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こんにちは、Zatsudan Room with Taikiです。私は、Taiki Araiです。今回の話題をご覧いただきありがとうございました。
正直に言うと、昨日までは本当に感じていませんでしたが、今日は1月1日、2026年です。
Happy New Year and thank you as always for your continued support this year.
語彙の記憶法
So today, I'd like to pick up where we left off a couple of episodes ago and continue our series on how adults can study English effectively.
This time, I want to focus specifically on how to memorize vocabulary.
When it comes to learning words or phrases, I'd like you to pause for a moment and think about this.
If you are listening to this right now, what kind of approach do you usually take?
For most of us, back in junior high or high school, we were given text books or vocabulary books.
We'd look at an English word and translate it into Japanese.
I think about 70 or 80% of our study time was spent doing that.
For school tests, that method works just fine.
If your goal is to get good scores on exams, there's nothing wrong with it.
However, when it comes to actually using English for communication, this approach isn't very effective.
Many people find that they forget words quickly or they can't use them when they need them.
There are a few reasons for this.
For example, we often don't check the pronunciation of each word or how it's actually spoken.
Or we focus only on translating English into Japanese and on what's written on the page.
But words usually have more than one meaning.
The meanings listed in text books or word lists are just the most commonly used ones.
There are often many other meanings and usages, so relying only on that is honestly a bit of a waste.
Then, when you try to use English in real situations, writing or speaking, you might think,
Oh, wait, what was that word again? And you get stuck.
That's why, personally, I don't think the traditional English-to-Japanese memorization method is ideal.
語彙学習の方法
So, if the common approach has its problems, how should we learn vocabulary more effectively?
In a way that helps us actually remember and use words as phrases?
That's what I'd like to share with you today.
The first tip is be able to pronounce the word.
This directly addresses the first issue I mentioned.
When you learn a word, don't rely only on the spelling. Check the sound as well.
Whenever I'm not sure how to pronounce a word, I use Google Translate.
I listen to the pronunciation and repeat it out loud.
If you want to go one step further, you can tap the microphone button and try pronouncing the word yourself.
I sometimes check whether the app can correctly recognize what I say.
The second tip is learn the situations where the word is used.
Words are rarely used alone.
They appear in sentences, in different combinations, and in specific situations.
So, when you learn a word, it really helps to see how it's used in context.
You can search for example sentences online or even on YouTube.
By doing that, it becomes much easier to understand where and how the word is used.
The third tip is learn words together with their synonyms.
This is something I personally recommend.
Take the verb make, for example.
It's probably the first word that comes to mind when you think of to create.
But there are many other words with similar meanings, such as build, produce, and create.
Each one has a slightly different nuance.
If you understand those differences, your vocabulary naturally expands.
For example, build has the nuance of creating something step by step.
We say build a house or even build an audience, meaning to gradually form a relationship.
Produce is often used for manufacturing or factory processes, like produce goods.
語彙の記憶方法
Create is used in more creative contexts, such as create art or create a story, bringing something new into existence.
Personally, I find it difficult to memorize just one isolated word.
Instead, I like to make my own sentences, connect words or synonyms, or sometimes even opposites.
So, I will tell you how to memorize the vocabulary.
And so, how many words should you learn?
When you start studying English seriously, it helps to know your target level.
I looked this up using Cephal as a reference.
Cephal ranges from A1 level to C2 level, where A1 is beginner level and C2 level is close to native.
A1 level is almost same, aka grade 5, about 500 to 1,000 words.
A2 level is almost same, aka grade 4, 1,000 to 2,000 words.
A2 to B1 level is almost same, aka grade 3, roughly 2,000 to 3,000 words.
B1 level is almost same, aka pre-2, 2,000 to 3,500 words.
B1 to B2 level is almost same, aka pre-2+, introduced in 2025, about 3,500 to 4,500 words.
B2 level is almost same, aka grade 2, 4,000 to 6,000 words.
B2 to C1 level is almost same, aka pre-1 level.
C1 level is almost same, aka grade 1, 8,000 to 10,000 words.
C2 level is more than 12,000 words or more.
When I saw 10,000 words, I honestly thought that's endless.
But I mentioned this briefly in yesterday's episode as well.
This year, I want to raise my English level so that I can do one-hour podcast conversations or interviews in English and really draw out what the other person wants to say.
I often chat casually in English with chat GPT, and I've been told I'm somewhere between B2 level and C1 level.
About five years ago, when I was working at a prom school, I took aka grade 1 together with my students.
Since then, I haven't seriously studied or learned English.
But while organizing these vocabulary benchmarks, I thought maybe I should actually take aka grade 1 again this June.
英語学習のアプローチ
So yes, I'm taking aka grade 1 this June.
I've been putting it off for years, but I'm committing to it.
So this is final thought.
Textbooks and vocabulary books are still important as input.
But when it comes to truly absorbing words and using them, how you study matters.
To summarize today's episode, many people learn vocabulary by translating English into Japanese.
That method alone often isn't enough to use English smoothly in real situations.
The approach I recommend is...
First, learn pronunciation. Listen and say the word out loud.
Second, learn usage. Understand the situations where the word appears.
Third, learn connections. Synonyms, related words, and your own sentences.
And honestly, you can do almost all of this by asking chat GPT.
So this is ending.
ポッドキャストの内容
Before I wrap up, one quick announcement.
This podcast, That's Some Room with Taiki, has both a Japanese version and an English version.
If you are listening to this now, you are hearing the English version.
There's also a Japanese version where you can listen to almost the same content in Japanese.
So you can first understand the topic in English, then check how it sounds in Japanese.
If you are interested, you'll find the Japanese version linked in the description.
As for future episodes, I have some free talk ideas that aren't fully organized yet.
Maybe books I read or movies I watched over the new year.
I'll talk about those in an upcoming episode.
Thank you so much for listening until the end.
This was your host, Taiki Arai.
