Is Japanese Difficult To Learn?
I’ve always been impressed with people who could pick up languages so easily where I’ve found myself struggling in language classes at school. They say that the best time to learn a language is when you’re young, but most of us don’t consider learning a new language until we’re much older and because of that cliché we expect it to be far more difficult than it needs to be. At least, that’s how I used to feel, then I discovered a new approach.
Japanese is one of the more difficult languages to learn, because not only do you have to learn new sets of grammar rules and a whole host of vocabulary, but it has four different alphabets. Hiragana, the main alphabet, katakana, used for western adopted words, kanji, symbols that represent full words and romaji which is just the roman alphabet that you’re reading this article in. This can turn a lot of people off of trying to attempt to learn Japanese simply because they feel as though they’ll never be able to master the new alphabets.
Learning Japanese by yourself can be far more difficult than it needs to be. There are a lot of free resources on-line that offer lessons and such which are really good starting points. However, it is my experience that what I learn from reading on-line just doesn’t stick. There’s nothing in their lessons that allow you to apply what you’ve learned, and because of that you don’t remember it nearly as well. It’s often said that the best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it, but for most of us that option just isn’t possible.
Hiring a private tutor is also a great way to learn a language, but they can be extremely expensive and difficult to find. Japanese is not one of the more popular languages to learn, so the availability for tutors in English speaking countries can be scarce, raising the costs to hire one.
Classes can also be a really good place to learn Japanese for some. Not all of us learn the same way, classes can cost money, and you could be wasting hundreds of dollars taking a class where you’re learning nothing. Add in the fact that the stress to do well on test, exams and presentations can take away from the enjoyment to work on it and you’ve got even less of a reason.
So what’s the alternative?
For me, I found purchasing Japanese Language software worked wonderfully. For a one time fee, you can get a full course including audio files for comprehension, and learning games that allow you to test your knowledge in a fun and effective way. I also enjoy Japanese software because you can learn on your own, there are no exam dates and so there’s no reason to feel pressured to do well. As well, these programs are designed to enhance your learning a number of ways. So if you’re a visual learner, there’s something for you. If you like to listen, there’s something for you and if you retain information by reading, you guessed it, there’s something for you.
Choosing which software to go with can be just as difficult as learning the language on your own. I’ve put together a small review on what I feel is the best language software for your value at my site. So if you’re tired of lessons not sticking, or paying for classes that don’t work check out my review, and see if Japanese Language Software is for you.
