Should I even bother learning Japanese….
Ok I have to be in Japan for work for 3 years. I have no objection to trying to learn some Japanese before I go, and to continue while I am there…but is there much point? (Work will organise everything serious for me like documents etc)
I have no experience of learning another language, I only speak english (can’t even speak any Spanish beyond a few phrases). I would really like to use the opportunity to learn, but if I’m honest I have no idea how to work out if it’s even worth my time to seriously learn, or if I should just enjoy my time there and muddle through with some apps on my iphone and hang out exclusively with the other english speakers. I should add, I am keen to embrace the opportunity, but I’m trying to manage my expectations, because I have no idea my efforts in learning would be rewarded, or if I’d still be years and years away from having any useful skills.
I appreciate this community is naturally biased, but if you could share your thoughts I’d appreciate it!
22 comments
iits up to you if its worth your time but if you put in effort for three years you can become very profficient in japanese which will allow you to fit in a lot more during your time there, so i would recomend .
I’d recommend learning at least some basic stuff if you are going to be there for 3 years. Being able to recognize male/female for bathrooms, chicken, beef, fish on menus, some train station information. If you learn that and are still interested then continue if not then you’ll be fine most likely.
There is no minimum amount required for it to be useful. Even basic greetings are better than nothing. Do you have any reason not to start now?
For three years, yes! You can learn quite a lot in three years if you work hard, and I think it’s going to feel pretty lonely and limiting to be in Japan without any Japanese knowledge at all, even if you can find enough English speakers to hang out with. Just gaining an additional little bit of comfort with traveling on trains, ordering in restaurants, and that kind of thing unlocks a lot of possibilities.
I *think* most people here are learning because they want to, but not because it is particularly useful to them.
That is not 100% true for everyone but seems to be the major reason.
You might get some mileage out of learning some beginner stuff. Like, learn the kana (doesn’t take long) how do kana/kanji work, how to ask how much something costs at a store, how to say hello and goodbye, and that stuff.
You could get some bang-for-buck with that stuff and it is a relatively light load to learn.
3 years sounds long, not to exaggerate but Japan can be pretty alienating for foreigners cause English is pretty much non existent there, I’d recommend learning as much as you can before leaving or have personal translator/interpreter with you while your there, if it’s possible
It seems like you have a defeatist attitude about your ability to learn Japanese before even trying. If you want to learn, just start. If you don’t really want to learn and think you will get along just fine without it, don’t learn it. It takes practice and consistency. There is no magic way to learn a language. Anyone can learn a language, but the key is how consistent and dedicated you are about it. Basically, if your heart isn’t in it then your head won’t be either.
A little language learning can go a long way. You honestly won’t need very much to be comfortable with the basics of shopping and ordering food. Interesting conversations are something else entirely though.
I went to Japan with 3 words, but as I learned more and more, I had more and more fun, and since culture and language are so thoroughly intertwined, they helped reinforce each other over time. I loved my time there, and I look back on it wishing I’d actually studied more then.
It seems like you don’t even really want to. Like any hobby, motivation is the foundation of discipline, which in turn leads to improvement in your skills. If you lack the motivation to seriously consider starting, you’ll have a tough time maintaining the disciple to keep going.
But if you really want to learn and your lack of confidence is the source of your discretion, just remember that nearly every learner will doubt his or herself at some point.
Tl;dr: Do it if you want to, don’t if you don’t. There’s no shame in trying and not liking it
I became very proficient, if not fluent, in spoken Japanese, and nearly as strong in reading and writing, in about two years. How? Through immersion, self-study, and practicing with Japanese friends while I lived alone in Sapporo. Granted, I was in my 20s, and I had a knack for languages. On the other hand, that was 50yrs ago, and there were nowhere near the resources that seem to exist today. What matters is attitude: Whether you *want* to learn, to improve yourself and out of respect to others. There’s also the potential professional benefit of language skills and deeper cross-cultural work experience that could broaden your future career opportunities. Don’t aim low unless you don’t care about any of that.
I became very proficient, if not fluent, in spoken Japanese, and nearly as strong in reading and writing, in about two years. How? Through immersion, self-study, and practicing with Japanese friends while I lived alone in Sapporo. Granted, I was in my 20s, and I had a knack for languages. On the other hand, that was 50yrs ago, and there were nowhere near the resources that seem to exist today. What matters is attitude: Whether you *want* to learn, to improve yourself and out of respect to others. There’s also the potential professional benefit of language skills and deeper cross-cultural work experience that could broaden your future career opportunities. Don’t aim low unless you don’t care about any of that.
Learning Japanese is a marathon and not something to rush, the effort needed to learn this language can be daunting at times. That being said, in my opinion even the smallest amount of new words/expressions/grammar learned is better than nothing, even if you don’t want to keep with it for the long run. In general learning anything new is very good for the brain, it’s ok to keep it occupied and train it. So I would say you should definitely try and bother with it, you can always stop if it becomes a chore rather than something fun. Good luck with any decision you make!
Learn Japanese. You are missing out on an amazing culture and people. The Japanese people are amazing and I’m sad to say you have wasted 3 years by not getting more involved.
I lived in Japan for 2 years and practiced everyday. Going out, speaking to locals everywhere I went (i.e. riding the train id ask people if I could practice my Japanese with them). I love Japan with my entire heart and love and cherish the relationships I made over there. I plan to move back soon (work permitting)
I guess you’ve got to decide it for yourself, but i’ve seen “Lost in Translation” (great movie btw), and that feeling of language barrier and alienation is pretty depressive, especially if you have to live there for several years.
Don’t even start, i can feel already that you’re the type to try it for 2 weeks and then get bored and quit
Do you want to feel constantly isolated? Do you like being treated as a child? Get some intensive business japanese classes while you’re here and keep an open mind. Language is a door to understand the thinking and some things may be translated but there’s a whole lot going on between the lines that will leave you in a bad spot if you don’t even try.
If you’re teaching English then you should at least be studying or have studied another language to conversational level. Why should anyone want to learn from someone who couldn’t learn themselves, or refuses to try?
If you want to be paid anything beyond minimum wage (for foreigners), you’ll need to know Japanese (usually the better companies want N3 or higher).
i’d say yes to learning japanese. while if you want to commit to long term study of the language is up to you, choosing to embrace the culture and language of japan is a great idea. you could probably even take the JLPT!
either way, up to you, but i always like to get the most out of everything and i believe learning a language is doing just that.
Reasons to study Japanese:
1. Broaden your perspective that’s outside of the Western individualistic view and the culture that it entails. You know, wabi sabi and other Buddhist/Shintoist way of thinking.
2. Increase your circle of friends and be able to network for the next point.
3. Be able to find work in Japan on your own terms and be able to negotiate your salary, perks, etc.
4. Be more independent and not rely on a translator to register for something, open a bank account, rent a house, get a driver’s license etc.
5. Dive into an endless treasure trove of media (anime, manga, games, dramas) that remains untranslated or lose their nuance when translated to English.
Reasons not to study Japanese:
1. Your intolerance to cultural differences and the strict hierarchical power plays in the Japanese office. The Japanese tend to preserve the peace instead of speaking up their minds and potentially offend someone so a lot of mind and body language reading is involved.
2. Japanese is one of the hardest language to learn for an English speaker. You’ll require more hours of study to be fluent and you have to find something that you want to consume in Japanese or else you’ll give up when it gets too hard. Studying a language is a lifetime goal so you have to think of how to keep studying in good and bad days.
3. The Japanese work their people hard with low pay. There are changes that are being done and you may find companies that are more oriented to Westerners but better opportunities may lie elsewhere.
Nah, fuck it. Don’t study Japanese. Your three years in Japan will just end up as an another line in your resume. Hell, who knows what will happen while being there for three years with the effects of Covid, War in Ukraine, and inflation slowing the economic growth around the world. There’s also the effect of climate change to look forward to, exciting times.
Since the future is uncertain, it’s up to you whether you think the risk is worth it.
If someone help you getting accomodation, bank account, internet and other bills, etc. You won’t even need japanese at all.
But, your life experience would be a bit better with a bare minimum language skills for shopping, asking directions, daily life stuff.
I get your feelings because committing to learning a language is a huge energy and time sink. I’d recommend not learning a language without a good reason, because without a fire to learn you’ll have nothing to push you forward through the challenge.
That said, 3 years in a country is a long time, it really depends on your personality and goals how you will spend that time. As you said, you could just hang out with English speakers. I know people who lived in Japan 15+ years without any Japanese. But you might get lonely in a foreign country and live in regret over the chances you missed. Your company might make you an offer you can’t refuse to stay longer (yea this happened to my friend). By thinking about this you may discover inside you there are some strong motivating factors.
Life’s short and 3 years is a sizeable chunk of it, hope you pick what makes you the most happy.
Don’t feel guilty about yourself. The more J you know the colder Japanese people get, so don’t think that learning J will open some magical gate of happiness into J reality. Quite the opposite, in fact.