Will it take a long time to learn Japanese fluently? Quite a few first timers with the Japanese language want instant results. To answer the question,...
Will it take a long time to learn Japanese fluently? Quite a few first timers with the Japanese language want instant results. To answer the question,
it really depends on how determined you are about learning Japanese.
People really do not care about how long it will take to learn Japanese. Typically, they really want to know how hard they will have to work. But we both know that there is no miraculous blueprint that will tell you that it will take exactly 2 years, 4 months, and 6 days to learn Japanese. However the biggest factor for learning to speak Japanese as fast as possible is the drive to learn the language.
Learning conversational Japanese can actually be done in a short time under the right circumstances. You'll find that there is a pretty wide spread of people out there. Some of them are so motivated that they can learn Japanese in a few quick months, while other people actually live in Japan for several years and still make use of the point-and-grunt way of communicating.
Language classes are possibly the most effective way to learn to speak Japanese, but these often tend to be pretty expensive. Most people can't pay for classes, though, and so the next best action is to get some instructional books or software programs that will show you how to speak Japanese. All of these alternatives are great ways to get a solid groundwork in the Japanese language and begin your journey toward the land of cherry blossoms and samurai.
We all know that you're never going to become fluent if you just read and never put your Japanese into action, so look for every chance you get to chat someone up in Japanese. Take some time to talk to people that already speak Japanese well or some of your classmates. Use what you learn and you will be shocked at how fast you can really learn Japanese. Talking to native speakers gives you the opportunity to learn some useful slang that you won't learn in the textbooks.
Contrary to popular belief, speaking Japanese is actually pretty straightforward. I mean, how tough can it be? You barely have to conjugate any verbs at all (unlike Spanish). However, I must admit, that learning to read and write Japanese, is probably going to be more of a task.
Learning to speak Japanese ought to be a cinch, but if you're like me, you'll probably start to get confused when it comes to learning the complicated writing system. Hiragana and Katakana won't take you more than a few weeks to learn, but things start getting hairy when you dive into the Kanji. Are you ready to confront your fears and memorize nearly two thousand characters?
Don't give up and throw in the towel though, this isn't any different that learning to speak Japanese. You just need to persistently apply what you learn. Don't use Romaji to learn Japanese. It will only harm you in the long run. Another great little trick for learning Japanese is to associate each character to something in your mind that will help you remember. As an example the Kanji for "kawa" (or "river") looks like flowing water. Let the creativity flow and you'll find that it is pretty simple to think of ways to memorize the Kanji.
So how long will it take you to learn Japanese? It will take as long as it does. We each learn at a distinct pace, but the most important aspect is that you put focus and attention into all your efforts. Don't give up and take things one day at a time.
