How to Learn the Japanese Language: A Beginner’s Guide

Worldwide, about 125 million people speak Japanese. You’re probably reading this because you’d like to make that 125,000,001. If you’ve ever wondered how to start learning Japanese or are seeking tips and tricks to learn Japanese, you’ve come to the right place!

Pimsleur’s Premium Japanese language subscription is the ideal learning tool and teaches you how to learn the Japanese language the right way. Best of all, learning Japanese for beginners is much easier than you probably think – you just have to acquire the language in a natural, intuitive, collaborative fashion.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the Japanese language, including some of the potential learning hurdles involved, different techniques that will speed the process along, and some great ideas about how to get started!

How To Start Learning Japanese for Beginners

Many people WANT to learn Japanese, but a good many never follow through, simply because they’re not sure how to go about it. For one thing, Japanese is often completely foreign to native English speakers. It’s not an Indo-European language (like English), has an entirely different alphabet, nuanced pronunciation, and much more.

This beginner’s guide to learning Japanese will offer some ideas on how to turn desire into action. Here are some things you can do – today – to start learning Japanese.

• Cook up a culinary-based vocabulary. Nothing puts you inside a culture quite like cuisine. Try your hand at making some Japanese dishes, watching Japanese cooking shows, or going to a Japanese restaurant. We get it – your culinary skills probably fall short of Iron Chef-level. But don’t fret! You just need the right mix of ingredients – literally and figuratively. If nothing else, you’ll learn the five key components of Japanese cooking (sugar, salt, soy sauce, soybean paste, and vinegar) and pick up a handful of Japanese words while you’re at it.
• Lights, camera, action. If you want a “shortcut” to figuring out how to learn the Japanese language, immerse yourself in shows and movies. Watch as much Japanese as your schedule allows – shows, movies, and more. Turn on closed captioning, or not as your skill level increases, and don’t forget about Japanese kabuki theatre, which usually includes valuable insight into both ancient and contemporary culture. 
• Dive into Japanese manga and anime. Use pop culture to promote your Japanese language learning efforts! Manga encompasses comic books and graphic novels produced in Japan, and anime are films often based on manga. The great thing about both mediums is that their beautiful and interesting artwork puts Japanese words and phrases into visual context. Manga and anime are entertaining and enlightening all at once!

Sign up for lessons. Learning on your own is great, but having proven resources in your corner is a surefire way to learn Japanese. Pimsleur’s Japanese lessons teach you how to speak Japanese naturally, with a focus on speaking and listening. Skip the boring textbooks and endless grammar lessons – learn Japanese with Pimsleur!

Overcoming Common Challenges in Learning Japanese

Unlike languages with Latin-based alphabets, Japanese script, known as kanji, is a highly complex and sophisticated form of writing. The script alone makes learning Japanese for beginners quite a challenge, so we recommend you start by focusing on listening and speaking first, and only after you’ve gotten used to the sounds, to start trying to read it. 

Japanese sentence structure requires a bit of “relearning” for native English speakers. Japanese employs a subject-object-verb (SOV) configuration, which is different from the typical English subject-verb-object format. So, even as you’re acquiring new words, you need to keep that SOV order in mind.

Japanese phonology often uses different parts of the palate (tongue, throat, lips, etc.). For example, each of the five Japanese vowels has short and long variations, while consonants have their own sophisticated pronunciation rules. You’ll also discover something called the Japanese pitch accent, which involves stressing and accenting small word portions.

Take Your First Step Toward Learning Japanese

Learning Japanese for beginners isn’t a cakewalk. As we’ve seen, there are plenty of challenges ahead. But take heart from (of course) the Japanese people! There’s a  Japanese idiom that reads, 七転び八起き (nana koro biyaoki). Loosely translated, this ancient saying means, “You’ll stumble seven times but stand up eight times.”

Think about the first step as a combination of 3 mini-steps, the three “Ts.” This way, you’ll have an idea and plan on how to start learning Japanese:

1. Time commitment. Dedicate a certain amount of time each day or each week, depending on your schedule. Settle into a rhythm, and the learning will come naturally!
2. Type of learning platform. It helps to have expert instruction available when you learn any new language. Pimsleur’s courses and lessons teach you tips and tricks to learn Japanese with efficient, effective, scientifically-proven techniques.
3. Tenacity. Learning Japanese will require effort. Don’t let hurdles get in the way of acquiring one of the most widely spoken and interesting languages in the world! 

It goes back to that idiom we mentioned above: 七転び八起き. In language terms, you might struggle to pronounce or remember Japanese words at first, but with the right mix of curiosity and determination, you’ll learn, and things like word order and intonation will soon become an automatic part of your speech. With Pimsleur, we’ll teach you how to learn the Japanese language at just the right pace, and your confidence will grow as each lesson builds on the one before and lays the foundation for what comes next. We hope this beginner’s guide to learning Japanese provides the information, instruction, and inspiration to start your fun and fascinating educational journey today!