Japanese or Nihongo is the official language of Japan. According to statistics, there are 127 million Japanese speakers today. It has also 46 characters and is divided into 3 basic categories: hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
The Japanese language has established its reputation as one of the most used languages in Asia in terms of the number of speakers as well as in mass media. It’s also one of the major languages in Asia from which other dialects and languages have evolved from.
Learning Japanese
Many people are interested in learning Japanese because of its importance in modern society. People usually want to learn Japanese because it’s a necessity in business. Others also want to learn it because of the appeal of the Japanese culture.
Japan has established itself as one of the most business-oriented nations in the world. Because of this, many people want to learn Japanese to be able to negotiate with native speakers. Their language has also successfully incorporated itself into mass media through the creation of animes.
If you’re interested to learn Japanese, here are some options to quickly learn it:
1. Learning Online
There are many platforms if you want to learn Japanese online. They also offer quick ways to learn Japanese. Modules and lessons would be given for you to accomplish. Online platforms also let you practice speaking and writing in Japanese through fun and interactive methods.
Through learning online, you can also meet people who are interested in speaking Japanese. Teachers are also oftentimes native speakers, so you can learn the language more effectively.
2. Watching Japanese Shows Or Movies
You can also learn Japanese quickly through watching and mimicking Japanese shows. Familiarity is one of the tricks to learning a language quickly. By watching Japanese shows, you expose yourself more to its accent and vocabulary. Thus, it’d be easier for you to learn it.
You can also practice speaking by repeating conversations out loud. This would help you speak more comfortably in the language, and you’d also gain more confidence when speaking it.
3. Speaking With A Native Speaker
Speaking Japanese with a native speaker is one of the best ways to quickly learn it. It sounds intimidating at first, but there are many native Japanese speakers who are willing to teach interested learners of their language.
Practicing with a native speaker would also help you be more natural and confident when speaking it. Even having simple day-to-day conversations with a native Japanese speaker can also help you be more fluent in the long run.
4. Listening To Local Music
You can also learn a language quickly by listening to local music. Japanese songs are great too, and it’s famous for its pop music called JPop.
Music is repetitive so you can use this to learn common words. As you sing, you also familiarize yourself with the accent and intonation of words. Singing also requires you to pronounce words out loud, so it’s a great way of learning Japanese quickly.
5. Reading Local Literature
Japan has always valued its literature. There are many great poems and novels you can read if you want to learn Japanese. In reading, you may encounter deep words. Every time you read a new book, there might just be another word you haven’t encountered yet. So, reading is also one way to improve your vocabulary.
Reading also stimulates the mind so you can start speaking Japanese directly. Speaking directly means that your mind wouldn’t have to translate between your first language to Japanese. It’d already comprehend and think in Japanese.
6. Travel
Traveling is one of the great ways to learn a language. By traveling, you’d also expose yourself to a country’s culture, language, and customs. This is also a great way to familiarize yourself with basic and essential terms. You’ll also be encouraged to speak and understand it out of necessity because you’d need it in day-to-day activities like riding the subway or ordering at a restaurant.
Conclusion
Studying language requires patience as it’d take time to fully understand and speak it. It also requires a lot of practice because learning a language is like acquiring a new skill. The things mentioned above are just options to learn Japanese quicker and more effectively than usual. But it’s important to note that learning a language isn’t easy and it doesn’t happen overnight.
Also, a language with a rich history such as Japanese should be something that you’d be willing to learn even in the long run. It takes time to fully understand this language, and you shouldn’t be in a hurry to learn it. Lastly, you should always be open to improvement and just appreciate the learning process.
