I asked my best friend on how to learn Japanese language as beginner and he was like “You cannot, even the Japanese themselves are struggling to master it with its vocabulary and embedded cultural differences that govern what should and should not be said” Of course learning any second language as an adult is not that easy but then we shouldn’t give up.
In my opinion, if you want to learn Japanese faster, prioritize on speaking and listening than writing online japanese course singapore. Below is a complete guide on how to master the language faster, for both speaking and writing.
For writing, consider Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana.
Kanji. Some say it’s the most difficult part of writing in Japanese. Kanji was borrowed from Chinese and for one to be able to read and write, they must memorize a good number of its characters, around 2 000 words are used in day to day life. They consist thousands of Chinese symbols representing new ideas or pronunciations.
Hiragana. Unlike Kanji, Hiragana is quite easy to learn with only 46 characters. It is the foundation of the Japanese accent explaining why the pronunciations are the way they are.
Katakana. Very crucial to beginners with similar pronunciations as Hiragana but written in a different way. Katakana is commonly used for foreign words such as names of people, plants and other scientific terms.
Construct a simple sentence
Japanese and English grammar are very different. For example, in English, a sentence is structured as a subject then a verb then an object but in Japanese, the object comes before the verb. In addition to that, there is a difference in explaining nouns and tenses written from top to bottom or right to left.
Take a Japanese language course
With the outbreak of corona virus, there are lots of online courses available for both beginners and intermediate language speakers. You can research on the best learning materials online for free but if you’ve got the money and time, apply for a Japanese language school for at least 3 hours a day.
Another best way of learning Japanese as a beginner is to chat online with native speakers provided that there is stable internet connection and a computer. There are also several mobile apps to find a language partner to chat with either in audio or video forms. These people will not only teach you the language but also give you tips on various foods and entertainment.
Practice everyday
The best way to learn a new language is to experiment and find out how far you can go. As for me, before I took the online course, I spent six months trying to learn on my own and Japanese felt easier compared to other foreign languages. Set up a schedule of around 20 minutes each day to practice the language by yourself before enrolling in any course or language school.
Conclusion
Learning Japanese as a beginner can be a very difficult task but then in my opinion, try it in a systematic way. There are several sources online including watching Japanese movies, anime, listening to podcasts and reading manga. Remember, never be afraid of making mistakes and again exercise patience.