Paul-san The U.S.
6 month with 50 lessons course

Q1. What issues do you have on studying Japanese?

I originally had an interest in learning languages, and really had a huge interest for art as well. After seeing one of my friends take off for university to study abroad in various countries, along with feeling deeply moved by many of Japan’s animated works, it opened up a spark within me to pursue studying Japanese. When I first started studying Japanese, I employed many methods, such as studying from Youtube videos and various applications. When I was starting out, I didn’t really have access to a physical classroom as the Covid-19 pandemic hit, so I was mainly self-learning, which felt really slow as it was quite difficult to find the right pace and direction to learn the language. Upon taking my courses from Nihongo Online School, I felt a huge acceleration to the progress of my Japanese studies, as the guidance from my teacher really helped me not only have a visible path to follow, but also her kind and fun energy motivated me to keep pushing forward, until before I knew it, in all my lessons the main language I use to communicate is Japanese!  Learning Japanese in general, has really changed me as a person, it’s with this wonderful language, that I have met a lot of amazing people, gained many opportunities to push myself to grow, and enjoy Japanese culture even more! Nihongo Online School has played a large role in helping me reach where I am now, and I’m really thankful for it! 

Q2. What made you decide to study with us ?

・The warm friendly atmosphere

・1:1 lessons at my own pace

・The fact that not only I’m able to study from N5-N1, but I can also have custom lessons if there’s particular topic I want to learn about

・Time flexibility

Q3. Could you tell us about your lesson experience, how to proceed lessons with teachers, materials and so on?

Overall, it’s been a really great experience. Making mistakes is something I never have to be afraid of, as my teacher is always patient and understanding; She kindly corrects me when I come across any errors or need help with any particular word, grammar point, or sentence. Sometimes for particular words or expressions, there’s more nuance or cultural significance than what can be found in the textbook, so the teacher shows examples that really helps me grasp the sense of the meaning. Usually, the lessons start out with greetings, and talking about how the day went, which then follows with working on the current chapter of the textbook together with the instructor. For the recent books I’ve worked on, each one consists of a reading, followed by exercises about the reading, following with vocab and grammar related lessons. When working on grammar exercises, or learning new words, the instructor has me make sentences to clarify that I have understood the meaning. It’s these exercises that are usually the most fun, as I can make silly sentences that can sometimes even turn into mini stories, which makes the concepts even more memorable! When working on the reading, my teacher helps me as I read, filling in the furigana for any kanji that’s difficult to read, or clarifying the meaning of words/phrases that I’m not too clear about. Additionally, if the reading is too difficult for me, she breaks down the reading into simpler Japanese, which makes understanding the original material much more easier, which allows me to gain a full comprehension of the passage. Each lesson follows homework based on the lesson but isn’t fully limited to it either. I have requested to complete custom assignments related to improving my writing, so anything’s possible! 

Q4. Do you have any requests to improve your study with us?

Not really, I’m pretty satisfied with my experience.