How to Learn Japanese Quickly
- 1). Get a Japanese phrasebook. This will have the most useful words and phrases. Write them out in English letters so you can pronounce them without reading Japanese. Particularly if you are traveling in Japan, this will help you to communicate while you develop a deeper fluency of Japanese.
- 2). Start with cognates. Cognates are words that sound the same in more than one language. English and Japanese have a number of them. The Japanese word for chocolate, for example, is pronounced "chokoreto." Because these words sound similar, they are easier to remember. In this way, you can quickly build your vocabulary.
- 3). Different people have different learning styles. Find the learning style that works best for you to speed up how quickly you learn. Flash cards are helpful for a visual learner, but if you are an auditory learner, you should try audio books or make your own recordings. Many educational materials for learning Japanese are available, including books, tapes, cards, movies, games, and computer software.
- 4). Develop memory techniques. Mnemonic devices, such as using the first letter of each word in a sentence to remember the order of the planets, can be useful in learning Japanese too. Draw connections between words and associate them with other images and ideas; these steps make your memory of them clearer. Japanese is particular well suited for image associations because the characters are visual.
- 5). Immerse yourself in Japanese. You will learn more quickly if you are surrounded by Japanese, thinking about it frequently, forced to use it, and constantly exposed to new parts of the language. If a trip to Japan is not possible, join a group that meets regularly to talk in Japanese or agree with a friend to communicate as much as possible in Japanese.
Source...