Konnichiwa everyone,
Ninja Gaijin here and today lets talk learning the Japanese Language.
I'm sure there are tons of resources online and offline that you can use to learn the language. I just want to give you a word of advice.
STAY CLEAR OF SITES/COURSES THAT GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE AN EXPERT in x number of days.
Let's be realistic here. No language in the world is that simple to learn.
A few words and phrases?....definitely.
basic conversation?.....maybe.
Simple conversation?......uh....ogenki-who?
Fluent?.........you know where I'm going with this.
I started learning Japanese 3 weeks ago, since I found out that I got a job. Until then my Japanese word count must have been in the 50's. Thanks to all the anime, manga and (cough) porn.... which.....I.....came.....across.....during......research.....YES!! Research! FOR SCIENCE!!!!
Chances are you probably know some basic words like Konnichiwa (hello) and Sayounara (good bye) and the other words that you might have come across during your research.
But WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE GOOD AT IT?
It all depends on what's your definition of good.
Do you want to be able to ask if they speak English?
Do you want to be able to order food in Japanese?
Do you want to have meaningful conversations with a native?
Do you want to be an editor for a newspaper?
If you answered "YES" to one or more questions. DING DING DING DING! YOU JUST SET A GOAL!!!
Next you need to decide whether you want to read and write or just speak. Studies have been done which show that 95% of communication is speaking and 5% is by reading and writing.
Personally speaking, it's always better to read and write as well. Just put 5% of your effort. That should be a good start.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN JAPANESE?
The Japanese script consists of 3 parts
Next time, I will write about my (patent pending) method of learning.
Adios amigos
Ninja Gaijin
Leave your comments down below and I will answer then as soon as I can.
And as usual, share this with your friends.
Ninja Gaijin here and today lets talk learning the Japanese Language.
I'm sure there are tons of resources online and offline that you can use to learn the language. I just want to give you a word of advice.
STAY CLEAR OF SITES/COURSES THAT GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE AN EXPERT in x number of days.
Let's be realistic here. No language in the world is that simple to learn.
A few words and phrases?....definitely.
basic conversation?.....maybe.
Simple conversation?......uh....ogenki-who?
Fluent?.........you know where I'm going with this.
I started learning Japanese 3 weeks ago, since I found out that I got a job. Until then my Japanese word count must have been in the 50's. Thanks to all the anime, manga and (cough) porn.... which.....I.....came.....across.....during......research.....YES!! Research! FOR SCIENCE!!!!
Chances are you probably know some basic words like Konnichiwa (hello) and Sayounara (good bye) and the other words that you might have come across during your research.
But WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE GOOD AT IT?
It all depends on what's your definition of good.
Do you want to be able to ask if they speak English?
Do you want to be able to order food in Japanese?
Do you want to have meaningful conversations with a native?
Do you want to be an editor for a newspaper?
If you answered "YES" to one or more questions. DING DING DING DING! YOU JUST SET A GOAL!!!
Next you need to decide whether you want to read and write or just speak. Studies have been done which show that 95% of communication is speaking and 5% is by reading and writing.
Personally speaking, it's always better to read and write as well. Just put 5% of your effort. That should be a good start.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN JAPANESE?
The Japanese script consists of 3 parts
- Hiragana - The rounded characters like はい (Hai, which means yes)
- Katakana - Sharp characters and used to write anything that sounds foreign like アメリカ (America)
- Kanji - All the pictograms which are supposed to make the language easier to understand like本(Japan)
- Romaji - Japanese written in English like "sushi"
TRIVIA - Kanji has been devised from the Chinese script and many people believe that learning it will reveal the true nature of the language.
Damn! Is there anything in the world that's not MADE IN CHINA?? (I mean that in a good way)
Hiragana and Katakana have 71 characters each and kanji has (you might have to sit down for this) 81000 characters.
If you're still conscious, you better drink a glass of water (or coffee/tea/Vodka)
If you're like "F#@% THIS SHIT". I'd rather learn Chinese. Well, you're not alone.
It takes balls of steel and a dedication only rivaled by Rocky to get through this. You need to also check the payoff. Find out which one are you
If you're
- Just coming to Japan to visit - Simple sentences are good enough.
- Work in Japan for a while and then go back home - Maybe get a little proficient.
- Live here for the rest of your life - Better get fluent.
I'm not going to sugar coat it, but if you've decided to stay for a long time, you better get very VERY good at it.
Adios amigos
Ninja Gaijin
Leave your comments down below and I will answer then as soon as I can.
And as usual, share this with your friends.
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