I have been in Japan for two years now. For the first three months after coming to Japan, I could hardly speak Japanese, which made life very difficult. If I had known this in advance, I think I would have worked harder at studying Japanese. Here are four methods I use to study Japanese, which you may find helpful.

First, vocabulary study.

To remember words, I practice reading every day, gradually memorizing them. When reading words, studying their usage helps in remembering them properly. Then, I practice reading simple articles every day. Even if you don’t use the words you’ve studied, it’s good to read them again two or three times. If you want to improve further, watching the news is a good idea.

Next, grammar study.

For grammar, you absolutely must remember it by making an example sentence using the grammar rule. You can use words you already know in these sentences. Then, when writing compositions or diaries, you should practice using that grammar.

Then, kanji.

When studying kanji, it’s easier to separate the on’yomi and kun’yomi readings. Remember the readings of each kanji well, and then seeing them in newspapers or manga helps in memorizing them.

Finally, conversation.

Please talk frequently with Japanese people. If you make mistakes, have them corrected and remember them well. Using them correctly in conversation will help you improve.

This is based on my experience. I think these methods are effective, so please try them.