Learning Japanese

Bea · (#1 (**permalink**))

I'm currently learning Japanese, I have been for the last 3 months or so but I'm still at a pretty basic level.
I'm just wondering how long it takes most people to be fluent in the language, or at least know enough to live there.

Thanks!

enyafriend · (#2 (**permalink**))

Well, for all I know, one could be doing 3 months and am at basic level, or 3 years and STILL am at basic level. It's hard to say, you know. It all depends on yourself - how much effort you are putting into, whether you are doing it on a daily basis or once a week in class, 15 minutes a day or 2 hours a day, whether you are learning a new word a day or 10 new words a day, etc.

It helps if you have some japanese friends, or at least, someone who is good enough in japanese, to allow you to practice with. Assuming you are serious enough in your learning effort, I would say after a year of learning, you could probably be good enough to hold a decent conversation in japanese.

GaijinInvasion · (#3 (**permalink**))

I agree. Japanese speaking isnt particulary more hard than any other language, in fact the pronounciation is very easy. But it also depends whether you have the ability to understand a foreign language quickly or not. So it may take you longer then someone else allthough you may work for it as hard as you can..

As for reading, it will take you longer because of the kanji ofcourse..

IvanEBC · (#4 (**permalink**))

Yeah, 4 months in and i'm starting to construct some nice sentences (polite -> plain -> te etc) .. can read and write hiragana and katakana.. BUT as soon as i HEAR japanese... i hear the words, i understand the individual words, but it takes a long time for my brain to process the words into a formed sentence and get it translated... by which time, the person has asked 3 other questions and i still have a blank look on my face. Practice will make perfect.

I simply need to be around more japanese native speakers and pick up the speed... will take some time.. still things i listened to at the 1st month and i thought i would never understand, i play back and think it is easy... i think that makes a good way to judge your progress, look back a month later at something you didn't understand.

Bea · (#5 (**permalink**))

Well I learn a bit everyday but I have to stop for 3 weeks because I have an Italian speaking exam and all the languages i know are getting mixed up in my head.

I can write numbers, days, months etc but that's pretty simple.
As soon as I've finished my Italian exam I'll go back to learning a bit everyday but i'm worried about how fast they speak because i often miss things! D:

I don't have any japanese friends either... But I'm going to college in august so i'm hoping there may be a least one person who can speak japanese there... hmm

Tolbarizhei · (#6 (**permalink**))

as like any big test.. you really have to set a little bit of time away every day and absorb a small amount of what your out to study, repetition is also an excellent way of getting it drilled in your head.. yeah its like school but face it, thats what it was there for :-)
im studying myself.. although i havent given myself much time yet.. i gotta vocabulary list at least set up!!

pandayanyan · (#7 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by IvanEBC

Yeah, 4 months in and i'm starting to construct some nice sentences (polite -> plain -> te etc) .. can read and write hiragana and katakana.. BUT as soon as i HEAR japanese... i hear the words, i understand the individual words, but it takes a long time for my brain to process the words into a formed sentence and get it translated... by which time, the person has asked 3 other questions and i still have a blank look on my face. Practice will make perfect.

I simply need to be around more japanese native speakers and pick up the speed... will take some time.. still things i listened to at the 1st month and i thought i would never understand, i play back and think it is easy... i think that makes a good way to judge your progress, look back a month later at something you didn't understand.

yeah that is me too.. im like hearing this conversation trying realy hard to understand and all i get it something about fish being cute? and I say to myself I NEED MORE PRACTICE!

DizzyAnpanKuroshi · (#8 (**permalink**))

i know how hard it is but hopefully we can all pull through.
i'm having trouble with even some katakana and hiragana only because i don't have the time to study long enough each day.
try finding site online that can teach you too ^.^
and getting in conversations is so much easier than trying to randomly come up with sentences.

but as ive said 4 years ago when i started, speaking it is one thing, but the kanji will KILL me XD

(i'm also taking spanish, polish, mandirin chinese, and german so this is a difficult thing for me, although id ather push them all aside for Japanese any day *sigh*)

pandayanyan · (#9 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by DizzyAnpanKuroshi

i know how hard it is ...

(i'm also taking spanish, polish, mandirin chinese, and german so this is a difficult thing for me, although id ather push them all aside for Japanese any day *sigh*)

DAMN THAT IS QUITE THE COURSE LOAD!

mamok · (#10 (**permalink**))

Why are you taking polish? I don't think it's popular language, maby you are taking it just because it' really tough?