How to Learn Japanese with chatGPT
chatGPT and AI is all the rage today. We hear how it is going to take over the world and replace all human labor. interesting topic but how about for language learning? What about learning Japanese specifically? Let’s take a look at what I found.
INDEX
Can I use chatGPT to learn Japanese?
Yes, you can use chatGPT to learn Japanese. It is one of the biggest innovations in language learning since Wikipedia, online translation tools and of course language learning blogs.
But, just like these older tools are insufficient to help you learn every skill to speak Japanese, chatGPT is not good for everything.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/I am not saying that just to promote reading my blog. ChatGPT has made the life of all bloggers much harder since now we must be able to do more than just provide information. Luckily chatGPT and AI has not yet made us completely obsolete. The future though, who knows.
What does chatGPT think it is good at?
So the best place to start I thought was to ask chatGPT directly what it can do. This is what it told me:
- Conversation Practice
- Vocabulary Expansion
- Grammar and Sentence Structure
- Cultural Insights
- Reading Comprehension
- Listening Practice
- Language Learning Tips
- Practice Writing Prompts
I took some time to explore these topics in Japanese, and found that chatGPT was good as somethings and not at others. Let’s take a look.
What ChatGPT really is Good and Bad at
After using ChatGPT for awhile, I found that it can and can not do certain things. So, when learning Japanese, by all means use ChatGPT. Just be sure to use it for the right stuff.
chatGPT is great for many things. Here is what I found it can do well.
- generating custom vocabulary lists
- creating example sentences at your level or with vocabulary words you choose
- explaining grammar and how to use different words
- getting lots of exposure to Japanese through chat
- helps you get use to using Japanese in a text format without pressure
- asking for feedback and to correct basic mistakes
chatGPT though can not replace other aspects of learning Japanese, such as these topics below.
- Speaking or learning to think in Japanese
- listening comprehension
- correct pronunciation
- real life conversations
- more advance usages of Japanese words, grammar and cultural usage
- getting a sense of what is correct in Japanese
- learning the Japanese writing system
Diving Deeper into ChatGPT’s Abilities for Japanese
There is a lot you can do with chatGPT. Below is an overview of some specific aspects of using chatGPT for learning Japanese.
Reading and Sentences
Online dictionaries like Deepl and Google Translate provide sentence translations. ChatGPT does that and offers text simplification and summarization. This makes it useful for both translating and understanding complex texts for language learning. Also it allows Japanese learners to break down challenging content which greatly helps in language comprehension.
Not only does chatGPT simplify text but can also create example sentences from words. So you can give chatGPT a Japanese word and ask for example sentences!
However, chatGPT does not work at everything. This AI still has trouble grasping Japanese intonation and reading Japanese. ChatGPT will often mix up Kunyomi and Onyomi for Kanji. So while chatGPT aids Japanese learning, having dictionaries and other resources are still a must. Do rely on learning to speak and learn Japanese writing with chatGPT.
Grammar
ChatGPT excels at providing grammatical information like conjugations and word order in Japanese. It quickly generates lists and descriptions, saving learners time compared to traditional research. You can create word list, grammatical tables and much more in seconds!
Context is hugely important in Japanese. ChatGPT can explain obscure word usage, and nuances between words that you would not usually find explanation for in beginner texts. If you have a really good grammar book like the Dictionary of Japanese Grammar series, then chatGPT is not quite at that level. But it comes close.
Conversation and Vocabulary
Can ChatGPT assist with vocabulary learning? Yes, it can generate custom vocabulary lists by category. While there’s a limit to how much it can provide at once, you can make endless lists of words of all types.
How about having a conversation with ChatGPT in Japanese? You can do that too! ChatGPT can be customized to ask it to correct your mistakes even! A real tutors might offer better correction and naturalness feedback though. But chatGPT is a great way to get practice with Japanese and talk for hours about an endless number of topics!
