The Japanese language is rich and widely spoken, mainly in Japan, being its national language. It is spoken by around 128 million people. Grammatically, the Japanese word order is arranged in the following sequence; subject, object, verb. As a rule, the position of the verb must be at the end of the sentence and are conjugated to indicate tense. Nouns don’t possess grammatical gender, number or article aspect. These are examples of grammar rules and aspects of the Japanese language. Japanese grammar is very interesting and can be challenging especially if your mother language is widely different from the Japanese language. To take on this challenge we are going to review a series of tips you can use. Note that, it is crucial to get professional help if you want to advance quickly or in some cases stuck.
Grasp and understand a grammatical form and exercise around it
While learning Japanese grammar, you are going to learn several structures and these vary from the level at which you are. Part of learning has to do with understanding what the rule or structure means and then you can apply it. If you are using a textbook or other sources, there will be examples for every structure. Use the examples given as a guide and then play around it to see if you comprehend the concept. To do this, make use of any senior in the language depending on your level. Simply put, find a native or advanced Japanese speaker to correct and check the way you used the new learned forms. Make sure to leave your comfort zones and exercise around the structure in all possible ways, the more mistakes you make the more you will learn new tips and get better over time.
Get a detailed grammar book that works for you
You are going to need a memorable grammar book to make it easy for your learning. Different books are designed for different levels and specifically for classrooms or self-learning. You have to understand how your course will be in the beginning and do the research for a preferable book. There are recommended books such as Genki, but the top recommendations might not work for you. After having a solid long-term plan for your language learning, start reviewing suggested best books and see whichever best fits your needs. It’s not uncommon to combine two or more books as you learn grammar if they compliment each other. The trick is to build sustainable momentum. Let yourself discover one structure at a time and practice with it then move to the next. It’s recommended by seniors and teachers to take one pattern a day, and tune it to the way native speakers say and write it. Don’t be hasty, take one step at a time.
Obtain a detailed Japanese grammar dictionary for reference
When you get a Japanese grammar book, it’s usually laid out in topics. A Japanese grammar dictionary is in alphabetical order and thus used as a reference. When you learn grammatical forms from your textbooks and tutorial, you will need to grasp the many examples of its use in writing and speech. This is where the reference grammar dictionary comes in handy. These dictionaries are packed with many examples from every possible angle. This will help you in learning how to use the grammatical structures. As a recommendation, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese by Seiichi Makino and Michio Tsutsui is a great place to start. It comes in three different variations, these being basic, intermediate and advanced. Use it as a reading book to pick up inspirations while you practice new grammatical forms. And as a working tip, keep coming at it to familiarize yourself with various structures over time.
Anticipate using other sources rather than your grammar book
For illustration, if a language was a sport, then grammar would be the rules of the game. And we know that knowing all the rules of the game is not what makes a great player, they have to play. The same applies when learning Japanese grammar. If you’ve completed all the book’s assignments on the pattern, it’s best to practice them with native speakers and get a real sense of the use. The best way to easily connect nowadays is on the internet. Online Japanese forums such as Jgram can be of great help. Other recommended forums are, maggie sensei, take Kim’s guide to Japanese, etc. With the correct keywords, you can research communities that match your level and integrate them for your practice. Mobile apps are also helpful in giving you tones of sentences and daily use examples.
Use different ways to practice listening and reading with native
This is the part where you test your Japanese grammar knowledge. We can all agree that it’s no fun if you spend all your time revising and never see any real-world use for what you learn. Part of learning Japanese grammar means taking your time to test yourself on real-world content. Use video or audios of your favorite content and see if you can spot grammatical forms that you have already learned. It is much better if you hang out with Japanese natives and try to listen when they engage in conversation. It for sure will be impossible to follow at first but, as you learn more your ear will start to tune in to real-life grammar. In this way over time you will learn more. Practice makes perfect. If you can’t find Native Japanese in your area, use online media. One great practice to get your grammar fast is using subtitles in Japanese. As you read the subtitles you will match the meaning from what’s been said in the scene and patterns will start to make more sense as you do this. A lot of mobile apps like FluentU offer great grammatical courses using media to make the learning much more memorable. Make sure to do your research on which real-world method is best suited for your Japanese grammar practicing.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, the road to Japanese language learning is certainly challenging. But this is normal as all learning requires effort and brings adversity along the way. Make sure you learn and practice at a pace that you can handle. Once you take sustainable action to learn your Japanese grammar, one way or another you will succeed.