Introduction
Learning has no boundaries and it is always a good thing to do in life. So, learning a second language has become a trend in today’s generation. And, today I am bringing you one of the most interesting and useful blogs I have ever written. I am going to give you some useful information on how you can learn the Japanese language free of cost. Before giving you the details let’s have a quick introduction to the Japanese language. Japanese (日本語, Nihongo [ɲihoŋɡo] (About this sound listens)) 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 ultimate derivation and relation to other languages are unclear. Japonic languages have been grouped with other language families such as Ainu, Austroasiatic, Korean, and the now-discredited Altaic, but none of these proposals has gained widespread acceptance. All education, media, business, and government are conducted in Japanese. There is a theory that Japanese and Korean are related, though they are related very remotely.
Free Online Audio & Podcasts to Help You Learn Japanese
Listen to Japanese audio in either bite-sized podcasts, as sound-bites, or even dive straight into native-speaking radio stations.
Here’s where to start with Japanese language audio:
- JapanesePod101: You can sign up for Innovative Language podcasts, including JapanesePod101, for free. There’s an impressive amount of content available at a variety of levels, from beginner to intermediate and advanced.
- TuneIn Japan: You can listen to radio from all across Japan on TuneIn. Test out a few stations, see what catches your attention and enjoy.
- Forvo: If you come across a new word, especially with Japanese where there are up to ten ways to read each Kanji, check out Forvo. It is a great place to listen to words spoken by a native speaker. Plus, it has a large database and is a good reference for pronunciation.
- News in Slow Japanese is an iTunes podcast that delivers current news stories in… you guessed it… slow Japanese. Each episode is also available at native speed, so you get a chance to evaluate how much your listening comprehension is improving.
Free Online Japanese Courses and Systems
If you’re interested in guided lessons, there is a good selection of free online Japanese courses and systems available. Here are just a few websites that offer online Japanese lessons at no cost.
- Tofugu are the creators of two popular paid courses for learning Japanese – Textfugu and Wanikani. Their blog, however, is also an incredible resource with thorough posts on different aspects of the Japanese language.
- Learn Japanese on EdX: The online learning portal EdX currently has three free Japanese language courses. Two focus on the Japanese language and culture while the third is specific to Japanese pronunciation.
- Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese: This guide is an in-depth look into the Japanese language. It covers all the basics and even gets into complex grammar as you progress.
- Learn with Oliver: Learn with Oliver is an online flashcard tool that allows you to learn Japanese words or phrases. It offers several ways to test yourself on the content. I love their email newsletters and look forward to seeing them in my inbox each day
From the above points, you must now be clear that you can now easily learn the Japanese language free of cost from these useful online lessons and classes. Also, if you are looking for extensive courses or tutors so that you can learn more clearly, you can check out Multibhashi. Just click on its website at www.multibhashi.com. Hope all your dreams come true and achieve whatever you wish. Do not give up and have a good study plan only then you can fulfil your goals of learning Japanese.