The Secret to Learning Japanese! Amazing!

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Secret to Learning English

Finally! Someone has come out with a strategy for learning Japanese that is easy, simple, and not all that hard. I don’t know why I didn’t come up with this before…oh wait, I did.

Learning Japanese shouldn’t be a complicated thing. People often think that it is, and overcomplicated things for themselves. Granted, learning another language can be a difficult thing, but it shouldn’t be a complicated one. Going around finding “this program” or “that program” will waste more time than it will gain you. You’ll be spending time taking shortcuts and come out way behind in the end. The best way to learn Japanese is to sit down and study it. A lot. Every day. It won’t come right away, and you won’t feel like you’re making progress, but I promise, you are!

The real secret to learning Japanese is perservering, which is pretty fitting since the Japanese culture is obsessed with that concept. I know it takes more time. So many people, though, want to rush through things and they end up coming out with patchy Japanese that they forget a week later. If you want to take Japanese language learning seriously, then you will have to work hard at it. You’ll need to want it. I want you to want it too. I know way too many people who study for about a week and then decide that they don’t care enough anymore (then go back to watching anime 24/7, of course)

Another thing that might help you learn is to watch this video, though it will probably just tickle you a bit.

[yframe url='www.youtube.com/watch?v=flBMpY7ZNX8']

Please feel free to comment below and tell us how you study your Japanese. How are you going to learn? How are you learning? What do you do to keep yourself accountable? Share your knowledge a little with the rest of the world.

Also: Make sure you go over to whatjapanthinks.com and vote for your favorite Japan blogs!

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Julie-Boell/100000475387639 Julie Boell

    But where can i get something thats actully worth studying, No not japanese articals ^^

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Julie-Boell/100000475387639 Julie Boell

    But where can i get something thats actully worth studying, No not japanese articals ^^

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Krupali-Trivedi/100000546542338 Krupali Trivedi

    please anyone help me to translate this following sentence into japanese ' I am learning japanese since last two months'

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  • mogu

    I love you. Anyway, I saw a comment on one of your videos saying something about the many ways to speak in Japanese, and that it was basically useless to learn to speak in an uber-polite, stereotypical foreigner way. Are there endless ways to speak? Or just a few? Are there any really significant differences?

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    I’d say about two main ones, perhaps three, but that’s if you get into
    really polite stuff. I’d say go for neutral/polite and casual – ultra polite
    isn’t needed for a while.

  • mogu

    And what happens in you talk in ultra polite under broad day light? Is it something to be made fun of, or will you just receive strange looks?

  • Moonshadow2589

    Koichi! I want to learn Japanese the right way. What is a good Japanese Textbook to begin with? Do you have any good  recommendations?

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    Heyo! Take a look at some of the textbooks on this page – probably will be
    able to find something nice for yourself, and if not shoot me an email and
    I’ll help you search further! http://tofugu.com/japanese-resources/

  • akio_imaidegawa

    i really want to know the secret of learning japanese language. i’m taking basic japanese language class right now and next week is my final exam. actually i find it’s hard for me to understand about when and where i can use “ga”,”ni”,”to”,”wa”,”ka” and so on. i hope you can help me. thank you.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001152362554 Nuria Niki

     I’m also like that, but I’m 15 xD

    I began to watch anime and knowing some words just for fun at the age of ten. I wasn’t really thinking about learning real japanese. But then I started searching for more and more stuff and I actually became to like the japanese culture :P Then I realised how much do I wanted to learn japanese and go to japan. I’m actually thinking about going to japan in three years from now (by the time that I finish my high school). Since I have the same problem that you have, I’m always looking for internet sites that teach you (I have a lot of them, but some are not that good or a bit confusing… And some are really really nice and easy to understand… And some aren’t that easy but makes you to study (and thats a good point) so… like I said I’m always searching… That way you’ll know what are the new sites and if you like them), Sites of language exchange to talk to japanese people, I try to think or to say what I’m going to do in japanese and translate lots of words (search by vocabulary). I also try to hear music / seeing programs and try to translate what they’re saying.

    If everything goes right I’ll try to make my best to do the japanese language test to go to an japanese university. (I’ll study for how long it takes… 3 years, 5 years… I was going to say 10 years, but if I learn japanese in ten years I wont be able to enter the university, maybe… but yeah even though I’ll be studying even if it takes 10 or more!) If I went there and study there, my japanese would improve a lot. And just to think about living there its so great :3

    Good luck for your learning japan-fan! :3 (Oh btw, I usually use google for searching… thats not a big secret… but it maybe will need some patience… because you can be searching ’till “50″ page if you are interested :) )

  • Sean

    Koichi,

    I thought I would respond to your post. I began “studying” Nihongo several years ago, even taking the JLPT4 at one point! I didn’t pass and lost interest in learning. Most recently, I discovered your site, Tofugu, And it has raised my interest again!

    I’ve polished my knowledge of kana again, I’m using Textfugu and debating whether to purchase, and use my iPhone for lesson apps and drills. I hope to be able to afford Rosetta Stone again some day, because that was the most immersion I received when I first began to study.

    Thank you for making Japanese Interesting again and funny!

    Cheers,

    Sean Cruz

    Please feel free to comment below and tell us how you study your Japanese. How are you going to learn? How are you learning? What do you do to keep yourself accountable? Share your knowledge a little with the rest of the world.

  • bun bun magenpyon

    Hello, I need someone to answer this one question and I will be really great full to the one person who answers it see I’m almost dying to learn Japanese see my dad doesn’t think
    I can so I want to prove him wrong by saying an entire article in Japanese anyway the question is: What exactly do I study to learn it? I mean I would trade my heart and soul to learn Japanese so I can impress my father. I work day and night on Japanese but, I feel like I’m working really hard but, I’m getting nowhere real fast does anyone out there know what I mean?

  • Alex

    I feel the secret to learning Japanese can be found in this saying:　七転び八起き

  • Neha

    Just keep working at it. Even though you don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere, if you’re studying hard then you actually are, and improvement will just come with time. Gambatte! :)

  • simonsickboy

    get rosetta stone japanese from pirate bay and if you really like it and end up seeing that it’s going to be your personal ticket to learning Japanese, then support Rosetta Stone and buy it. By then you will have saved up at least part of the cost depending on your income/lifestyle.

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