Episode 11: Pitch-accent test #1
Added 2017-01-24 15:17:44 +0000 UTCBibliography
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
Comments
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!
Dogen
2025-07-03 03:28:15 +0000 UTCIf I take the test lesson on Emurse is that the same as the PDF, or should I do both and watch this video?
Wenyuan Xie
2025-07-02 16:52:46 +0000 UTCHi, 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.
Dogen
2025-01-15 00:37:58 +0000 UTCquestion 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
Spencer Skiddles
2025-01-02 13:26:23 +0000 UTCHi, 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!
Dogen
2024-10-21 01:04:18 +0000 UTCHi 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!
DoubleDoubleYea
2024-10-16 23:53:30 +0000 UTCHi, 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
Dogen
2024-09-03 09:09:21 +0000 UTCHi 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!
DoubleDoubleYea
2024-08-31 20:35:37 +0000 UTCHi, 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.
Dogen
2024-06-03 10:21:24 +0000 UTCSo 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?
Sashin Exists
2024-05-26 20:44:02 +0000 UTCHi, 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!
Dogen
2023-08-23 02:36:47 +0000 UTCIs 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".
Sashin Exists
2023-08-18 04:35:19 +0000 UTCHi, 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
Dogen
2022-12-05 00:46:57 +0000 UTCI 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?
Roger Osorio
2022-11-20 12:13:00 +0000 UTCHi, 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
Dogen
2022-10-18 07:39:45 +0000 UTCHey 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)
TinyAbz
2022-09-04 16:46:16 +0000 UTCI 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.
Ann
2021-09-21 23:09:55 +0000 UTCI don't want to do this. I'm just gonna move on.
Dan
2021-08-12 19:29:27 +0000 UTCMy 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!
Dogen
2021-06-09 12:06:57 +0000 UTC23/55... 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!
Amin Sammara
2021-06-08 04:17:56 +0000 UTCNice Sekai! Very glad to hear that your scores are going up! Might also be worth it to try going through the 'made up word' test in lesson 6.2, which can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/japanese-episode-34601416?cid=33376972
Dogen
2021-05-31 11:07:30 +0000 UTCIt 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)
Sekai
2021-05-30 23:08:01 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Dogen
2021-01-22 11:24:27 +0000 UTC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.
switz mka
2021-01-18 08:03:33 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Dogen
2021-01-06 05:14:49 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Dan
2021-01-05 20:49:04 +0000 UTCHi Shane! Thanks for the kind words, and sorry that the link isn't working for you! I tried testing it on my end and everything worked, so I'm not sure what's happening, but I uploaded the word file to my Google Drive account as well. Do you mind trying to download it from here? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mf4C170QduZTnwpedSeNhN28WcOGkAMM/view?usp=sharing
Dogen
2021-01-05 12:44:21 +0000 UTCHI 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.
Shane Taylor
2021-01-05 01:27:21 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Dogen
2020-11-18 05:03:18 +0000 UTCInstead 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💦
elli
2020-11-17 14:38:16 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Dogen
2020-10-08 01:21:28 +0000 UTCJUST 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!
Swastika Jajoo
2020-10-07 00:06:07 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Dogen
2020-08-25 01:29:06 +0000 UTC37/55, 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?
ShineKia
2020-08-24 15:06:32 +0000 UTCNot 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!
Dogen
2020-08-21 03:33:29 +0000 UTCGood 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
2020-08-21 03:32:50 +0000 UTC42/55 . I don't listen Japanese speech and don't record myself... I guess I should start to...
Strange Guy
2020-08-20 21:00:22 +0000 UTC34/55, I mainly got the body parts and the stuff from ep 10 wrong (and whole part 3) ^^. Definitely will start to record myself!
4All
2020-08-14 07:55:40 +0000 UTCThat 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!
Dogen
2020-07-26 13:00:57 +0000 UTC44/55 (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
Ophelion
2020-07-26 12:54:19 +0000 UTCHaha 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
2020-06-08 12:14:13 +0000 UTCI 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...
A Fine Egg
2020-06-08 11:09:06 +0000 UTCHaha 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!
Dogen
2020-05-24 02:22:21 +0000 UTCI'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
Xander479
2020-05-23 17:00:18 +0000 UTCHi 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
Dogen
2020-05-05 10:56:43 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Matt
2020-05-05 07:15:16 +0000 UTCHaha no worries! Good luck with your future studies!
Dogen
2020-04-20 01:38:17 +0000 UTCI haven't failed a test like this since High School math... Proves I should study harder! Thanks for the great course Dogen!
Paul
2020-04-19 22:27:10 +0000 UTCAlso, 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 ^^
Florence
2020-04-09 13:22:36 +0000 UTCHello 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
2020-04-09 13:19:07 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Dogen
2019-12-22 06:39:11 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Joanna Tien
2019-12-22 05:56:29 +0000 UTCAlso, 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!
Joe Griffiths
2019-12-16 18:49:15 +0000 UTCHi 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
2019-12-16 14:27:39 +0000 UTCGreat 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!
Dogen
2019-12-11 05:06:38 +0000 UTCI 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!
Leonardo Miguel Chavarría Villalba
2019-12-10 07:07:24 +0000 UTCMy pleasure Ole! Also be sure to record yourself often if you're not already doing so! Cheers!
Dogen
2019-11-25 04:20:21 +0000 UTC38/55, 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
Ole Stegelmann
2019-11-24 15:02:39 +0000 UTCGreat work Uly! Keep it up and certainly keep recording yourself—this will pay off big time in the long run! Cheers!
Dogen
2019-11-12 06:25:51 +0000 UTCThis 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!
Uly ___
2019-11-12 02:33:09 +0000 UTCHi Abhi! I also used to this this—keep practicing and recording yourself and this habit should go away with time!
Dogen
2019-11-07 05:40:05 +0000 UTCListening: 13/20, gotta practice welp. I notice that in some longer phrases I put the downstep one mora too early.
Abhi Ilindra
2019-11-06 20:47:03 +0000 UTChaha 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！
Dogen
2019-11-05 06:45:16 +0000 UTCListening: 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
4ksrub
2019-11-05 06:30:28 +0000 UTCNice 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!
Dogen
2019-08-28 06:30:34 +0000 UTCThank 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?
Hannes
2019-08-27 15:52:17 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Dogen
2019-07-20 04:27:17 +0000 UTCI 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.
Knocky
2019-07-19 12:49:45 +0000 UTCMy pleasure! Incidentally I find odaka to be the hardest so that’s very understandable. Good luck with your future studies!
Dogen
2019-06-07 08:13:34 +0000 UTC33/55. 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!
Jeremy Grove
2019-06-07 04:16:34 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Dogen
2019-05-08 13:39:00 +0000 UTCFirst 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!
Mikael Aalto
2019-05-08 06:11:16 +0000 UTCI 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!
Dogen
2019-05-02 15:22:18 +0000 UTCI 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.
u
2019-05-01 11:06:22 +0000 UTCHi 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! ^^
Dogen
2019-03-08 14:51:35 +0000 UTCI'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!
Jokin Pedreño Alcolea
2019-03-07 12:28:16 +0000 UTCHi Angalee. Sorry for the confusion. That is correct! and yes, this is indeed covered in a future episode, though I thought I had mentioned previously. If not, I apologize for the confusion. Incidentally, this is addressed in detail in this lesson, on sentence-level pitch-accent: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/japanese-episode-13940725">https://www.patreon.com/posts/japanese-episode-13940725</a> Cheers and apologies again!
Dogen
2019-01-18 05:40:18 +0000 UTCI 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?
Angalee Wilson
2019-01-18 03:26:33 +0000 UTCHi 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
2018-10-07 06:45:15 +0000 UTCThis 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!
Jeremy Lua
2018-10-07 06:09:19 +0000 UTCGlad you enjoy it!
Dogen
2018-09-02 09:33:51 +0000 UTCThe Tokyo Sonata is an amazing movie. So far I watched it 3 times in 2 days... :) Thanks for the recommendation!
Adam Papai
2018-09-02 09:26:57 +0000 UTCI 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
Kevin Prunty
2018-07-24 22:05:31 +0000 UTCI 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
2018-07-24 22:04:26 +0000 UTCHey! 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!
Dogen
2018-06-17 10:17:44 +0000 UTCI'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
Crysenley
2018-06-17 06:27:35 +0000 UTCHi Thorn, yes I do! I talk about this more in the pitch-accent FAQ video I made. Here's a link: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/japanese-episode-15419186">https://www.patreon.com/posts/japanese-episode-15419186</a>
Dogen
2018-06-14 12:24:22 +0000 UTCHi 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
Thorn
2018-06-14 12:01:22 +0000 UTCOnce 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!
Dogen
2018-04-04 09:57:32 +0000 UTCshiiiiite: 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....
tensaimon
2018-04-03 13:55:42 +0000 UTCFantastic 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!
Dogen
2018-02-10 05:37:38 +0000 UTCIt 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!
Jacob Cuke
2018-02-10 02:43:01 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Dogen
2018-01-13 06:32:53 +0000 UTCWhat do you think of using audio (radio plays, podcasts, etc.) for shadowing as opposed to movies and tv shows?
Aidan Morrison
2018-01-13 06:27:28 +0000 UTCCongratulations! 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!
Dogen
2018-01-11 07:53:08 +0000 UTCWhew... 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
Michael Rowell
2018-01-10 02:01:42 +0000 UTCHi 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!
Dogen
2017-08-23 23:49:11 +0000 UTCI 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?
Akash Kulkarni
2017-08-23 17:18:06 +0000 UTCSorry 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! ^^
Dogen
2017-08-17 13:31:00 +0000 UTCI 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 ^_^
Max Tax
2017-08-15 18:23:00 +0000 UTCHi Bagel! I recommend Orange Days and Tokyo Sonata (a movie). For more information please see episode 4. Thank you very much for your support!
Dogen
2017-02-06 00:00:10 +0000 UTCHi Dogen, what shows would you recommend to watch on repeat?
WithaBagel
2017-02-04 20:09:55 +0000 UTCOk awesome, that definitely answers my question. Thanks!
Jeff Bernstein
2017-01-25 16:02:26 +0000 UTCExtremely 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!
Dogen
2017-01-25 11:41:54 +0000 UTCFinally 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!
Jeff Bernstein
2017-01-25 04:52:59 +0000 UTC
