causes misunderstandings so we are trying to educate each other. Honestly just enjoy the process and learning about different culture and people, the experience itself is worth it. Just like Steve said, japanese is very hard. I'm not native english speaker but learning english, german and other western langauges was way easier for me than japanese so just enjoy.

[KimiChanJapan]

I liked this guy, he seemed really nice. His words about learning Japanese and trying to really enjoy studying made me want to study harder. I also liked that he liked Japan now more than in the 70s.
I appreciate even in the US when older people aren't the ones criticizing the present and constantly complaining about how better the 60s', 70s' were.

[humanbean]

I love Steve. Really cool interview! I'd love to see more interviews with him. There's a lot of knowledge we could learn from him. I'd like to hear more about being in Japan as a foreigner in the old days.

[chair]

So inspiring. I learned Cantonese, stepped into Mandarin (both are Chinese, and they're "quite" similar), and now am learning Japanese. It is A LOT OF fun!!! I can't wait to be able to speak 4 languages! Planning to learn Korean next.

[sharkall_today]

Awesome video! Thanks a lot for the insight! I'm a brazilian learning english and japanese, watching english videos helped me a lot and now I started doing it with japanese now that I'm getting used to the language :D ありがとうございます！

[pynkieeast]

Not only did we received the advice of learning Japanese, more like we got the advice of ‘how to learn things effectively’. Thank you!

[Suhnik]

Gave me real hope to here Steve say that even for him it took 5 years to actually feel comfortable in the language. I started to feel really down for not being able to understand anime or YouTube after 2 years.

[mariotaz]

Steve Kaufmann is such a great motivator for language learners. Super realistic about his approach to learning with no BS.

[specialk]

I lived in Tokyo as a child in the 80's. It's been a long time since I have been back there and can't wait until I can visit again.

[dindi]

Thank you for putting english subtitles, and for creating interesting content! I am learning Japanese now, so these type of videos help me a lot.