Learning a new language is difficult. Not only does it require a significant amount of time, but there is also the challenge of learning how to write in the new language. Although there are a variety of strategies for learning a new language, there is no specific technique that can be applied to learning to write in Japanese.
The problem is that even long-term Japanese learners find it difficult to write in Japanese without making numerous errors. Take a look at the following video for an example. The speaker from Japan University is explaining how to write a simple sentence, but because he is not used to writing in English, he is making an inordinate number of errors. These errors not only prevent him from producing a fluent and coherent sentence, but they are also causing him to stutter and labor over his words. To make matters worse, his English is quite poor and he is not used to speaking in such a manner with a foreign audience. Nevertheless, he persists in trying to write in English because he thinks it is the right thing to do. It is only when he stops trying and allows himself to be guided by the facilitator that he eventually feels comfortable enough to use the right stroke order and correctly complete the sentence.
This example illustrates a critical issue that even the most experienced Japanese learners encounter when learning to write in English. It is an issue that prevents them from efficiently and effectively communicating in English. This is especially problematic since many Japanese learners study and work in English-speaking countries where they will encounter this issue more frequently. If they are unable to effectively communicate in English, they may be prevented from gaining the full advantage of their studies and employment opportunities in English-speaking countries. To cite but one example, the Japanese foreign minister recently stated that due to the coronavirus outbreak, “[t]he situation now is that it is almost impossible to find a job if you don’t know English.”
In this blog post, we’ll explore the various factors that contribute to this issue and how you can overcome it by understanding the Japanese writing system. If you are serious about learning how to write in Japanese and are looking for a specific and effective way to do so, read on. Otherwise, feel free to skim through the blog post.
The Many Facets of Japanese
If you are learning how to write in Japanese, you will invariably encounter a variety of challenges not encountered while learning other writing systems. To begin with, Japanese is a highly nuanced language, and although it may be easy to learn the basics, it is very difficult to master all of its subtleties. This is not the case with most other languages; if anything, the opposite is often true. Take the verb to eat as an example. The English verb ‘to eat’ has only three basic forms – I ate, you ate, and he/she/it ate. The verb in Japanese has seven different forms, depending on who the subject is, what they are eating, and how they are eating it. There are seven different ways to say ‘I ate’ in Japanese.
If you are a native English speaker, it may be difficult to believe that such a small difference can make a difference. However, in Japanese, these are not small differences. Even the most basic of these seven sentences is very different from the others, and such small differences can sometimes make a significant difference in your ability to communicate effectively. In a nutshell, Japanese is a highly nuanced and precise language, which makes it very difficult to learn. For this reason, Japanese is often described as ‘the language of nuance’ or ‘the language of detail’.
How is Japanese Written?
Another important issue that you will need to address when learning to write in Japanese is how the language is actually written. Although in theory, any sequence of written katakana and hiragana can be used to write any word, in practice, there are some standard sequences that are frequently used in specific situations. For example, when writing the names of countries or cities, the Latin characters are typically used; however, if you are writing a scientific or technical term, the kanji (Chinese characters) are more commonly employed.
The reason for this is that Latin characters are easier to learn than kanji. Furthermore, if you are not familiar with kanji, it can take a long time to learn to write them effectively. This is why even experienced Japanese learners often find it difficult to write in kanji without making numerous errors. An additional factor that helps to explain this phenomenon is that in Japanese, the kanji are more commonly used for the names of people and places; therefore, it is common to encounter kanji even when reading newspapers and books, but not Latin or Greek letters. For this reason, even experts may sometimes find it difficult to locate certain words in dictionaries if they are not in Latin or Greek.
The Importance of Tone
Even though Japanese is a highly precise and nuanced language, it is not always easy to determine how a word is meant to be pronounced. To give you an example, take the word いい, which is often written in English as ‘good’ and ‘fine’. In Japanese, however, this word can have several different meanings. It can mean ‘good’ in a general sense, ‘good-for-you’ as in a health food; it can also mean ‘interesting’ or ‘capable’ depending on the tone of the speaker. In the case of the first meaning, the い means ‘good’ while the following part is a suffix that means it is ‘good’ in the general sense. If you are not familiar with Japanese, it can be difficult to tell whether a word is meaning ‘good’ in the sense of being ‘healthy’ or ‘delicious’ without actually knowing how it is usually said in Japanese.
Why is it Difficult to Learn to Write in Japanese?
If you are learning how to write in Japanese, it can be very difficult to know where to start. Even for experienced Japanese learners, it can be challenging to know how to write some of the more complicated words and phrases, and it is also difficult to know how much kanji you should learn because there are so many, and they are often used for different words and in various combinations. Furthermore, because there are no set rules for writing in Japanese, there is a lot of room for ambiguity, which can lead you to make mistakes if you are not careful. The fact that it is not easy to learn how to write in Japanese is also evident from the fact that many Japanese have to rely on online dictionaries and translator tools to help them correctly pronounce words and phrases.
The Quickest Way to Learn
Although it is not easy to learn how to write in Japanese, it is certainly possible. Many people, both in Japan and abroad, have mastered the skill, and although it may appear to be a daunting task, there are actually several different techniques that can be used to learn how to write in Japanese more efficiently.
One of the most successful and effective ways of learning how to write in Japanese is the Simplified Japanese Method (漢字易読法). This is a four-step process that will have you reading, writing, and speaking in Japanese in no time at all. When it comes to learning how to write in Japanese, there is no other method that comes close to this one.
The first step is to read and memorize the kana (漢字). You will be learning how to write each of the kana as you go, and because the method is structured, you will learn how to write very quickly. The second step is to learn how to read and write Chinese characters (Hanzi). Although there are only around 4000 characters in common use, learning how to read and write them effectively will take you a good amount of time. This is because there is so much reliance on context when it comes to reading Chinese characters, and if you are not accustomed to doing so, it can be difficult to ensure that you always look at the character in the right context.
The third step is to learn how to use the kana to transcribe Chinese characters. You will only be using the kana to determine the general meaning of a Chinese character. For this step, you will need to be able to read and write a little bit of Chinese. When you are writing in Chinese, it is important to ensure that your writing is beautiful and precise. You can also use Chinese characters as intermediaries when you are speaking. Although the method is quite simple, it is effective because it forces you to read and write in Japanese as you go. This will help you master the language far quicker than if you had studied the Chinese characters in advance.
The final step is to learn how to read and write simple sentences in Japanese. For this step, you will only need to be able to read and write short sentences, and although this may sound like a straightforward task, it can be rather challenging if you have not yet mastered the other steps.