Anyone started learning japanese? I’m about to embark but feeling scared!

[Fridaynightcatlady]

My learning objectives are aimed towards reading (I just want to read manga/video games and learning to read when traveling to Japan would be useful, too!).

Anyone else learning?

 

[LadyDestani]

I am learning Japanese! I officially started about a year and a half ago on Duolingo, but I self-taught myself a few things prior to that. I picked up a bunch of words and phrases from anime and Japanese music and learned how to read/write hiragana and katakana via various websites.

It's not the easiest language to learn going from Western languages to my first Eastern language, but I'm taking it slow and I can tell I'm improving. I don't have much opportunity to practice speaking so I probably will never be too good at that, but my goal is to be able to watch Japanese shows and movies without subtitles. I'm getting to the point where I can predict some of the words that will pop up in the subtitles when I hear them or vice versa, so I'm making progress.

Good luck! It may seem scary at first, but just try to find a method that works best for you and I'm sure you'll be able to meet your goals.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

My learning objectives are aimed towards reading (I just want to read manga/video games and learning to read when traveling to Japan would be useful, too!).

Your objectives for learning the language were the same as mine!

I spent about 5 years taking weekly part-time classes. Don't be scared. Whether you're learning it with others in a classroom environment or on your own time and at your own pace, just go for it! Learning another language will
open so many doors for you, in terms of appreciating another culture. You will be as good as the effort you put into the endeavour, so don't hold back. While I'm now able to read and understand most of what I read, I realize that my vocabulary is weak, so that will require more work on. The learning never stops, really. Reading and conversational skills definitely came in handy when I visited Japan. I love the food and shopping.

All the best to you on your learning journey!

 

[DinosaurDumpster]

I started learning Japanese in August since my school provides it (and I need it to graduate), and honestly its not as hard as I thought. It's very overwhelming at first since there are 3 "alphabets" (i guess you could say), but it's kinda easy once you get the hang of it.

Good luck =)

 

[bestfriendsally]

i've been learning japanese since quite a while ago :3


i just can't read or write japanese... it's too hard

i can currently only read romaji...

i can ' sometimes ' understand what they say, though, in anime

 

[Acruoxil]

I think most people learn Japanese for this very reason lmao. I wanted the same but I gave up. I hope you’re not like me!

 

[Bird_9]

Ive studied japanese for 2 years and a half during 2006-2008
But unfortunately i had to stop the course because life was getting a little busy
Nowadays im always thinking about coming back to study and now theres a lot of online options and for me is tbe ideal way because i dont have a lot of free time
Anyhow i would definitly return to nihongo just isnt the right time at the moment

 

[LuchaSloth]

It would be an awesome skill to have...but, I know my brain is not up to the task. I can understand some things in spoken form just from watching anime/video games/Japanese wrestling. But...not much. Just a few basic words that come up often. That's where it ends for me, though. My brain has never been good with languages that have their own signs or use letters not found in the English language. Anything like French or Spanish is pretty easy for me to get a grip on...but, things like Japanese, Russian, Thai, Chinese, Arabic, whatever...anything with new symbols to learn? Nah...not happening. Lol.

 

[Neb]

I’ve been learning Japanese off and on for two years. My dream is to become a translator for books, video games, and manga. With the nature of that job, I’ve had to spend extra time on the writing system.

My main advice is to focus on the grammar first. It’s nothing like English and will require getting used to. From there try to learn hiragana and katakana before jumping into kanji. While writing by hand is becoming antiquated, it does wonders for learning new symbols.

Lastly, don’t pressure yourself to do long, drawn out study sessions. 20 minutes a day is far better than 3 hours every two weeks.

 

[Lightspring]

I’ve been learning Japanese for maybe almost 3 years with the last 9 months being more serious. I’d say it’s definitely a journey. Like others have said, learn hiragana and then katakana. Don’t worry about kanji too much so early as it can be a lot to take in. Learn the greetings, numbers, and phrases and don’t be afraid to make mistakes or think that your pronunciation is wrong, it’s all about practice!
You could also download an app to talk to Japanese speakers, I‘ve heard about italki being a good one to use.
Good luck!

 

[DaisyFan]

I've been learning Japanese for a while now. Focus on hiragana first, then katakana, words, grammar, etc. Whenever you are ready for learning kanji, go for it! If you like, you can write down everything you know in the notebook so you can practice.

At certain times, I watch anime with English subtitles so I can learn, understand, and improve Japanese.

Do your best and good luck!

 

[mermaidshelf]

Wow, good on you! I know a lot of people who learned Japanese by reading manga. I'm not learning but I know a tiny bit from anime lmao. I've visited Japan about 6 or 7 times. It's pretty easy to get around without knowing a lot but of course I try to speak as much as possible to be a respectful traveler. I've also seriously thought about moving there but the language is something that I don't think I can master at my age haha.

 

[DarthGohan1]

Good luck! Learning a new language can be challenging, but is super rewarding once you reach some level of being able to take advantage of it. If you're into manga/anime/video games/ etc. Japanese seems like a great language to learn... plenty of ways to practice.

 

[Corrie]

I haven't studied it but I've heard online to skip romaji and go straight to learning hiragana/katakana.

Good luck with your studies!

 

[ReeBear]

Me and my partner are gonna start working our way through Genki together after both picking up a decent amount from our teenage weeb years :') I also loooove wanikani for learning kanji, it's a reall fun gamified approach that actually sticks with me a lot even after a long hiatus
I think we should make a study group thread here >>

 

[Fridaynightcatlady]

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to thank everyone for their words of encouragement! I'll definitely try my best even learning a few words is fun for me lol. It may sound weird, but I find japanese characters to be very aesthetically pleasing. I happen to own a few japanese games (one of them being AC GCN) and I'd love to learn how to read them (and eventually play them). I booked my first classes for February, so I'm very excited!

 

[Dawnpiplup]

turning japanese i think i'm turning japanese i really think so

You remind me of one of my dearest friends - she's taking Japanese as a college course, and I think she had the same reasons for wanting to learn it as you do! I think it's fantastic that you're eager to learn. Never learned it (I'm taking French right now though), but I wish you the best of luck with it. ❤

 

[Alienfish]

I taught myself to read some/most hiragana/katakana/very few kanji back in the day, and it definitely helps me in my current job since I have to pick out/shelve books in a hundreds of languages including Japanese.

I never did it in a class or more serious though, kinda regrets but yeah just haven't been a good time for it really.

 

[StarlitGlitch]

When I first started learning Japanese I had doubts and went through periods where I felt uncertain if I would ever really be able to use it.

I'm currently fluent, living in Japan, and job-hunting for a position in a company here (possibly in translation, I do have some experience in it but I wouldn't want it to be the main focus). I'm also taking level 2 of the secretary test soon which covers a variety of material needed for business in Japan (I only know of one other foreigner who's taken it but feel free to ask if you're interested). I was/am also more interested in reading (in part because of hearing issues) but I enjoy speaking with people too.

My main advice would probably be 1) learning a language takes a lot of time, especially with input. Of course how you use your time is important too, but something is better than nothing. Try to stay consistent and use an SRS like Anki to try to get something in everyday. 2) Try to build a strong base and then dip your toes into materials in Japanese early on. Besides native materials there's a lot of Japanese learning materials in Japanese (primarily aimed at Chinese people) and it'll help out so much. Maybe around N3 I'd try to start steering away from material in your native language?

 

[N e s s]

No real reason to find it scary, if you’re making it a mission to improve yourself then the first step is to stop talking and start doing. Learning a language is a pretty significant commitment so you’re going to need to discipline yourself to get it done.