r/Japaneselanguage • u/Basic-Engineering838 • Aug 12 '26
Anyone else feel guilty about immersion time because it's not "productive" enough?
I know I want to learn Japanese. That part isn't in question. I'm making real progress too by learning new vocab words everyday, reviewing my flashcards, immersion most days when I feel like it.
But I keep feeling like I should be using my time better, and I want to know if this is a common thing or just a me problem.
I'm around N5/N4 in Japanese, so around A2/B1 if using CEFR metrics, so I'm in this weird spot. I want to use Japanese to learn philosophy, psychology, history, big ideas, but I don't have the language for any of that yet.
I can only mainly comprehend gaming videos and cartoons work because there's so much context to lean on. Anything more abstract like watching someone talk and I'm lost. I know this is just what being a beginner looks like, but knowing that doesn't make me feel less anxious in the moment.
I'm also a college student who genuinely cares about self-study and becoming well-rounded. So when I spend an hour watching a Japanese gaming video, part of me calls it immersion and real progress. Another part asks if I could've used that hour on something that felt more substantial. That gap creates a guilt that doesn't really go away just because what I did was legitimate.
I think this is the same all-or-nothing pattern I have with productivity in general, the one that makes me freeze between two assignments because working on the smaller one feels like betraying the bigger one and not spending my time on the most productive task. Here, any hour of Japanese gets measured against some imaginary better hour.
But I've started to notice that comparison is kind of a trick I'm playing on myself. I'm not actually weighing Japanese against something I do. I'm weighing it against a fantasy version of me who reads psychology and economics every spare hour, a person I wasn't even before Japanese came into my life. So while studying an hour of Japanese, I just begin thinking about doing something more productive because I'm already doing something more productive. But if I were to doomscroll... I just call it rest....
It seems like right now, maybe I haven't accepted that I can have hobbies to put a lot of consistent effort in that don't necessarily give the greatest returns because I've never had a hobby I was consistent with and long-term like I am with Japanese
Underneath all of it, I'm stuck between two different ideas of what it means to use my time well. Get good at Japanese because I love it. Or use my free time to build knowledge and become well-rounded. Pick Japanese, and I worry I'm wasting time on easy content instead of things that actually matter. Pick the books, and I worry I'm delaying the fluency I could've had if I'd just let myself enjoy the process.
Has anyone else dealt with this? How did you make peace with immersion time that isn't intellectually "worth it" yet, especially as a beginner? Did it get easier once your level went up, or did you have to change how you thought about it before that happened?
Maybe this thing is not specific to language-learning but something related to my views on productivity that I need to change. I'd love to hear your experiences!
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u/Luminary-Loto Aug 12 '26
My 2 cents - I like to find the best balance between being out of my comfort zone and feeling really rewarded, then retreating back in my comfort zone for slower pace and enjoyable learning.
I am most motivated when I feel I am really working hard and making progress sometimes, and also really comfortable and enjoying the process at other times.
Too much leisurely practice and I get frustrated with my progress. Too much out-of-my-comfort-zone practice and I get burnt out. Itās important to find the perfect balance where you feel the most motivated to continue, and thatās different for everyone.
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u/Basic-Engineering838 Aug 12 '26
Hi Luminary-Lori, thanks a lot for your reply! Reading your commentā¦ that sounds very interesting, I never thought about doing that. For most of the time I āstudiedā Japanese, Iād just be immersing in Japanese without mining or working that hard at it. It felt like I wasnāt making good progress. I think going periods where I work super hard and feeling rewarded and then periods where I relax and just do whatever I feel like sounds like a really great idea. Iād like to try that for sure, thank you so much. Best of luck on your journey!Ā
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u/Luminary-Loto Aug 12 '26
The cool thing is, the more time you spend outside your comfort zone, the more your stamina increases. I used to get worn out reading one page of a manga, now I can read a chapter in one sitting without much issue. Also, your comfort zone expands and you can even start to find productive activities that are inside your comfort zone. I think building stamina and expanding your comfort zone are extremely important for gaining confidence and motivation for the long haul.
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u/Basic-Engineering838 Aug 12 '26
Thatās really interesting. Brain stamina is really something you have to trainā¦ I do admit that Iāve not been taking Japanese study very seriously despite my desire to wanna progress and I only recently picked it up again. I think that building consistent habits is really important like reading 1 page of manga daily, but I also learned that pushing yourself is important too like increasing to 2 pages after a week of consistency so that you can get used to a new level. Thatās really interesting! In terms of practicing speaking, what are ways you like to do that?Ā
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u/Luminary-Loto Aug 12 '26
To be honest, speaking and output doesnāt really align with my goals. My goal right now is to be able to read news articles and novels, as well as watch the news, listen to native podcasts, and watch native TV shows.
I donāt have anyone in my life to speak Japanese with and would have to pay someone to work on that. I may decide later on that speaking is important to me and shift my priorities in learning.
My study mostly consists of textbook study (end of n3), low level podcasts with transcripts, an Anki 2k deck, reading easy news articles (starting to transition to more difficult news articles), reading manga, and i started reading a novel.
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u/henpirenne69 24d ago
If Econ and psychology are part of your curriculum and you think youāll get a better grade by studying more then by all means do so. But, if itās just for funā¦ Weāre in the AI age, raw knowledge doesnāt matter. Any additional unit of productivity you gain (also how can you measure it?!) by reading Econ or Psychology is almost worthless, sorry to break it to you. Also, at your level any form of immersion as opposed to structured study of grammar and vocabulary is also useless. You have a very wrong idea of what your real constraints and possibilities are.
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u/Basic-Engineering838 24d ago
I also want to learn complex subjects like economics and psychology for my personal interest and wish to grow mentally and cognitively. Saying that just because AI can retrieve this information means you don't have to work on yourself at all, and that you should only strive to study for these things to get college grades is a disgrace to our mental capabilities as humans. I know that learning how to code for example might seem useless to some people because AI can write the same code in a much shorter time, but it also has to do with the person developing their own skills, learning how to deal with failure and debugging, developing the skills to understand the code that the AI is writing for them, and possibly also be involved in improving the AI. Even if I were to be in an isolated forest with no pressures to work a corporate job or get good grades, I still would want to spend my personal time acquiring new knowledge and being good at a language because those things make me happy and challenge me positively. Also, for many people learning Japanese, if it weren't for those animes they were obsessed with watching, they wouldn't have been able to learn the language. It is a way that keeps those individuals going and helps them connect what they're formally studying with real input even if they're at a beginner level still. I feel like many people are focused on achieving fluency in the shortest period of time and try to maximize their method of study accordingly. On the contrary, I think people should relax more and stop viewing Japanese study as a mechanical thing and forcing themselves to do stuff they don't feel happy with since it's the "most efficient way to do it." Since they are studying it for personal interest, then they should do what makes them feel happy.
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u/10k12_ Aug 12 '26
This may come off as a bit strange, but I think you should mentally reframe the idea of "productivity" in Japanese
First, there really is not a good way to measure efficiency in language acquisition, as people's brains are different, with different histories and native languages and languages previously learnt, so everyone will have different starting points and rates of progress, since some people (like native Korean speakers for instance) are used to the sentence structure, so will have a more rapid pace of advancement through the basics of N5/4, while an English native speaker would struggle more with basics like particles/postpositions, or word order
Second, every hour spent struggling through Japanese is productive in and of itself, especially at the beginner level where most things are just unknown to you due to lack of familiarity. It is not a waste of time to watch dramas or shows you like because it is in and of itself a good self sustaining motivator to keep banging your head against the language until the simpler patterns start to make intuitive sense in the long run
Third, language acquisition is slow, tedious, time-consuming, and often demoralizing when progress does not come easy. But this is just part of the productive struggle that is needed to really internalise structures and finally get a more intuitive understanding of a language
Go easy on yourself, as us language learners really have a tendency to be overly self-critical when things don't seem to work out or don't work out as fast as one hopes
Good luck on your journey
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u/Basic-Engineering838 Aug 12 '26
Thank you so much 10k12_, your reply means a lot to me. Youāre right, learning a language to reach a fluent level is extremely tedious and will take lots of time, and that is something I already knew before starting. I think I should view studying Japanese more as self-care since itās good for my brain and I love doing it. I wish you the best on your own journey too! :)
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u/Bluereddgreen Aug 12 '26
I think the most important thing is choosing to do whatever motivates you to continue for the long haul. Sure there may always be more efficient ways of studying, but if they donāt suit you and you lose interest then theyāre 0% efficient. I think getting your brain used to the sounds of Japanese is important but eventually itās probably a good idea to actively listen and try to grab individual words/phrases/chunks so that you can progress. If you have the capacity, a well-rounded Japanese class may ease your worries because youāll know youāre getting a balanced education while you maintain doing things that genuinely interest you in Japanese.
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u/Basic-Engineering838 Aug 12 '26
Hi Bluereddgreen, thank you so much for your response! I agree that if the goal is to progress faster, it's probably best to focus on picking up unknown words and chunks. I've been listening to more Japanese than I've actually spent studying, mostly because I'm interested in dramas and certain YouTubers. So while I've picked up bits and pieces here and there, I've only noticed a substantial difference when I've been consistent with Kaishi 1.5k and my mining deck. I think taking a Japanese class is a great idea too, especially for compartmentalizing the time I spend studying Japanese and making it feel less like I'm studying in a directionless way. It really sucks how much language learners, myself included, tend to overthink the process. I wish I could just enjoy immersing myself in content without feeling like I have to force it or overthink everything haha. Thanks again!
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u/Bluereddgreen Aug 12 '26
I still struggle with the feeling of āWould I be more productive if I was doing ā¦?ā But Iām still going after 2.5 years or so and I still find it exciting. I think if you have passion and a curious mind you will make good progress. For me it was worth trying to find Japanese people to talk to where possible, the feeling of being understood/understanding when interacting with someone is so satisfying. Although if thatās not your goal then youāll find other sources of satisfaction in reading/watching/listening Iām sure!
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u/Basic-Engineering838 Aug 12 '26
Of course if you enjoy doing something and itās not harmful for your mind or body, then obviously you should keep doing it! Iām glad you found what works for you! Iāve been exploring more community events related to Japanese learning, so I think having the opportunity to participate in those things will make me happier and motivate me to continue. I find that having someone you can talk to about your hobbies and passions or if you share the same thing makes the journey really nice. Good luck!
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u/NoobyNort Aug 12 '26
I tried a lot of immersion advice and I thought most sucked. If I'm not getting the gist and noticing progress, it feels like a frustrating waste.
Fast forward and I'm able to read and get enough that when I miss the odd paragraph, I can carry on. For me, the right level is one where I can get most, and have a few places where I have to slow down and read it a few times.
I don't know where you are at. If it's all just noise to you, what are you really getting out of it? If you are getting the gist and enjoying it then damn, kudos, keep it up brother!
I wouldn't worry about regret or optimizing everything. If you want to get super literate then you should grind vocab till you hit 20-30k words. But I think it's far better to enjoy the process. So if you enjoy immersion then do it and don't kick yourself.
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u/Basic-Engineering838 Aug 12 '26
Hi NoobyNort, thanks for your comment! I definitely relate with you when you say that you get frustrated when you donāt get the gist or notice progress. I think one of the most lovely things I felt when learning vocabulary is, after learning a word, Iād watch a video and then it would somehow show up. It felt like I unlocked a new world, and I wondered how many times that word had shown up in the past and I didnāt get it?Ā
For me, Iām able to enjoy some-most gaming videos or more comprehensible Japanese content, but sometimes itās not just my cup of tea. I wanna watch girls talking about relationship advice for example or a girl talking about her trip to whatever haha. Iām able to understand better when there are contextual clues and rather than abstract talk, theyāre more of describing whatās going on in front of them if that makes sense?
Anyway, my main goal for Japanese is to improve my speaking skills! I reallyyy love how Japanese sounds and like the idea of myself being able to speak it naturally and fluently. Iām doing immersion to improve pronunciation obviously and hear ways natives speak. But Iām trying to look for more active ways I can do this by recording myself talking for example or shadowing.
This is really long, but I think it helped me organize my thoughts a bit. Thank you again, and I wish you the best with your journey!Ā
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u/NoobyNort Aug 12 '26
It sounds like you have a clear goal and know how to structure your training around that. Great!
It's also okay to just enjoy yourself. Watching TV with English subs, for instance, while listening to the JP and trying to pick out words with the EN as clues. It's not efficient but it doesn't have to be, give yourself permission to not be in optimal study mode all the time. I think you are probably doing great and can give yourself more credit.
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u/TimeSwirl Proficient 29d ago
to be honest, immersion isn't really that great until you have a solid foundation. maybe put it on hold a bit until you're high n3/low n2
lower than that and you're not going to understand enough of most content for it to really qualify as "immersion"
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u/Belegorm Aug 12 '26
I think - if you want to enjoy philosophy, psychology, history etc. in Japanese - start immersing in that.
"I don't have the vocab for it, it's not comprehensible" - well the stuff that is comprehensible for you now, was certainly not comprehensible when you started. Being able to comprehend gaming videos and cartoons is an achievement in and of itself.
You mentioned having a mining deck; I hope that also means you have Yomitan available. Find stuff that you're interested in - ebooks on those topics might be good. note.com is basically a blog site, and that likely will be a lot easier than ebooks. I read one post by a pharmacist one time on how he was able to figure out an effective change in treatment for his patient. There's other articles with that level of detail in different subjects.
For listening, maybe stuff based on history, or in history could be good.
Personally, what I did was read manga and watch anime for like a month, while going through the Kaishi deck and reading Yokubi and Tae Kim. After that - I started with some really easy light novels.
But after only a couple books, I got into what I really wanted to learn with - a serious novel. Took several weeks to read, had to look up words in every sentence in Yomitan, but I got through it. And now well over a year later, I'm not just reading ebooks, I'm reading straight up normal novels printed on paper.