3 Must-Follow Tips For Learning The Japanese Language

Japanese, with its completely unique alphabet and complex sentence structures, can be quite a challenge for Westerners to discover. Like just about all learning endeavors, though, you can make the task much simpler and a lot more efficient by doing a little organizing before you dive in. On this page I am going to explain to you several things you need to do to make your Japanese language learning experience a pleasant, efficient and rewarding one.

Discover Your own Learning Strengths

Current research based on Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences demonstrates that there are 7 specific types of learning styles: visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, and logical-mathematical. Before you jump into Japanese do yourself a big favour and find out what kind of learner you happen to be. To uncover whether you're a linguistic or a logical-mathematical learner, simply take one of the numerous 100 % free tests on the Internet. To do so, just stop by Google and type in "Theory of Multiple Intelligences free test," and you'll locate one.

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Look at a few and use the one that comes with the most questions; you'll get the most complete results that way. While carrying this out, do not forget that you won't be just one single style of learner. You will have a great deal more strength in some areas, though. Look for your strengths and then design a Japanese language learning system that is ideal in your case.

Begin With the Katakana Alphabet

You might not realize this, but the Japanese writing system has more than one alphabet. One is referred to as Katakana. It is the simplest alphabet, and it is used to spell out international words and phrases, to dictate the names of plants, animals, and minerals, and also to type out specialized and scientific terms.

Also, it is regularly used to post the particular names of foods, which makes it very useful for you to learn. Additionally, it's actually a phonetic alphabet, so it is not too difficult to learn. If you study hard, you'll be able to master the sounds of the forty-eight characters in the system in an evening or maybe two. So, before you go out and trying to tackle Kanji, the way more challenging system of characters that make up the primary written form of the Japanese language, get comfortable with Katakana. This will ease you towards success, one step at a time.

Converse With a Native Speaker From the Beginning

When discovering a foreign language that utilizes the identical alphabet as the one your used to, for example, if you are a native English speaker studying The spanish language, it is easy to learn quite a lot just by altering your own pronunciation. When learning Japanese, though, you will find yourself making sounds which are totally and completely different than anything you are used to. Due to this, it's very important that you start using a native Japanese speaker from the start.

Luckily, achieving this is as simple and easy as ever. You've got several opportunities. One is to see a local Japanese speaker and talk with her or him in person. This is a very good solution, but it is usually the most pricey. The next method is to use language learning software or online instruction. These kinds of applications, in the beginning, weren't really good. In these days, however, you'll find high-quality, entirely interactive language learning programs taped by native speakers for less than a hundred dollars. This is a whole lot cheaper than employing a private Japanese instructor, and you can do lessons repeatedly until you are satisfied that you have perfected them.

Lastly, if you want a no cost alternative, you can do a language exchange via the internet. You simply head over to a language learning forum and locate a native Japanese speaker who's looking to teach you Japanese the Japanese language in return for you teaching her or him your native language, whatever it may be.

It doesn't really make a difference which option you ultimately choose. Just make perfectly sure that you're talking to a native Japanese person right from the start; it is really a great deal harder to repair awful Japanese pronunciation than it is to simply learn it correctly from the beginning.

Studying the Japanese language may be tricky for Westerners, but, with a spot of preparation, you can have an excellent learning experience. To ensure success, find out what kind of learner you are, learn the Katakana alphabet, and work with a native Japanese speaker from the get go.

Japanese VS English: How to Use English to Master Japanese

Japanese is a superb language to discover, but it can be tough, especially for native English speakers. Still, you can make the whole process far easier by simply understanding three significant distinctions between English and Japanese. This article is going to talk about those variances.

Levels of Formality

When speaking English, it is perfectly okay to speak the same way to most people, within reason. As an example, you'd say the words "Good morning," to your husband or wife, your employer, your buddies, and to a complete stranger. Things are entirely different in The country of Japan. There, you have to speak differently to different people, according to their age and their connection to you.

To demonstrate, I am going to discuss the following Japanese morning greeting:

"ohayo" (informal) or,
"ohayo gozaimasu" (formal)

When you wake up and see your sons or daughters and your wife or husband, you should say, "Ohayo." When you have arrived at your office and see your employer, conversely, saying that could get you dismissed! To your manager, you should use the much more formal, "Ohayo gozaimasu."

How about one's colleagues? To nearly all of them, you should speak formally, saying, "Ohayo gozaimasu." To the people you've made close relationships with, however, you might drop the formality and say, "Ohayo." If speaking to people you just met, always use the more formal variant.

How essential is this? Very! Speaking informally to unknown people, your boss, or those significantly older than you is reasonably rude. To secure a greater understanding, suppose that you've got a teenage daughter.

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Now suppose that she brings a teen boy to your home for dinner. This young man comes into your home, approaches your aging father, and spits out the sentence, "Hey gramps, what's up." What would you think of this boy's manners? I suspect that although you might not throw him out immediately, you almost certainly wouldn't ask him back again either. Understanding the way to speak Japanese using appropriate formality will probably ensure that you do get invited to come back!

English VS Japanese Word Order

With The English language, we sequence our sentences like so:

Subject + Verb + Object.

As an illustration, we will evaluate the simple sentence, "I love you." In this short sentence, the verb is "love." The subject is "I," and the object is "you."
As a result, we write the sentence. I (subject) love (verb) you (object). Japanese sentence construction is a little different. In Japanese sentences, word order is as follows:

Subject + Object + Verb

The above mentioned sample sentence would be composed in this way (Romanized).

Watashi wa (Subject [I]) anatao (object [you]) aishiteru (Verb [love]).

Understanding this one important distinction between English and Japanese will significantly boost the pace at which you understand Japanese grammar--remember it well.

Marking Subjects and Objects

This is relatively simple. Japanese has subject and object markers, while the English language does not. Using these types of markers correctly is very tricky. In this article, though, I will simply give you the fundamental principles.
We will consider the example sentence, "I ate Japanese food." The markers we will use, in Romanized form, are "Wa" and "Wo."

English language word order: I ate Japanese food.
Japanese langauge word order: I Japanese food ate.
Japanese word order with markers: I wa Japanese food wo ate.

"Wa" marks the subject "I," and "wo" marks the object "Japanese food." As you get deeper into the Japanese language, you'll discover more about exactly how these types of markers can be used to make fine modifications to sentence connotations. For right now, though, just be aware that they are there, and make an attempt to use them properly whenever conversing.

Closing Thoughts

Getting the hang of the Japanese language can be challenging. We can easily make it far less difficult, however, by comparing it directly to the English language. Don't forget the difference in word order, the use of object and subject markers in Japanese, and the numerous formality differences between the two languages and you will definitely have great achievements studying the Japanese language.

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Learning Chinese: The 3 Steps You Must follow to Master mandarin

Mandarin is an ancient and interesting language, and the benefits associated with mastering it today are numerous. Mastering this language, however, is not simple and easy, predominantly due to the fact that it lacks a phonetic alphabet. Don't worry. I have lived, and learned, in China for several years, and I am going to share some information that will help you accomplish your Chinese language learning goals. In order to be good at learning Mandarin Mandarin you need to follow these three important steps. Read my Rocket Chinese Review if you want to check out the software I used to master pinyin.

Step One: Get a Good Grasp of Pinyin

What is Pinyin? As I stated previously, Chinese characters, in general, aren't phonetic, meaning they have no sounds attributed to them. Instead, they are pictographs, symbols that represent distinct thoughts and ideas. These pictographs are very effective for the purpose of communicating visually, through reading and writing. For instance, if I draw a stick figure in the shape of the human form, we can both look at it and understand that I am communicating something about a human being. The problem occurs anytime people from completely different geographical territories get together and make an attempt to communicate verbally.

Why is there an issue? Because in my town people may see the aforementioned stick figure and enunciate it "person." In your village, on the other hand, people may see the identical figure and enunciate it "potato," which makes it very hard for us to communicate verbally. Pinyin was developed to resolve this issue, and it is the only way for you to understand how to properly pronounce words and phrases in Mandarin Chinese. So, prior to studying how to read, write or pronounce Chinese characters, you have to learn pinyin.

Step 2: Start Communicating Verbally

As soon as you understand pinyin, you need to use it, accompanied by a native Chinese speaker, to learn how to properly pronounce Chinese, including getting the hang of Chinese tones. I know, you don't have enough time to head over to The far east and learn with a native Chinese person. Don't worry. There are a number of software packages and web-based courses out there that have recordings made by Chinese speakers.

It's essential to take advantage of these courses. It is extremely difficult to sit and learn how to pronounce Chinese tones without listening to them spoken by a native Chinese speaker. How essential is it to get the tones correct? A lot of Chinese words have four different definitions, each of which is expressed by a change of tone. If you don't master your tones, you won't be able to converse effectively using the Chinese language.

Step Three: Dive Into Chinese Characters

Once you've perfected pinyin, you'll be able to progress to studying Chinese characters. Why should you do this last? Because when you memorize the meaning of a Chinese character, you'll naturally assign a sound to it. Of course, in the beginning, you will simply translate the meaning straight into your own native language. As you progress, though, you will want to develop the ability to "hear" the appropriate sound, in Mandarin, in your head. In addition, if you plan on utilizing your ability to read Chinese characters in a functional setting, in a diner, for example, you'll have to have the ability to pronounce them properly, and the only way to do that is to first master pinyin and pronunciation.

Conclusion

Mandarin is the most spoken language worldwide, and, with the financial and political rise of Mainland China, learning the language has many practical advantages. Sure, it's a somewhat challenging language to understand, but if you carry out the three steps outlined above, your improvement will be swift and painless.

Best of luck to you!

Ryan Wiley
The Live in Asia Blog

Learning Korean Step By Step

Korean is a remarkable and pleasurable language to sit and learn, and the Koreas, both North and South, are often the subjects of today's global headlines, South Korea for growing into a strong economic and technological powerhouse and North Korea, of course, for its controversial political structure, making Korean quite a relevant language to learn. Getting to know the Korean language may appear difficult when first approached, due to its unfamiliar written characters. If you stick to the three steps stated below, however, you will have no trouble at all getting the hang of this interesting and increasingly important language.

Step One: Study the Alphabet

In the beginning, the Korean language looks quite difficult to learn, but it is not. Its entire alphabet is made of 14 consonants, 10 vowels and 11 diphthongs. Diphthongs, for people who do not know, are sounds created when 2 vowels are combined, like the "oi" in the English word "boil." Altogether, that is just 35 characters that you need to understand, unlike a language like Chinese where it's important to learn about thousands of characters.


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In addition, although the letters of the Korean alphabet appear very different than the letters used in English, they sound very similar, making understanding how to read them fairly simple. So, your first task is to master the pronunciation of the Korean alphabet.

Step Two: Understanding Korean Sentence Structure

There is a great deal of debate between linguists regarding the significance, or lack thereof, regarding mastering grammar when discovering a second language; many say it is essential, others mention the point that wholly uneducated native speakers of a language are able to communicate without being familiar with their own grammar. When it comes to learning Korean, though, trust me, it is vital to be familiar with the grammar. One reason is because Korean grammar is so different than the grammar we use in English, and trying to make sense of Korean by using what you feel are natural sentence patterns is a recipe for failure and discouragement.

An additional good reason is because Korean grammar structures are quite uncomplicated and logical, a direct result of the whole language being created by a small group of scholars, compared to other languages that have developed and evolved over a large number of years--not always in uncomplicated and logical ways. So, after you get good at the Korean alphabet, get yourself a good grasp of Korean grammar.

Step 3: Learning to Speak out Naturally

Of course, the objective of studying a language is to be able to communicate verbally in your target language, and there isn't a better way to achieve that than to talk to native speakers. You could go to Korea, assuming you have the time and resources, but the majority of us don't, so I'll recommend some more practical options. First, there are many Korean language-learning software programs that include recordings of native Korean speakers.

These software programs are a good place to begin. You can Check out my Rocket Korean Review if want to see a good one. Additionally, you can search out and use a Korean tutor. This is a fantastic solution for individuals who reside in larger metropolitan areas that have substantial Korean populations. Last but not least, it is easy to engage in an Internet language exchange. Just visit a language-learning discussion board and locate someone to talk with; you teach him or her English, and he or she teaches you Korean. I recommend that you take advantage of the totally free communication software program Skype for these types of lessons.

Final Thoughts

The Korean language is intriguing and enjoyable to master, and it is getting increasingly relevant as we push further into the 21st century. It can be a complicated language to learn, or a relatively simple language to discover, depending on your own language learning strategy. To experience a successful learning experience, first get good at the Korean alphabet. Then progress to studying sentence structure, and, finally, perfect your speaking by training with a native speaker.

All the best, and enjoy a new language learning experience.