How to Learn Japanese on Your Own
Study Japanese writing systems., Practice Japanese pronunciation., Learn some key phrases., Learn the rules of grammar.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Study Japanese writing systems.
The Japanese language uses four writing systems.
In order to learn Japanese, you will need to study each of them.
You can visit https://www.tofugu.com/japanese to view each writing system and take beginning lessons to learn each one.
Hiragana is the Japanese alphabet.
It consists of 51 phonetic characters.
Each character stands for one sound.
Begin by studying and memorizing these characters.
Once you understand Hiragana, you will know how to pronounce any word in Japanese.Katakana is a series of characters used to stand for non-Japanese words (such as fast food or California).
It is a good idea to learn the Katakana phrases for words you commonly use.Kanji are actually Chinese symbols that are used to stand for words and phrases in Japanese.
Whereas Hiragana symbols are more like “letters” (depicting simple sounds), Kanji symbols depict complete words.Romaji is a system of using English letters to spell Japanese words.
A little Romaji will be helpful at first (especially for learning initial key phrases) but if you rely too much on on it, you are unlikely to move on to a real understanding of the language.
Instead, focus mostly on Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. -
Step 2: Practice Japanese pronunciation.
There are 46 sounds in the Japanese language.
These sounds are composed of one of five vowel sounds, by a vowel-consonant combination. (There is only one exception, which is a sound composed of only a consonant).
You can begin studying pronunciation by learning how to pronounce each character in hiragana and katakana.
Visit http://www.forvo.com/languages/ja/ to take beginning lessons in Japanese pronunciation. , Knowing some key phrases will allow you to begin practicing.
Although Romaji should not be heavily relied upon, using Romaji to learn these basic phrases is OK for beginners.Hello
- Kon'nichiwa Nice to meet you
- Hajime mash'te Goodbye
- Sayonara I'm fine, thanks
- Watashiwa genki desu.
Arigato.
Thank you very much
- Domo arigato gozaimasu Please (asking for something)
- Kudasai Please (offering something)
- Dozo Do you understand? Wakarimasuka , Japanese grammar is very different from grammar in English, so try not to apply English rules of grammar to your Japanese study.
Learning Japanese grammer will take some time to get used to.
Purchase a Japanese grammar workbook and begin following the lessons.
Some examples include "Practice Makes Perfect:
Basic Japanese" and "A Guide to Japanese Grammar" by Tae Kim.
Or locate free online resources (such as Duolingo) to study Japanese grammar.Here are some basic tips:
Nouns do not have gender.
Also, most nouns don't have separate plural forms.
In Japanese, the subject is optional and may be omitted.
The predicate is always at the end of the sentence.
Verbs do not change according to the subject (he/she/it).
They also don't change according to number (singular/plural, like I/we or he/they).Personal pronouns (such as I or you) differ according to the level of formality of a given situation. -
Step 3: Learn some key phrases.
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Step 4: Learn the rules of grammar.
Detailed Guide
The Japanese language uses four writing systems.
In order to learn Japanese, you will need to study each of them.
You can visit https://www.tofugu.com/japanese to view each writing system and take beginning lessons to learn each one.
Hiragana is the Japanese alphabet.
It consists of 51 phonetic characters.
Each character stands for one sound.
Begin by studying and memorizing these characters.
Once you understand Hiragana, you will know how to pronounce any word in Japanese.Katakana is a series of characters used to stand for non-Japanese words (such as fast food or California).
It is a good idea to learn the Katakana phrases for words you commonly use.Kanji are actually Chinese symbols that are used to stand for words and phrases in Japanese.
Whereas Hiragana symbols are more like “letters” (depicting simple sounds), Kanji symbols depict complete words.Romaji is a system of using English letters to spell Japanese words.
A little Romaji will be helpful at first (especially for learning initial key phrases) but if you rely too much on on it, you are unlikely to move on to a real understanding of the language.
Instead, focus mostly on Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji.
There are 46 sounds in the Japanese language.
These sounds are composed of one of five vowel sounds, by a vowel-consonant combination. (There is only one exception, which is a sound composed of only a consonant).
You can begin studying pronunciation by learning how to pronounce each character in hiragana and katakana.
Visit http://www.forvo.com/languages/ja/ to take beginning lessons in Japanese pronunciation. , Knowing some key phrases will allow you to begin practicing.
Although Romaji should not be heavily relied upon, using Romaji to learn these basic phrases is OK for beginners.Hello
- Kon'nichiwa Nice to meet you
- Hajime mash'te Goodbye
- Sayonara I'm fine, thanks
- Watashiwa genki desu.
Arigato.
Thank you very much
- Domo arigato gozaimasu Please (asking for something)
- Kudasai Please (offering something)
- Dozo Do you understand? Wakarimasuka , Japanese grammar is very different from grammar in English, so try not to apply English rules of grammar to your Japanese study.
Learning Japanese grammer will take some time to get used to.
Purchase a Japanese grammar workbook and begin following the lessons.
Some examples include "Practice Makes Perfect:
Basic Japanese" and "A Guide to Japanese Grammar" by Tae Kim.
Or locate free online resources (such as Duolingo) to study Japanese grammar.Here are some basic tips:
Nouns do not have gender.
Also, most nouns don't have separate plural forms.
In Japanese, the subject is optional and may be omitted.
The predicate is always at the end of the sentence.
Verbs do not change according to the subject (he/she/it).
They also don't change according to number (singular/plural, like I/we or he/they).Personal pronouns (such as I or you) differ according to the level of formality of a given situation.
About the Author
Cynthia Allen
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