はじめまして (“Nice to meet you. “) おはようございます (“Good morning. “) こんにちは (“Good Day” {can be used only till sunset and thus can also be used as “Good Afternoon”}) おやすみなさい (“Good night. “) さようなら (“Goodbye. “)
おげんき ですか？(“How are you?”) げんき です。ありがとう。(“I’m fine, thanks. “) ありがとう ございます (“Thank you very much. “) すみません (“Excuse me. “) ごめん なさい (“Sorry. “) わかります (“I understand. “) しりません (“I don’t know. “)
一 (1) 二 (2) 三 (3) 四 (4) 五 (5) 六 (6) 七 (7) 八 (8) 九 (9) 十 (10)
Hiragana is a Japanese syllabary, a system of characters used to represent distinct Japanese sounds. [3] X Research source Katakana is similar to Hiragana, in that it is made up of Japanese sounds, but it is mostly composed of words that originated in different languages. It could be considered the syllabary for foreign words. Together, Hiragana and Katakana cover every sound in the Japanese language, 46 in total. Kanji are Chinese characters adapted for Japanese that are the foundation of Japanese writing. The sounds used to pronounce Kanji are the same as those used in Hiragana and Katakana. In Japanese language, the Latin alphabet is sometimes used for acronyms, company names, and names meant to be read by non-Japanese speakers. Romaji, the written Roman version of Japanese words, is also worth mentioning, even though it is not used in Japan. It is recommended that new students of Japanese skip Romaji and learn Japanese characters instead. Once you start learning Romaji it’s difficult to associate Japanese sounds with Japanese characters.
Since each character in Hiragana and Katakana has only one distinct sound, it is relatively easy to learn how to pronounce all 46. Pay special attention to intonation, though, since variations on these basic sounds can drastically change the meaning. Whereas English pronunciation is based on accents, Japanese pronunciation is based on pitch. A word may be pronounced the same way and mean something different depending on whether it is spoken in a high or low pitch. To sound like a native speaker, getting intonation right is key.
Voiced consonants, which are pronounced with a “voice,” a vibration in the throat. There are 4 voiced consonants and one semi-voiced consonant. Y-vowel sounds, which can directly follow consonant sounds to change the pronunciation. Hard consonant sounds, which add a hard stop between sounds. Long vowel sounds. The meaning of a sound can alter depending on how long the vowel sound is held.
Nouns don’t have plural forms and they don’t change according to gender. Verbs don’t change according to gender, number, or whether the subject is an object or person. [7] X Research source The predicate is always at the end of the sentence. Personal pronouns vary based on different levels of politeness and formality. Particles directly follow the word they relate to. For example, instead of saying “I am Japanese,” it would be “I Japanese am. “[8] X Research source
Do your Japanese homework. It may seem like it will take forever to learn the 2,000 Kanji characters or get a grasp on Japanese vocabulary, but these are important steps to take if you want to learn how to speak Japanese with fluency. Participate in workshops and class discussions. The written homework is important, but learning how to converse in Japanese requires that you get out of your comfort zone and let your voice be heard during class. Raise your hand, go to the workshops, and get in as much speaking practice as you can.
Check out the classified listings at local colleges and universities for Japanese tutors. Students hoping to make some extra money tutoring often advertise on bulletin boards and college websites. You could also hire a tutor who is actually living in Japan. Put up an ad on Craigslist stating that you’re looking for a Japanese tutor and would be willing to have tutoring sessions online using Skype or another online video chat program.
Start a Japanese discussion group that meets at least twice a week. Plan to speak only in Japanese for a full hour. Each meeting can have a theme, or you could simply talk for an hour on any subject in Japanese. Plan excursions with Japanese speakers so that you can practice speaking in different contexts and situations. For example, take a trip to the botanical garden and focus on learning Japanese words for different plants and trees. Speak with Japanese speakers a little bit each day, even when you aren’t meeting for a group discussion. Give someone a call and converse only in Japanese, or drop by your professor’s office hours for a little extra practice.
Rashomon, Seven Samurai, and Spirited Away are popular Japanese movies. You can start by watching the films with subtitles, but you’ll get a better immersion experience if you turn them off and focus instead on the Japanese sounds and pronunciation.
If you’re enrolled in a college or university, look into study abroad programs in Japan. You may be able to take classes there for a semester or more. You could also try to work there for a few months or longer. The organization WWOOF,[9] X Research source which stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, lets you work on a farm in exchange for room and board. This is a great way to immerse yourself in the language of another country for as long as you want to stay.
