There seems to be a general idea that learning the Japanese language is quite difficult. It’s backed up by official sources, too, like the US Government’s Foreign Service Institute’s School of Language studies. The SLS ranks languages by the length of time typically required for native English speaking students to reach “Professional Working Proficiency” in a large number of languages.
There seems to be a general idea that learning the Japanese language is quite difficult. It’s backed up by official sources, too, like the US Government’s Foreign Service Institute’s School of Language studies. The SLS ranks languages by the length of time typically required for native English speaking students to reach “Professional Working Proficiency” in a large number of languages. Japanese is ranked as a Category IV language, the hardest category to learn, requiring 2,200 class hours — as compared to the easiest group of Category I languages, which require 600–750 hours (these include Spanish, Dutch, French, etc.).
However, the issue is complicated by the fact that these classes aim at specific targets, like working in a high level profession, and are based on 70 years of history. Modern teaching methods, exposure to Japanese culture and society, and attitudes toward the language in Japan itself have changed enormously in recent years. For most learners, Japanese is probably easier to learn than it ever has been.
Breaking it Down
One way to reevaluate learning Japanese is to think of it as two languages: spoken Japanese, which reflects the native roots of the language, and written Japanese, which uses characters adopted from China and forcefully adapted to fit a totally different spoken language.
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.
The issues of keigo (highly formal Japanese used in some business situations) are real, but in many cases have become less important than in years past as Japanese speakers themselves are starting to adopt simpler Japanese, particularly in the service industries that deal with visitors from abroad, with a movement called yasashii Nihongo, or “easy Japanese”. Many times, public expectations of non-Japanese are also lower so keigo is not as vital for non-native speakers.
Personally, as someone who has extensively studied German, Italian, Russian, and even Greek, spoken Japanese struck me as a relatively easy study. Sentences tend to be short, and the structure is regular, so it is well suited to techniques like shadowing and memorizing of stock phrases to fit together in different situations. Pronunciation was rarely a challenge, apart from the tricky tongue roll in ryu.
The Rub
However, there is no denying that the written language of Japanese presents hard challenges to those coming from more alphabetic languages. There are three Japanese writing systems: kanji, hiragana, and katakana. Romaji is also arguably a particularly Japanese writing system since the Roman alphabet it is based on is used in unfamiliar ways to many who grew up using it. Remembering hiragana and katakana is not particularly hard, but kanji of course is a major speedbump to learners who come from cultures that don’t use versions of their own.
One particularly tricky bit is the seemingly arbitrary connection of pronunciation to kanji. The Japanese word tsukuru, which means “to make”, can be written with at least three different kanji, depending on what is being made. This reflects an original difference between China’s linguistic needs, and the existing Japanese root word.
Of course, even kanji can be mastered, and with all of the many resources now available (many of which have been discussed on this very website!) there is sure to be an approach that will make the challenge more manageable.
Conclusion
Japanese is, all told, not as bad as it’s made out to be. If you tune your study to your needs, and especially if you work on speaking and listening first, you should be able to work your way to communication relatively painlessly. And, with some focus and hard work, reading and writing shouldn’t be too far out of reach, either. Explore WorkInJapan.today’s study section for more ideas, too!
Jim Rion
FAQs
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.
How long does it realistically take to learn Japanese? ›
On the other hand, you can expect to spend at least 3 years studying to become fluent in Japanese with near-native level accuracy. How long does it take to learn basic Japanese? If you're a complete novice and want to learn basic Japanese, expect to spend around 150-200 hours studying to reach a beginner level.
What is the hardest thing about learning Japanese? ›
Its Writing System
This is especially the case for a language that has its own writing script, different to that of the Latin alphabets. What makes Japanese even more complicated is the fact that it has not 1, but 3 writing scripts: Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana.
Is 1 year enough to learn Japanese? ›
In fact, Japanese is one of the most difficult languages to learn for a native English speaker. If you want to speak enough Japanese to make friends in Japan and carry on simple conversations, you can master casual Japanese in under a year, especially if you are skipping over hiragana and katakana.
Is it easier to learn Korean or Japanese? ›
Our conclusion is that Korean is easier to learn… but only just. As a beginner, we actually think it's easier to learn Japanese. Although learning Hiragana and Katakana can be a little challenging, pronunciation of Japanese is relatively simple and the grammar rules are not too complicated.
What level of Japanese is considered fluent? ›
It measures language ability in 6 levels (C2, C1, B2, B1, A2, A1 from fluent to beginner). C2 level holders are regarded as fluent as a native language speaker, or are referred to as business level.
Can I learn Japanese from Duolingo? ›
The world's most popular way to learn Japanese online
Whether you're a beginner starting with the basics or looking to practice your reading, writing, and speaking, Duolingo is scientifically proven to work.
Why is Japanese so hard for English speakers? ›
Japanese is considered challenging for English speakers due to its distinct grammatical structure and writing system, but difficulty varies by learner.
Which is harder Chinese or Japanese? ›
There are distinctive disparities between the two language structures. Japanese grammar generally follows SOV (subject, object, verb) language. In contrast, Chinese grammar follows SVO, similar to English, making learning and speaking Chinese easier than Japanese.
What is the easiest type of Japanese 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.
Absolutely not! Being 25+ is still prime time to learn Nihongo. While ages 22-24 might be the ideal, 25-28 remains a fantastic phase. Your brain is still adaptable, and life experiences only enrich your language journey.
How many hours a day is Japanese language school? ›
The Daily Routine
Japanese language schools must offer the same total volume of study hours per term and roughly gives three hours of classes for half a day, every Monday to Friday. The classes are usually divided into two 90-minute or four 45-minute sessions, with small breaks in between.
How many hours a day for Japanese? ›
As many hours as you can possibly use to study. 2 hours a day sounds good enough if you study consistently. The Foreign Service Institute estimates 2200 hours average for an English speaker to learn Japanese, so that would take about 3 years to learn the language.
What language is most similar to Japanese? ›
Therefore, when it comes to pure intelligibility, the Ryukyuan languages are said to be the most similar to Japanese. As a result, speakers of Japanese may find it relatively easy to understand Ryukyuan languages, and vice versa.
What is the most easiest language to learn in the world? ›
Languages that are related to English and easy to learn include most Germanic languages (Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and German) and Romance languages (Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, and Romanian). Apart from this, knowing a language related to the target language can make it easier to learn!
Is Japanese a tonal language? ›
Unlike Vietnamese, Thai, Mandarin, and Cantonese, Japanese is not a tonal language. Japanese speakers can form different meanings with a high or low distinction in their inflections without having a certain tone for each syllable.
How long does it take to learn Japanese and speak fluently? ›
Learning Japanese isn't easy and it will take time. It's probably fair to say that you can expect a commitment of at least three years in order to achieve something resembling fluency. The average learner gets to the advanced level in three or four years.
How long does Japanese Duolingo take? ›
How long it takes to learn Japanese on Duolingo depends on a number of variables, including desired level of fluency, time commitment per day, and practice outside of Duolingo. For casual Duolingo learners though, expect two to three years of work.
Is 5 years enough to learn Japanese? ›
Even after obtaining an N1 certification, many learners continue to study more kanji and vocabulary to further improve their proficiency. You can achieve the same advanced level in 3-5 years of learning Japanese part-time.
How long does it take to learn N5 Japanese? ›
Like any standardized test, you'll want to spend at least three months to prepare for the test. For test-takers who don't know kanji, you can assume it will take around 450 to 500 hours of study to pass the JLPT N5 test. Moreover, out of 450 to 500 hours, approximately 150 hours are for learning Kanji.
