Learning another language is definitely a benefit to your life. Not only is it cool to simply know another language, but you also get to reach greater academic achievements, have a better improved memory and learn more about different cultures related to that language. One language that has become rather popular in recent years to study is Japanese. Japan has become a popular destination for many to either travel to, work in or study. There are many different ways to learn Japanese. You can learn by downloading language apps to your technological devices, watch Japanese content creators on platforms such as YouTube or Twitch, you can enter a Japanese language school, or even better; move to Japan.
There are many different reasons for why people decide to study Japanese. Many might have heard Japanese when watching anime and think it sounds like a fun language to learn, many others wish to learn Japanese because they wish to live in Japan and then there are some that wish to learn it to simply just learn another language. Now I wish to address something important before I move on to what is it like studying Japanese. Yes, it is possible to move to some countries without knowing the native-language and only go by knowing English. However, that is not the case for Japan. Although, it is mandatory for Japanese to learn English from the age of 10 to 18, many Japanese still does not know how to speak English. Even though you are a foreigner and does not speak any Japanese while travelling, it is still expected that you know some level of Japanese, even when ordering at a restaurant.
Of course, there are many popular tourist attractions in big cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka that has Japanese staff that may speak English, but please do not expect that this is the case everywhere in Japan. Most Japanese are not that comfortable with speaking English because they either forgot everything they learned in school, or they are too afraid to make mistakes. They wish to help people in the most perfect way possible and making mistakes is not permissible in their mindset. If you ever come to Japan, it does not hurt to buy a Japanese language travel book at the airport, or even study some Japanese from a language app while sitting on the flight to Japan. It is also possible to use Google Translate, but please keep in mind to use short sentences and easy vocabulary as this app is not the most accurate when translating Japanese.
If you ever plan to move to Japan, it is strongly encouraged to learn Japanese and take the famous JLPT exam, which stands for Japanese Language Proficiency Test. This test has five different levels to choose from. N5 and N4 will cover the most basic vocabulary and grammar, passing N3 means you are able to survive daily Japanese conversations, N2 will mainly cover topics related to working in Japan, and passing N1 means you are fluent in the language and on the same language level as a Japanese citizen. Depending on your nationality, the level of difficulty will differ. For people that are from China and South Korea may find it rather easy to study Japanese grammar and vocabulary because they are fairly similar. In addition, although the reading of kanji is different between Chinese and Japanese, I would still say Chinese has a slight advantage as they know how to write and memorize kanji based on experience.
However, for someone that only knows how to speak English, it will definitely be very tough to study Japanese. The grammar and vocabulary are very different. Additionally, Japanese does not usually use romaji (Japanese words written in Roman alphabet) unless it is for branding logos to restaurants or shops. So, it will definitely be a challenge to learn the three writing systems they have in Japanese: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. Although Katakana is a writing system based on borrowed words from other languages such as English, please keep in mind that it will not be possible to try and speak “Katakana” everywhere you may go in Japan. A famous example many foreigners try in Japan, is trying to ask for the “bill” in English with a Japanese pronunciation. To Japanese this will sound like “biru” (ビール), which means beer in Japanese. If you wish to ask for the bill in a restaurant you should instead say “okaikei” (お会計). Therefore, in order to not create these types of misunderstandings, it is always good to learn very basic words before going to Japan. Very basic words would be related to restaurants, asking for directions and formality. Now you might wonder, why formality. Japanese are very meticulous about being polite. If you have ever heard Japanese before, you might be familiar with “desu” (です) and “masu” (ます). These two forms are always put at the end of a sentence to signify politeness. A famous example would be “arigatou gozaimasu” (ありがとうございます).
Speaking from experience, I still struggle with speaking Japanese after living here for 3 years. But I am very happy with the opportunity to learn such an amazing language. I had only heard Japanese from anime, dramas and music before moving to Japan at the age of 18. But after moving here I definitely have more opportunity to use it and improve. If I need help, I can simply ask my Japanese friends for advice. If I wish to test my level, I can simply go outside to read signs or talk to strangers. In addition, when I moved to Japan, I applied to an international university. Because I live in Japan on a student visa, I was required to take a Japanese placement test by the university. Because my Japanese level at that time was very limited, I did not perform well enough to skip the required year to study Japanese and thus had to study from beginner level. I only studied Japanese for one year till I had finished my intermediate. I then stopped studying because I was at the level of N3 and thought that was good enough for me. However, I recently discovered that I would really like to work in Japan, so I am now currently studying for N2 next summer.
If you would like to learn Japanese, then I do strongly advise you to find different ways that may suit you in order to study this amazing language. If you wish to know more about JLPT or how it feels like to study Japanese while living in Japan, then please do not hesitate to contact us through our Instagram (link below). I would also like to wish very best of luck to the many people across the globe that will take JLPT next week!
Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/apu.leaf/
JLPT website: https://www.jlpt.jp/e/
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