Learn Japanese to live in Japan: 5 tips
When you start living in Japan, it is not necessary that you are super expert in Japanese already. Rather everyone becomes good with time living and conversing in Japanese language. By ordering food in Japan, Conversing with your neighbors, commuting in trains, shopping in Japan everyone who has just started living in Japan, starts speaking Japanese and starts liking it.
However, there are a few tips about Japanese fundamentals that come in handy when you are all set to work or study in Japan.
You’ve probably seen these kinds of ads before on the internet.
“Learn Japanese in an Hour!”
“Learn 5,000 Kanji in Two Days!”
“Speak Japanese in 10 min”
Everyone knows these promises are fake and they demand huge money after a short sample.
That’s because there’s no way to learn an entire language in a few days.
This article won’t try to sell you how to learn Japanese.
Instead, we provide you with a plan designed to help you learn Japanese very quickly.
But we can provide you with the suggestions and tools you need to become good at the Japanese language. The real point is your own efforts.
Let’s take a look at how to make this happen.
With hard work and daily practice, just about anybody can learn Japanese that’s usable and helpful in Japan’s daily life.
You can reach a high enough level to survive a stay in Japan. If you’re just learning for enjoyment, you can use this guide to fast-track yourself to mid-to high-beginner level.
Let’s get one thing clear: You won’t become fluent overnight. But you can absolutely learn what you need to get by all about what’s best for you.
We recommend you to follow this step by step one by one and as you complete each step, cross it off.
At the end of your deadline, you should be able to form those basic sentences and understand some Japanese that will be eventually useful for you once you step outside the airport in Japan.
Step-1. Set your deadline and schedule
It is explained at the end of about JLPT study page of nihongomax.com that what is the importance of making a schedule and how it can benefit your manifolds while learning the Japanese Language. However in case still you cannot set a precise timeline for yourself, the classes given are designed to fit a pace that the Japanese language learner is absolutely comfortable following without worrying about the pace and schedule.
If you really want to get a grip on basic Japanese in a short time, we suggest practicing Japanese and studying for 30 minutes a day at a minimum as taught in the basic chapters here.
nihongomax.com allows you to study wherever you are. Make use of that or replace your morning newspaper for a month with nihongomax.com, instead.
Step-2. Learn the Japanese Sentence Structure and particle use
A language isn’t just its vocabulary words or textbook full of common phrases. You absolutely should learn the basic phrases, especially if you’ll be visiting Japan with only a month to learn how to speak a new language.
But it’s also important to get a handle on grammar and sentence structure. This way, you’ll at least have a little bit of information memorized to help in a contextual situation where you’re not entirely sure what someone said or how to respond.
Japanese particles are words that come after modified nouns, adjectives, verbs, and phrases in Japanese.
These little words or sounds are an integral part of the Japanese sentence structure and indicate parts of speech, questions and exclamations, etc. Certain particles can also help show enthusiasm, cuteness, aggression, humor, etc.
Step-3. Learn only a few basic Grammar forms and vocabulary
Japanese grammar forms or “verb forms” are used to indicate various types of past, present, and future tenses. English also has verb forms, but English is significantly different than Japanese and you may take some time to get used to the Japanese verb forms.
The Japanese language has several verb-based tenses, including the plain, “te,” conditional, potential, and imperative forms. Whether you’re thinking for a trip or for your own enjoyment, having a core vocabulary will create a solid foundation that you can build your future. After all, you can’t learn grammar if you don’t know any words to string into sentences.
Stock up on important vocabulary words and travel phrases with initial 20 classes of N5.
Step-4. Talk and Listen to Native Japanese Speakers
No matter the language being learned, if you want to understand a new language, you can’t just study on paper. You’ll need to listen to native speakers.
You may think you have an idea of what Japanese sounds like, but you really don’t understand Japanese when you hear it from a Japanese person’s mouth.
That’s because it is crucial to listen and speak Japanese constantly to improve your fluency. Learning Japanese is like learning to drive a car: if you don’t actually drive a car and just keep learning it by reading books, can you drive it?
Communicate with native speakers when u land in Japan
To listen to and communicate with native Japanese speakers, try out some useful phrases for starters given in the first 5 classes of N5.
Step-5. Watch YouTube
If you don’t feel ready for one-on-one communication, you can still get some listening practice by watching YouTube, Japanese movies, television shows, and dramas as soon as possible. Some of my favorite channels are – Bananaman Conte, Kore tte ari des ka, and of course watch Nihongomax on YouTube.
Now you should feel confident about your future of Japanese language learning and career in it. Also when you land in Japan feel free to talk as the Japanese society is pretty cooperative in terms of communicating when you start trying to speak with them in Japanese.
Also, nihongomax.com is packed with awesome resources perfect for the beginner learner—all you need is to log in and view starting classes to get the idea.
All the Best
