Useful Tips to Help You Learn Japanese

| Sunday, December 25, 2011
By Linda Williams


Japanese is often considered to be one of the hardest languages to learn It is not easy, especially for speakers of Western languages who are not accustomed to the subtleties and almost musical quality of Japanese. It takes some time, but you will one day be able to appreciate the unusual and beautiful sounds of Japanese. Of course, you might think that it is too hard to learn Japanese. The fact is, just about everyone has the potential to learn another language! You just have to be willing to work hard and put in the time. With enough time and effort you could be fluent in Japanese before you know what is happening. Here are some tricks you can use to make the process just a little bit easier on yourself.

If you are serious about learning Japanese, you should find a way to immerse yourself in it. If you can afford it, take a trip to Japan and let yourself wander without a translator. You might find that you understand more than you think you do. Traveling to a country where the new language is spoken is the most effective way for most people to learn the language quickly. It forces them to leave their native language behind and truly open themselves up to new forms of communication. If travel is not possible for you, another thing you can do is look for a "Japan Town," an area with many Japanese people and businesses. There is another way that does not involve any travel to immerse yourself in Japanese; for a month or so, watch only Japanese programs and films; don't choose the option for subtitles, as you don't want to give yourself this help. You'll start to pick up on vocabulary pretty quickly.

Learn the basic alphabet. It's not necessary to learn spelling when you get started; learn first of all how to recognize the characters and how to pronounce them. If you have difficulties, you can then write down something that is at least an approximation of what you are trying to say to someone. This is especially helpful if you plan on traveling before you get a working knowledge of the language under your belt and are not good with immersion tactics. Learning how to write, at least phonetically can open quite a lot of doors for you and is the beginning of how to learn to read in your new language as well as speak it.

You should also use flash cards. You can use a few different kinds of flash cards when learning Japanese. You should have a set of flash cards used specifically for grammar rules and vocabulary. You will also want a set that helps you learn your characters and alphabet and teaches you how to read in your new language.You can use one side of the cards for the Japanese writing and on the other side write out how it sounds phonetically, using your own alphabet. Try to keep the sets from mixing, especially in the beginning, or you could end up confused and frustrated!

These are just a few hints that you can use to help you better learn Japanese. Becoming fluent in a new language can be intimidating and at times hard but if you use these simple tricks and tips you can learn the language in no time flat. Repetition will make you a fluent speaker, but these tips will get you there faster. Your new language is waiting for you!




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