How to speak Japanese: Some top strategies to master the language faster

So you want to learn how to speak in Japanese? If you are an English speaker, the “number of hours” required to learn Japanese may intimidate you. You may also be interested in learning Japanese faster or you may want to know the best way to learn Japanese. This guide will help you with some top strategies to master this language faster.

Japanese is regarded as one of the most difficult languages to master. It uses a different writing system than English, has a completely different grammar structure, and is heavily influenced by cultural context and understanding.

But don’t worry, the following steps will help you learn Japanese quickly, including context clues. If you are serious about speaking Japanese right now, this is the best way to learn it.

Find your passion for learning Japanese

Set your goal of learning Japanese. Determine why you are so interested in Japanese in particular. There can be many reasons, such as:

– You want to visit Japan and immerse yourself in the culture

– You have family members who speak Japanese and want to converse with them

– You want to meet Japanese people

– You want to work or study in Japan

– You want to experience and appreciate Japanese entertainment, art, and literature in their original language

You must know your ‘why’ if you want to master this language in a true sense. Find your “why” and write it down, whatever it is. Immerse yourself in your ‘why’.

Immerse yourself in Japanese at home

You do not have to relocate to Japan to learn Japanese. You must, however, surround yourself with it. The best way to do this for any language is to create a home immersion environment in which you are constantly exposed to the language.

While figuring out how to do this can be difficult at first. It becomes less difficult once you know what resources to use and what to do. You can:

– Make your smartphone work for you. Change the language to Japanese in the language settings. You can also do this on your computer. Download Japanese language apps, and games, explore Japanese learning websites, etc. to become more familiar with it. Facebook is a great app for the first switch because it is still simple to use while providing bilingual exposure.

– Begin by watching Japanese shows, movies, anime, documentaries, and so on. Netflix now has a plethora of Japanese shows, so it’s a great place to start.

– Listen to Japanese podcasts, music, and radio stations. They help you develop fluency like native speakers.

Find native speakers and start practicing from day one

There could be a Japanese-speaking community in your area that you are unaware of. You must find someone with whom you can communicate in Japanese and begin speaking immediately. This is the most crucial and fruitful language learning step you can take to achieve fluency. You won’t get very far in your studies unless you actually speak Japanese.

Don’t let the fact that you can’t find a language exchange partner in your area stop you from speaking. You can find native Japanese speakers to chat with in a variety of ways, including:

italki is a language exchange platform where Japanese speakers looking to learn English can practice with one another. You can also pay for lessons with their reasonably priced online Japanese tutors.

Use language learning hacks

Concentrate on the 80/20 rule. According to the 80/20 rule, you will get 80% of your results from 20% of your efforts. That is, you must concentrate on the 20% of the language (vocabulary, grammar, etc.) that you will use the most in order to produce 80% of your speaking. What is the most effective method? Begin with the essential Japanese words and work your way up.

Make use of mnemonics. This is critical because Japanese is so different from English in so many ways. Making associations to remember the words and meanings will help you learn faster.

If you are having trouble getting motivated to study, tell yourself, “I will just study for 15 minutes.” This little hack is fantastic. Because you are not committing a lot of time, you are more likely to push yourself to do it. And once you get started, you will usually find a rhythm and continue working. Even if you don’t, you still spend 15 minutes studying. Remember, consistency is essential.

Use conversational connectors and fillers to add fluidity to your speech

In English, we use conversational connectors all the time. It improves the naturalness and fluidity of our speech. Nonetheless, they are a frequently overlooked aspect of language learning.

Conversational connectors, such as “And you?” redirect the conversation back to the speaker. There are also phrases like “actually,” “thank you for asking,” “to be honest,” “if I’m being honest,” and so on.

Every language also has its own version of these. For example, one of the most common conversational connectors in Japanese is その時 (sono toki), which means “at that time.” It is not a common phrase in English, but it is used as a connector when telling a story or explaining a situation.

You can also make use of filler words to sound natural and buy you time as you think of how to say something. In English, we say “um,” “well,” etc. In Japanese, you can use あの。。。 (ano…, “um”), なんか。。。(nanka, “what was it…”), and じゃあ (jaa, “well then”).

Get a personal online tutor

Getting a personal tutor is essential if you want to master Japanese. If you are looking for an authentic medium to study Japanese, look no further and get enrolled with italki. Here, you will find the best tutor at a reasonable price.

Visit the website to book your lessons and start learning in the comfort of your home.

Conclusion

We hope now you know how you can learn to speak Japanese faster. Follow these amazing tools and techniques to speed up your learning process. Be consistent in your learning process. Remember, consistency is the key to success.

Learn some basic phrases to start your Japanese speaking for example: Hi, thank you, welcome and how are you in Japanese. Learning these basic phrases will give you the confidence to start speaking Japanese in front of people.