subject: Tips And Suggestions To Help You Learn Japanese [print this page] Most people think that learning Japanese is very difficult. If you were brought up speaking a Western language, the many nuances and lyrical tone of Japanese may be difficult to learn. As you learn, however, you start to pick up on the subtleties of this beautiful language. Sadly, some people never make the effort to learn Japanese, assuming that it will be too hard. What you have to realize is that everyone has the ability to learn several languages! You just can't expect it to come easily; learning Japanese does take some work and dedication. With enough time and effort you could be fluent in Japanese before you know what is happening. If you read and apply some of these tricks, you can make your Japanese study a little simpler.
A complete immersion in Japanese is the most effective way to learn it. The best way to surround yourself in the language would be to go to Japan and get by without any help. Any study you've done will come in handy, and you may get by better than you think. For many people this sort of total immersion is the best way to learn a language. Being in another country puts you in a situation where you have to learn another language, and it opens your mind to its ability to do this. If travel is not possible for you, another thing you can do is look for a "Japan Town," an area with many Japanese people and businesses. If none of this is possible, you can still give yourself a kind of immersion by buying or renting many Japanese movies and shows; don't use the subtitles, but only listen to them in Japanese. You'll start to pick up on vocabulary pretty quickly. You also have to learn the basic characters used in Japanese. Don't worry about spelling at first, but become familiar with symbols and how they are pronounced. If you have difficulties, you can then write down something that is at least an approximation of what you are trying to say to someone. This is especially helpful if you plan on traveling before you get a working knowledge of the language under your belt and are not good with immersion tactics. Being able to write down words or phrases phonetically is a good first step in communicating in a new language, as well as developing reading skills.
Reading out loud helps a lot. Learning a language almost always depends on being able to hear the way it flows and being able to properly repeat that sound. You must get a feeling for the natural rhythm and flow of the language or you will never be taken serious by native speakers, so start reading and speaking the language out loud. Go to a website that is conducted in your chosen language and read some of it. Read your Japanese textbooks out loud. Reading out loud is one of the few methods you can use in order to go to the advanced level. There is no shortage of tricks and helpful tools to make learning a language easier. Find out what techniques jibe with the way you learn best, and stick with these. The most important thing to remember is that learning Japanese is something you can do. The key is to make up your mind that you will continue learning until you can speak, read and write like someone who's been speaking Japanese their whole life!
