May 15
Why is Japanese Difficult to Learn?
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So you've decided to study Japanese, or you're at least considering it. Great! But, you're probably wondering – is Japanese difficult to learn?
Well, yes. It's an entire language.
Then the question becomes, why is Japanese hard to learn? Is this going to be one of those things you start with great intentions, but then abandon when you don't see results? There are things in life that are easy and worth it. Brushing your teeth falls into this category. Then, there are things that are difficult and worth it. Learning a new language is most definitely the latter.
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Studying Japanese takes real mental effort
If you're used to finishing school or work, and then killing a few hours playing games or watching YouTube, you might find it hard to actually start studying Japanese. There are some really great game and video resources that will be useful to you, but only once you have the fundamentals covered. Luckily for you, we've put together a guide for you on exactly how you can start studying Japanese.
Going from "having free time" to essentially "not having free time" can be a real shock to the system. Studying any language takes effort and dedication, but more than anything, time. Those hours when you used to feel bored are no longer free to waste! If you have any hope of getting through the beginner stage, you're going to need to use your initial momentum to plow through some textbooks. This takes significantly more effort than throwing on the TV, so prepare yourself for that.
Why is Japanese difficult to learn? Ask foreigners who live here...
I have met a number of foreigners in Tokyo who have lived here for years, but they still can't have a conversation in Japanese or read a menu. Imagine living your adult life in a foreign country, totally illiterate and unable to communicate your thoughts and opinions! This is why it's so vitally important to get a head start on your study before you come to Japan (if that's your end goal).
When you ask these people why they haven't improved their Japanese, there are always excuses:
What a waste of an opportunity! I know for sure when I moved to Japan, my Japanese level was nowhere near "functional adult in society," but through dedicated effort I got to a comfortable level. Perfect? No. Can I live and work in Japanese? Fairly comfortably, 99% of the time.
What you need to do to begin
Nothing beats actually starting. Grab a hiragana chart and make a katakana chart. Make flashcards. Memorize all that over a week or two (shouldn't take much longer than that).
Then, get online and start googling "Japanese grammar". Seriously, pretty soon you'll be writing basic sentences. Pretty cool, right?
Don't worry about kanji yet (unless you want to, that's cool too). That will come. If you're at the stage where you're asking yourself "is Japanese difficult to learn," you likely haven't even started yet. My honest advice is that, though it may not be "easy" like learning a new game, it's valuable. If your life goals intersect with working in Japan in some way, this should be enough of a motivation to start.
The surprising truth about learning Japanese
Humans are kind of amazing. Really. Given enough time and internal motivation, (almost) anyone can learn any skill.
When it comes to learning Japanese, the beginning stages actually pass much quicker than you might expect. You can make huge leaps from beginner level to intermediate level in just a few months with the right motivation.
It's kind of like going to the gym – asking "is Japanese difficult to learn?" is like asking "is it hard to work out?" The answer is a resounding yes, but to what degree? That's up to you and how much you put into it.
People don't like starting "hard work," but somehow I find that once you build a habit around it, it's difficult to stop.
Ready to really commit to it?
Japanese is difficult – there's no getting around that.
However, you can either force yourself to do it, or you can commit to an education program that supports students who are serious about learning Japanese.
We have built our service for guiding students to the best Japanese language schools across Japan, if you're looking for the opportunity to live and study in Japan.
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