How To Learn Japanese Easily With 10 Simple Tips

Japan is an ingenious country and Japanese is one of the most known languages in the world being spoken by nearly 121 million people. What makes learning Japanese so interesting is the opportunity it provides for you to help understand diversity in culture. 

If you plan to travel to Japan for a tour, vacation or work-related, learning the Japanese language will be very beneficial and at least a minimal understanding of the language will be very useful. The signs, roads and food are the basics you should have a hold of before planning a trip. 

Since Japanese is not related to any other language, it is a tough one to learn. This Forbes Advisor India guide will help you jumpstart your journey toward learning Japanese. 

What Are The Basics Of The Japanese Language

Understand The Basic Writing Systems

There are three writing systems in the Japanese language, each of which is composed of different characters. 

Hiragana 

Hiragana is basically a Japanese syllabary, phonetic sound characters that formulate one Japanese writing system. It is the first alphabet taught to children and students to read and write and it is widely used in Japan. The Hiragana writing system has 46 characters and each one of them represents a certain key sound or syllable. They are generally used for words, part of words or practicals, in simple terms native words. 

Katakana

Katakana also has phonetic sound characters but is generally used for foreign or loan words, for example, companies, food and animals that cannot be translated into Japanese. They have an onomatopoeic sound like squeak or bang and can be easily recognized because they are sharp and look like blocks. 

Kanji

Kanji originated in an ancient hieroglyph and has a huge number of symbolic writing characters that have a different shape than the alphabet. The shapes are characterized as complicated combinations of curves and lines.

Romaji

Romaji is one extra writing system in the Japanese language and is also called the “Romanization of Japanese”, a Latin script that simply helps to pronounce the words of the Japanese language. It is typically not used in daily conversations but has helped many Japanese expressions and words enter Westernization. For instance: words like Sushi- 寿司 and  Samurai – 侍さむらい. 

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is yet another important basic element of learning any new language. Japanese vocabulary is a very difficult task and will require you to spend a reasonable amount of time daily to ace the language. Here are two methods you can use to learn Japanese vocabulary:

Spaced Repetition System 

The spaced repetition system is a learning technique that helps you to memorize things, in this case vocabulary in much less time. It targets your long-term memory rather than short-term memory. Spaced repetition helps the information to stay fresh in your memory and your mind is forced to use active recall. The active recall method involves repeated and retrieval testing that helps your mind to boost memorization, retention and comprehension. This technique can help you learn hundreds of Japanese words in just a short time. 

Rote Memorization

Rote memorization is a method used generally for learning a new language. It is a repetitive viewing of your study material. This method mainly demands you to repeatedly study a small amount of material over a short period. You have to take a small portion of the Japanese language vocabulary and repetitively memorize it every day for a short time.

Here are a few commonly used words in the Japanese language:

Pronunciation

The basics of any language are mastering the pronunciation to be able to understand the speakers and making yourself understood. The pronunciation of Japanese words is not that hard once you understand the basic sound of them. The alphabets hiragana and katakana are not alphabets but syllabaries. The basic difference between them is that the alphabet puts individual letters and sounds together which leaves plenty of room for interpretation whereas on the other hand syllabary turns syllables like “bo” or “ma” into single characters. For instance, bu or ぶ always be pronounced like a short “boo” and mi or み will no matter what always be pronounced as the English word “me” irrespective of the context. 

Grammar

Japanese grammar happens to be flexible and simple. Learning the basic grammar of the language can help you form your sentences easily and gives you a better understanding of the language. Below are a few things that will help you understand the basic grammar of the Japanese language.

• The subject is optional and is hardly included.
• The predicate always happens to be at the end of the sentence.
• Nouns don’t happen to have gender and mostly do not have separate plural forms.
• Personal pronouns: I, you, etc. differ on the level of formality and politeness.
• Verbs do not change according to number: Singular/Plural like I/We/They and the subject: He/She/It. 

Tips On How To Learn Japanese Easily

Learning a new language can be a task. Being new to a language one tends to be confused as to where to start and what to focus on. The Forbes Advisor India team has gathered a few tips for you to begin learning your Japanese language. Here are a few of them that will help you to start the process of learning.

• Set a goal for yourself and have a practical approach towards it.
• Start with the vocabulary and grammar. Learn basic vocabulary and grammar of the Japanese language and set a schedule for you to achieve your target. 
• Learn pronunciations of the words. Once you get a hold of the basic Japanese sound it will be easy for you to learn the pronunciation of the Japanese words.
• Learn something that interests you and is relevant. Once you enjoy the process you will soon be enthusiastic about learning more and more of the Japanese language.
• Master the basic writing systems of the Japanese language.
• Watch Japanese movies and shows with subtitles. It will help you understand the vocabulary and pronunciation of the language better.
• Get a deeper understanding of the language and its culture.
• Practice effective learning. Actively practice the Japanese language and follow it with a dedication to ace the language.
• Engage with Japanese teachers and friends to help you guide through the learning process. Make sure you have a conversation with them in the Japanese language so your vocabulary and pronunciation get better and you can also learn from your mistakes.  
• Don’t quit. Learning a new language can be difficult and exhausting but the determination of continuing it should remain the same as when you had it in the beginning.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)