Getting Started in Japanese

So you want to learn Japanese? You must like a challenge… Learning Japanese is like starting to learn everything from scratch, since almost everything is different from what you are accustomed to. Different characters, pronunciations, grammar, and learning to read, write and pronounce Hirigana, Katakana, Kanji and Romaji.

Where to start? That depends, if you want to be fluent in all aspects there is a lot more to do than if you want to learn some conversational Japanese. If conversation is all you need, there are several good audio discs that you can listen to while driving, provided that they don’t make you sleepy.

I’m going for the whole thing, and eventually take the JLPT tests. The JLPT is the official test for fluency in four levels, starting with four and working up to level one.  Passing the level one test says that you are fluent, and can take a few years to accomplish.

This route takes a lot of serious study, and everything you can do to approach it from every direction helps. In other words, work on the writing, and immerse yourself in as much Japanese as possible, watching TV programs, listen to Japanese programs, speak it as often as possible, download the language software into your computer so you can write in it, and practice, practice, practice!

There are plenty of free online resources, you will find a few in the sidebar.

Also, if you can find a Japanese speaker to help you, it will be of enormous benefit. It’s easy to mispronounce or misunderstand things that you have heard, and if you know someone you can practice with, they can point those things out.

Start off by learning Hirigana and Katakana. That’s the basics, and get yourself one of these handy charts:

Hirigana / Katakana card

The image links to an online store where you can purchase it, or you can sometime find them locally at Japanese markets or bookstores. Very handy!!

Hirigana is used for Japanese words, and katakana is used for foreign words that have been brought into the language, like “coffee” is “ko-hi-” (コーヒー)

Memorize the Hirigana and Katakana, that is your first, most important goal. When you think you’ve got it figured out, go to an Asian market and see how well you do, or if possible find some Japanese childrens’ books, they don’t normally have much kanji, and will have a hirigana pronunciation above or next to it.

So go get started, and Ganbatte (do your best)!