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How To Start Learning Japanese From Zero

This document provides a step-by-step guide for learning Japanese from zero. It begins by instructing the reader to learn hiragana, the basic Japanese pronunciation, and how to type hiragana on a computer. Next, it covers learning katakana, which is used to spell foreign words. The document emphasizes the importance of also learning kanji as early as possible. It explains what kanji are and provides tips for beginning to learn and memorize common kanji. The overall goal outlined is to learn around 2,000 important kanji and 6-7,000 vocabulary words using those kanji.

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leeahna cyra villanueva
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546 views14 pages

How To Start Learning Japanese From Zero

This document provides a step-by-step guide for learning Japanese from zero. It begins by instructing the reader to learn hiragana, the basic Japanese pronunciation, and how to type hiragana on a computer. Next, it covers learning katakana, which is used to spell foreign words. The document emphasizes the importance of also learning kanji as early as possible. It explains what kanji are and provides tips for beginning to learn and memorize common kanji. The overall goal outlined is to learn around 2,000 important kanji and 6-7,000 vocabulary words using those kanji.

Uploaded by

leeahna cyra villanueva
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 14

HOW TO START

LEARNING
JAPANESE FROM
ZERO
IF YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THIS OVER THE
TOP, STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE, YOU WILL REACH YOUR GOAL
OF JAPANESE FLUENCY.
LEARN TO READ
HIRAGANA
Japan has three writing systems;
hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
The ability to read hiragana is
going to be a prerequisite for most
beginner Japanese textbooks and
resources. It's the first thing you
learn in a traditional classroom.
Surprisingly, I agree with everyone
else. This is a good place to start.
The Hiragana Chart
BASIC JAPANESE
PRONUNCIATION
You can practice
pronunciation by imitating
the sounds you hear from
anime or Japanese TV shows.
Japanese songs can also be a
great resource for knowing
how to pronounce certain
words.
LEARNING TO TYPE HIRAGANA IN
JAPANESE
Now that you can read and pronounce hiragana, it's time to learn how to type it
on your computer or smartphone.
First, you need to install a Japanese keyboard. Luckily, you don't have to buy a
special piece of hardware or computer to do this thanks to a type of software
called an IME (input method editor). You can add an IME onto almost any kind
of computer, phone, or operating system.
Assuming you are able to read hiragana, typing in hiragana is surprisingly
straightforward. Once you feel confident in your typing abilities, including
trickier things like contractions, small tsu, and dakuten, move on to the next
section. It's time to talk about the elephant in every Japanese learner's room:
kanji.
UNDERSTANDING
THE CONCEPT OF
"KANJI"
Why should you start to read and type kanji as soon
as you can?
1. The most difficult thing about learning Japanese is
kanji. It will be easier to tackle this at an early
stage.
2. A lot of beginner’s time when using a textbook is
spent looking up kanji and vocabulary.
3. Kanji leads to vocabulary, vocabulary aids
communication, and grammar is like the glue that
holds vocabulary together.
4. Like hiragana, we have a way for you to learn kanji
that's way more effective than the traditional
methodology (rote memorization).
WHAT EXACTLY IS
KANJI?
Kanji is a system of symbols that represent words or ideas, and that can have
different meanings and pronunciations depending on their context. A kanji
can be a word all by itself, like 木 (which means tree) or a kanji can be part
of another word like 木造 (which means ‘wooden, or made of wood’). Kanji
are believed to have originated in China, though it is not certain exactly when
they were first written.
Memorizing kanji is hands-down the hardest part about learning Japanese,
but luckily kanji aren’t as confusing as they look at first glance. Some kanji are
easy to memorize because they only have one meaning and one reading each.
Other kanji are not so forgiving; some have multiple readings in both onyomi
(Chinese reading) and kunyomi (Japanese reading.)
BEGINNING KANJI &
STOCKPILING KANJI
KNOWLEDGE
 When I say "learn kanji" I mean learn the
kanji’s most important (English)
meaning(s), and their most important
(Japanese) reading(s).
 As you learn kanji you will also learn
vocabulary that use those kanji.
 By the end of this guide, your goal is to
know around 2,000 of the most important
kanji as well as 6-7000 vocabulary words
that use them.
LEARN TO READ
KATAKANA
Katakana is simply the Japanese
way to spell foreign words.
Learning katakana is about the
same as learning hiragana, with a
few Shyamalanian
Katakana tends to give learners
more trouble than hiragana. This is
because it seems to be used less
than hiragana and kanji, especially
at the beginning stages. twists.
The Katakana Chart
LEARNING TO TYPE KATAKANA IN
JAPANESE
Katakana is similar to hiragana in many ways, and thanks to this, learning how
to type it should be fairly easy. There are a few differences to figure out, but you
will be able to apply your hiragana knowledge to it and progress quickly.
Note: Make sure you keep working on your kanji! If you’re using WaniKani, just
do your reviews as they become available. It's important to make this a habit.
Because WaniKani is a spaced repetition system there must be spaces between
reviews. Longer and longer ones, in fact (though it will depend on how well
you're doing). Do your reviews on time and you’ll get through this initial "slow"
phase in a week or two. That's a drop in the bucket compared to your entire
Japanese-learning career, so try to be patient. The waiting time is critical to
testing your ability to recall information.
LEARNING TO
TYPE KANJI
Before starting this step, make
sure you can read a handful of
kanji. Twenty or thirty will do just
fine.
Type in Hiragana as usual, a
dropdown box will appear with
conversion options to kanji. You
can scroll down the box and find
the kanji that you are looking for.
PUT YOUR HEAD
DOWN, TRUST IN
THIS, AND DO THE
WORK EACH DAY.
IF YOU WISH TO CONTINUE, VISIT THIS LINK
HTTPS://WWW.TOFUGU.COM/LEARN-JAPANESE/
Sources
https://www.tofugu.com/learn-japanese/
https://www.nihongomaster.com/blog/what-is-kanji/
https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/how-to-type-in-japanese/?
utm_source=Tofugu&utm_medium=Article&utm_campaign=Learn%
20Japanese#convert-to-kanji

Art: Aris Roth

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