Let's Learn Japanese by Following These 3 Steps!

Are you interested in learning the Japanese language?

You have a particular reason, I suppose.

Some people study Japanese for work or applying for work in Japan. Some people want to study in Japan and learning the language is required. Some people just want to learn because they want to watch anime without subtitles and read manga without translating it to English or their national language. Some people want to chat with their Japanese friends online or in real life.

Whatever your reasons are, I'm here for you! Let's learn Japanese together. 頑張りましょ! (Let's do our best!)

I'm just self-studying, that's why I do some research on the internet. I'm not a fluent speaker until now but I'm doing my best to study all the references I could gather.

Of all the knowledge I acquired, I concluded that these 3 steps are the most helpful.

Step #1: Learn the Alphabet.

Japanese have 3 ways of writing. These are;

• Hiragana

Hiragana is primarily used to represent Japanese words and also used syllables deciphering difficult Kanji phrases.

• Katakana

Katakana is used to write foreign words or names which doesn't have Japanese translations.

• Kanji

Kanji literally means "Hand letters" adopted from Chinese characters. This is used alongside Hiragana and Katakana, usually appears to read as phrases or a single word. This is also commonly used in Japanese names and old documents.

Step #2: Learn more vocabulary.

It is easier to make sentences if you know more words that's why learning Japanese vocabulary is a must. You should learn some words first before you can create a simple sentence.

Try learning at least 50 words or phrases a day. You can start with word translations of the parts of the body, plants, flowers, buildings, places, hobbies, numbers, days of the week, and so on.

Then, you can study grammar. Start simple sentences, then sentences with present-past-future tenses. You can also try reading some Japanese books for beginners or news from apps that provide translation services.

Step #3: Put more input.

Maximize your effort to learn more. Explore all references you can find. By doing this, you can expand your vocabulary, and then you can create more complicated sentences later on.

Things You Can Do To Learn More Faster

1. Watching to learn.

Watch anime or movies more often. In that way, you can hear how do Japanese pronounce words or sentences correctly and discover some new words. Pronunciation is important since every syllable has different meanings. Try also watching Vlogs of Japanese Youtubers. That way, it can help you learn how do they speak in real life and how do they speak today.

1. Reading to memorize.

Try reading at least 2-3 sentences a day. If you're that enthusiastic, then read more. Read some news, manga, novels, or blogs. In this way, you can memorize kanji, hiragana, and katakana without forcing your mind to. You'll also be able to practice your time-reading to be faster.

1. Speaking to practice.

To practice your fluency, try having a chat with a friend. Much better if you can always have a chat with a Japanese friend or a friend who is a fluent speaker also. You can find a group on social media to find a friend if you don't have one. There's a lot of groups there, especially on Facebook. Some Japanese teachers also offer to teach Japanese for free via messenger calls or zoom meetings. You can consult them on the proper sentence making since Japanese sentences are more complicated than making English sentences.

この記事がお役に立てば幸いです。(I hope this article is helpful.)

じゃ に！(See you!)

Photo Credits

1. https://rabineupane.com.np/japanese/

2. https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/kanji.html

3. https://kanaquest.com/lessons/?l=intro-to-hiragana

4. https://kanaquest.com/lessons/?l=intro-to-katakana