One of the most difficult hurdles to cross when studying Japanese is a lack of confidence. Japanese is rated one of the most difficult foreign languages for a native English speaker to learn, but its also a very simple language to communicate with.
A Stressful Venture
Japanese is a language through which a lot can be said with a limited vocabulary. In everyday conversation the Japanese tend to use as few words as possible to get their points across. This may be contradictory to what one may think of polite Japanese, which seems to utilize an unneeded amount of verbal posturing and vocabulary to express simple, everyday concepts.
As a foreign speaker studying Japanese, it may seem daunting when considering the vast mountain of material that must be studied in order to reach a desired level: Kanji (Chinese characters), Hiragana, Katakana, Japanese pronunciation and English meanings…the list goes on and on.
At the beginning it is important to remember that learning Japanese is no easy task, but with the right mindset, amazing strides can be made and it can be a lot of fun.
Learn a Small Arsenal and Polish it
If you are living in Japan, or you just want to practice in your own country for future use, the best way to begin is by starting with a few extremely common and useful words and phrases that will give you the confidence to speak.
For example, one might ask you “Do you like it?” and you might answer “Yes, I like it.” Easy enough, right? Well it is even easier in Japanese. Here’s what the same conversation might look like in Japanese:
“Suki?” (Do you like it?)
“Suki.” (Yes, I like it.)
To ask the question, simply use rising intonation and to answer, use a flat or falling intonation.
It is that simple. In casual Japanese, one word answers and questions are not only accepted, they are seen as natural and efficient. In Hiragana, Suki is seen with two sounds: すき.
To give yourself a kick-start, let’s look at some other phrases which might be helpful in a similar situation.
If somebody shows you something that you think is great, or amazing you might think to tell them how it makes you feel or that it is really interesting or cool. For one to express this in Japanese it is very simple. One of the most common phrases heard when walking around Japan is Sugoi, which simply means “cool” or “that’s great!” It is very common and the word is made up of three simple sounds: すごい.
More Useful Words
*Genki? げんき
-This word can mean “energetic” or “full of life,” but when used as a question, it simply means “How are you?” To answer, simply say yes and repeat the word: “Hai, Genki desu.”
*Daijoubu? だいじょうぶ
-This word when asked as a question means “Are you OK?” To answer simply say “Hai, Daijoubu desu.”
It would be impossible to list all of the common and useful words one might see or hear in Japanese, but it is important that the individual learner find the words with which he or she feels most comfortable. Practice them everyday and remember that Japanese can be challenging, but it can also be very fun if you look at it from the right perspective.
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