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.
Does it take 10 years to learn Japanese? ›
However, many experts believe it takes between 4 to 6 months of dedicated study to reach a beginner level. On the other hand, you can expect to spend at least 3 years studying to become fluent in Japanese with near-native level accuracy.
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 Japanese the hardest language to learn in the world? ›
Japanese shares similar difficulties with Mandarin as learners must remember thousands of characters before they can understand any of them. It is indeed one of the hardest languages to learn. There are some connections between the characters of Japanese and Mandarin, though the pronunciation is often quite different.
How long does it realistically take to learn Japanese? ›
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.
Which is harder 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.
Is 40 too old to learn Japanese? ›
Never Too Old To Learn
We are all lifetime learners until the day we die. In my online courses, I have many students who are in their 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's. The older student I currently have is 85 years old. When we are older, we just need more time to absorb new information.
Is 25 too old to learn Japanese? ›
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. Age isn't a barrier; it's an advantage.
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.
In addition, when you learn Japanese, you become not only proficient in the language but also gain an insider view of the culture. Understanding the Japanese work ethic, their business etiquette, and knowing which cultural faux pas to avoid can often make or break an important business deal.
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.
Which country learn Japanese the most? ›
The country with more learners than anywhere else in the world was China with 1,046,490 learners. It was followed by Indonesia with 872,411; Korea with 840,187; Australia with 296,672; Taiwan with 233,417; the United States of America with 155,939; and Thailand with 129,616.
What is the easiest language in the world? ›
Spanish may be the #1 easiest language to learn. Not only does Spanish share the same alphabet – with the sole addition of ñ – but it's also phonetic. That makes figuring out new vocabulary easy, since the spelling tells you how to pronounce it.
Is it easier to learn Korean or Japanese? ›
While Japanese is easier to speak and listen to, Korean has simpler writing and grammar. Both languages have a high demand in the job market. They are globally established (in Japan) or rapidly growing (in South Korea). Learning one language after the other is also easy because of their similarities.
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.
What's 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.
Which is harder Russian or Japanese? ›
And it is! For native English speakers, Russian is categorized as taking 44 weeks to learn (or 1,100 hours), while Japanese takes 88 weeks (2,200 hours). It literally takes double the time to learn Japanese as it does to learn Russian.
