Using ChatGPT to teach me Japanese

https://chatgpt.com/share/6916afae-6ae0-800a-b91e-f4c494caf364

You may need to press "Home" or ctrl-Home to get to the initial prompt - the link takes you alllllll the wayyyyy to the end of our conversation.

The initial prompt is pasted below with the bot's first response.

The link above is me giving prompts and some back and forth before settling on some parameters to have the bot teach me Japanese. The bot knows I am a mathematician, so it does go into some chatter about using Bayesian updates with beta distributions for assessing my knowledge after my responses. The idea is that I upload the four components of each of the 12 lessons in the book - a dialogue, vocabulary, grammar notes, and the exercises which generally require a partner or a tutor to teach me - now the bot is the tutor. I also explain how to drill me on vocabulary and how to handle typos so it doesn't mistake a typo for lack of knowledge (I am bad at typing - just check my post history :p ) . I have done the first two chapters of the bot and I going back and forth as well in the above link. The lessons are below my level, but I wanted to just do it for full reinforcement since my prior knowledge is Duolingo which is massively half-assed. I think the back and forth is really cool and anyone can try to do something similar. One thing is that bot maintains the full context of our conversation in its memory. This is great because it knows me best this way and can optimize in how it helps me....but the calculations have gotten noticeably expensive even for simple responses because the context window is ever expanding - along the way, I had to get the bot to optimize for that as well with some new rules to limit when to use the full context of our conversation. I was able to prompt for that mostly because I have some intuition for how LLMs work, coding, and math in general.

Back story:

My wife is Japanese, so it is high time I gave it a shot as difficult as it is given a stressful job, having a son, and my insistence on also taking care of my fitness. I completed the Duolingo course, which was only useful for the most basic grammar and was a huge vocabulary and kanji (i.e. the Chinese like characters which are how writing is primarily done) dump and little else. The result - when we zoom with her family, I am completely useless - Duo is only good for vocabulary. I had a tutor I met once a week until May, but in reality, that is not enough. So, I decided just now to use a proper text and see if I could customize a course where the bot teaches me, gives me nuance and explains grammar (Duo - explains no grammar - they just hope you get it by osmosis/context which is fine in the beginning only).



initial prompt and response:

ME:

I am going to start learning Japanese using Genki I with you in this chat. I have actually gone through this book before with a tutor and I have completed the Duolingo Japanese course. The duolingo course covers vastly more vocabulary and kanji compared to Genki, but the total grammar covered is about the same as Genki I with very little explanation, so I learned very little grammar from Duo. My tutor and I only met once a week and I couldn't really practice outside of Duo given all the other things I have to do with my life, so I want to use you to be my tutor. Here is the plan:

For each chapter (there are 12), I will upload in 4 components (more if picture limits make it necessary):

i) Introductory dialogue. I will read this on my own and I post it FYI.
ii) Vocabulary to be known for this chapter. Again, this is FYI.
iii) Then I will upload the grammar for your FYI and I will read it/refamiliarize myself with it.
iv) Then I will upload the exercises. As many of the exercises involve having a partner, you can be the partner. I will respond with any grammar I know even if more advanced than the chapter we are on or any word that may not be covered yet by the book.

The style should be that we try to maintain Japanese and that you maintain the level of Japanese based on where we are in the book, but it's ok for you to go a bit beyond if I use a more advanced concept you are confident I understand. I will switch to English when I want to ask questions and clarify grammar usage or whatever else so I am sure I know the rule. If you do choose to go a bit beyond the book's level, it might be good to clarify this in English with a footnote and explanation of the usage. We may not need to do every exercise, so I might suggest when we skip. Also please indicate all errors I make or awkward usages that are not necessarily errors, but would be weird in a conversation. Like, "Japanese people wouldn't really say it like that, but they would definitely know what you mean. This is how they would say it." Let's also get me conversational as fast as possible - my wife is Japanese and it would be good to speak to her family and understand Japanese TV. I will try to watch youtube as well. As far as my pronunciation goes, I guess I will have to rely on my wife for that as long as don't constantly bug her!

I may adapt these rules as we go! Do you have any questions or any clarifications for me?

BOT:

This is an excellent plan, and I completely understand what you’re aiming for — you’re not starting from zero but want to solidify grammar, make your spoken Japanese natural, and build conversational fluency around the Genki I framework.

Let me restate what I understand (and confirm a few details):

🧭 Structure of Each Chapter

Dialogue:
You’ll upload or summarize it. I’ll note key grammar/vocabulary but you’ll read it yourself.

Vocabulary:
FYI for me — no drilling unless you request it.

Grammar:
You’ll review it, upload the section, and I’ll use that grammar naturally when speaking with you so it “sticks.”

Exercises:
You’ll upload them, and we’ll act them out conversationally.

I’ll be your partner for dialogue-type exercises.

You’ll answer or create sentences; I’ll correct errors or unnatural phrasing.

I’ll keep my Japanese at or just above the level of the chapter.

When I use something beyond the chapter, I’ll note it briefly in English with a footnote explaining the grammar or phrasing.

🗣️ Language Flow

We’ll mostly speak Japanese once we start a chapter.

You’ll switch to English when you want an explanation.

I’ll correct:

Grammar errors

Unnatural phrasing (e.g. “people would understand but wouldn’t say it like that”)

Register issues (too formal/informal for context)

I’ll also add furigana for any kanji we use in the main exercises to support reading practice.

🧩 Goal

Get you conversational fast (for family and TV understanding).

Build solid grammar intuition and sentence rhythm.

Maintain immersion while explaining in English when needed.

Adjust pace and complexity based on your comfort.

📋 Clarifications Before We Begin

Would you like me to always write Japanese with furigana, or only when there’s new or rare kanji? (For example, 学生（がくせい） vs always writing みず（水）.)

Do you prefer I use polite form (です／ます or plain form (だ／る in our dialogues — or should we mirror whatever the Genki chapter focuses on?

When you upload the grammar section, do you want me to:

Just read and adapt it into our exercises; or

Also write short “practical summaries” (English explanations + example sentences in natural Japanese)?

Once you confirm these 3 points, we’ll lock in the format — then you can upload Chapter 1 Dialogue (component i) and we’ll begin.

THEN WE CONTINUE OUR DISCUSSION UNTIL WE CONVERGED ON THE PLAN!