Japanese is an East Asian language spoken by about 128 million people, primarily in Japan, where it is the national language. It is a member of the Japonic (or Japanese-Ryukyuan) language family, and its relation to other languages such as Korean is debated. Japonic languages have been grouped with other language families such as Ainu, Austroasiatic, and the now-discredited Altaic, but none of these proposals has gained widespread acceptance. Japanese is the de facto language of Japan, and it’s also the only place where Japanese is the official language. Japanese is one of the most fast-paced spoken languages in the world.

 

If you’re in Japan or enjoy traveling here, you have no doubt at least dabbled in learning the language. And so you should! It’s a great language, and by learning to speak Japanese you give yourself the opportunity to meet some really incredible people, and better immerse yourself in a fascinating culture. It can also open up a lot of doors and career opportunities, as there is plenty of demand for bilinguals.

 

Once you get past a couple of initial hurdles, Japanese is a relatively easy language, but despite this, many people struggle with Japanese for years, frustrated by their lack of progress. This struggle inspired me to write language-learning strategies that were most effective for me, as well as others I know who have reached a similar level of fluency. To get you started, here are 11 ways to improve your Japanese speaking skills.

1. Study less and practice more

I know one person in particular who was extremely diligent with his Japanese study but refused to speak Japanese in the real world. He told me that he didn’t want to use it in public until he could understand it properly. This was a huge mistake, and one that I know many people are guilty of, if only to a lesser extent. The best way to improve your speaking skills in any language is to practice speaking. Studying has its benefits, and is necessary to help you learn new expressions and understand important concepts, but for every new word or sentence pattern you learn, you won’t fully appreciate and understand it until you’ve heard it multiple times in the wild and used it yourself.

If you’re not in Japan, it’s a little trickier, but still possible. Depending where you are, there is likely a Japanese community in your area that you can tap into. If that’s not a viable option, websites like www.italki.com and http://www.interpals.net give you cheap, even free, access to native Japanese speakers with whom you can practice your speaking.  As long as you’re prepared to return the favor and help them with their English, there’s no reason you can’t find a Japanese speaking buddy for free.

 

2. Learn the Japanese alphabet

The best way to learn Japanese is to start with the basics: learning the alphabet. There are 3 basic writing systems you need to learn to be able to read Japanese: Higarana, Katakana, and Kanji.

 

3. Learn actively, not passively

It is a common misconception that you can learn a second language the same way you learnt your first, and that by immersing yourself in the language, you will naturally pick it up over time. Certain language products are even built around this very idea, but it’s nonsense. It’s the ultimate marketing lie that appeals to the laziness in all of us.

 

I spoke to everyone I could, and studied Japanese in my downtime. I could have easily been lazy and hoped that the language would just magically seep into my brain while I sat back and listened, but it wouldn’t have gotten me very far. It was the combination of environment and effort that enabled me to improve quickly. The other side of the coin is that immersion is also not a requirement for learning a language.

 

4. Prioritize grammar over vocabulary

One of the important lessons I learned when I was studying in Japan is that vocabulary is all but useless if you don’t know how to use it. All of the Japanese students around me had to memorize copious amounts of English vocabulary in order to pass the frequent tests they were given. I watched in amazement as they memorized lists of English words that I, a native speaker, had never even seen before. They were mostly hard-working students that were good at remembering what was required of them, but they still had trouble with some major grammatical concepts. This kept them from being able to assemble words in the right order to communicate a message, meaning many of the words they knew would go to waste.

 

5. Learn your native language better

For people from most backgrounds, Japanese grammar is completely different to what you’re used to. This means that you have to learn a lot of new concepts in order to gain a solid grasp of the language. The problem is, that process usually looks something like this:

Learn new Japanese grammar concept in abstract terms

Practice it using example sentences

Struggle to make true sense of it

Decide it’s easier to just memorize how to use it and move on

Get confused later on when things don’t seem to fit together

 

6. Fully understand how particles work

Japanese particles are essentially what makes the Japanese language function. In English, word order determines the meanings of sentences, but in Japanese, that job is almost entirely left up to particles. The problem is, most people when they start learning Japanese aren’t really taught how particles work. They’re quite simple once you understand them, but most books and courses fail to really help you make sense of it all.

 

7. Learn to differentiate “ni” and “de”

Now, even if you completely understood the above point, many people are often confused by which particle is appropriate in a given situation. There are a few pairs in particular that tend to cause confusion, and one of those pairs is “ni” and “de”.  Among other things, these two particles both relate to location, and both can be translated as “at”, “in” or “on”, so it’s understandable that you might not always know which to use. Perhaps this will help:

De defines where an action takes place

Ni defines the destination of an action involving movement

So if I’m doing something, then the place that I am doing it should be marked by the particle “de”. If I’m moving from A to B, or I’m doing something that causes something else to move from A to B, like giving or sending, then the destination of that movement is marked by “ni”. It’s really quite a clear cut. 

 

8. Make time instead of trying to find it

While I highly encourage people to learn Japanese through self-study, the lack of a structured program can cause your progress to stagnate if you’re not organized. If you say that you will study and practice your Japanese when you have time, that time never comes. There’s always some other distraction or something else to do that’s seemingly more important. If you’re serious about improving your Japanese skills, you have to make time. Schedule it in, and don’t let anything else get in the way.

That doesn’t mean it has to feel like a chore. In the beginning, especially, you should practice speaking as much as possible, so set up regular coffee dates or language exchanges (either online or off) and stick to them. Make the process fun by talking to people who enjoy spending time with you. You can also watch movies or TV shows to improve your listening skills, and good ol’ fashioned study time can be enjoyable too if you give yourself opportunities to apply what you learn. The most important thing is that you allocate time and don’t deviate from the schedule unless there’s a genuine emergency.

 

9. Use apps to get started

Language learning applications will come in very handy when you start learning Japanese. , Multibhashi, Duolingo, Memrise, or Rosetta Stone are very simple apps for beginners to start learning basic Japanese phrases and vocabulary. Apps like these allow you to study wherever and whenever you want. These apps are providing one-to-one or group online classes too. Please enroll urself in that online class too so that language experts clear your doubts and provide you with the best explanation too. 

 

10. Listen to podcasts

If you want to learn Japanese, podcasts are an excellent way to add some extra listening practice to your daily routine and find out more about Japanese culture.  

 

11. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

When you start to practice Japanese, you are always going to make mistakes. But if you don’t put a foot wrong, you won’t grow! Making mistakes and receiving feedback from others is the most effective way to learn a language. However, keep in mind that native Japanese speakers may not want to correct you out of respect, so make it clear that you’d appreciate some guidance.

I dare say one of the biggest reasons that improvement is slow with most scheduled language programs is that there is too long of a gap between classes. Instead of spending half your time trying to remember what you learned a week earlier, study and practice your Japanese in short, frequent bursts so that everything you learn remains fresh in your mind.

Learning Japanese may seem like a daunting task, but with the right approach, it can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. By applying the eleven points outlined here, you can make the most of your language-learning efforts, and hopefully come to realise that Japanese isn’t as difficult as everyone thinks it is.