Learn To Speak Japanese

Japanese is one of the fastest growing languages in the world. And while it may look very difficult to learn, it is not impossible for you to learn it. If you are enthusiastic and focused about learning this language half the battle is won. Japanese uses these scripts:

Kanji – Kanji is composed of the Chinese characters.

Hiragana and Katakana – refer to the syllables and they are based on Chinese characters. Katakana refers to foreign words and sounds. Modern Japanese uses a combination of Hiragana and Kanji.

In Japanese you write from top to bottom and from right to left. Social status of the speaker and the listener is reflected on the language. Gender is also reflected in the tone, pitch, vocabulary and grammar, as well as different speech patterns for male and female.

There are many teaching methods of learning Japanese and all have different learning levels, speed, and budget. Choose the one that best matches your degree of interest, budget, and the amount of time that you have to dedicate to learning. It all depends on your need to learn, if it is just pure conversational, to get around while traveling, or if you need to learn characters and more specific functions.

Speaking the language will be of course easier than learning the characters, although you have to concentrate in learning proper pronunciation, and the use of words in context. Listening to a native is best when learning to speak. There are cd’s that can help you with this task. If you want to concentrate in learning the writing part, many books are available which include a cd with audio. This way of learning involves dedication and practice, as well as patience since you are learning by yourself and at your own pace and convenience.

You can also focus more on the words that you need the most while learning the proper way of constructing sentences to help you speak the language. The amount of grammar and vocabulary will depend on how much you need to learn and why you need to learn the language – for what use. You can pick up on the conversational tone by imitating the sounds of the words as best as you can.

There are many websites that can help you in learning the language. Some of them contain simple and quick courses to start you up. Others offer step by step instructions using audio based tools to promote and improve communication and comprehension skills.

Whichever method you use, should match your need and desire to learn this language.

Forms Of Japanese Writing

Japanese language is often viewed as the most unique and interesting language out there. Their language has its own unique sounds. These sounds and words represent the inherent need to treat people with respect that is so prominent in their culture. The Japanese language is one full of beautiful, flowing words that link together sayings of wisdom and inspiration. Even looking at the writing one can see this respect and elegance transferred through their penmanship. Originally the language set out based on the Chinese writing; however, over time it has evolved into its own unique patterns and characters. Japanese language can serve as a course in confusion for those who are not fully researched in the culture. There are four different types of writing. One of those, Romanji, is actually only used for special types of purposes. The other three, though, are used throughout every day culture which will only lead to confusion.

Romanji

As mentioned above Romanji is a special writing. Mainly it is a form of translation for the Latin alphabet. It is used for words in English or the Latin alphabet that cannot directly translate to Japanese.

Kanji

The second type of Japanese writing is Kanji. This language is loosely based on the word, “hanzi,” or Han characters. Han stands for two things: the Chinese name for themselves and the Han Dynasty. Kanji has somewhere between 5000 and 10,000 characters; so, as you can guess using this form of the language is very hard. However, in 1981 the government of Japan tried to help simplify this by making Kanji hy or a guide for the main Kanji characters. The book holds the secrets to 1.945 characters used in everyday language and 166 that are specifically used for people’s names. Official documents, textbooks, newspapers and any other form of publication use the Kanji writing system.

Hiragana

Hiragana, the third Japanese writing system, is based largely on the Chinese form of writing. The exact translation for the word Hiragana is “ordinary syllabic script.” In the older times Hiragana was known as a women’s writing because women were mostly the people who used it. However that has changed and women and men both write with it today. Originally Hiragana had many different characters for the same symbol. Today, however, it has been simplified and it is very easy to use with only one character for every symbol.

Katakana

The Katakana alphabet is the last type of Chinese language. Its past is one of diversity and rich history. It is said that the language originally derived from the abbreviations that the Buddhist monks used. This was only used in the 9th century so that there would be accurate translations between what was said and what was written in Chinese text. Like the Hiragana, in the beginning every syllable had many different symbols. Over time, however, this confusing language has simplified. In the beginning Katakana was really only used by men. Now however it is used to write all types of things like, foreign names, onomatopoeic words, non-Chinese loan words, and telegrams. Today the Katakana language only has 48 syllables.