How much time will it take to speak Japanese fluently? When a lot of people first start out with Japanese, they wish to master the language as fast as possible. To answer the question, it really depends on how motivated you are about learning Japanese.
What people really mean when they ask how long it will take, is "how much work am I going to have to put in?" And undoubtedly, there is no clear-cut way to tell someone exactly how long or how much effort it will take to master the language. In the end, though, what separates the people that get good at Japanese fast and those that just get more books and software boxes gathering dust on the shelf is how much they really want to learn Japanese.
You can realistically learn spoken Japanese pretty quickly if you are serious about it. You'll find that there is a pretty wide spread of people out there. Some of them are so determined that they can learn Japanese in a few brief months, while other people actually live in Japan for several years and still rely on the point-and-grunt method of communicating.
Although expensive, the best way to learn Japanese is to take language classes or get a private tutor. Nothing works better than actually putting your Japanese into practice with real people. Most people can't afford classes, though, and so the next best action is to get some educational books or software programs that will show you how to speak Japanese. All of these options are great ways to get a solid foundation in the Japanese language and begin your journey toward the land of cherry blossoms and samurai.
The best way to become conversationally proficient extremely fast is to apply what you learn at every chance. Put aside the time to practice speaking Japanese with people that are already fluent in Japanese or other classmates too. When you start putting the Japanese you learn in the classroom into action, you will be astonished at how quickly you can take your Japanese to the next level. Talking to native speakers gives you the possibility to learn some useful slang that you won't learn in the textbooks.
A lot of people think that it is extremely difficult to learn to speak Japanese, however this is just a misconception. Once you begin, you'll see just how easy it is. However, I must admit, that learning to read and write Japanese, is probably going to be more of a struggle.
Learning all those new characters is going to be tough at first if you've only ever used the English alphabet. The Japanese have several writing systems. Hiragana and Katakana are in many ways similar to our alphabet, but when you get into the Kanji things will likely start getting tough. Each one has a unique meaning and I hate to break it to you, but there are nearly two thousand of these little buggers!
Before you get overwhelmed and give up, though, tell yourself that this is the same as learning to speak the language. All you need to do is practice, practice, practice. Stay away from relying on Romaji when you're learning to make things even earlier. Another great little trick for learning Japanese is to associate each character to something in your mind that will help you remember. For example the Kanji for "kawa" (or "river") looks like flowing water. With some practice, you'll discover imaginative ways to remind yourself of what each Kanji means.
So how long does it take to learn Japanese? It is going to take you just as long as you need. We each learn at a unique pace, but the most important thing is that you put focus and attention into all your efforts. Don't give up and take things one day at a time.
If you're ready to really learn Japanese, check out some useful Japanese phrases.
No comments:
Post a Comment