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Home - Language
Studying Japanese
 
basic information

Japanese is considered a difficult language to learn. This is certainly true for native speakers of European languages, such as English, because Japanese is fundamentally different from European languages.

One of the biggest difficulties of the Japanese language is its complex writing system. Unless you are already familiar with Chinese characters (kanji), many years of study are necessary to achieve complete literacy. Japanese students learn about 2000 kanji until the end of junior high school and continue to learn more until the end of their school careers. The two syllabaries Hiragana and Katakana (together about 100 signs), however, can be memorized within a short period of time.

Another difficulty of the Japanese language is the fact that a person's speech can vary depending on the situation and the person. A student of Japanese has to become familiar with Japanese society and customs in order to understand the detailed rules of the different levels of speech.

Compared to many European languages, basic Japanese grammar is relatively simple. Complicating factors, such as gender articles and distinctions between plural and singular, are almost completely absent. Conjugation rules for verbs and adjectives are almost entirely free of exceptions. Nouns are not declinated at all, but always appear in the same form. These facts make the language relatively easy for starting students.

Note that there are more information pages in this guide about Japanese Language Schools and studying in Japan in general.

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english links

Japanese Language Schools
Our directory of Japanese language schools worldwide.
Japanese Online
Online language lessons.
kanjistep.com
Contains studying material.
The Kanji Site
Website for the study of Kanji.
CosCom Japanese On The Web
Online language lessons.

product links

13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese

Basic Japanese Through Comics

Japanese for Busy People - Volume 1 (Kana Version)
Japanese for Busy People - Volume 2 (Kana Version)
Japanese for Busy People - Volume 3 (Kana Version)
Popular text book series by Kodansha
Instant Immersion Japanese
CD-Rom by Topics Entertainment
Rosetta Stone Japanese
CD-Rom by Fairfield Language Technologies
13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese
Book by Giles Murray
Outrageous Japanese: Slang, Curses & Epithets
Book by Jack Seward
Click here for dictionaries
Click here for kanji related books
Click here for hiragana related books
Click here for manga text books

 

 
May 31, 2008  
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