Forgetting: one of the best tools for learning Japanese

February 15, 2025

"The master has forgotten more than the beginner has ever learned."

That's a bit of a modification of a quote from Stephen McCranie that goes like "The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried."

I don't remember exactly when or where I first saw this quote (or honestly, how I came upon the modification either), but I think it was at some point earlier on in my Japanese studies. Maybe a year or two in?

Either way, this quote has stuck with me ever since I first saw it. It helps me feel better about something I've struggled with throughout my entire Japanese learning journey. That something is…

The feeling of forgetting nearly everything I learn.

Forgetting is a daily occurrence in my studies. I can't even begin to tell you how much Japanese I'm constantly forgetting. I have so many memories of excitedly telling people about what I learned today and then being completely unable to remember what the word or concept is in Japanese when they ask me.

Even just during lunch today, I was reading about 百人一首ひゃくにんいっしゅ (hyakunin isshu // a classical collection of poems*) and had forgotten how to read a bunch of names that I know I've seen before. Because of that, I ended up having to look them up again. This is something that really used to bother me in my early studies, both due to the effort needed to look it up again and the doubts that came with it.

But now it doesn't bug me all that much anymore. I've come to realize that…

Forgetting and being reminded of things is a vital part of the learning process.

The power of forgetting

Let's be honest. Forgetting usually doesn't feel all that great.

On top of that, it seems that our brains tend to "default-forget" most of the information that comes our way. There's simply too much to take in each day, and we can't store it all. So it falls to the wayside.

Of course, this applies to all the Japanese we encounter too. I think we've all been through the experience of showing up to our studies and running into a big old pile of stuff we've forgotten. It's tough.

But forgetting doesn't mean we've failed. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

When we see it again after having forgotten it, our brains make a note that this information is important, and it becomes easier to remember in the future.

What we experience in those moments is the learning process taking place. We cement that Japanese concept a little more and make progress towards our study goals. A huge success if you ask me ^^

The more this "forget → remember" cycle happens, the more you make progress towards your goals. We just have to make sure this cycle happens as much as possible. And we do that by showing up as often as practical.

Staying consistent

Even when we're successfully going through the "forget → remember" cycle, I think it's fair to say it often doesn't feel like we're succeeding.

What I've personally found helpful is to recognize when I feel that way in the moment, and trust that the learning process is happening. Because it is.

As long as you have the 3 things you need to learn Japanese (a quality learning-focused resource, native materials, and consistency, more info here), you'll get there. It just might take a bit longer than you might think it will.

But if you're enjoying the journey and you're on the path to your study goals, maybe it's okay if it takes a bit longer than expected. Who knows, the time might go by faster than you expect, too. I know I still have trouble believing that I'm approaching 10 years of Japanese studies, at least ^^;

NativShark can cover you in the learning-focused resource department, and we have a guide about learning with native materials if you need any help there.

From there… well, you know what to do ^^

If you haven't started your learning journey yet, you'll need your account first! You can make one for free here:

You got this.

By the way, while I've found mindset stuff like this helpful for me, sometimes I crave a few more "concrete" steps to try as well. If you're the same, I'd recommend treating reviews as reminders, not tests, and going easy on yourself with the answer buttons.

From there, just try to get into new Units and see lots of Japanese in new contexts! You'll get enough reminders of the stuff you've already seen before along the way while doing that, and don't worry about what you've forgotten ^^

More details about that here:

The power of moving on when stuck

How should I answer flashcards?

And more general info related to this newsletter:

Learning Japanese: 'I must be doing this wrong'

There is no passing or failing when learning

I just came back after a break and feel lost. What do I do?

*百人一首 is also a card game. It seems that the card game is so popular that most people will think of the game before the actual collection of poems. There's a bit more info on this in this NativShark lesson.

オレオレ詐欺 (オレオレさぎ)

This is a good one to know if you have friends in or live in Japan, as it's a common scam here:

When Niko says "Everyone knows about it", he means it. I can't tell you the number of times it's been brought up in conversations I've had here. Pretty sure it went over my head a few times before I finally caught it ^^

Be sure to check out the full lesson with other common crimes in Japan here! ↓

NativShark goodie bag

NativShark Units

3 new Units have been added to Phase Three!

There was a slight hiccup in content production this week, so it's one Unit less than usual. Everything should be back to normal next week ^^

As always, these Units are filled with vocab in unique contexts, any relevant new kanji, and natural conversations called Dialogues at the end, all of which are designed to get you functional in Japanese as efficiently as possible.

These Units also feature the following lessons:

Hope you enjoyed this one!

Happy studies,
Ty & the NativShark team