Kon’nichiwa! I am Ami from Japan and currently studying at HELP University. I’d like to share my thoughts on how to study Japanese effectively. I couldn’t speak English well when I first came to. Malaysia. Hence, I can understand how difficult studying a second language is.
Firstly, I made a lot of Malaysian friends who study Japanese. We taught each other our own language. I was afraid of making mistakes when I talk in English but I didn’t hesitate using it with these friends since we studied together. They used both English and Japanese to teach me when I was frustrated for not being able to express myself in English. They were my best teachers. Teaching Japanese to them also helped to improve my English.
Secondly, I joined the HELP University toastmasters club, an international speech club. Although my English level improved a lot once I started my bachelor course, I was still not confident with my English. I found the club by chance. After trying out their online meeting , I realized that the club would definitely improve my English. The club runs various sessions such as prepared speech, impromptu speech and feedback. There are similar Japanese clubs where you can join their online meetings if you’d like to. The important thing is to have more opportunities to talk in a second language! Hope what worked for me might also works for you too! Why not give it a try!. Ganbatte and arigato :)
Toastmaster is one of the many great tools in building not only self-confidence in speaking but also enhance our speed thinking - ie organizing our thoughts coherently within a short span of time. Keep it up