Reflections on Language Learning

When learning or exploring something new, there is always a period of adaptation and uncertainty. After accumulating enough time and exposure, you eventually feel a clear shift in understanding.

Learning a language has deeply shown me that not all kinds of learning produce visible results right away.

Because I currently need both English and Japanese for practical purposes, this necessity has turned language learning into a genuine long-term goal.

For example, depending on your purpose for learning a language, the content and method of study must be tailored, and the required time will differ accordingly.

Even with the same goal, learners with different foundations will need different amounts of time to reach it.

My Current Japanese Learning Routine

First, if possible, find a teacher or expert who can recommend a practical textbook or learning resource.

Next, start from the basic sounds of the language — for English, that means learning phonetics and pronunciation; for Japanese, it’s the kana chart (hiragana and katakana). This foundational step unlocks the ability to start speaking.

Then, move on to words — learning single words first, then grammar, and gradually combining them to form sentences.

Reinforce what you’ve learned through lots of practice and repetition, strengthening vocabulary and grammatical structures.

Finally, take tests to check your progress and identify weak spots. This is essentially how most language schools operate — and, in essence, how most people learn any language.

Estimated Time Required

Generally, for a new language:

• Basic communication / travel level: ~500 hours
• Conversational fluency: 1000–1200 hours
• Professional / working proficiency: 1200–2000+ hours

Knowing this, we can plan realistically instead of feeling lost. If you study 3 hours a day, reaching a working level will take roughly 500 days — about 1.5 years of consistent learning.

For Japanese, if you study 2 hours per session, you’ll still need around 250 study days (500 hours total). With only two classes a week, you can’t expect fluency in just half a year.

Understanding these numbers helps us avoid unrealistic expectations and stay grounded.

Common Questions About Language Learning

❓ Q1: Language learning is just about memorizing words and grammar, right? Why can’t I speak even after learning them?

Language is not merely “information storage”, but a complex neural skill system that involves multiple regions of the brain working together.

True language mastery = Lexical memory (semantic areas)

• Grammar rules (Broca’s area)
• Real-time organization (short-term memory + prefrontal cortex)
• Context navigation (social judgment + emotional processing)
• Chunk retrieval (pattern recognition)

❓ Q2: Is the gap between “knowing” and “using” caused by lack of practice or muscle memory?

• “Knowing” a word or grammar rule is stored in declarative memory.
• To “use” it naturally, it must transfer into the procedural memory system.
• This doesn’t happen by rote memorization, but by using it repeatedly in real contexts, forming automatic neural pathways.

🧠 “Knowing” is memory. 🗣 “Using” is the automatic response of a trained neural circuit.

✅ Practical “muscle memory” is the prerequisite for speaking. ✅ But true fluency also requires contextual reaction + expression habits + internalized patterns working together.

❓ Q3: People often say that after a long foggy period of learning, there’s a sudden “language explosion.” What exactly causes this?

This is known as the “Silent Period” and “Threshold Burst” phenomenon.

🧠 Neural Mechanism:

Language ability doesn’t grow linearly — it develops through nonlinear integration and threshold activation.

The brain’s language centers (Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area, etc.) build neural connections through repeated input. These connections don’t strengthen steadily with each new word, but instead suddenly synchronize when a critical mass is reached.

It’s like:

Boiling water — nothing changes at 99°C, and then suddenly bubbles appear at 100°C.

That’s how language “clicks” into place after enough exposure.

❓ Q4: According to neuroscience, what are the stages of language learning?

The brain is far from simple — every action involves deeply complex processes. So the takeaway is simple yet profound:

👉 Keep learning steadily and trust the process. Real progress in language is invisible for a long time — until suddenly, it’s not.