How To Learn Japanese

Konnichiwa! Welcome to the land of the rising sun.

Step 1  

Consider why you are learning Japanese and select the method and financial investment that best reflects the results or purpose you wish to achieve. Everyone learns at their own pace, so accept the following as general recommendations and tailor them to your individual needs.

Step 2  

If you are learning for fun because you like Japanese culture such as manga (comics) and anime (animation) or for travel, get an audio learning CD. Just spending an hour a day can build up grammar usage and teach you simple stock phrases and useful vocabulary. Listen to it during your commute to work in your car or have it ready on your portable music player for lunch and breaks or walks in the park. It isn't neccessary to learn the reading and writing to enjoy the language and culture, so if you plan on taking a short trip to Japan, knowing a few useful phrases will be more practical than cramming obscure characters into your brain. Your trip should be fun, so spend your prep-time picking places to visit, referencing maps, reading about culture or history and setting your itinerary.

Step 3  

If you are learning for business or you want to live in Japan, consider enrolling in a college level course, an intensive program or night school. Buying a book, game or simply finding a guide on the internet can be benificial to learning Japanese. Learning to read and write will be crucial to your long term success and having a mentor during the early stages is ideal for developing good study habits and asking all the questions you will have about Japanese language and culture.  

• Japanese has four writing systems. Hiragana, Katakana, (Rômaji) and Kanji. Rômaji is not commonly thought of as a part of the writing system but it actually is. Rômaji is literally "roman letters", an example would be "sushi" or "Tokyo" as they appear here. Hiragana and Katakana are syllabic alphabets. Hiragana is used for native Japanese words. Katakana is commonly used for foreign loan words, like Makudonarudo (McDonald's). Kanji are Chinese characters the Japanese have modified and used for centuries. Begin studying all three writing styles early on if literacy is important for your purpose of learning the language. Kana (Hiragana and Katakana) can be learned in a few weeks and you can use them to write anything you want, all in Japanese. Kanji typically takes several years but is a great enhancement of your abilities. As you become more versed in Japanese, what you used to write in Kana you will begin to write more with Kanji.

Step 4  

Use flashcards to learn  

• A) Vocabulary and simple phrases: They can be used while waiting for a meeting, on a train, etc. Some free cards can be found on the web to get you started, or you can buy higher quality cards at most college bookstores or online.
• B) Kanji: Look for cards that show stroke order (how to write the character) represented in the calligraphy of the vocabulary side and have example compound words on the definition (answer) side. Do not hesitate to pick up a pack of blank 3x5 cards to make your own flash cards that are exactly what you want to learn. Low tech is often the most effective way to get what you want out of your study time.

Step 5  

Join a Japanese language conversation group in your area. Conversation groups abound and are usually easily found with a simple internet search or phone call to your local civic center or library. Train your ears to pick out what is being said. Even if you don't understand it, try to be able to repeat what was said so you can begin to pick it apart and develop comprehension.

Step 6  

Make Japanese friends with whom you can regularly practice. Lots of Japanese people want to learn English so it is possible to find many who are willing to help you practice if you are equally willing to share your natural English skills. Simply having friends to trade notes with can help everyone improve their abilities. Do things with your friends that involve language but aren't "study time". If your Japanese friends haven't lived in your country very long, show them around town. Go sightseeing. Remember, you have to blow off steam regularly or you'll get stressed out about all those Kanji you have to memorize. Having fun is the best way to accomplish two goals at the same time.

Step 7  

Read Wether the newspaper, a novel, a comic book, a pamphlet, children's books- just read anything. The best would be a novel or the newspaper as you will find the most practical vocabulary and grammar forms. A novel will give you a warmer style of writing but a newspaper will have more relevant vocabulary. Comic books work, but be aware the level of sophistication varies greatly, and though a more mature, literary comic might be good practice (especially since you can see what is going on in the scene and it may help you understand what you are reading), something intended for smaller children is likely to be 90% sound effects and slang. That too can help your eyes and brain more quickly adapt to the characters so you can read more quickly, but what you put in your mind is a lot like what you eat- too much junk food isn't so good. You also want to be careful about repeating what you've read in a comic book. It's often pretty obvious to Japanese people and anyone other than close friends may not look kindly on inappropriate usage of slang.

Step 8  

Finally, take a vacation or look for an opportunity to live in Japan. This is simply the best way to practically apply what you have learned and learn more. It's very exciting, unpredictable, and quite an awesome experience to immerse yourself in another culture, even for a short period. Even if you have researched exhaustively, actually experiencing a place will expose you to things you could never have imagined about it. It's also important not to be too discouraged if you do not understand everything that is said to you or you can't read or write as well as you expected. If you think about it, Japanese people have been studying and completely surrounded by the language since birth. You, by comparison, likely have less experience. Whatever you can manage you should be proud of. Everything becomes easier with time and always remember why you started, to enjoy exploring something different and to have fun.

Tips

• If you can afford to take a year off and go to Japan, many universities such as Sophia University in Tokyo and Doshisha University in Kyoto both offer intensive one-year programs in Japanese which will bring you to near-fluency in a short period of time. However, if your goal is to become fluent, you will get the most out of learning language in Japan if you study for a year or more prior to your visit. Ideally you don't want to waste your first several months studying Kana and basic vocabulary when you could have learned it beforehand. Even so, there's nothing wrong with jumping in if that's your style.
• If you plan to learn Japanese abroad at a language school, look for one that is accredited by an International Association (Such as IALC http://www.ialc.org/) to make sure it is of an excellent standard.
• Working in Japan is a great way to learn, but teaching English or working in a foreign company will usually give you very little hands-on experience with the language. Since your Japanese co-workers will probably speak English fluently, you're better off in a Japanese company where the lingua franca is not English.
• Romaji is the "Romanization" of Japanese language. In other words, how to write Japanese using English letters. For example "Hoteru e ikimasu", I am going to the hotel. If you ask a Japanese person who can't speak English to write what they are saying in Romaji they will know what you mean.
• Learn the culture of Japan. It will go a long way to understanding your new Japanese friends and provide plenty of things to talk about using your new language skills.
• Host a Japanese exchange student or become an exchange student yourself and experience living with a Japanese family. There are many programs that offer three months to year long "home stays" in Japan. Even more flexible lengths of time may be available through some institutions such as a weekend or you may be able to find a host family through friends. If you do not go through an institution, be prepared to remunerate your host, either in cash or in kindness or by offering to host them when they visit your home country. But make sure what you are committing to up front before you book any flights and that both you and the family you are visiting are 100% clear on the details. Avoid long stays that are not associated with an educational institution or well-known program as these tend to treat your stay more as a hostel/room-and-board scenario as opposed to a cultural exchange in which you benefit from spending time with family members of the home you will live in.
• Movies and TV shows are often difficult to understand, because it's impossible to ask the actors to explain what they've just said. However, variety shows tend to have a lot of subtitling, which makes them much easier to understand and learn from if you have a basic command of the written language. In general Japanese TV is very entertaining with slapstick skit based comedy and evening dramas/soaps that are easy to follow.
• If you are seeking the most inexpensive way to learn, find free help for learning Japanese online. There are free audio lessons, writing lessons, and tons of other resources. Some websites are listed at the bottom of this page.
• There are even software programs that can teach you the language. But remember there is no substitute for hard study time and the dynamic environment of speaking with real people.
• Learn from context. If the person next to you is bowing or replies to a set greeting in a particular way, follow their example the next chance you get. The best people to observe are those of your own age group and gender. What is appropriate for an older man is likely not correct for a younger woman.
• Language is not everything. If you have been welcomed to someone's home and offers you an appetizing dish, you don't need to understand all that was said. You're recieving kindness. Say Domo Arigato Gozaimasu (thank you very much). Enjoy the simple things.
• Study some material for about 30 minutes a day. This totals up to about more than 180 hours a year. 30 hours more than being exposed to Japanese in a college class!
• The following are useful online tools for translation. Using only babelfish or google translation will give you a very rough, often inaccurate translation, so if you want something more polished, try breaking down each sentence into its parts and making use of the following sites:
• for kanji: http://www.yamasa.cc/members/ocjs/kanjidic.nsf/MainPage?OpenForm
• for general vocabulary: http://jisho.org/
• for obscure/specific vocabulary or phrases: http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1C
• for loose translation: http://translate.google.co.jp/#
• for grammar study: http://dev.jgram.org/pages/viewList.php
• For more entertaining and casual study, listening to Japanese music and watching television/movies can also help you get your ears familiar with the pronunciation and intonation of the language. Just be aware the vocabulary you'll learn may not be practical to actual conversation (When was the last time you turned to your friend and said, "I would go anywhere for you, deep in my heart, the burning wings of justice"?).

Warnings

• It takes a long time to learn the Japanese language. In the same time it takes to become functionally fluent in Japanese a typical native English speaker could already have learned Spanish, French and German. The rate students drop off from continuing to study Japanese in college is similar to Calculus. So have fun and don't be hard on yourself. Prepare to spend four to six years of moderate to intense study to be comfortable speaking and reading Japanese.
• Learn to speak both formal (teineigo) and informal Japanese styles. Depending on the situation you can alter from one to the other, but it requires a good deal of experience to know when it's OK to be informal. When in doubt, err on the side of formal. Formal does not mean you are being submissive. It means you are capable of being nice. You will be shown respect and consideration in return for your efforts to really understand how to speak Japanese well.
• Avoid learning dialects (hogen/ben) if you live in Japan. It really should go without saying, but standard Japanese language, referred to as hyojungo, is what you should focus on for at least the first several years. Sometimes it's impossible for you to know and therefore you have no choice, but students of the English language do not begin with a regional dialect. If you end up living in Japan and learn some of the local dialect, your neighborhood friends will find it amusing and appreciate your effort to learn what is theirs. However, your business associates in Tokyo or Hokkaido will think you're becoming a strange foreigner (henna gaijin). And that's not good. Keep yourself employable.
• Do not learn to talk like the opposite gender. There are male and female versions of words and articles. Make sure you're using the correct forms for whichever gender you are representing. Again, this is to avoid becoming a henna gaijin.
• Any language is easy to forget if not practiced, so keep practicing. If you study for several months and then stop studying for a year, you WILL forget all of the Kanji you learned and most of the grammar. Japanese is a hard language to absorb all at once. Even Japanese people will tell you that when they live abroad for a long time they begin to forget Kanji. A little bit over a long period of time will prove more effective than cramming once every few months.
• Beware of gadgets. You should not buy an electronic dictionary too early. They are expensive, and most of the functions are useless if your Japanese reading skills aren't at a reasonable level to begin with. Ideally you should be able to recognise at least 300-500 kanji prior to making such a purchase. For example, looking up Kanji you don't know how to pronounce without understanding its stroke order and number can be impossible. Buy one too early, and you'll be running around with a 70% useless device whose dictionary will be obsolete thanks to better devices on the market by the time you can actually use it. At some point in the future, universities may all begin recommending the same electronic dictionary. Until then, there's no substitute for a good dictionary. A regular dictionary won't break if you sit on it, drop it in a puddle or leave it in a car for a week.
• Usage and expressions used in animation and comic books are often inappropriate for common situations. Try to learn how real people use the language, rather than picking up bad habits and trends from just pop-culture characters.
• Japanese are often described by Americans as being passive aggressive. For example, you could be telling your new Japanese friend about a trip to Disney World you'd like to invite them on and they may say "yes, yes, yes" while they're listening to your description of the details. But then at the end you may be shocked to find out they really don't want to go. You might not even find out directly from the person you asked, but from one of their friends, which can be infuriating. Don't be afraid to ask clearly "Do you want to go this weekend with us?" It will help cut through the cultural clutter in the beginning, but you should practice tuning in and getting to know by a person's words and body language over time how they are reacting to you. This way you won't have to rely on just their speech. Also, always give them the option to decline. Japanese respect free will just as much as other cultures.
• Japanese is actually relatively easy to learn to speak, but so unlike English that many English speakers find it difficult in the beginning. Writing Japanese requires learning 2000+ Kanji (Chinese characters) in addition to two phonetic alphabets (Hiragana and Katakana) that have roughly 40 characters each. The alphabets are easy to learn and can be mastered in a few weeks. Writing and deciphering Kanji takes years to develop a full understanding of and ultimately master. The average reading level required to read a common newspaper is higher than that in the west which is why literacy rates are much higher in Japan than in the USA. You should begin studying Kanji very early on if you intend to use Japanese in business or to read and write in Japanese for any purpose.
• If you go to Japan and attempt to speak Japanese outside of a formal or business setting you may, on occasion, be brushed off. Some people simply don't want to bother with what they assume you will speak judging by your appearance- slow, incorrect, awkward Japanese. Though this may seem discouraging, think about it- there are also people in the states who wouldn't want to deal with a foreigner who could barely string two sentences together in English. Don't let this put you off learning the language though. If you want to do it, don't worry about what other people will say, do it anyway! The number of people who will kindly and patiently listen to whatever you are trying to say far outnumbers those who don't want to deal with you at all. Just keep in mind people who have never studied another language do not often understand how frustrating it is and will be put off if you don't speak like a native. Just know in your heart of hearts that's simply their inexperience and try to find someone who'll listen to you.
• When dealing with other bilinguals, do not be ashamed to revert to English even though you understand Japanese. Even if you have put in years of study and practice, you may be more clear and quick in your native tongue. There are some places in Tokyo, for example, where foreigners are expected to speak only English and the staff of many stores and resturants are prepared for that. There are many Japanese who have worked themselves to the bone to learn English who will be quite delighted if they can flex their own language skills to help you, the "real world practice". If you are spoken to in English, you don't have to show off your Japanese. Go at it in English and if the situation calls for it, switch over. The power of being bilingual is not switching completely to one or the other. It is being able to switch back and forth on the fly according to what is appropriate for that person and that conversation. It's a fun power!

Things You'll Need

• Pocket-sized English-Japanese/Japanese-English dictionary
• English-Japanese dictionary
• Kanji dictionary Japanese-English
• Electronic dictionary.
• Books on how to read and write Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana
• Books on every day speaking
• Tremendous endurance and perserverance
• Some kind of support network to encourage and motivate you past your initial reserves of energy