Learning Japanese

As with any language, Japanese poses many problems for the learner, and also poses several unique ones. Learning a language requires a knowledge of not just the grammar and form of the language itself, but also of the culture of the people that use it, a knowledge or at least basic understanding of the way it is used, the general way of thinking of that people and something of their day-to-day lives. This may sound like a lot, but there is one very simple way to cover all of these very quickly - to go to a country where that language is used on a daily basis and study there.

Even if you don't have time for a long trip lasting a year or more, shorter periods are still well worth the effort. Japanese is one of those languages that is so distinctly different from anything else when considered from the point of view of the written and spoken language that study in the country is vital at some time if you are ever to achieve fluency. Even three months of study in Japan, immersed in the language, is worth a year of private or university study.

So what are the main features of studying Japanese? Well, the place to start would be with a brief explanation of the language and writing system, essential if you are to really understand the language (see the Japan Guide). It is worth mentioning at this point that we assume that you will be learning the Japanese writing system. If you do not, you will never really learn Japanese, and will handicap your experience of Japan and enjoyment of Japanese if you try to avoid it. There is no substitute - anyone who tells you that you can learn Japanese without knowing how to read or write it obviously knows nothing about the language. It is true you can achieve basic fluency, but you slow yourself down and will never master the language.

So choose a school and a course (or a course and the school as a result), and prepare for your trip to Japan. See the Japan Guide for more detailed information.