{"id":106031,"date":"2023-04-29T02:08:48","date_gmt":"2023-04-29T06:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/learn-japanese-news\/"},"modified":"2025-06-02T03:27:51","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T07:27:51","slug":"learn-japanese-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/learn-japanese-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese News for Learners: Tips and Resources"},"content":{"rendered":"

Japanese news helps you learn important vocabulary and improve your listening and reading comprehension<\/a>. <\/strong>When you learn Japanese with news, you not only gain vocabulary and phrases but an important life skill<\/strong> if you plan to live in Japan.<\/p>\n

When I first moved to Japan 10 years ago, I\u00a0 couldn’t make heads or tails of what anybody was saying on the news\u2014yet I stayed the course and I kept studying and practicing conversation whenever possible.<\/p>\n

Here are some tips and news sources that made it easier for me (and will for you, too).<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Tips for Learning Japanese News<\/h2>\n

1. Become a News Junkie<\/h3>\n

Consume a lot of news on a regular basis. Of course, the more you practice, the better your comprehension will become.<\/strong> But with news, there are certain phrases and words that are used repeatedly, such as:<\/p>\n

\u306b\u3064\u3044\u3066\u00a0\u2014 about, concerning<\/p>\n

\u306b\u3088\u3063\u3066 \u2014 according to, due to<\/p>\n

\u3002\u3002\u3002\u306b\u6ce8\u610f\u3057\u3066\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044 (\u3002\u3002\u3002\u306b\u3061\u3085\u3046\u3044\u3057\u3066\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044) \u2014 please beware of…\/be careful with…<\/p>\n

\u8a50\u6b3a\u306b\u6ce8\u610f\u3057\u3066\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044\u3002(\u3055\u304e\u306b\u3061\u3085\u3046\u3044\u3057\u3066\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044\u3002)\u00a0\u2014 Please beware of fraud.<\/p>\n

\u96f7\u96e8\u306b\u6ce8\u610f\u3057\u3066\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044\u3002(\u3089\u3044\u3046\u306b\u3061\u3085\u3046\u3044\u3057\u3066\u304f\u3060\u3055\u3044\u3002)\u00a0\u2014 Please be careful with the thunderstorm.<\/p>\n

\u653f\u5e9c (\u305b\u3044\u3075)\u00a0\u2014 government<\/p>\n

\u554f\u984c (\u3082\u3093\u3060\u3044)\u00a0\u2014 problem, issue, question<\/p>\n

\u4e8b\u4ef6 (\u3058\u3051\u3093)\u00a0\u2014 affair, case<\/p>\n

\u5730\u9707 (\u3058\u3057\u3093)\u00a0\u2014 earthquake<\/p>\n

You’ll get used to hearing these words and phrases, and this will boost your comprehension.<\/p>\n

2. Listen Passively for Immersion<\/h3>\n

When you first start studying with the news, don’t try to understand everything that’s being said. That will drive you insane.\u00a0Instead, take in whatever you can pick out and try to get the gist of what they’re saying. <\/strong><\/p>\n

If you find yourself losing the thread of what’s being said, try to start up again with the next story.<\/p>\n

3. Take Note of New Words and Phrases<\/h3>\n

Whenever you hear a new word or phrase, write it down.<\/strong> This will help you remember it the next time you hear it. Before you start your news-watching sessions, do a little drilling on your new vocabulary to help it stick so that you’ll be better able to follow your stories.<\/p>\n

4. Go Audio<\/h3>\n

Most of us watch the news on TV, but if you’re studying a language with the news, another option is to listen to the radio or\u00a0a news podcast.<\/p>\n

In an audio format, broadcasters tend to talk more slowly and clearly. With podcasts, you can also save episodes to go back and listen to them again.<\/p>\n

5. Use Your Interests<\/h3>\n

If you’re not particularly interested in the news, choose a specific field of the news that interests you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you’re a baseball fan, watch the sports news. If you like cars, find an automotive news podcast. If you’re into music, find some news about the Japanese music scene.<\/p>\n

6. Follow a Story<\/h3>\n

Find a particular story that interests you and follow it. Each day, tune in to news about your story.<\/strong> You’ll remember the vocabulary and have the necessary context to understand the latest broadcast.<\/p>\n

I remember doing this with a newspaper story about a high school girl murder case. Pretty morbid subject matter, I know, but it was easier to understand than the political bickering and other news.<\/p>\n

7. Keep Up with News in Both English and Japanese<\/h3>\n

A cool exercise for learning Japanese with news is to find the same story in both English and Japanese.<\/strong> Watch or read the story in Japanese first, then use the English story to see if you understood it.<\/p>\n

This is easiest to do with newspaper articles. Often, a news story will originate with a native English news service and be translated into Japanese. It’s relatively easy to find both stories online these days, especially when it’s an international or major news piece.<\/p>\n

8. Remember to Supplement Your Japanese News Learning<\/h3>\n

Keep in mind that when you learn Japanese with news, you’re not learning everyday conversation. I point this out because you don’t want to talk like a news reporter when you hang out with your friends.<\/p>\n

I recommend learning with the news as part of an overall study routine that includes colloquial Japanese as well. For example, the FluentU program<\/a> uses subtitled videos to teach Japanese.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n \"FluentU\r\n

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