Learn Basic Japanese

Learn Basic Japanese - Back To The Basics (Part 2)

One of the four main basic abilities you need to learn basic Japanese is the ability to read. Most of us don't realise that when we are reading a text, we read sentence by sentence and not word for word. A sentence is several words in a specific sequence. It is the whole sequence that we subconsciously register. Therefore, just knowing the keywords in a sentence is enough to comprehend what you've read.

The same format should be applied when reading Japanese. However, reading Japanese also takes into account a solid knowledge of Hiragana, Katakana and the more challenging Kanji characters found in Japanese text. Becoming more familiar with 100 Kanji each night is better than "learning" 4 Kanji per day. You could hang Kanji charts on your wall or ceiling and study vocabulary lists and Japanese text on your commute are two ways to do this. Also you should focus on the Kanji/vocabulary that interest you to make it more fun and expose you to more Kanji. Remember, repetition and interest is good for your memory.

When reading Japanese you should read the WHOLE sentence or clause at once and you'll learn basic Japanese. Why? Because you'll be more quickly able to distinguish the sentence structure and also its meaning.

Learn Basic Japanese