Introduction:
Japanese is thought to be one of the more difficult languages to learn for a native English speaker. It takes some amount of dedication and time to learn the language. Studies say that depending on several factors like your original language, how much time you devote daily to learn the language, etc. one can decide how difficult it is to learn Japanese. Again contrary to this popular belief, many linguists agree that spoken Japanese is comparatively easier to master than other languages, because it has only five vowels and thirteen consonants. In this blog, I will discuss a few points why Japanese is easy to learn for some people and why it is difficult for others.
The Challenge of Learning Japanese at Home:
True immersion means that everyone is saying everything in your target language. The bits and pieces of Japanese you can expose yourself to don’t really constitute true “immersion.” But you can come close to it if you seize every opportunity possible to consume content and participate in activities in Japanese.
Even if you can only do a tiny bit of immersion, it’s more fun than spending concentrated time with a textbook, plus it can teach you a great deal about how the language is really spoken.
The key is to look for any opportunity where you can absorb as much Japanese as possible. If you do this, you can create something like immersion without ever leaving the comfort of home, and you’ll see your Japanese ability improve quickly.
Learn Japanese at home through these methods:
1. Take Notes in Japanese
When you take notes or jot down everyday reminders, do it in Japanese. Instead of writing, “Return books to library” in your planner, write, “本を図書館に返す (ほんをとしょかんに かえす – Return books to library).”
This is a nice challenge for your writing skills, plus you’ll learn a ton of everyday vocabulary that’s useful to you. On top of that, you’ll really need to know what it says—or you’ll have overdue fees!
2. Set Your Phone to Japanese
For whatever gadgets you use—smartphone, tablet, GPS, computer, e-reader, etc.—switch their language settings to Japanese. Now you can manage your schedule, set your alarms, check your voicemail and get updates in Japanese instead of English.
Here’s a bonus tip: You can also now practice your Japanese any time with Siri if you can’t find a local speaking partner!
3. Change Your TV Viewing Habits
You may be immersed in English all day at school or work, but you can learn Japanese at home with your leisure activities. A great way to study is to watch TV or movies in Japanese.
You easily can access Japanese TV shows on the internet, and one simple way to do it is through YouTube. I personally recommend watching kids’ cartoons like ドラえもん (どらえもん – Doraemon)!
Another site that has Japanese TV shows is OV Guide. Scroll down to “Explore TV Genres” on the right-hand side and click “More Genres.” One of them is Japanese. Click on “Japanese” and you’ll find Japanese language shows!
4. Create Daily Habits
The ideal situation is to be studying a little bit every day. If you’re not there yet, it can definitely help with your immersion to create certain times of the day for studying or immersion. If you’re an early riser, for example, set aside the early morning for the Japanese. Make it a Japanese-only time, flipping your thoughts into Japanese as well.
Setting daily goals for yourself, such as learning five kanji, is another way to help with your immersion through new daily habits.
5. Cover the Walls with Posters
Buy some Japanese language posters (or feel free to make your own if you’re feeling artsy!) and cover your walls. This way, everywhere you look, you’ll be looking at Japanese.
In addition to learning materials like kana charts, be sure to get some non-language posters as well, like movie, artist or idol posters. You can buy Japanese movie posters online at Jposter.net.
6. Music
Music is also the best tool for learning a language.
Music offers many advantages for learning languages. Scientists have shown that listening to a song and humming along can help with language learning! When singing, we try to reproduce sounds and tone, so our accent is less pronounced than when we speak
Get out there, learn about these different genres and find some songs that you love. Once you find a song you cannot stop singing, and by singing it you will improve your pronunciation and vocabulary.
Conclusion:
Don’t think that because Japanese writing is difficult, you won’t be able to learn it. Remember that speaking Japanese is a lot easier than other languages. Japanese is really easy to pronounce. You need to speak more and be fluent in pronunciation. With a lot of hard work, dedication, and motivation to learn the language you will be able to speak Japanese fast.