Language Learning

Ludwig Wittgenstein

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”

My Language Journey

Current Status

• Native: Chinese (Mandarin)
• Fluent: English
• Learning: Japanese, Spanish
• Interested: Korean, French

Learning Philosophy

Core Principles

1. Consistency > Intensity — Daily practice beats weekend cramming
2. Input > Output — Listen and read more than you speak
3. Context > Memorization — Learn words in sentences
4. Mistakes = Progress — Embrace errors as learning opportunities

Methods That Work

Spaced Repetition

The Forgetting Curve

Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that memory decays exponentially:

$R=e^{-t/S}$

Where:

• $R$ = retention
• $t$ = time since learning
• $S$ = stability

SRS Implementation

I use Anki with custom decks:

• New cards: 20/day
• Review cards: All due
• Intervals: 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 days

Immersion Techniques

Daily Immersion

• Morning: Japanese podcast during commute
• Lunch: Spanish news articles
• Evening: Chinese drama or book
• Weekend: Language exchange meetup

Chinese (Native)

For Non-Native Learners

Chinese is my native language. Here are resources I recommend:

Character Learning

## Radicals
- 亻 (person) — 他, 你, 们
- 水 (water) — 河, 湖, 海
- 木 (wood) — 树, 林, 桌
- 口 (mouth) — 吃, 喝, 叫

Pronunciation Tip

Practice tones with minimal pairs:

• 买 (mǎi) = buy / 卖 (mài) = sell
• 问 (wèn) = ask / 吻 (wěn) = kiss

English

My English Journey

I started learning English seriously in college.

Grammar Focus

Common Mistakes

1. Articles — “the” vs “a” vs ”∅”
2. Prepositions — “depend on” not “depend to”
3. Verb tenses — Present perfect vs past simple
4. Word order — Adjective order matters

Japanese

Learning Japanese

I’m currently at JLPT N3 level.

Writing Systems

## Hiragana
あいうえお
かきくけこ
 
## Katakana
アイウエオ
カキクケコ

Kanji Strategy

Learn radicals first, then build kanji:

• 森 (forest) = 木 (tree) × 3
• 休 (rest) = 亻 (person) + 木 (tree)

Spanish

Tense	Example (hablar)	Translation
Present	hablo	I speak
Preterite	hablé	I spoke
Imperfect	hablaba	I used to speak
Future	hablaré	I will speak

Study Schedule

Language	Daily Time	Focus	Method
Japanese	45 min	Kanji, grammar	Textbook + Anki
Spanish	30 min	Vocabulary, speaking	App + podcast
English	60 min	Reading, writing	Books + journal

See Also

• How I Take Notes — Organizing language notes
• My PKM System — Managing learning materials
• Travel Journal — Using languages while traveling

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*Tags: languages learning chinese english study