Why is Japanese so hard to learn?

The Japanese language is considered one of the most difficult to learn by many English speakers. With three separate writing systems, an opposite sentence structure to English, and a complicated hierarchy of politeness, it's decidedly complex.


Whats the hardest thing about learning Japanese?

Here are five of the most difficult things about learning Japanese.
  • The Writing System. The Japanese writing system is incredibly complex. ...
  • Context. ...
  • Counting Words. ...
  • Speed. ...
  • Fewer Possible Sound Combinations.


How hard is it actually to learn Japanese?

Even experts agree that spoken Japanese is not particularly difficult to learn. The sounds of the language are limited (only five vowels and thirteen consonants) and grammatically it is quite regular, without case declensions or other complex issues that are found in languages like Russian, or even German.


How long does it realistically take to learn Japanese?

According to the US Department of State, Japanese is one of the hardest languages for English natives to learn. It doesn't have many similarities in structure to English. They estimate it takes 88 weeks of learning, or 2200 hours, to reach fluency.

Is Japanese or Chinese harder to learn?

Japanese is slightly easier to learn. But, Chinese is much more widely spoken. Both languages have their pros and cons.


Is Japanese Hard to Learn?



What is the simplest language in the world?

Riau Indonesian is different from most other languages in how simple it is. There are no endings of any substance, no tones, no articles, and no word order. There is only a little bit of indicating things in time.

Which is harder Korean or Japanese?

Unlike other East-Asian languages, Korean isn't a tonal language. This means, that the meaning of the word doesn't change, regardless of what your accent is like. This makes learning Korean much easier than Japanese.

Is learning Japanese worth it?

There are lots of social benefits of learning Japanese. Being able to communicate with more people means you are able to meet and get to know more people. If you know how to speak Japanese, you'll find it much easier to make Japanese friends than someone who doesn't speak Japanese.


Is 1 hour a day enough to learn Japanese?

As for learning to read easily in one hour per day? It's certainly doable, but very unlikely to be successful in less than 2 years at the very least. You'll spend 6 months just memorizing kanji through Heisig long before you know how to actually read any of them. Japanese takes time, there's just no way around it.

Is Duolingo good to learn Japanese?

Duolingo is an excellent free resource for learning languages, especially if you consider yourself a beginner who is looking to immerse yourself quickly in Japanese.

Is Japanese hard for Americans to learn?

The Japanese language is considered one of the most difficult to learn by many English speakers. With three separate writing systems, an opposite sentence structure to English, and a complicated hierarchy of politeness, it's decidedly complex.


Which Japanese is easiest to learn?

Hiragana is primarily used for native Japanese words and consists of 46 characters or 51 phonetic characters. It's the key to understanding how and why Japanese words sound the way they do. Because most of the characters have only one pronunciation, Hiragana is quite easy to learn.

Why is kanji so hard?

Kanji characters are based on Chinese characters and are often almost identical to their partner words in Chinese. This writing system is one of the most difficult parts of Japanese to learn, as there are over 2,000 different characters to learn and many kanji have several different readings.

What is the hardest Japanese word?

  • ryōri. 料理 (n) cuisine.
  • chūshajō 駐車場 (n) parking lot.
  • ryokō 旅行 (n) traveling. chōkyori ryokō 長距離旅行 long-distance traveling. 1 More Example.
  • benri. 便利 (n) convenient.
  • shinryaku. 侵略 (n) invasion.
  • Tsuittā ツイッター (n) Twitter.
  • atatakaku nakatta. 暖かくなかった (p) was not warm.
  • tsutaerarenakatta. 伝えられなかった (p) could not tell.


What alphabet is most used in Japan?

Hiragana is the most commonly used, standard form of Japanese writing. It's used on its own or in conjunction with kanji to form words, and it's the first form of Japanese writing that children learn.

What is the hardest Japanese character?

The Most Difficult Japanese Kanji on Record: たいと(Taito)

たいと(taito) is the most difficult Japanese Kanji on the record with a total of 84 strokes. It is formed by combining 3 雲 (くもkumo) with 3 龍 (りゅうRyuu). 雲means cloud and 龍 means dragon in English.

How to memorize kanji fast?

Best Japanese Kanji Learning Method
  1. Rote Memorization. The best way to learn any language is through repetition. ...
  2. Mnemonics. ...
  3. Learn 常用漢字 (Jouyou Kanji) ...
  4. Study the Kanji of Words that You Most Commonly Use. ...
  5. Learn Radicals. ...
  6. Learn the Kanji of Words on Your Vocabulary List. ...
  7. Read Japanese Reading Material. ...
  8. Use a Dictionary.


Is 2 years long enough to learn Japanese?

The average length of time to learn advanced Japanese is 2-3 years. At the intermediate level, you can understand most of what your teacher says, and you can follow along with TV programs. When it comes to using the language with other Japanese speakers, however, you still have some limitations.

How to speak Japanese fluently?

7 tips for learning to speak Japanese fluently
  1. Don't rush the basics. For some learners, the three Japanese writing systems can be intimidating. ...
  2. Find media you love. ...
  3. Practise with native speakers. ...
  4. Record yourself speaking. ...
  5. Set goals. ...
  6. Use mnemonics. ...
  7. Stay positive.


What learning Japanese does to your brain?

A study with first-time learners of Japanese has measured how brain activity changes after just a few months of studying a new language. The results show that acquiring a new language initially boosts brain activity, which then reduces as language skills improve.


How long should I study Japanese a day?

Japanese can be learned in 1 hour per day, but learners will be much better served if they increase their study time to 2 or more hours per day. At 1 hour of study per day general professional proficiency is achieved in 12.4 years, whereas it takes 6.2 years to reach this level at 2 hours per day.

How many kanji are there?

The total number of kanji is well over 50,000, though few if any native speakers know anywhere near this number. In modern Japanese, the hiragana and katakana syllabaries each contain 46 basic characters, or 71 including diacritics.

Can you learn languages while sleeping?

Second, this study showed people may be able to aid vocabulary learning in their sleep, but picking up a new language involves much more than that. More complex parts of a language, such as grammar and conjugation rules, are out of reach, so it's probably not possible to learn an entire new language this way.


How many letters are in the Japanese alphabet?

How Many Letters are in the Japanese Alphabet? There are 46 basic characters in the Japanese alphabet and additional characters/sounds that can be made from the basic 46. Each of the alphabet symbols forms one syllable made of the 21 romaji, which is phonetic and always read the same way.