【For Beginners】How to Start Learning Japanese

Today, we introduce tips on learning Japanese for those who are interested in starting or have just begun studying the language. Drawing from my own experience of learning a foreign language from scratch, I write from both perspectives: as a Japanese teacher and as a learner who has mastered another language.

As for the languages, I’ve learned Chinese, Thai, Spanish, Portuguese, and English (as part of compulsory education). Out of these five languages, the one I mastered to an advanced level is Portuguese. I even flew to Brazil, where I enrolled in a language course for foreigners and studied intensively for a year. By the time I graduated from the course, my Portuguese had reached a business level, allowing me to work as a translator at a newspaper company. Learning languages can be challenging, but it’s truly fascinating —there’s no better way to put it.

Is Japanese more difficult to learn compared to other languages? Let’s explore the differences from various perspectives.

In terms of pronunciation, Japanese can be easier than many other languages. The number of consonants and vowels, as well as their combinations, is limited. Japanese doesn’t have complicated pronunciation rules or nasalized sounds like Thai, nor does it require tongue rolling like Spanish. Additionally, it doesn’t have tone variations like the four tones in Chinese.

In Portuguese, the verb changes depending on the subject: “Eu vou” (I go), “Ele / Ela vai” (He / She goes), “Eles vão” (They go). In Japanese, it’s just “行きます” (ikimasu). Even for the verb “go” in Portuguese, you have to learn at least three patterns.

Japanese doesn’t have gendered nouns. In many languages derived from Latin, such as Portuguese, nouns are classified as either feminine or masculine. Russian and German even have neuter nouns. This requires changing articles or adjectives based on the gender of each noun. While some nouns are easy to identify by their gender, others are not immediately obvious.

The basic sentence structure of Japanese is SOV: “私は(Subject)昨日、日本語を(Object)勉強した(Verb)” (I studied Japanese yesterday). In actual conversations, you might say “昨日勉強した (Verb)。日本語を (Object)” (without the subject) or “日本語を (Object) 勉強した (Verb)。昨日。私は (Subject),” and the meaning will still be clear. The word order often shifts depending on what the speaker wants to emphasize or their speaking style. This flexibility makes Japanese relatively versatile in terms of sentence structure. However, this level of flexibility is more suitable for intermediate learners. For beginners, it’s essential to first master the standard SOV pattern.

You start by learning Hiragana and Katakana when you first begin studying Japanese, along with their pronunciations. You can put an AIUEO chart on your wall, download free practice sheets, or use an app where you can trace the characters with your finger. Make sure not to forget these four important features: the small “tsu” (っ), the long vowel mark (ー), the handakuten (°), a small circle as seen in “ぱ”, and the dakuten (゛), the two lines seen in “が”.

Once you master Hiragana and Katakana, it’s time to move on to grammar, vocabulary, and Kanji. For grammar, it’s best to choose textbooks that cover beginner-level grammar, such as “Minna no Nihongo,” “Dekiru Nihongo,” and “Genki.” You’ll memorize the vocabulary and Kanji you encounter in these textbooks. It’s more important to know how many Japanese words you can actively use rather than how many you know. And of course, don’t forget to listen to the CDs and audio that come with these textbooks.

After achieving a basic level of Japanese, choose your next approach depending on your goals. You can move on to textbooks for beginner-intermediate or intermediate levels, or add textbooks specifically for the JLPT test. You might also focus on learning phrases used when traveling or seek opportunities to speak with native speakers as much as possible to practice outputting all the knowledge you’ve acquired. And of course, we always welcome you to join our TCJ lessons!

You’ll find learning Japanese characters more enjoyable when you understand their history—such as how hiragana and katakana were developed or when and how kanji came into use. By focusing on the shapes of each character, you may make fascinating discoveries. For example, my students once pointed out that “ヨ looks like the letter E reversed” and “ム looks like a flipped マ”! If you make similar observations, be sure to share them with native Japanese speakers. These insights, from a non-Japanese perspective, will surely surprise them and spark some interesting conversations!

「あ・り・が・と・う」 Arigatou -Thank you
「が・っ・こ・う」 Gakkou -School
「ボ・ー・ル」 Booru -Ball
Japanese is generally pronounced with each character having the same length.

「で・ん・しゃ」 Densha -Train
「じゅ・ぎょ・う」 Jugyou -Class
「は・っ・ぴょ・う」 Happyou -Presentation
Smaller letters, besides “っ” (small “tsu”), are attached to the previous character and pronounced together as one sound. For example:
「しゃ」(sha),「じゅ」(jyu),「ぎょ」(gyo),「ぴょ」(pyo)

To ensure clarity for listeners, it is important to pronounce each letter individually. When learning characters, be sure to listen to the audio and practice. I’ve heard that even native Japanese speakers practice pronouncing each letter when training to become a news anchor.

In terms of pronunciation, one effective method is to record your own voice using your smartphone and then compare it with that of a native speaker. Personally, when I was learning Portuguese, I used this technique to assess my pronunciation and rhythm. Although it was somewhat embarrassing to hear my own voice, especially when speaking in a foreign language, I found it to be a helpful practice.

It is quite fascinating to approach kanji from the perspective of pictographs. One of my students compared the illustration of the moon with the kanji and remarked, “Hmm, this doesn’t seem to resemble it. If I were to create a kanji for ‘moon,’ it would look like this!” and presented their own version. Another student pointed out, “The kanji for water looks like the number 7 and the letter ‘K’!” and shared their observation with me. I believe that learning kanji in such a fun and creative way is incredibly effective.

Mnemonics are also highly recommended. For example, the kanji for “man” (男) can be broken down into “田” (field) and “力” (power), since the work in the rice field requires strength, so men do it. Similarly, the kanji for “busy” (忙) can be broken down into “心” (heart) and “亡” (lost), which can be remembered with the phrase, “When the heart is lost, it is written as ‘busy’.” There are many books and apps available that provide mnemonics to help with learning kanji.

It’s understandable to feel like giving up on learning kanji because of the sheer number of them and how complicated they may seem. (Don’t worry, I, as a Japanese person, feel the same way.) But just remember, “Kanji can be very helpful.”

Sentences written only in hiragana or katakana are much harder to understand. With kanji, the meaning becomes clearer, reducing the chance of misunderstandings. Although we rarely write things down these days, for example, the kanji 人 (meaning person/people) is simpler to write than ひと in hiragana.

Kanji related to the body often contain the character “月” (moon), such as “腕” (arm), “お腹” (stomach), and “胸” (chest).
Kanji related to money often contain the character “貝” (shell), such as “買う” (to buy), “貯金” (savings), and “貸す” (to lend).

As the explanation for “Why?” would be lengthy, I will omit it here. However, there is a valid origin, so if you are interested, I encourage you to look it up.

Just like practicing riding a bicycle or any other sport, it is ideal to study every day if possible. According to memory research, humans often forget about 50% of what they’ve learned within an hour and up to 70% within 24 hours. However, by revisiting the material when you’re on the verge of forgetting it, you can solidify your memory and retention.

Similar to mathematics, focus on memorizing the formulas and practice applying them. In the beginning, prioritize learning and memorization.

There are some Japanese phrases that cannot be easily translated、 such as “いただきます”(itadakimasu) and “お疲れ様でした” (otsukaresama deshita). Don’t stress if these phrases don’t seem to fit into your culture or language. Instead, focus on understanding the situations in which they are used, and try to memorize them through context. This will be very helpful in the long run.

Today, we introduced multiple methods for learning Japanese. It’s important to establish your own approach, and just as important is to actively output what you’ve learned. At TCJ, we offer beginner classes as well as private lessons. We even have teachers specialized in beginner-level Japanese. The beginner stage of learning Japanese is crucial for building a solid foundation. Let’s take that first step at TCJ!

＜Reference＞
・Shinmyo, M. (2015)『50ヵ国語習得法』-Methods for mastering 50 languages. Kodansha.
・National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics. (2021)『日本語の大疑問』  -Great questions about the Japanese language. Gentosha Shinsho.
・Frankl, P. (1999)『ピーター流外国語習得術』-Peter’s foreign language learning techniques. Iwanami Junior Shinsho.
・Kuroda, R. (2012)『外国語をはじめる前に』-Before you start learning a foreign language. Chikuma Primer Shinsho.
・Kindaichi, H. (1975)『日本人の言語表現』-Japanese language expressions. Kodansha’s new library of knowledge.