How To Learn Japanese Through Japanese Dramas?

One of the best ways to escalate your Japanese listening and speaking skills along with cultural knowledge is to immerse yourself in the very colorful world of Japanese television dramas.

Due to COVID-19, people are spending more time indoors watching television and movies, making it the best time to learn Japanese via Japanese dramas.

Most Japanese dramas are about an hour-long which makes it an excellent listening practice opportunity. This article will introduce a few famous J-dramas and tell you how you can use them to your advantage when studying Japanese.

Let’s dive in!

• The Full-Time Wife Escapist

The Full-Time Wife Escapist (Nigeru Wa Hajidaga Yakunitatsu) is a popular slice-of-life romantic comedy-drama. This comic-based drama follows protagonist Mikuri Moriyama. In the drama, the protagonist tries to come into her own after unsuccessful attempts at job hunting despite having graduated with a master’s degree.

The story is light-hearted, and the topics are simple enough to understand for those trying to study Japanese. The dialogue focuses on daily conversion and relationships.

• Heaven And Hell: 2 Psycho People

Tengoku to Jigoku: Psychona Futari (Heaven and Hell: 2 Psycho people) is a drama that will keep you tense until the last episode. It is a bit challenging, focusing on the detective Ayako Mochizuki. She throws herself into the toughest investigation of her career as things take an unexpected twist.

While the topics are challenging, it is an excellent opportunity to learn more about formal speech patterns and the Japanese language’s crime-related vocabulary. Anyone who wants to study Pre-Advanced Japanese (JPN 302 Japanese language course) or higher can watch this drama to learn Japanese.

• Story Of My Life

Ore no Kazoku no Hanashi (Story of My Life) is a family comedy-drama that takes on a modern twist to more customary Japanese cultural practices featuring Noh performances.

This drama has many lovely things like the eccentricity of each family member and how they come together in times of misery to comfort one another as the head of the household undergoes worsening health problems.

This drama is a better choice for those enrolled in 301 Japanese language courses or higher than that due to the nature of specific vocabulary and formal grammar patterns.

• 4.Hanzawa Naoki

One of the most iconic J-dramas, Hanzawa Naoki, follows the banker of the same name. The drama depicts Hanzawa’s ups and downs as he does his best to reach the top of the biggest banks in the country.

While the drama may overstate how it’s like working in a very hierarchical business in Japan, the drama is a treasure trove of learning Japanese’s formal speech.

Someone enrolled in a JPN 401 Japanese language course without too much knowledge about Japanese banking or finance terms, in general, can watch this show.

In A Nutshell

These dramas are mere recommendations for improving your Japanese listening and speaking skills. It’s always a good thing when you learn and enjoy things simultaneously.

If you plan to learn the Japanese language, you may contact Oku Sensei’s Japanese to enroll in the best language program.