What are some of the easy ways to learn Japanese on your own?
A person who is a complete novice in Japanese learning might imagine it to be a terribly difficult task to learn Japanese. On the contrary, learning Japanese is not as difficult as one dreads it to be. In fact, it is just a matter of learning in the correct manner.
There are some simple steps that one can use to learn Japanese on one’s own.
Let's have a look at what these steps are?
Learning to read Hiragana, Katakana scripts and understanding Kanji
Hiragana is one of the elements of the Japanese writing system. Katakana, too, is a component of the Japanese writing system. It should be a part of a Japanese language learning program for beginners. Watching videos that slowly illustrate stroke-by-stroke how to write a katakana will help a lot in understanding and learning them.
Basic Japanese learning can be a bit easy if one keeps translation and typing tools handy.
Just understanding kanji does not serve the purpose for basic Japanese learners, kanjis have to be practised and revised rigorously to attain perfection in them. After learning a few kanjis, one should undertake a few quizzes for self-assessment of one’s learning.
Invest some time daily, which could be a mere 15-20 minutes but that would really keep you on track. Try practising the writing of syllables from each script one at a time going over to the next script once thoroughly finished with one. Do not try and juggle between scripts any time. Use workbooks if necessary.
An interesting way to learn the language is with mnemonics. It is easier to remember letters or alphabets or kanjis when one uses rhythm to learn them. For memorizing kanji, one must use visual mnemonics for far better results.
There is an excellent book called “Remembering the Kanji” written by J. W. Heisig. Do have a look!
Build a Core Vocabulary
Core vocabulary is something which is essential to speak the basic or the most important words required in communication.
Examples of these words are – hello, good morning, good day, good afternoon, good evening, good night, my name, your name, right, left, goodbye, water, bag, phone, time, and many more which are essential for speaking in Japanese with Japanese people.
When this core vocabulary is developed, one can start communicating in Japanese, and the answers to these questions from native Japanese speakers will further help one to develop vocabulary. Keep a dictionary always handy. Do consider writing a journal or a diary to capture all new words and phrases to help you make your own Vocab.
Practise Learn Practise repeat Japanese Pronunciations
Listen intently to your tutor, in online or offline classes and speak aloud to your heart’s content to learn. Speak with yourself, with your pet, a family member who can invest sometime helping you daily or a friend who may be learning the language with you. In case you have none available consider surfing on social or networking sites or even apps that are available in market to connect you with a Native Japanese. It is true about learning Japanese word pronunciations, too.
Listening to pronunciations of syllables and words from native Japanese speakers or Japanese language experts can go a long way in helping one to understand the pronunciations correctly and perfectly. Listen to podcasts, audio books, videos, radio to gather pronunciation of Japanese.
Do look at investing in some seriously good books
There are many books available to help Japanese language learners understand the basics in an easier manner and to help them learn Japanese on their own. One can search for these books easily by simply typing books for ‘basic Japanese learning, Japanese learning books for beginners, basic to advanced Japanese learning course books, Japanese for all, etc.’
We will incorporate the fun element of Subtitled Movies and
Japanese Television to keep us interested! 🙂
It is one of the most entertaining ways to learn a language. When you read the words written in a language you know, and hear what words are used for them in the target language (the language that you are trying to learn), you can grasp them quickly. Visuals create a greater impact.
This source is good for those who know the basics of Japanese. One can tune in to a cartoon or a new channel, or a debate show, whatever suits one’s interest. One should try to understand what the speakers or the characters in a show are saying. If one feels that one is able to understand at least some part of the dialogues in the language Japanese, then one’s Japanese language listening skills are good, or are improving
Finally
One can use the interactive or communicative method to start learning Japanese. Trying to express oneself or asking questions and then trying to understand how a native Japanese speaker or a Japanese language expert or a Japanese language instructor answers them, can help one learn the basics of the Japanese language pretty quickly.
With the application of the above methods, one can definitely learn Japanese basics. How about augmenting the learning process with a systematic course, but? Many online language learning platforms are available today which connect learners with instructors via online Japanese learning sessions. These sessions are conducted through audio-visual mode. One can learn Japanese online without having to travel to any place or without wasting much time of a day learning Japanese.