Why learn Japanese?

Japanese does have a very complex writing system, which is why it tends to take longer to learn Japanese than a language which uses a phonetic alphabet. However, this can be a lot of fun, and there’s a tremendous sense of achievement and pride when students find they can quite quickly learn to read a restaurant menu, for example, or recognize words in a newspaper.

• Studying Japanese brings career opportunities for international business.
• Japanese language and culture is so different, learning Japanese helps us learn about our own language and culture.
• We can learn Japanese culture, which is very different and unique, through studying Japanese language.

How to learn Japanese:

Many people in this day want to learn Japanese without investing all of the time required. They want a shortcut to learning it, as if it were something like riding a bike. The reality is, however, that Japanese is a complex and sophisticated language, and is not easy to learn. Although there are software programs and correspondence courses that promise you that you will learn Japanese from them, stuff like that never works. You might learn a little bit from these toys. You might learn how to speak Japanese phrases, which might help you get around in Japan, but that is not the same as learning the whole language. It had better learn and practice your Japanese with a native speaker in a language exchange via email, text chat, and voice chat. In a word, the only way to learn Japanese is the same way you have to learn any foreign language.

Traveling in Japan to learn Japanese

Language is an integral part of the culture within which it is used. Traveling abroad to Japan is really the best way I know of to learn Japanese if you want to know the truth. Nothing will teach you how to learn Japanese like immersing yourself in the country and its culture. There are some problems that you will encounter when you try to learn Japanese that you will not have in other language projects:

• Japanese social norms are very complex
• Learning Japanese is not just a matter of learning the words, phrases, and grammar.
• You must also learn the subtle rules of politeness that govern every aspect of Japanese society or you will never even pick up the customs of Japanese culture by yourself.

There are many programs that really will successfully help you to learn Japanese, and you have the luxury of getting to live in any part of Japan that you want to. The entire country is of quite a manageable size, so while you learn Japanese, you will also have ample opportunity to travel and explore.

Learning Japanese does take commitment, as you need to do more writing and reading practice outside of class time than with European languages, but it is very challenging, rewarding, different, and a lot of fun.