My main motivation is learning to speak. thats the goal really.
So the speaking aspect is a concern for me, because im not sure how much i am learning by learning the kani on WK in relation to speaking. What are your opinions on Italki? do you mind offering a mini review
Hm, I would say that doing the Pimsleur course in tandem with wanikani would be beneficial for both really.
As for Italki my experience has been great.
There are quite a few teachers and you can browse until you find someone that suits your taste by viewing their introductions (Hobbies are similar etc) and then you can book a trial lesson to see if you get along. Some only offer free conversation (My personal favourite to be honest) while others are actually professional teachers and will offer a full course program.
There are so many teachers on the site, that while your mileage may vary depending on your teacher, you can always just choose another teacher if you are unhappy with your current one. I had one conversation partner that I just didn’t have that much in common with (Big age gap) and only spoke to her once for example, while I have 3-4 others that I speak to fairly regularly.
Payment is pretty easy too. You pay Italki and then get credits on the site. You then spend the credits on lessons and the site handles the payment side of things after the lesson is over. (You still need to acknowledge that the lesson has been done).
I usually do my lessons over Skype on my computer or on my phone. The lessons range from 30-60 minutes usually for me. I certainly do feel that my spoken Japanese has improved tremendously from this. I don’t need to think before I speak or translate words in my mind before saying anything. It’s been a great help really and it’s been really good source of immersion.
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Wow you really have me sold on the Italki, I have been considering it for a little while. Gonna have to browse through and find a teacher. thank you i really appreciate it
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If all you care about is speaking, then learning to read may seem pointless. At least, it’s the roundabout way to learn to speak.
However, a lot of the instructional material out there is written partly or wholly in Japanese and the English language resources tend to be beginner-level. Also, Japanese text can be clearly read and understood, whereas with Japanese speech you also have to correctly comprehend what you hear in order to learn from it.
In the long run, you will probably be better off learning to read, even though it seems like more work up front.
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