As the title suggests, I am a Junior Highschool Student who has transferred to Japan and will continue studying in Japan. Its a dream come true but I have a lot of concerns, the main one being Language barrier.
How do I introduce myself properly in class without being rude? I have heard that Japan has a separate policy when it comes to talking to people higher than you, people who are close to you, people you barely know etc. And how should I say that I am still bad at reading Kanji and talking in Japanese?
I understand what others say to me but I dont know how to reply properly. Extra advice would be much appreciated!
7 comments
Are you going to a public school or an international school? I assume the former.
The simplest thing you can say is this:
Hajimemashite
Watashiwa [your name] desu.
[your country] kara kimashita.
Korekara yoroshiku onegaishi masu.
Welcome to Japan!
I think above all you should embrace the magic word of “ganbaru!”
Just do your best to get used to everything! Your new teachers and classmates will hopefully understand that you are new!
For an introduction, something short and simple would be best!
Maybe,
はじめまして！(Your name)です！(Country you came from)から来ました！日本語まだよくわからないけどできるだけ頑張りたいと思います！よろしくお願いします！
Hajimemashite, ( )desu! ( ) kara kimashita. Nihongo mada yoku wakaranaikedo, dekirudake ganbaritai to omoimasu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
“Hello! My name is ( )! I came from ( )! I still don’t understand Japanese too well, but I want to do my best! I hope that we can get along well!”
I hope all goes well for you!
Don’t worry about the polite language thing. It is dying a rapid death and outside of some limited use compared to the past is basically now limited to snooty prats.
The only thing you need to do is to avoid the rude words, and the only way to know the rude words is to associate with the dregs.
Anything you read in a book about how to do introductions etc. is going to be fine. No one expects perfect formality from a beginner in the language….except a few pretentious prats.
Later when you have mastered more basic Japanese, you can up your game to gain respect, but as a foreigner, you can’t really get a bad image for this, not until you are really proficient and really should know the difference between “da” and “desu”.
I think that’s about it unless you are going to meet the royal family…..they are surrounded by….prats.
Obviously the other commenters are generally correct, and as long as you put in a good-faith effort you’ll be fine. Also, don’t sweat it too much if you make mistakes…as a foreigner most people should give you some leeway in terms of using proper honourifics.
As long as you are polite and friendly you will do fine.
The rules are basically different if you are not Japanese, they will forgive any missteps that are not deliberate as long as your general demeanour is polite and friendly.
Just make an effort to copy what everyone else does as best you can and someone will gently correct you if you really get it wrong.
It’s a little more complex if you happen to be Japanese but just not familiar with the language and culture. In that case rightly or wrongly there may be a little more expectation on you.
As you are going into JHS, there will in all likelihood be a few students in each year with enough English for simple conversations. Because they are also studying English as well, these students will appreciate the opportunity to use English. So as long as you are patient and friendly you will have at least a few people you can start interacting with right away.
There will also be a JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) with reasonable English who you can talk to if need be.
Most schools will also have foreign ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) who visits every week or two. They will generally be happy to help if you need another foreigner’s opinion on something.
This is going to be a really wild experience for you. Just hang loose, be flexible, and observe, observe, observe.
Have you ever been in a Japanese school before? There are a lot of rituals, such as standing when the teacher comes into the room and greeting the teacher. Observe these, and try to take notes. Pretend you are an anthropologist. What are they doing? And why?
You don’t need to tell people you are bad at kanji or Japanese. They’ll either figure that out, or they won’t. The word for “help,” though, is “tasukette” for friends, and “tasukette kudasai” for older students, teachers, and strangers.
You may need to use YouTube or Khan Academy to tutor yourself in order to keep up (or catch up).
The good thing is that you’ve got a relatively young brain, so you’ll learn a lot more stuff.
Just don’t forget to ask for help, from your parents, teachers and new friends. Many people love being useful.
Good luck!