What are the easiest ways to learn Japanese?

Japanese, Nihongo, is an East Asian language spoken by about 128 million people, primarily in Japan, where it is the national and official language, making it one of the most spoken foreign languages in the world. Japanese is also the official language Palau. A member of the Japonic (or Japanese-Ryukyuan) language family, its relation to other languages, such as Korean, is debated for ages. 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. While most people outside Japan refer to the language as ‘Japanese,’ native speakers call it ‘Nihongo.’ Same is the case with the name ‘Japan,’ which is referred to as ‘Nihon’ or ‘Nippon’ in the native dialect. Despite Japanese being a non-tonal language, it still follows a certain rhythm and cadence to its words and sentences. Japanese, one of the most fast-spoken languages in the world, with an average of eight syllables spoken per second, beats out Spanish, French and Italian! 

Little is known of the language’s prehistory, or when it first appeared in Japan. Chinese documents from the 3rd century recorded a few Japanese words, but substantial texts did not appear until the 8th century. During the Heian period (794–1185), the Chinese had considerable influence on the vocabulary and phonology of Old Japanese. Late Middle Japanese (1185–1600) included changes in features that brought it closer to the modern language and the first appearance of European loanwords. Despite popular belief, Japanese Chinese have a common kanji writing system and Japanese “borrows” quite a few phrases and words from Chinese. Japanese is considered one of the most unique languages in the world. The Japanese language relies on not one but three different alphabets – hiragana, katakana and kanji – which are differentiated both by their distinct appearances and by their use.

Japan is the third-largest economy in the world after the United States and China. Learning Japanese can be one of the most useful languages to know for those who work in the automotive, communications, and financial sectors, with Japan being the 3rd biggest producer of automobiles and biggest producers of mobile technology. According to Forbes, Japan is home to some of the world’s most powerful companies including Mitsubishi, KDDI, Softbank, and NTT.

Japanese people love to travel. So, if you want to work in the tourism industry, Japanese is a great skill to have.

Japanese has also gained importance, due to the increasing global role of the Pacific Rim and Asia, as well as the economic ties between the US and Japan.

Find a conversation partner or join a conversation club – If you really want to learn Japanese with all your will and heart I suggest, you need to find a conversation partner – a native Japanese speaker who is willing to help you practice. Search for Language Exchange Apps such as Tandem or HelloTalk, for meetups, conversation clubs(if there aren’t, consider starting one!) or partners through local, online or social networks. 

Volunteer in Japanese. Get involved in your community with people who speak your Japanese. Schools, nonprofit organizations, libraries, places of worship, medical clinics, immigration services, to meet some native Japanese speakers both to practice and make a difference.

Do some Japanese practice every day. It’s much better to study for 45 minutes twice or thrice each day rather than clubbing it over the weekend. 

If the First Golden Rule of language learning is practising every day, then the Second Golden Rule is not being afraid of making mistakes. Studying is when you learn new grammar, expressions or vocabulary from a textbook but practising is when you take your Japanese knowledge and try it out in the real world fearlessly. The key is to read copiously and to read for pleasure rather than focusing on short passages and studying them in minute detail. This is the difference between intensive reading and extensive reading. 

Go shopping in French. Seek out any local immigrant community that speaks Japanese and shops they use. Taking over running errands and a visit to these shops will not only force you to read some Japanese labels but might also help you find a possible future conversation partner.

If you don’t have a learning buddy, you can still practise – by speaking aloud to yourself or your pet! Listen to free podcasts! “A young learner once explained that every night, when he watched TV, and people on TV spoke, he answered them back as if they were talking to him!”

Label things in your home and study. Put French labels on the things you regularly use stationery, books etc. to improve your vocabulary. Change your device language settings. your social and online media language settings to Japanese! This is an excellent way to make learning Japanese a part of your everyday life.

Watch like a local but don’t talk like a local! Find a movie, TV or program in Japanese to watch starting with English subtitles with some online research or leads from native Japanese friends. But never try and give monosyllabic answers to questions. Native speakers may use that but you’re not a one and you need the practice, so always speak in full Japanese sentences. Once your Japanese reaches a sufficiently progressed level, it also opens up the world of TV and radio aimed at native speakers. There are also many suitable films for you.

Keep up on current events. Keep up on hot news and current events in Japanese-speaking countries to be able to start some great conversations, besides improving vocabulary and cultural knowledge. 

Keep a journal in Japanese. Practice writing through a journal that can be used to take notes, make a vocabulary list, internet slangs, commonly used slangs, about your day, or simply keep track of your Japanese learning process. Create a vocabulary notebook for yourself the classic way!

Have fun in Japanese. Pick up reading as a habit. Start with the Japanese version of your younger sibling’s books. Download some Japanese hits. Search for games in Japanese to play or connect with Japanese-speaking players when playing. Play Japanese board games with fellow learners or native speakers. Lookup for Japanese blogs and videos related to your hobbies.

Learn from apps Duolingo: Continuously improve your Japanese with seriously addictive games

Memrise is a classic flashcard app where you can acquire a basic Japanese vocabulary of around 1,000 words.

Quizlet is a general flashcard app that works as a community.

Finally, you must remember, while every method has its own advantages and disadvantages it is important to note that what is fast for one learner may not always work fast for another, however, one method that works for everyone however, is through complete Japanese immersion.