A Timeline for Learning Japanese

Without the neatly defined classroom aspect the first couple of years of Japanese study, it may be unclear what you should be doing or even where to start. So, let me define a formal outline of how (in my humble opinion) one should approach Japanese literacy.

• Learn the kana (hiragana and katakana)
• Learn basic vocabulary and grammar structures
• Become adept at reading hiragana and katakana compounds
• Introduce yourself to very basic kanji
• Traverse through Heisig's Remembering the Kanji vol. I while increasing reading difficulty and adding more vocabulary
• Traverse through Heisig's Remembering the Kanji vol. II while increasing reading difficulty and adding more vocabulary
• Continue expanding vocabulary and reading material
• Literacy

From what I've personally seen on the internet, there seems to be a great deal of resources for achieving steps 1-4, which can be completed in a few months. However, I feel that steps 5-8 are where students (including myself) tend to stagnate, and there simply are not as many resources. Heisig's method is impeccable, but it's a process in and of itself. There is somewhat of an art to perfectly blending all aspects of Japanese study into a unified method. As a student beginning in step 5, I'm documenting my journey from here until fluency, both for myself and in the hopes that someone who is stuck where I was can benefit from my experience.

In the next series of posts, I address:

• How to use Heisig's method
• Indispensable tools and applications
• Sources of reading material and other Japanese media
• Integration and building a daily routine