Japanese is one of the most interesting and beautiful languages, that is for sure. Most people assume the Japanese language would be the most difficult to learn, when in reality it is one of the simplest. Japanese is actually thought to be easier to learn than the English language because it is much more basic. One of the first things you need to learn if you want to read, write and speak Japanese is that there are three different writing systems you need to focus on.
These are Katakana, Hiragana and Kanji. Learning to read Japanese is definitely one of the easiest parts. You can’t pronounce them if you do not know how to read them so this is pretty much necessary. You will start to understand basic sentence structures and how to put Japanese letters together to create words.
Then start reading Japanese menus, movie listings and anything else you can get your hands on that is quite basic as you become more familiar with the different terms. Don’t worry if you get a little laugh at how horrible you may sound to start with. There are also voice automated programs that can help here, as you can talk to the program and it will give you a rating on your reading and pronunciation skills. Another helpful tip if you want to learn to read, write and speak Japanese is to play Japanese language CDs on your way to work every day.
One of the best ways to learn the Japanese language is to play Japanese language CDs for yourself while you are showering in the morning or on your way to work. Just make sure that you have CDs from a few different stores so you can focus on different aspects of the language rather than learning it all from the same point of view. A handy tool to have around if you are learning Japanese is the Canon Word Tank. With it you can type in any Japanese word and automatically get the English translation.
Even when you think you have become fluent in the language, this is a handy device to have around in case you ever need to refer back to it. Once you have become more immersed in the Japanese language you may be ready for some Japanese games. As you become more experienced in the language you will feel safe traveling to far away locations like Japan and know that you can communicate and get around. After you have learned the Japanese language you can travel to exotic locations around the world, make new friends and apply for new jobs halfway around the world.