Introduction:

Japanese belongs to the Japonic language family. It is spoken as a first language by 122 million and as a second language by over 1 million people in Japan. Although Japan is a relatively small country, it has a surprisingly large number of dialects differing from each other in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Many of them are mutually unintelligible. The basic vocabulary of Japanese is a mixture of native Japanese words and words borrowed from Chinese and other languages. Japanese vocabulary abounds in borrowings from other languages.

Learning Japanese is going to take a lot of effort and hard work on your part. Anyone who tells you learning a language is going to be easy is either misinformed or trying to sell you something. Learning a language can be fun and challenging at the same time, but many people can’t or don’t want to invest in courses or lessons inside a classroom. By studying the basics, practicing the language, and exploring Japanese in new ways, you can experience the joy of learning a new language. Let’s look at a few ways through which you can learn Japanese on your own:

• Get familiar with Hiragana

Hiragana is Japan’s version of the alphabet. It is one of three Japanese writing systems you need to learn to be able to read. The other two are katakana and kanji, but hiragana is where everything starts. The ability to read hiragana is going to be a prerequisite for most beginner Japanese textbooks and resources.

• Basic Japanese Pronunciation 

Good pronunciation starts with hiragana. While hiragana alone won’t teach you everything, it is the key to understanding how and why Japanese words sound the way they do. It will also help you get the foundation you need for a native-sounding accent. At the very least, hiragana will get you 80% of the way there.

• Learn the rules of grammar 

Japanese grammar is very different from grammar in English, so try not to apply English rules of grammar to your Japanese study. Learning Japanese grammar will take some time to get used to. Purchase a Japanese grammar workbook and begin following the lessons.

• Get familiar with Kanji

 Kanji leads to vocabulary, vocabulary aids communication, and grammar is like the glue that holds vocabulary together. Without vocabulary, there’s nothing for the grammar glue to stick to and everything gets messy. It makes grammar abstract and difficult to learn when it doesn’t have to be.

• Learn Katakana 

Learning katakana is about the same as learning hiragana. We have yet another mnemonic-based guide for you, and chances are you’ll be able to read katakana within the next few days if you’re willing to put in the work. Although katakana words won’t show up a lot right from the start, there are enough to make it worthwhile. It’s also a good way to spend your extra time while the number of kanji you’re learning is still quite low.

• Strengthen your grasp on the writing systems

 If reading and writing are important to your understanding of Japanese, it is crucial to spend time studying all four of the Japanese written systems. Hiragana and katakana can be learned in as little as a few weeks, and you can use them to write anything you want in Japanese. Kanji will take much longer to learn, but it is also important. Begin practicing Kanji as well.