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Episode 11: Pitch-accent test #1 (Patreon)

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2017-01-24 15:17:44
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2026-06
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Content

Bibliography
Japanese Phonetics Index Page

Good afternoon, patrons!

This episode is slightly different—today we are testing our knowledge of the information presented  thus far in the series. Please see the 'Attachments' section directly below this post to access the test sheets in the form of PDF or DOCX files.

I hope the test format of this episode stimulates your phonetic mind in new ways, and allows you to reflect on the progress you've made so far. If you have any questions, concerns, or feedback with regards to the content of this episode, please don't hesitate to let me know below!

Thank you all for the continued support,

Dōgen

Files

Previews only

Comments

Jacob Cuke

It hasn't been a week yet so I couldn't really answer the last questions but I'll fill them in when some more time has passed. Aside from that I got 43/45 on the rest, completely misheard 経済 and forgot 迷惑, both 頭高 oddly enough. I had a quick question, do you recommend us recording ourselves shadowing the movie/episode we're watching on repeat, or is that strictly for listening. Should I instead use my textbook CD (An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese) for the shadowing? Thanks so much! Loving the lessons!

Dogen
>>10049812

Fantastic score Jacob! Sounds like you've got a great pitch-accent foundation already. Good question. I usually recommend that people begin shadowing with textbook CDs, but then work up to dramas, as the dialogue in drama is much more dynamic and involves a fair amount of play due to the characters' emotions and intentions. Hope that this helps! Thanks for the support!

tensaimon

shiiiiite: 18/55. in my defence I only signed up this morning, I've watched and made notes but haven't done any recording myself practice, so it's clear what I need to go back and do. On the bright side there's lots of room for improvement....

Dogen
>>11268878

Once you start applying what you learned here you'll begin to pick up on your mistakes—I guarantee. Keep recording yourself and you'll notice your progress, slowly but surely!

Sashin Exists

Is it important that I *watch* the film for five hours every week? I've watched it once but I've ripped the audio onto an mp3 that I've listened to many times. Is that fine? I'm thinking of going further and working out how to condense the audio so it's just the talking and listen to that. I'm still far from the point where I'm "that guy that knows every line of the movie".

Dogen
>>115483861

Hi, Sashin! JP here. I don't think there is any big downside to reviewing using the audio alone, as long as you are already familiar with the movie. Condensing the audio might make review faster, but be careful that you don't cut or condense to the point where you wind up with unnatural-sounding dialogue. I hope this helps!

Thorn

Hi Dogen, I have started to watch Tokyou Sonata, but I am really struggling to grasp the sentences' meaning, and even breaking down the sentence in order to search the terms in the dictionnary is nearly impossible, as I can't hear all the words. Do you think it is still productive to watch it anyway ? Or maybe with subtitles ? T_T

Crysenley

I'm surprised I got 28 out of 55 considering I just watched the material yesterday without really studying it yet. I did best in the first part, only getting 5 out of 20 questions wrong. Maybe my ears are getting a bit better! So, Part 1: 15/20, Part 2: 13/25 I haven't dedicated myself to focused recording or any single piece of media yet so 0/10 on the last part. I think once I finish through RTK I'll double down my study time to solely listening comprehension and speaking. Anyway, this was fun! I can't wait to do more and even come back to this test to see how much I've improved. :D

Dogen
>>13144921

Hey! Definitely not a bad score for a first attempt! Especially if you haven't started recording yourself or watching a single movie. Your score will go up dramatically with a bit of practice! Just be sure to wait a while before testing again, such that your testing your abilities, rather than your memory of the answers. Cheers!

Sashin Exists

So I haven't been recording myself for an hour a week, I'm wondering what I should record myself saying? Should I just try to find shadowing content on youtube and use that?

Dogen
>>139074040

Hi, Sashin. JP here. Dōgen talks a bit about recording in lesson 27. To summarize some of what he says in the lesson: What you record is less important than recording yourself and listening to those recordings.

Kevin Prunty

I was feeling good about it cause I aced the first half but overthought the second half and flipped half the charts upside down... I got a 28 ahahahahaha. (I also haven't been recording myself or watching movies, oops, so that didn't help) Will get right on those things... haha.

Kevin Prunty
>>14089781

I have lowkey been listening for pitch for a little while, even if unintentional, so I ended up being able to listen very easily but spitting it back out might be something I have trouble with haha

DoubleDoubleYea

Hi Dogen, This may have been asked before, but I couldn’t find it, so I’ll ask: How do you recommend approaching the exercise of listening to the same movie for 5 hours a week? Should I be shadowing the characters line by line, or perhaps writing down and reciting the script until I’ve memorized it, then moving on? What’s the best method for this exercise, and what should be my main goal? Thank you very much!

Dogen
>>148134055

Hi, DoubleDoubleYea! JP here, Dōgen’s business partner. I’m helping manage the messages here on Patreon. We get this question from time time time; it can help to review the lessons where Dōgen talks about this: Japanese Phonetics #4: Phonetic Awareness and Useful Practices ( https://www.patreon.com/posts/japanese-episode-7007321 ) Dōgen talks about using movies from about 6:25. Japanese Phonetics #31: Pitch-accent FAQ ( https://www.patreon.com/posts/japanese-episode-15419186 ) Most of the first part of this lesson covers using anime and movies for listening practice. The topic of using movies comes up a few times in the interview Dōgen did with MattvsJapan a few years ago (“Long-term Japanese Study Plan with Matt from MattvsJapan!” https://www.patreon.com/posts/long-term-road-38355581 ), but maybe not quite in a way that addresses your questions. I hope this helps, and best of luck with your continued studies! — JP

Adam Papai

The Tokyo Sonata is an amazing movie. So far I watched it 3 times in 2 days... :) Thanks for the recommendation!

DoubleDoubleYea

Hi Dogen, In Part 2 of the Phonetics Lesson Video 11 quiz, where we determine pitch accent without audio, how should I figure out the correct accent? Is there a formula to apply, or is it mostly memorization? I remember rules like three-mora nouns being odaka, four-mora nouns being heiban, and longer phrases like “cafe americano” having a pitch dip in the first or second mora of the second word. Despite this, I still made mistakes. I scored a 22 overall and plan to restart from Lesson 4. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thank you!

Dogen
>>152537249

Hi, DoubleDoubleYea. JP here again. That is the basic idea—The first section of the quiz is testing your ability to hear the pitch accent, while the second section is testing your ability to apply the rules covered up to this point in the series. Being able to hear and reproduce pitch accent is very often the first big step for learners. Learning the rules and how to apply them is the second step. Keep up the good work—you've got this!

Spencer Skiddles

question 22 勉強 , in chinese this means to struggle or to be unwilling to do something. i guess it means study in japanese? thats neat

Jeremy Lua

This episode has definitely made me to be more aware of Japanese phoenetics. And as expected of myself, didn't scored too well with a 7/20 and 11/25. I was beginning to suspect my listening answers when it is filled mostly 平板. Hahaha. Regardless of the results, your videos have been helping me learn Japanese language better!

Dogen
>>16113970

Hi Jeremy! haha sorry to make you overthink the answers. I would encourage you to try taking the test again in a month or so after you've forgotten the various answers. I'm sure you'll do better! Thank you for the support!

Dogen
>>160059727

Hi, Spencer. JP here, Dōgen's business partner. I'm helping manage the messages here on Patreon. Yes, 勉強 does mean "study" in Japanese. There are other kanji compounds that have different meanings in Japanese and Chinese, some of the differences being quite humorous.

Wenyuan Xie

If I take the test lesson on Emurse is that the same as the PDF, or should I do both and watch this video?

Dogen
>>179085340

Hi, Wenyuan. JP here, Dōgen's business partner. The word list is the same in both places. If you can, I would print out the PDF and take the quiz by watching the video here on Patreon because this is the format that Dōgen originally built. Using this lesson (quiz) on Emurse is an excellent tool that lets you review and practice the words in the quiz. I hope this helps!

Angalee Wilson

I got 13/20 and 15/25, so not very good... I'm confused about 気が長い at 10:24. I'm guessing the pitch stayed up after the first mora in ながい because it's not a standalone word, but how do you know when this will happen? Is this covered in a future episode?

Jokin Pedreño Alcolea

I've got 41/50 in my first attempt. In the first two parts I've got 17/20 and 19/25 so I'm happy about the results but definetely gonna study more the notes I took from the first episodes with the audios of the anki flashcards. Since I was kinda busy this weeks I wasn't able to practice with a movie so I've got a 5/10 in the study habits part, but as I'm graduating from college next thursday I'll definetely start with a movie next week!

Dogen
>>20548132

Hi Jokin! That's a great score—one of the best so far! Once you're able to study a bit more after graduation and you'll be in a fantastic spot. Cheers! ^^

u

I found pitch-accent pattern too hard for me. Since even I have the right pitch-accent pattern in my head, it makes no difference for me to get the right sound out.

Dogen
>>22279616

I actually couldn't even hear two of the pitch-accent patterns in Japanese for a couple of weeks when I started. I would encourage you to keep studying for a bit longer--most people have a breakthrough moment after about a month or so!

Mikael Aalto

First of all, I want to thank you for the amazing lessons. I'm a teacher myself and these are among the finest instructional/educational videos I've ever seen. I only started a few days ago, so far only watched the videos, haven't been doing any recordings or watching movies on repeat yet. I got 13/20 from the listening and 7/25 from the other part. In other words, I got totally destroyed. Very humbling! When going over the right answers I was already laughing at myself for getting some words/phrases so totally wrong. So I'm already seeing my mistakes and making progress! This test was a stroke of genius on your part. Very much appreciated!

Dogen
>>22514395

Hi Mikael! It's absolutely my pleasure--very glad to hear that you're getting so much out of the series! I also went through a very humbling experience when I began studying pitch-accent; stick with it and you'll begin hearing things you never noticed before in no time! Thank you for your support and good luck with your continued studies!

Jeremy Grove

33/55. It seems I struggle to identify Odaka pitch accent patterns more so than the others at this point. Thanks for the encouraging words at the end of the video. Looking forward to going back over the videos and pushing ahead!

Dogen
>>23494379

My pleasure! Incidentally I find odaka to be the hardest so that’s very understandable. Good luck with your future studies!

Knocky

I must be missing something; where can I find part 2 questions 1 - 25 in the video? Or are they in some document I missed? :( I only see an answers document which I guess what I should access after part 1 and part 2.

Dogen
>>24888258

Hi Jenny, sorry for the confusion. The answer sheets are just the papers that you use to write your answers. The actual, correct answers to the questions are provided for me later in the video. Does this answer your question? Cheers!

Hannes

Thank you for providing this test! I powered through the first few lessons because I had looking into Japanese phonetics a tiny bit before and had heard many of the very basic rules before. But then the idea of getting tested motivated me to watch the lessons again and take close notes. I have recorded myself once in the time since I started (about a week ago) and learned a lot from it. Actually my pronunciation seems a lot better to me than I would have expected! Obviously not perfect but I was prepared for the worst. So my results are: Listening: 20/20 yay! Knowledge application: 17/25 I mostly didn't memorize the exceptions so I fell flat on my face there. Also I mixed up the らしいs. Ups. Yes/No Questions: 0 Well... I am still trying to get hold of the first episode of 好きな人がいること without subtitles, not yet successful. Final score: 37/55 so around 67% Not great but okay. I am actually really happy I got all the listening excercises. Now let's memorize some exceptions and try again, shall we?

Dogen
>>26199546

Nice Zoan, that's not bad at all for a first core, especially when considering that you could improve it dramatically by recording yourself more often, and listening to more Japanese media. Good luck memorizing the exceptions, as well as with the recordings! Cheers!

4ksrub

Listening: 19/20, Knowledge Application: 22/25. Yes/No Questions: 0. However, I've been practicing speaking (to myself) out loud almost everyday, and I watch anime clips on youtube and your skits on repeat, so can I get some partial points? Pretty please? :P

Dogen
>>28639231

haha well those are certainly better than nothing, but still a bit different than dedicated phonetics listening. I would encourage you to change to something such as Orange Days or 12人の優しい日本人！

Abhi Ilindra

Listening: 13/20, gotta practice welp. I notice that in some longer phrases I put the downstep one mora too early.

Dogen
>>28700541

Hi Abhi! I also used to this this—keep practicing and recording yourself and this habit should go away with time!

Uly ___

This was a real challenge because, being my first week with Japanese, I can't read any Japanese, so I had do everything by listening and writing the words down phonetically. This included looking up all the words you've said thus far and finding them on JISHO. (Except for KA mosquito - there were too many KAs)) Having said that, I passed with 100%! And since yours is the only Japanese I've really listened to and imitated, I sound just like you)). I found a site that teaches the squiggly letters (not the Chinese-looking ones!) So at least I'll be able to read those soon and not have so much trouble following the material. Also, it's cool that you addressed DESU in the last lesson because that's where I am in the book I'm using to learn Japanese. Thanks again!

Dogen
>>28884757

Great work Uly! Keep it up and certainly keep recording yourself—this will pay off big time in the long run! Cheers!

Ole Stegelmann

38/55, this was challenging! I'll rewatch the videos as you recommended and also listen to a Japanese movie (haven't done that yet). I have been studying Japanese for some years now and it's interesting: sometimes my intuition about the pitch accent is correct and sometimes it's totally messed up. I definitely have to work on my phonetic awareness. Thank you very much for this incredibly helpful course

Dogen
>>29331150

My pleasure Ole! Also be sure to record yourself often if you're not already doing so! Cheers!

Leonardo Miguel Chavarría Villalba

I just got a 35/55 score. I could have ended with a 40/55 score if I just had downloaded and rewatched Asako I & II as I planned earlier before taking this test. It was really challenging and fun!

Dogen
>>29900509

Great first score Leonardo! Be sure to keep recording yourself and rewatching movies as it will come up again later! Good luck with your future studies!

Joe Griffiths

Hi Dogen, I don't know if you're still answering questions on older videos, but I've just started watching your lessons properly. In regards to watching the movies on repeat, would you just choose one of the movies you recommend in lesson 4 and stick with just that, or is it ok to have some rotational material and go to another that you recommended after a while of watching one movie on repeat? Just don't want to get burnt out watching the same thing over and over. Great series by the way! Joe

Joe Griffiths
>>30113394

Also, I plan on watching 12人の優しい日本人 from your suggestions to other people here. Do you think that I should use English or/and Japanese subtitles or should I try to work it out for myself, I'm guessing there will be a lot of benefits to doing the latter, but will be much more difficult. Also, do you feel slowing down the speech would be a benefit at the beginning to actually physically be able to repeat what is being said, or are you opposed to this idea? Sorry for the amount of questions!

Joanna Tien

Hi Dogen! Sorry if you answered this question somewhere before and I missed it. In regards to recording oneself, what sort of content should one be recording? My speaking is around N3 level, but I've only gotten this far in your series, so far. Should I be recording a conversation with a native speaker, a monologue about some topic, or just what I've learned in your series so far? Thank you so much!

Dogen
>>30309095

Hi Joanna! Based on your current level I recommend recording yourself shadowing native conversations from a textbook CD from a work such as Genki or Minna no Nihongo. Alternatively you can try with individual words and short phrases on Forvo. Once you've done this for a few months I suggest trying to just talk about your day and then listening to how the recording sounds! Hope this helps! Cheers!

Florence

Hello Dogan :) What do you mean concretely when you say (in episode 4 I believe) that we should record ourselves and "analyse" our recordings? Like do you listen back to your recording, immediately spot your mistakes and mark them down or something? Do you immediately re-record yourself many times until you get it perfectly? Do you go back and forth between the native's recording and yours over and over in order to compare them? I'm a little confused about the method here and don't know how to go about it! ^^ Actually, I used to record myself a little when I was practicing shadowing a few months ago, but when I listened to my recordings I felt like I was getting used to the mistakes that I made rather than getting able to correct them... That is mainly why I ask ^^

Florence
>>34958615

Also, what exactly do you record? You talk about "word-by-word or phrase-by-phrase shadowing exercises" - does that mean you limit a single recording to 1 sentence (and not have a recording of for example a dialogue) ? Or do you just record yourself shadowing a whole movie and then go back to it piece by piece? Again, I just don't really know where to start ^^

Paul

I haven't failed a test like this since High School math... Proves I should study harder! Thanks for the great course Dogen!

Matt

Hi Dogen! I feel stupid as I feel like the only one who could not fine part of the test? Where can I find the questions? I understand that they are not in the video as there is no listening. Many thanks!

Dogen
>>36374448

Hi Andrew, sorry for the troubles. 'Answer sheet' in the post is meant to mean 'the sheet on which you write your answers'—it doesn't contain the answers to the test, these are shown later in the video. Cheers! Here's the link in case you missed it: https://goo.gl/bmf2QY

Jeff Bernstein

Finally tried shadowing/recording myself after seeing you recommend it again here -- wish I had started earlier! Can see why it will be so effective. Do you have any recommendations on materials that would work best for an advanced student? I tried using an audio book and the matching text just now, and I'm considering trying a TV show that has exact subtitles as well. Also, any advice on the process? I tried shadowing right behind the narrator for a couple pages, and then repeating the same section a couple time before reading aloud and recording myself. Did you do a detailed phonetic analysis of a passage before/after reading? It was crazy how things in my recording that clearly stood out as "off" to my still untrained ear were pretty straightforward pitch mistakes after I looked them up in the dictionary. Excited to make some progress!

Dogen
>>3692706

Extremely effective, right? Even 10 minutes of shadowing a day will make a massive difference. I actually think you can start at the word or short phrase level, even if you are advanced. This is difficult to explain without going into it, but essentially getting your word level pitch accent right is the best way to improve your sentence level pitch accent as well. Going for a TV show with exact subtitles is a great method—I used to do this quite a bit. I usually didn't do before/after analysis, just a comparison between my voice and that of the native; this has always worked best for me. "It was crazy how things in my recording that clearly stood out as "off" to my still untrained ear were pretty straightforward pitch mistakes after I looked them up in the dictionary. " Sums it up very well! Good luck with your studies and thank you for the support! Let me know if this didn't answer your question!

Jeff Bernstein

Ok awesome, that definitely answers my question. Thanks!

Xander479

I've watched the series up to this point in just a couple days without really studying yet, so I didn't get a great score. I'll come back to this though when I've had time to study properly. These videos are just way too interesting to go through slowly

Dogen
>>37413685

Haha I appreciate the kind words Xander! Yes, I believe that if you take the test again in a few weeks or a month you’ll find that you get a dramatically better score. Good luck with your continued studies!

WithaBagel

Hi Dogen, what shows would you recommend to watch on repeat?

A Fine Egg

I shouldn't have tried the test after only two days of watching your videos, lol. I gotta get to practicing and I should study more slowly. It made me feel really bad to put so many ❌s on my own paper lol...

Dogen
>>38292879

Haha for what it's worth it took me two weeks to start to be able to differentiate between certain patterns. Try not to get discouraged—slow and steady does indeed win the race!

Dogen
>>3820425

Hi Bagel! I recommend Orange Days and Tokyo Sonata (a movie). For more information please see episode 4. Thank you very much for your support!

Ophelion

44/55 (curse you, 明日です), could be easy 54/55 if not for the entire part 3, gotta work on integrating these study habits into my already overblown routine as well :c It doesn't help that I have been spending exceedingly larger amounts of time on Japanese ever since I've started integrating pitch accent in my flashcards. Study sessions are now only possible with Suzuki-kun and Forvo (weblio this week, as SK was down for the last 3-4 days). At least by now I am relatively comfortable with pitch-accent in my old vocabulary, so the future is somewhat bright :D

Dogen
>>41027932

That is indeed a great score! I actually no longer think it's necessary to record yourself regularly if you're just starting to study Japanese, as too much output from the beginning can sometimes lead to bad habits, as I talk about in my recent video with MattvsJapan (https://www.patreon.com/posts/long-term-road-38355581), but constant native input from a movie or drama is certainly critical. Keep up your studies, though, and you'll be in a great place in a couple years!

4All

34/55, I mainly got the body parts and the stuff from ep 10 wrong (and whole part 3) ^^. Definitely will start to record myself!

Strange Guy

42/55 . I don't listen Japanese speech and don't record myself... I guess I should start to...

Dogen
>>42167758

Good call—make sure to also listen to a lot of native speech—this is even more important such that you can first develop a feel for each of the patterns. If you don't have a feel for the patterns then it can be difficult to analyze your own speech. Cheers!

Dogen
>>42549415

Not bad! Yes, native speech is absolutely critical. You need a lot of input in order to develop a feel for each of the sounds. If you don't have a feel for the patterns then it can be difficult to analyze your own speech. Cheers!

ShineKia

37/55, many wrong answers came from the fact that I kept thinking "once the pitch goes down never goes back up", then at question number 12 I realize they do go up again. So I guess I misunderstood the rule or does the rule apply to only one single word or combination with attached particle?

Dogen
>>42753407

Hi ShineKia! Yes that is indeed correct, the 'once the pitch goes down it never goes back up' rule applies to individual words, and not strings of words. Incidentally I make this a bit more clear in the newer version of lesson 6, which will most likely be released this Wednesday! Cheers!

Swastika Jajoo

JUST did the test!! Realizing how important it is to be focusing on Phonetics...this realization happened after two years of studying Japanese and clearing the N1 so it's rather late, but I'm SO happy I've finally embarked on the journey. BIG thanks Dogen ^^ For the recordings, do you suggest that at my level it's mostly okay to talk about my day and record that? And for analyzing the recordings, do you suggest looking up the pronunciations on the Apple Dictionary/Forvo? I was wondering if there's also something else I can do in terms of recording and analysis. Big thanks again!

Dogen
>>45396397

Hi Swastika! I think talking about your day is probably fine, and I would also try and remember as many important rules (rules covered in the initial pitch accent sub series) first, such that you don't need to individually look up the accent of every word. That said, it might also be best to wait on remembering い-adjective rules, as there are multiple acceptable pronunciations, as I intend on covering in an upcoming lesson. Cheers!

elli

Instead of listening to anime, I've been listening to a recital of 外郎売 on 0.8x speed (because the original is just too fast for me), on repeat, every night as I go to sleep. I use Hello Talk and the Japanese users there recommended me to use this as a reference. So I have. But honestly, I still have no idea if I benefitted from it ; u ; Here's the video in particular: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR8Y3IKeleE That being said, thanks Dogen for all the efforts you've put in to making this series. I have better awareness of it now but I also realise I've become less confident of speaking since I keep going through the different P-A in my head before attempting to speak it. I'll work harder💦

Dogen
>>47879656

Hi Elli. I saw part of the video, and this isn't actually something I would recommend, as it seemed like a fair number of the words being used aren't words that aren't used in everyday conversation. It's certainly much better than nothing, but it would most likely be even more effective to use something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCTurn_ut68 That said, I can understand that this is a bit mundane, which is why it might be better to use a movie such as 12人の優しい日本人. Also try not to worry too much about pitch-accent when speaking—it's best to drill it hard when you're alone and practicing, but then to not think about it when having a conversation such that you can actually concentrate on what you're trying to get across. Hope this helps!

Shane Taylor

HI there Dogen! Loving the series thus far! I'm making some really awesome flashcards now that I have enough knowledge to do so. I'm quite surpised to find both: A. I pronounce a surprising amount of words correctly! (it's actually not that much, but more than my previous confidence had me believe) B. A lot of words I thought were correct are different. Incidentally, I can't load either of the links in this lesson. Dropbox doesn't want to load... I tried all three of my browsers too, and my internet is fine. Anything you can do would be appreciated. Thank you and Aloha.

Dan

Hi Dogen! I'm loving your Phonetic course it's been great, it has brought me so much awareness on things I wouldn't have ever noticed studying by my own until maybe too many years too late or never maybe. I failed at this test miserably as I've never before on silly mistakes on the knowledge section with the body parts, I thought most were 平板 and it was until later that I realised I didn't put as much attention as I should have so I'll be repeating lessons 4 to 10. Dogen, I have one question I saw Tokyo Sonata and the first episode of Orage days (I couldn't find 12人の優しい日本人 anywhere online) but I only watched them once and then I downloaded the audio and I'm listening to it constantly on repeat throughout my day, is that good enough or would you recommend watching it multiple times and paying full attention to it? And another question is if you know where can I find 12人の優しい日本人 movie? Is there any site you'd recommend? Thank you again for this amazing course Dogen. Cheers!

Dogen
>>50842296

Hi Dan! If I remember correctly 12人の優しい日本人 can be purchased from Amazon; I believe it was listed in Amazon US as well the last time I checked, though you may need to search for 12 Kind Japanese or the Gentle 12. I think it's fine to use just audio files, but I would try and watch each resource at least a couple more times while paying attention before making the complete switch to audio as there are things you can pick up while carefully watching. Hope that you start to see more improvements soon in your Japanese, and thank you for the support, Cheers!

switz mka

你好 Dogen! I got the listening part of the test perfect, but missed (part 3 obv) a few of the non vocal pattern questions. However, I haven't done much normal Japanese study (I've only been doing actual immersion for a few weeks -- along with a grammatical foundation and n5 vocab and kanji from some studying a few years back). Should I stop here and just keep listening for pitch accent in mind when immersing, then come back after a few months? By the way, thanks for what has been an amazing course so far -- I really like studying phonetics, so I'm glad there are content creators like you out there.

Dogen
>>51662333

Hi Mka! based on what you've said I do think that it may be beneficial to take a month or two off and concentrate on some wholistic study (while also doing active listening of what you've learned here) before delving back into phonetics. Apologies for the late reply and good luck with your continued studies!

Sekai

It took five tries but I finally did it (granted the fifth one was 8 days after the fourth but I rewatched 4-6.5. 8-10). It was a lot due to memory but I tried to make sure I understood why I was picking them, so proud of myself. (approx scores 1-5, first was around 23-25, the second was 34 or 35, third I forgot, fourth was 43, and now it was a 55)

Amin Sammara

23/55... 凹み気味だ... Gonna re-watch again and will record myself over the weekends. Thanks for providing a motivation to study phonetics.. I remember googling "American Accent audiobooks" as a kid and learning to say words like "button" which were difficult to me.. I imagine this to be the same thing but a bit slower as a busy adult. Cheers!

Dogen
>>61447442

My pleasure Amin, and don't let it get you down too much, I would have probably gotten an even lower score when I first started studying. Just keep it up and you will certainly make tangible progress. Cheers!

Dan

I don't want to do this. I'm just gonna move on.

Max Tax

I failed the test quite bad , this has done nothing but feeling more depressed about my japanese studies I guess I need some more reviewing , great job Dogen , regardless my test score ^_^

Dogen
>>6698668

Sorry to hear about that Max! Have you been recording yourself frequently? I can almost guarantee that this will have a dramatic impact on your score! ^^

Ann

I feel like having です in the listening section was a little unfair as you can't hear the downstep since the す is usually devoiced in Tokyo Japanese. Not a big issue (and with knowledge from previous lessons could be easily figured out) but maybe something to think about if this section is purely meant to assess listening.

Akash Kulkarni

I am still at such an elementary stage in my Japanese grammar and vocabulary that I can't understand more than half the words spoken in a typical Japanese movie/series. Would you still suggest I watch a single show on repeat? I am currently studying from the Genki series, so although it would not be as entertaining, should I just listen to the dialogues on repeat instead?

Dogen
>>6835305

Hi Akash, Yes, I still highly recommend watching a single movie on repeat. This is because you'll begin to notice the grammar / vocabulary that you're studying in Genki in 'real' Japanese, which solidifies the information (not to mention the phonetics!) in your mind. Genki is also a good option, but it's a bit less realistic, and quite stale ^^ Pick a dialogue heavy movie you like and put it on repeat! Good luck with your studies!

TinyAbz

Hey Dogen weird question: In the very last question where you asked if you've been listening a single movie multiple times five hours a week. You also mentioned that it cannot be different movies or multiple episodes of a single series. But you never said that It can't be listening to a single episode five hours a week of a series. Is that allowed or no? (it's unrealistic ik lol)

Dogen
>>90982876

Hi, TinyAbz. JP here, Dōgen's business partner. I'm helping manage the messages here on Patreon. I'm pretty sure Dōgen said something about how to watch episodes of a series in lesson 4. Responding to a comment on lesson 4, he also says "I would recommend watching all the episodes from start to finish one time first, then spending between one and two months on one or two episodes at a time until you’ve essentially memorized the whole series." Hope this helps! — JP

Michael Rowell

Whew... Got a 41. I'm never nervous about tests, but since I care so much more about Japanese than any of my school subjects I was a wreck before this. I'm gonna re-watch 4-10 and record myself a little more. Maybe I can get a better score if I try again next week

Dogen
>>9381833

Congratulations! That's a very respectable score for your first attempt. Definitely give it a shot again after rewatching the lessons; I can guarantee that your score will improve. Be sure to record yourself as well; it's by far the most effective exercise you can do!

Aidan Morrison

What do you think of using audio (radio plays, podcasts, etc.) for shadowing as opposed to movies and tv shows?

Dogen
>>9448150

Hi Aidan. I personally think movies are better, as you can see the actor's lips, etc. That said it's certainly better than nothing! Just be sure that you're listening on repeat. A new podcast every five days won't work for this particular exercise. Good luck!

Roger Osorio

I don't remember guidelines on recording yourself but I may not remember them. Could you reference me to those guidelines if you did list them or if you didn't could you share? What should I be saying/reading or looking for when I listen to myself?

Dogen
>>95982729

Hi, Roger. JP here, Dōgen's business partner. I'm helping manage the messages here on Patreon. Dōgen first talks about recording yourself in lesson 4, so that's probably a good place to start. The discussion he had with Matt vs Japan about a long term Japanese study plan can also be a good reference as you build your own roadmap. Both of these can be found on the Japanese Phonetics index page (https://www.patreon.com/posts/japanese-index-16489306). Hope this helps! —JP