4 Steps to Speak Japanese for Beginner

It is not difficult to pick up the basics of Japanese - the entire language is made up of just 46 distinct sounds - but it can take many years of practicing to master the nuances of this beautiful language. Begin by exploring Japanese on your own, we will show you how to speak Japanese for the beginner.

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Step 1: Learn Japanese pronunciation.

The sounds corresponding to the Hiragana and Katakana alphabets are composed of either one of five vowel sounds or a combination of a consonant and a vowel sound, with the exception of a few consonant-only sounds.

Since each character in Hiragana and Katakana has only one distinct sound, it is relatively easy to learn how to pronounce all 46. Pay special attention to intonation, though, since variations on these basic sounds can drastically change the meaning. Learn to speak two alphabets of Japanese is the first basic step to learn how to speak Japanese fluently.

Whereas English pronunciation is based on accents, Japanese pronunciation is based on pitch. A word may be pronounced the same way and mean something different depending on whether it is spoken in a high or low pitch. To speak Japanese like a native speaker, getting intonation right is key.

Step 2: Practice Japanese greetings

Learning how to greet people properly is one of the first steps to speaking any language especially speaking Japanese. Following are some common ways to say "hello" and "goodbye" in Japanese. Look up the sounds that correspond to the characters to make sure you pronounce them correctly:

• はじめましてーHajimemashite ("Nice to meet you.")
• おはようございます - ohayogozaimatsu ("Good morning.")
• こんにちは -konichiwa ("Good Day" {can be used only till sunset and thus can also be used as "Good Afternoon"})
• おやすみなさい - oyasuminasai ("Good night.")
• さようなら - sayonara ("Goodbye.")

Practice Japanese greeting to learn how to speak Japanese

Step 3: Practice some conversation phrases

Now that you know the most basic way to start a conversation, learn a few phrases that will help you move it along by expressing interest in the person to whom you're talking. So here some common phrases you can use to speak japanese.

おげんき ですか？ー ogenki desuka ("How are you?")

• げんき です。ありがとう。- genki desu. Arigatou ("I'm fine, thanks.")
• ありがとう ございます - Arigato gozaimatsu ("Thank you.")
• すみません - Sumimasen ("Excuse me.")
• ごめん なさい - gomen nasai ("Sorry.")
• わかります - wakarimatsu ("I understand.")

Step 4: Understand Japanese grammar and vocabulary

Japanese grammar is quite different from other languages, but it follows a logical format that is easy to learn. The following is true about Japanese grammar:

• Nouns don't have plural forms and they don't change according to gender.
• Verbs don't change according to gender, number, or whether the subject is an object or persons.
• The predicate is always at the end of the sentence.
• Personal pronouns vary based on different levels of politeness and formality.

Particles directly follow the word they relate to. For example, instead of saying "I am Japanese," it would be "I Japanese am."

Be good at Japanese grammar and vocabulary will help you become professional in speaking japanese. Let's imagine when you can describe one matter in several ways by using your multiform Japanese grammar. Day by day, not only your grammar will be improved but also your japanese speaking skill will be better. You will not feel be hard-pressed for speaking japanese because of your wide vocabulary and solid grammar.

But Japanese is one of the most complicated languages in the world. If you can't learn Japanese by your own and you find difficult to speak Japanese, let's come to the offline course. In this class, you will not only be exposed to the knowledge of the Japanese standards but also be trained to communicate, be introduced to Japanese culture, ...

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Source: Blog Akirademy