Are you someone who often struggles with memorising or recalling concepts and formulas? If you have tried everything to enhance your comprehension (and retention) power but nothing seems to be working out, you’re in the right place! Today, we will talk about the five Japanese learning techniques that will help you understand as well as retain topics better. It doesn’t matter if you’re reading history or economics; if you are optimising these techniques correctly, you will get the desired outcome.
Kaidan Hōshiki (Stair-Step Method)
The first and foremost hack is ‘Stair-Step Method’, which implies that you have to break the chapter into several tiny parts, making it easier to comprehend. At first, understand one small paragraph or concept and then move to the next one. It helps you understand topics easily, maximising clarity and narrowing down stress.
Akutibu Rikōru (Active Recall)
Not just in Japan, this is a well-known learning technique in the whole world. Active recall simply means reading a section and then closing the book to test what you remember and what you don’t. It helps test how much information you have retained once the book is closed, and works like magic!
Shikaku-ka (Visualisation)
It is a renowned fact that our brain is wired to process and store images faster than words. Therefore, when you learn through images, it’s hard to forget because visualisation uses both verbal and visual memory, which produces multiple memory paths.
Therefore, if you feel like forgetting theories, try to learn through images for better retention.
Ondoku (Reading Aloud)
Although many people get called out for reading textbooks out loud, it is indeed a great learning technique. Reading the main points loudly with rhythm and hearing yourself doing it actually helps with information retention. Apart from this, Ondoku is also useful in enhancing fluency, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
Jiko Setsumei (Teach it to Yourself or Self-Explanation)
At last is Jiko Setsumei, which simply means ‘Teach it to yourself’. Why? Because it’s a significant way of comprehending and memorising topics or formulas. Pretend like you are teaching it to someone else and explain as simply as you possibly can. Make yourself or an imaginary person understand the topic as you have already mastered it.
15-Minute Japanese Memory Routine
Now that we have discussed the major Japanese learning techniques, let’s have a quicker look at the time one should allot to each of them.
- 1–3 min: Stair-Step Method
- 4–6 min: Visualization
- 7–9 min: Active Recall
- 10–12 min: Reading Aloud
- 13–15 min: Teach It to Yourself
