e-Learning | No. 42

Japanese can be difficult, but don’t be disappointed. Actually, it’s not like other languages.

Why Japanese is easy:

● Easy grammar
● Easy pronunciation
● Japanese sentences do not need a subject.
● Only three basic sentences

　1．動詞文　例）よく笑う。: Verb sentence
　2．形容詞文　例）かわいい。: Adjective sentence
　3. 名詞文　例）赤ちゃんだ。: Noun sentence


Why Japanese is difficult:

● In Japanese, “the spoken language” and “written language” are quite different. (many textbooks focus on “written language” rather than “the spoken language”).
● Japanese has a lot of vocabulary.
● Japanese has a male way of speaking and a female way of speaking.
● Honorifics are difficult in Japanese.
● Conjugation can be difficult.

When we asked our students who studied for a few years with us about their impressions of Japanese, most of them answered, “It’s much easier than I thought it would be.”

They also said, “Japanese is difficult to read, but it is surprisingly easy to speak.” Almost everyone said the same.