Why does Japanese look so overwhelmingly difficult to learn?

Question

I decided to start learning Japanese today, and I don't see how I'll manage it! There are three alphabets, and then the whole language with vocabulary, very unique grammar, and verb conjugations! I've learned a few hiragana letters (can't write them worth a crap, but at least I can recognize them) and then I still have kanji and katakana to tackle after I master hiragana. And then by the time I start learning the actual language, I'll probably forget the alphabets. I think I might be too stupid to do this.

I'm also teaching myself, using what I find online, so I'll probably sound stupid when I try to speak it.

Answer 1

"Why does Japanese look so overwhelmingly difficult to learn?"

Because it is! ^_^ Haha. But seriously, it is a really complex language and might seem overwhelming for some time. But don't give up hope. Watch anime or some Japanese movies; it'll give you a good idea of how the language sounds, and when you start to hear words you recognise, it'll help you to learn them that much faster.

Also, I *highly* recommend leaving hirigana alone for now, and focus your energies on learning katakana.
Katakana is used for all the foreign words (ie: *English!*), and I think you'll find that once you master katakana, you'll be able to read tons of Japanese websites, or magazines, or whatever, because so much of it is actually english! ^_^
You just need to decifer the pronunciation:
Like:
"ha-n-baa-gaa" ... that would be... "hamberger"! Can you see it?
"mi-ru-ku" ... milk. :)
Easy? Hard?
How about "La-bu la-bu"? ^_^ Hehe, it's "love-love", a popular phrase, for some reason...

I can give you more if you want! And I can actually type it in katakana if I find my Japanese keyboard... I don't know how to do it without it. =/

Answer 2

Hey! I'm glad you decided to take up the Japanese language. It's a really fun language to learn, you should enjoy it! Well, first off, it might seem extremely daunting at the start. I remembered when I first took up the language earlier this year, the script was so frightening and I couldn't understand a single word in the textbook! So, don't worry, you're not alone here. You might want to start off by learning hiragana, then katakana. Give yourself time, maybe a week for hiragana and another week for katakana. Constantly test yourself and see if you can remember them. If you can't, it's still all right because you'll gradually get used to it when you start reading in Japanese. Don't bother about kanji first till you've learned some basic vocabulary. I think once you get past the grammar, everything should become easier. I haven't learnt enough Japanese to comment more but trust me, it's a cool language! You'll definitely have fun learning it.

Answer 3

You'll do just fine. First of all, even though hiragana looks difficult to write, keep trying until you've memorized them all. Then move on to katakana, learning a few words while you're at it. Leave kanji last, because they're a mountain load and I've never met anyone who can write them all. For starters, once you know all hiraganas and katanas, go ahead with the simple kanji like the days of the week (the inicial kanji, the middle one -yô- might give you trouble). The grammar will make sense to you while you learn simple phrases and move on to more complex stuff.

To improve your pronunciation, you can download japanese songs or watch japanese movies. Try YouTube, there are a lot of anime and drama if you're interested (start with anime, but move on to drama, to learn formal expressions).

Good luck! And when you're ready try the noryokushiken (International japanese exam) to see how're you doing.

Answer 4

This reminds me when I first started learning Japanese too.

Just like any language course, alot of Patience, Determination and Interest are needed to succeed.

Here is my strategy:

1. Practise the basics - Hiragana reading and writing until you know them very very well.

Now we're ready to learn Japanese.
2. Pick up a good book or go to a good language school.
I picked up one of the module in the university. The book used was "Japanese for Busy People".
3. Watch Japanese movies and get used to the pronunciations.
4. Talk to the Japanese if possible.

The result?
After a year's learning, I was able put my Japanese to the test during my stayed in Japan. It was an enjoyable year's stay.

Note: In the real Japanese world, the Japanese seldom speak the formal phrases we learned in text. Their daily conversations are filled with informal sentences.

Answer 5

If you have the money (or if you're young, if your parents have the money) you can hire a tutor. Call or email your local college, and ask for the person in charge of the language department. Ask them if they have any students that would be willing to tutor you in Japanese, or if they knew how you could find out. (I think you might have better luck at larger colleges--but you can call more than one college :) )

That's what I did. I drive myself to meet her, and pay $10 per hour, once a week. If you can't drive your tutor /MIGHT/ be able too. (My tutor is from Japan-- so I imagine getting a driver's license and a car would be hard. Plus very expensive for insurance and all.)

Yeah, it is hard. Especially the verbs! Try online groups, and websites. They might help you too. Japanese language is structured so different from English, that is why it is so hard. Stick with it, and I'm sure you'll do fine. :)

(When you go shopping, make a list-- in Japanese! You might want to make one in English too, just in case. :) And one other nifty thing I found out? Wal-Mart sells these flash cards-- index cards-- that have holes in them, that you can attach to a metal ring. So your flashcards stay together, and you can look at them on the go! (The metal ring is lose on one of my sets, and tight on the other set. But they still are handy!)

Answer 6

Try not to judge yourself on something. Thoughts manifest. If all you have to say are negative things about it when speaking of your abilities, your subconscious does it's best to make it a reality. So Try to stay positive. There are millions of childrens born who learn japanese in a matter of years. I'm fairly sure it has to solely with keeping an open mind and thinking of japanese a language you're capable of speaking and will speak in eventuality. This works best when you're around other japanese speakers and conversing with them, especially strangers. Human interaction with a language makes it more real and seals it in your brain, even moreso when the person thinks you know japanese or fully expects you to.

Answer 7

At first it does look pretty hard, but after you get over the basic grammar it will become pretty easy. The only difficult thing there is is kanji, because there are about 2000 characters, which means it will take pretty long for you to learn how to read, but its useful to learn these kanjis since you will also be able to read chinese too.

good luck and i hope you don't get disencouraged by this.

Answer 8

my bf, found this book that has the classes all written out in a book. he can read it, write it, and speak it, everything. his japanese is a little bad, but he said that the book helped him learn it very well. idk what the book is, but i know that it is a complex language, not as easy as the romance languages, like french, italian, or spanish, but u should give urself a challenge and stay positive. u can do it. if he could learn it, then im sure u could too. he couldnt figure out french, but yet one of the most complex languages was a sinch to him. so i know that u will be able to do it.

Answer 9

I always wondering how these guys studied Japanese.
Because all of them came to Japan after they graduated school.
Now they speak Japanese fluentely, and see them on TV often.

Patrick Harlan
http://web-japan.org/trends/people/peo050315.html

Dave Spector
http://www.davespector.com/

Marty Friedman, ex-MEGADETH guitarist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marty_Friedman_%28guitarist%29

Answer 10

First off, it's backwards: "This a book is (kore-wa honde su)."

Second, its got 3 different sets of characters, as opposed to one.

Try Chinese. Its easier and very reqarding.