If you are willing to learn a new language and Japanese is your choice, we should tell you it’s a vast language and sometimes takes years to learn the dialect. All over the world, there are millions of Japanese speaking people, so if you want to join the clan, it is not necessary that you have to move to Japan and learn the intricate language.
You can do so even while you are sitting at home and have time to learn a new language. Japanese is not an easy language and indeed has a lot of complicated syllables and alphabets that are different phonetically and in writing. It requires a lot of practice and patience to learn the art of the Japanese language. However, with practice and persistence, one can become fluent in Japanese. You just need to have the gist of learning the unique language. You can learn the language on your own too, but you would have to give time to the process of grasping.
Steps
The step by step process to learn the Japanese language if you are self-tutoring yourself:
- Learn Hiragana- Hiragana is one of the components of the Japanese language with 51 phonetic forms. It represents the sounds in the Japanese language. This is different from the English language, where every alphabet represents their sounds and is easy to understand. If you know Hiragana, then you can pronounce almost every word in the language. Start your learning process with Hiragana as it’s the basic to start.
- Next is Katakana- Now that you have a basic understanding of Hiragana, learn Katakana. These are the words in the Japanese language that are translated from English words. The loan words which are not present in Japan but new words or slangs that are being discovered in English. As Japanese is an ancient language, it does not contain modern words which were not invented during those times. Words like the Internet or hot dog which are not mainstream have a different pronunciation and spellings in Japanese that you can learn with Katakana.
- Kanji- These are the main words that can be used nouns, pronouns, adjectives, or adverbs. Kanji is a set of symbols and are consists of more than 50,000 in the Japanese language. These are used to showcase complete words. If they are combined with another symbol then the single Kanji changes its meaning. If you know Kanji, then you can be sure you understand the primary Japanese language.
- Grammar Practice- Similar to the English language, you would need to practice grammar for Japanese as well. Many online and offline workbooks can help you to practice Japanese grammar. If you don’t know the sentence formation and don’t exercise enough for this, then you won’t be able to learn Japanese. Tae Kim’s Guide to Japanese Grammar can help you rationally achieve your grammar practice. Try to make out the rules of Japanese grammar because they have a vast difference from English grammar. Buy some useful workbooks from offline markets too to help you in achieving grammar practice.
- Familiarise with common phrases- Think of it as the English language. When someone wants to learn the English language, they would want to know some critical sentences like how to greet, say goodnight, ask the price, introduction phrases, and much more. Same way, look for common phrases in Japanese dialect and practice to pronounce them and also how to write them. This would let you know the basic pronunciation and writing techniques for many syllables that you would need to understand the language.
- Flashcards- If you want to familiarise yourself more with the language, then use flashcards. Japanese flashcards are available in the offline markets and also on many online sites that offer Japanese learning. If you cannot understand them or are unable to find them, then make your Japanese flashcards. Also, the very innovative way is to label things around your house with these flashcards as it is an effective way for you to memorize the words in Japanese quickly. Also, these flashcards can help you to quiz yourself.
- Practice with someone- Have someone to assist you with the learning process. If you have help when you are practicing, then they can help you to refurbish your language. It would strengthen your grammar and fine-tune the language. Practice with a friend or family member, and it would be effective for you to remember more efficiently. Use your self-made flashcards to practice with this person as it would be an excellent exercise for helping you to grasp the language. Most importantly, if you have a friend who is a native of Japan, they would be able to help you in the best way possible, not only with the practice but also with the learning part.
- Online Help- Some apps and websites can assist you with your Japanese learning process. There are a lot of programs that are offered to the enthusiasts free of cost. Those apps and websites host live discussion sessions too. Take their help if you are having some trouble regarding your online tutoring sessions. You can video chat with the experts who would be then offering you advice and better training with your project to learn the language. Also, take help from a native from Japan and connect to them online to seek help with your learning process.
- Watch Japanese Serials and Movies- If you want to learn about a culture and their language, then you should always take the help of their entertainment industry’s content. With the online ways, you are now closer to learning Japanese with the help of their locals series and films. The Internet has loads of such Japanese content and that too for free. Utilize these contents if you don’t know anyone from the place itself. These would be able to help you to expose to a much more extensive range of Japanese dialects that you may not find in your self-study. You can also learn the pronunciation of different words from these series and films; even they can teach you new phrases to use in Japanese that you might have no idea of.