Studying Nihongo

[thebigalabama4997]

The following, I've found, are things that work.
1. Limit your tools. Do not clutter your mind and waste time with a lot of books or sites. Find that which works and only use those tools, J-Pod 101 and Anki are all I use now.
2. Read it,Speak it and Write it. As an example, I use the conversations here for all three points.
3. Repetition is a dead end. Let things come to you in an organic fashion. I have picked up the hardest concepts with ease, only to slave a way on Lvl 4 vocab. Unless it sticks doing it over and over will not help. If you can't get it quick just review it as it comes up. Given habitual study, the chances to confront your hang-up will be many.
4.Check your Ego. Romanji is not a crutch, use it to confirm you have got the point. As long as you read,write and speak in proper Nihongo your fine. Leave Romanji at your pace.
5.Study at the same time and everyday. How much you do will change,but that's fine.

Last, but in no way least. Use" Remembering the Kanji" by James W. Heisig. Anything else is like drinking a diet soda after eating a box of Oreos, you may think it helps...but..
I toiled away for ever and set myself back by who knows how long doing it by rote. Then out of shear desperation I took a chance on this text as a last hope. It was this or just giving up. In 4 months I gave myself a test and recalled 1340 out of the 1460 Kanji I had studied up to that point. I was over the moon! By the sixth month I had it down. Timely review is all I need now, and that is simply done with my regular studies.
All these tips have been hard won. I have made every mistake in the book studying Nihongo. Only now can I say I am happy with my progress. I hope this aids you in your quest.

[bit101]

Great tips. Do you also have a chance to speak Japanese to native speakers on a regular basis? I would imagine that without that, it could be tough in the long term.