So I’m leaving for Japan for the first time in about 3 months and I’ve been using duolingo for 4 months now and I’m still struggling to learn Japanese. I just want to be able to speak well enough to not be disrespectful and be able to make my way around. I’m going for two weeks and would just like any recommendations for websites, classes, experiences, advice on what to use to help myself learn Japanese.
8 comments
I don’t know many sources, but I would say your question is extremely vague – ressources depend on your skill level, what topic you’re looking for and personal preference. Learning basic japanese in 7 month is quite a challenge (depending on how much time you have and your learning skills).
– What exactly do you struggle with?
– What did you learn during the first months -> what’s your level now?
– Are you familiar with similar languages?
– What kind of ressources are you looking for?
Keep at it, but honestly, I lived there for 4 years and only really know how to say Things like, yes, no, thank you, Please, Where is. Youll be able to get around just fine.
I have found that it’s best for me to attend a study class first to get the basics down (alphabet, basic grammar), because then it’s a lot easier to understand what I’m actually learning from those self-study apps. You can also find short beginner courses (4-5 weeks, in person or online) that focus specifically on phrases you would need on holiday (eg. greetings, asking how much something is or asking where the bathroom is).
Hi Mitchellf1019…as a Hafu who pretty much grew up in Japan and can speak more than enough to get into trouble I feel I can give you some advice.
1. Don’t worry too much, as long as you can say simple phrases and understand them, you should be good. Duolingo is good, however, I would recommend getting yourself a nice, small phrase book that has phrases for restaurants, convenience stores, trains, buses, taxis, hotels, hospitals, etc.. Also, make sure that the phrase book you use give example answers as well. A phrase book can be handy for situations where you don’t have internet access.
2. Look up examples of conversation in Japanese on youtube before you go. Look up examples such as: basic japanese restaurant conversation, basic travel conversation in japanese, etc. This will be good to get your ear ready to ‘listen’ in a language that is NOT your mother tongue.
3. If you are practicing the phrases and listening to the vids to get your ear used to the language and can understand it be aware that some Japanese people may assume that you know more than you do. Don’t worry about that and learn the phrase: yukuri hanashite kudasai which means: please speak slowly. Here is an example conversation using this phrase: [https://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/en/lessons/07.html](https://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/en/lessons/07.html). There are also tons of other basic Japanese conversations you can list to at this site. I highly recommend it.
4. Making your way around is actually quite easy. When traveling by train, on the upper right of the train ticket machines, there is an English button that will translate every ticket info into English making it way easier to know how much to pay for a ticket to where ever you want to go. Also, once aboard a train, there are digital signs telling you what the next stop will be that rotates between kanji, hiragana, and romanji. Also, if you pay attention there is a voice announcer also stating what the next station coming up is that also rotates between Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and English. (At least this was the rotation when I went there last.)
5. On the subject of travel, you can also go purchase a Suica or Pasmo card. You can even get them online before you leave for Japan and then you can pick them up at the airport when you arrive. [https://matcha-jp.com/en/30](https://matcha-jp.com/en/30). These cards can be loaded up with yen and then you use them basically like debit card for trains, buses, and even convenience stores will take them to pay for items
6. If you do not have an international smartphone plan, you can rent a portable wi-fi router that will allow you to access to the internet via your smartphone as long as there is good signal. Here is a list of the top 8 choices according to Matcha [https://matcha-jp.com/en/9447](https://matcha-jp.com/en/9447). I used the number 2 choice, Sakura mobile it was super easy. I just signed up for the plan I wanted and the router was waiting for me at the hotel when I checked in. They even come with a pre-paid mailing cardboard envelope to drop into a mailbox when you are done with your trip. These routers are super handy so you can use Google Maps for getting train times and even whole trip information if you wanted to go somewhere specific. Also, you can use the google translate feature in the camera as long as you are connected to the internet.
7. Restaurants are even easier, if you do not know how to say what you want, you can just point at the picture in the menu and if they do not have pictures, odds are they have the display of fake foods at the front of the restaurant that you can also point to.
8. Lastly, go and have a great time and don’t be afraid to get lost and enjoy exploring Japan.
Duo lingo isn’t great for learning the language, it’s a good supplement though. I’d recommend nativ shark or Busu for actually learning
I got a 1:1 teacher 3 months before my first trip to Japan and it was great. If you can make it to te-kei (from a grammar point of view) to be able to ask for things in simple terms, that will help you a lot.
As an ex-gaijin in Japan, I feel that if all you want is to get around and order food and do shopping etc, it isn’t that difficult to achieve. There are many “phrase books” which are small little books with concentrated content and sample phrases, they are immensely useful. My personal experience was that I could get around and do what I want and ask for directions and get train ticket refund etc without too much formal Japanese learning.
It’s a whole diff matter if you would like to engage with the local with discussions on various topics etc. for that you might need more long term training. But if all you want is to be a respectful tourist, buy a phrase book and memorise a few key lines you’re good to go! Enjoy Japan!
Only 3 months? The most rational decision would be to not worry about it. But if you must, just find an italki tutor to help you with basic phrases to get around.