How to Find the Best Way to Learn Japanese for You

I’m often asked “what’s the best way to learn Japanese?”

Well, as is the case with everything in life, different people respond differently to different techniques. Finding the best way to learn Japanese is no exception. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t right and wrong ways to go about it.

By far the best way to learn Japanese is obviously to go to Japan and be immersed with Japanese 24/7, but that is just not a realistic option for most people. So finding the best way to learn Japanese without having to pack your bags and move half way around the world usually means starting an online or classroom course whilst combining that with other study methods.

Although the bulk of most courses is either audio, text or a combination of both, there is no reason why you can’t suppliment that with other methods of learning. If you love anime for example, supplementing your base Japanese course by watching a ton of anime may be the best way to learn Japanese for you. Others may find that because they enjoy interacting with people, chatting to friends on Japanese forums or making friends with native Japanese is their best way to learn Japanese. I know a young Japanese lady who was able to get to a basic conversational level in English almost soley through listening to pop music. She got hold of the lyrics to her favorite songs and listened to them over and over, looking up any words or sentences she didn’t understand, and because she enjoyed the music she was able to learn heaps of useful English from them. When I was learning Japanese I found that combining a few methods like watching Japanese TV, looking up Japanese words and practicing them with my Japanese friends and trying my best to think in Japanese as much as possible was the best way to learn Japanese for me.

The trick is to figure out the best way or if possible ways for you to learn Japanese. There are the main catergories like TV, movies, music, reading and talking. But then you can break those down even further to more specialised areas ofinterest. For example TV could be broken up into anime, dramas, news, sports, comedy, childrens shows etc. to find the areas that most appeal to you as an individual. There are tons of sites out there, most of them free of cost, that you can utilise to taylor your supplementary studies to your own specific tastes. YouTube has heaps of videos, songs and tv shows that you can watch, there are free forums out there where you can chat to fellow Japanese language enthusisasts, native Japanese and experts on Japanese who will help you with any questions you have or chat with you in Japanese. There are both free and paid online tv and radio sites, Japanese books and manga, movies and much more to choose from. Part of the homework each week in the Speed Japanese course involves going out and testing these different techniques to find what is right for you and we give you tons of links to different sites that you can try. Get creative and find the best way to learn Japanese for you.

Visit http://speedjapaneselearning.com/ftp1/ for a free video revealing the #1 Secret to learning Japanese fast

Learning Japanese - Useful Phrases: Restaurants

Eating at restaurants has long been an intricate part of Japanese culture, especially for families to eat out a couple of times a month at sushi or yakiniku restaurants, or for "salary men" to eat at Izakaya's (pubs with a large selection of small food portions). But for anyone, going to restaurants in Japan is usually a very enjoyable experience as the staff are extremely polite and create a warm and friendly atmosphere with their courteous and energetic attitudes. From the huge "Irasshaimase!!" (welcome) as you enter the door to the "Thankyou's" and "Enjoy's" that are shouted and in most cases repeated by every available staff member each time you place an order.

Going to your local Sushi train or teppanyaki can also be a great way to learn Japanese or practice some new phrases you have picked up. So whether you are dining locally or visiting the land of the rising sun, here is a list of the most common phrases and words used in a Japanese restaurant situation.

When entering the restaurant:

*Irasshaimase - welcome *nanmei sama desuka? - how many people? *hitori - 1 person *futari - 2 people *sannin - 3 people *yonin - 4 people *gonin - 5 people *rokunin - 6 people *nananin - 7 people *hachinin - 8 people *kyuunin - 9 people *jyuunin - 10 people *tabako suwarimasuka? - will you be smoking? *hai - yes *suwanai - no

Ordering:

*gochuumon okimari desuka? - are you ready to order? *hai- yes *chotto matte kudasai - just a moment please *____arimasuka? - do you have____? *arimasu - yes (we do)*nai desu - no (we don't) *____kudasai - ____please * ____hitotsu kudasai - one____please *____futatsu kudasai - two____'s please *____mittsu kudasai - three____'s please *____yottsu kudasai - four____'s please *____izutsu kudasai - five____'s please *kore nan desuka? - what's this? *arigatou gozaimasu - thank you

Drinks (nomimono):

*omizu - water *ocha - green tea *koucha - tea *koohi - coffee *koora - cola *orenji jyuusu - orange juice *ringo jyuusu - apple juice *biiru - beer *wain - wine *attakai - warm/hot *tsumetai - cold

Food (tabemono):

*niku - meat *gyuniku - beef *toriniku - chicken *butaniku - pork *sakana - fish *yasai - vegetables *sarada - salad *pan - bread *men - noodles *furaido poteto - french fries *yakisoba - fried noodles

Note: most western food and drinks are the same or very similar in Japanese so if you get stuck, just say it in English slowly and they should get the idea.;)

Numbers/Money:

Note- Yen is pronounced as 'en' at the end of the price

*1 - ichi, 2 - ni, 3 - san, 4 - shi, 5 - go, 6 - roku, 7 - nana, 8 - hachi, 9 - kyu, 10 - jyu.

*Add a number then jyu (ten) to make twenty, thirty etc. For example nijyu = twenty, gojyu = fifty.

*Hyaku - hundred *Sen - Thousand *Man - Ten thousand *Jyuman - hundred thousand

*Some examples- 2,500 - Ni sen go hyaku, 11,400 - ichiman sen yon hyaku, 255 - ni hyaku go jyu go

(There are some minor changes made to numbers when grouping together but it will get too complicated to mention them here.)

Ganbatte (good luck) learning Japanese and have fun!!

For a free video revealing the #1 secret to Learning Japanese Fast visit http://speedjapaneselearning.com/ftp1/

Useful Phrases - Shopping in Japan

Shopping in Japan is usually a very enjoyable experience as they take the Western motto "The customer is always right" to another level with "Okyakusama wa kamisama", literally "The customer is God!". And it is no exaggeration to say that you are treated like one. From the second you enter the door (or often meters before you reach it) you are greeted with a bellowing "IRASHAIMASE!" (WELCOME!) by the first staff member to spot you, then echoed by every other available attendant. The next part can get a little tricky if you don't know a lot of Japanese as they tend to follow you around the store offering intricate details about everything you stop to look at. Although they don't seem to do this anywhere as much when dealing with foreigners as they understand it is not custom to do so in most countries. But it's a great opportunity to practice or learn Japanese if you so wish. Either way, here are some of the most common words and useful Japanese phrases that will come in handy when shopping.

*Note: The Japanese language uses a lot of particles when writing that are usually dropped in conversation (unless when speaking extremely formally). Similar to Saying "I'm..." rather than "I am...". Most text books include these but I have omitted them to help you learn Japanese in a more natural manner.

When entering the store:

*Irasshaimase - Welcome *Nanika osagashi desuka? - Are you looking for something (in particular)?

*Miteru dake desu - I'm just looking *Hai, ____arimasuka? - Do you have any ____?

Clothing names: (many are derived from English names as you may pick up!)

*Zubon - Pants  *Denimu - Jeans  *Hanzubon - Shorts  *Shaatsu - Shirt  *Seeta - Sweater  *Boushi - Hat

*Buruzon/ Daun - Jacket  *Wanpiisu - Dress  *Mafura - Scarf  *Kutsu - Shoes  *Kutsushita - Socks

Colors:

*Aka - Red  *Ao - Blue  *Midori - Green  *Kiiro - Yellow  *Kuro - Black  *Shiro - White  *Pinku - Pink

*Orenji - Orange *Murasaki - Purple *Chairo - Brown

*____iro arimasuka? - Do you have it in ____(color)? *Chigau iro arimasuka? - Do you have a different color?

Other phrases:

*Kore wa ikura desuka? - How much is this?    *Chotto takai desu - It's a little expensive

*Mou sukoshi ____ no arimasuka? - Do you anything ____? (Ookii - Bigger, Chiisai - Smaller, Yasui - Cheaper)

*Chotto kangaemasu - I'll think about it        *Arigatou gozaimasu - Thank you

Numbers: (Note- Yen is pronounced as 'en' at the end of the price)

*1 - ichi, 2 - ni, 3 - san, 4 - shi, 5 - go, 6 - roku, 7 - nana, 8 - hachi, 9 - kyu, 10 - jyu.

*Add a number then jyu (ten) to make twenty, thirty etc. For example nijyu = twenty, gojyu = fifty.

*Hyaku - hundred  *Sen - Thousand  *Man - Ten thousand  *Jyuman - hundred thousand

*Some examples- 2,500 - Ni sen go hyaku, 11,400 - ichiman sen yon hyaku, 255 - ni hyaku go jyu go

(There are some minor changes made to numbers when grouping together but it will get too complicated to mention them here.

I have focussed on clothing shopping in this article but you can easily insert other words in their place. There are plenty of free Japanese dictionaries on the net where you can find the words for your particular purpose. GANBATTE! (good luck) with learning Japanese and HAPPY SHOPPING!

For a free video revealing the #1 secret to Learning Japanese Fast visit http://speedjapaneselearning.com/ftp1/

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Japanese Forums, TV and Music links

The Japan Blog ListA list of all of the popular Japan blogs on the net. Includes blogs on Japanese language, culture and many many more.

TV -


*You can watch Japanese TV online through various sites. Just google "free Japanese tv". I'm in the midst of trying to find a good one that is easy to use. If anyone knows of one, please let me know.


*You Tube- probably the easiest and quickest way to get access to tons of Japanese TV, music and anime. You will get a broader choice if you are able to type in Japanese. I reccomend watching children's cartoons such as Anpanman. They have heaps of full episodes available to watch. Just type in アンパンマン (anpanmann) or anpanman in English if you don't have a Japanese language pack. (if you have a smartphone you should be able to add Japanese to your language list.)
You can also scroll down to the bottom of the You Tube page and change the location to Japan to get a wide range of videos to choose from.


Forums -


*Japanese Reference (JREF)   http://www.jref.com/
The Japan Directory helps you to generate reliable search results by mining for hidden data related to almost every aspect of Japan. We are constantly trying to provide you with extensive and useful web resources.
The Japan Forum is one of the liveliest places to discuss all Japan-related things, be it learning Japanese language, serious debates about history and politics, travel questions or just chit-chat about pop culture.
Japan Reference allows its registered members to share their pictures of Japan in the Japan Photo Gallery and Japan Pop Culture Gallery


*Gaijin Pot - http://forum.gaijinpot.com/
This site is aimed more at foreigners already living in Japan but has a large Japan forum section.


*Japanese Language forum -  http://forums.about.com/ab-japanese
About.com Japanese Language forum. It is the ideal place for you to ask questions, discuss the Japanese language, and to meet other people with an interest in Japanese.


*Japan Forum - http://www.japanforum.com/forum/
Doesn't seem to have been updated in a long time but still has a steady flow of visitors.


I will update and add more links shortly. If you know of any good forums or sites, please share them with me. :)

For a free video revealing the #1 secret to Learning Japanese Fast visit http://speedjapaneselearning.com/ftp1/

Best Way to Learn Japanese

As the old (and rather crude) saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat. While learning Japanese is no exception, there are good ways and not so good ways to go about it. The old-fashioned way to learn Japanese was to start off with a little intro into the pronunciation, learn a few greetings and phrases, then just when it seemed to be getting fun, you were hit over the head with the grammar hammer and dragged through endless hours of sentence structure, verb structure, use of particles etc, etc. Not only does this suck all the fun out of learning Japanese, (with the exception of those sickos who actually enjoy it;-) it is totally the wrong way to go about it. When you started learning your first language at the age of about one or so, how many of your parents whipped out a text-book and started teaching you the nitty gritty of conjugating verbs? My guess is that you learnt by observation. By watching and listening and eventually repeating what you heard. Learning Japanese should be no different.

Immersing yourself into the language as much as possible gives you the best opportunity to absorb it and resembles a child learning their mother tongue. From that you could infer that the best way to learn Japanese is to go to Japan and surround yourself with the language 24/7. But while it is probably the best and quickest way, moving to another country in order to learn Japanese is simply not a luxury most people can afford. However there are other ways in which to immerse yourself into the language without actually having to go there. They include:

* Taking an online or classroom course.

* Chatting with Japanese friends.

* Reading Japanese books or manga.

* Watching Japanese TV or movies.

* Listening to Japanese music or Radio.

I would say the best way to learn Japanese with minimum cost and maximum speed would be to combine an online course with a couple (or all) of the other methods. This is where individual choice of cat skinning comes into play. I know some people learn Japanese almost solely through listening to Japanese music, and reach a level that they can have a reasonable conversation at. But unless you really enjoy the music and can listen to it over and over again, it is not going to sink in. As is the case with basically everything we do or learn in life, it's much easier when we enjoy ourselves.

Lets take a closer look at the options I've listed as supplements to an online (or classroom) course. The first one was chatting with Japanese friends. When I started learning Japanese in high school, I was also playing tennis at an academy in Australia and was really lucky to have a constant stream of Japanese players at the center. I would practice any words or phrases I had learnt the previous day in class and constantly be asking them how to say such and such in Japanese. They would also benefit from the exchange as they'd be asking similar questions about speaking English. This method of give and take is a great way to learn Japanese and review what you have been studying in your online or classroom course. Even if you don't have any Japanese friends there are plenty of sites dedicated to these type of give and take chats, Japanese forums and places to meet Japanese friends on the net.

The remaining three ways I've listed to learn Japanese are really up to you. Whether you prefer reading, listening to music or watching TV or a combination of all three, there is a huge variety of free material out there for you to choose from. Most Japanese books require you to at least be able to read the hiragnana alphabet but reading books aimed at younger children is a great way to improve your reading skills while picking up new words and sentence structure as you go. Japanese TV and music are obviously going to be similar, children's programs and nursery rhymes may not be the most stimulating material for an adult but they are a great way to start learning Japanese. Alternatively you could battle it out with some more mature TV shows and songs if watching the Japanese version of The Wiggles isn't your cup of Japanese tea. Whatever you choose to do, remember that enjoying yourself while you do it is without a doubt the best way to learn Japanese.

For a free video revealing the #1 secret to Learning Japanese Fast visit http://speedjapaneselearning.com/ftp1/

Learning Japanese - How to Start

The first thing you need  to tackle when starting your journey into learning Japanese is a quick run through pronunciation. But WAIT! Before you tune out and the "boring" lights start blinking, it's much easier than you think. One of the great things about Japanese is that there are only 47 characters with 50 basic sounds. There are also another 55 variations to those sounds, but they only consist of simple changes like a 'ka' becomimg a 'ga', or a 'sa' a 'za'. When you compare that to English, which has over 500 sounds, it's not that bad at all right?
After you get the general gist of the pronunciation (just a few runs through the alphabet is fine to start) you should start adding a few basic words to your vocabulary and practicing your pronunciation at the same time. Most people start with the 'konnichi wa's' and 'arigatou's' but I say go with whatever tickles your fancy. Of course you will have to learn the pleasantries to really start delving into the language, but there's no reason why you can't mix it up by learning some words of particular interest to you. Remember, learning a language is meant to be fun! Plus, you are much more likely to remember a word that you want to learn rather than one that has just been shoved in front of you. I started learning Japanese when I was 15, and being of 'that age', I wanted to know all the rude words. But because that was what I was interested in, I never forgot them!
After you learn the general greetings, phrases and some words of personal interest you are eventually going to run into that disgusting four letter word, grammar. But again, DON'T STRESS! You needn't put anywhere near the emphasis most text books and teachers will have you believe on grammar in order to get to conversational level in Japanese. Think about it, when you started speaking English at the age of about 2, did your Mum whip out the textbook and start teaching you about conjugating your verbs?! Of course a little background on the basic sentence structure will help accelerate your learning a great deal but don't get too bogged down on the technical stuff. Remember, you already learnt a language well enough to have a reasonable conversation before you ever opnened a textbook. You learnt by observation. By watching and listening to your parents and the people around you and by eventually repeating what you heard. So trying to replicate that environment is a great way to learn a second language. The best possible way to do this is to go Japan and study there, surrounding yourself with Japanese 24/7. But I understand that is just not an option for most people. The next best thing you can do is to start an online or classroom course and combine that with a couple of the following:
* Chatting with Japanese friends. (face to face or through online chats or forums.)
* Reading Japanese manga or books. (children's books are very good for building your vocabulary and for learning to read Japanese.)
* Listening to Japanese music / radio. (again, children's songs will be easier to pick up on to begin with.)
* Watching movies or TV shows. (you can watch ten minute episodes of shows like 'Anpanman' on you tube. It's a cartoon aimed at 2-3 year olds but again very good for learning the language.)
GANBATTE! (good luck) and HAVE FUN!

For a free video revealing the #1 secret to Learning Japanese Fast visit http://speedjapaneselearning.com/ftp1/