My German Language Learning History

2026-04-01

Studying German in Japan

In the past, it was taken for granted that students in medical and engineering faculties would study German. Today, however, that assumption seems to have faded.

How I Began Learning German

Ever since struggling with English, I had tended to avoid Western languages.

When I entered university determined to study the Pacific region, I soon realized that much of the scholarship was produced by researchers from the United States and Australia—meaning English was unavoidable. Around that time, my academic advisor told me, “Uchibori, if you want to research Palau, it would be better if you could read German and Spanish as well.” That was the beginning of my connection with German.

Later, when I entered graduate school, another advisor suggested that in addition to English, I should ideally study German and French—and, if possible, Latin and Ancient Greek as well.

The Self-Taught Period

In my third year of university, prompted by my advisor’s comment, I began taking an interest in German. At the library, I came across a bound volume of what appeared to be excerpts from Tsugio Sekiguchi’s Mein Deutsch, compiled from a year’s worth of a German-learning magazine that had been withdrawn from circulation.

I immediately took it home. Thanks to that volume, I had the opportunity to learn Fraktur and Sütterlin script.

Since the materials I work with are older documents written in pre-reform German orthography, learning Fraktur and Sütterlin was more than welcome.

However, the most crucial section of the book—the declension tables for adjectives—was missing. Presumably, the previous owner had kept the most important pages separately. As a result, adjectives remain my weak point to this day.

In December 2025, I passed Level 3 of the German Proficiency Test (Dokken). I barely passed, scoring in the low 60s. I had expected to do slightly better.

My vocabulary is still limited, and my listening skills were clearly underprepared.

Looking Ahead

I hope to obtain and read the following work:

Palau. 5 volumes. Ergebnisse der Südsee-Expedition 1908–1910, edited by G. Thilenius, II. Ethnography: B Micronesia, Volume 3, Hamburg 1917–1929: Friederichsen, de Gruyter. (Reprint available from Fines Mundi, Saarbrücken.)

All volumes except Volume 4 are available on Internet Archive.