When you think of learning a new language, Japanese seems like very complex, tough and will require years of intense study. It is in top list of the “most difficult language” for English speakers which leading many students in wonder: is Japanese the hardest language to learn, or is that just a myth?
The popularity of Japanese culture from anime and manga has made the language one of the most sought after skill in the world. However, it is not easy for English speaker because the initial intimidation factor is high. You aren’t learning new words, but you are also learning a new way of seeing the world. According to FSI (Foreign Service Institute) ranks Japanese as a “Category IV” language. What feels like a mountain at first can become a very easy path once you understand the map.
We will break down the actual realities of the Japanese language. We’ll explore why it has a reputation for being tough, the surprising reasons and how you can approach it with confidence.
The reputation of Japanese difficult usually come from how “strange” it feels to a Western learner. If you learn Spanish or French, you have the benefit of many similar words but with Japanese, you are starting from zero.
Japanese language uses three distinct scripts which are Hiragana, Katakana and kanji. You have to remember when to use which and memorize thousands of Chinese Characters. This is the primary reason mostly people ask how hard to learn Japanese really is.
In Japanese, the verb comes at the very end: “I apple eat” This requires your brain to wait until the end of a sentence to understand the action which can be hard for beginners.
Actually, Japanese culture has a high value on social hierarchy which is reflected in the language through Keigo. It depends on who you are talking to a boss, a friend or a stranger. Even the vocabulary you use will change entirely.
Japanese is high context language and that’s why learning to “read the air” is just as important as learning the grammar rules.
Japanese is more logical than English. Most of the people struggled with English or French verb conjugations but Japanese way more refreshing because it has simple pronunciation. Japanese has only five vowel sounds like a, I, u, e or o. There are no silent letters and no complex “th” or “r” sounds like English or French.
Japanese has no gendered nouns which means you don’t have to memorize if a table is “masculine” or “feminine”. There is no plural forms either. Japanese verbs are remarkably regular. There are very few irregular verbs compared to English.
Japanese has many loanwords which is also called as Gairaigo. You already know hundreds of Japanese words like konpyuta (Computer), terebi (television) and kohi (Coffee) are borrowed from English and written in Katakana.
If you want to understand difficulty of learning Japanese then you have to look at their three part writing system. Many people may find it very complicated but most learners tackle them one at a time.
Most of the beginners ask why is Japanese hard to learn and they point to the “backwards” sentence structure. It takes time to adjust to putting the verb at the end but Japanese grammar is actually quite modular.
Think of Japanese sentence like building blocks. You have a noun and you attach a small particle like wa, ga, ni or wo to define its role.
If you understand these marker then you can move the blocks of a sentence around and it will still make sense. It is very logical system which rewards learners who enjoy patterns.
Speaking Japanese if much more easier than reading it. If your goal is to travel to Tokyo and order sushi, ask for directions or make some new friends then you can reach that level very easily because the pronunciation is so straightforward and Japanese people will understand you even if your grammar isn’t perfect.
Listening can be challenging at the first due to the speed of native speakers but because Japanese has a limited number of sounds and your ears will tune in much faster than they would with language like Chinese which uses tones to change the meaning of words.
Learning Japanese is depend on your goals. Here is a general breakdown for English speakers:
This may seem long but remember that you will able to enjoy your favorite anime with subtitles in just few months of starting.
You should use these tips to make your learning more simple and easy:
Is Japanese the hardest language to learn? For most English speaker has one of the most time consuming but hard is not the same as impossible.
Japanese is hard because of its writing system but it lacks many of the grammatical headaches as compared to European languages. It is a beautiful, logical and incredibly rewarding language that opens the door to a fascinating culture. If you approach it with curiosity and a bit of daily discipline and you will find that how hard is Japanese depends entirely on your mindset. You should not let the “hardest” label scare you away and best time to start is today!
Japanese grammar is considered harder than Chinese but Chinese tones and character make reading and speaking difficult. Korean has similar grammar to Japanese but a much easier alphabet.
Yes! If beginners are focusing on hiragana and basic speaking first and they can start communicating within a few weeks.
It is difficult only because it is different. Once you get used to the SOV order and it is actually very consistent.
Pronunciation of Japanese is generally considered easier than many other languages especially for beginners because of its simple sounds and consistent rules for pitch accent and similar sounds vowels.
Japanese feels difficult because of kanji that is different sentence structure and you can improve it by practicing polite speech methods with logical rules.