Comment The straight dope from someone who knows... (Score 2, Interesting) 285
Gee a topic about which I can speak with authority.
Japanese is the easiest language to learn. Also the hardest.
The grammar is extraordinarily simple. You can learn most of the basic grammar you need in a few weeks of intensive memorization.
Pronunciation is so easy for an English speaker you hardly even have to work at it.
Vocab works the way English works: combine some parts to make a whole. So once you learn a core set of words you can generate new ones relatively easily.
The writing system is extraordinarily difficult. Kana - you can memorize the entire hiragana/katakana system in a day if you really want to. But kanji! Count on spending years working at it.
Colloquial, socially appropriate speech - extraordinarily difficult. You can get the basic concepts from a book or class, but this level you can only really learn in-country, from native-speaker informants, and even then you may not get it completely.
In sum, you can learn enough J to communicate effectively verbally, and to understand manga, etc. pretty easily. Practical advice: find a Japanese bookstore or website - I'd bet there's more good printed material for students of J than for any other language. Memorize, memorize, memorize, and actually make the sounds. And find a native speaker to help you. And don't be intimidated. And don't waste your time if you're not serious about it. And if you _really_ want to learn the language, plan on a stay in Japan of at least one year. There's no other way to do it.
(I've studied J for years, Japanese wife, etc. but gave up trying to really master it since I've not lived in Japan. If you want to try a *truly* difficult language, try Arabic. I'm pretty fluent - 2+ years in Egypt, not enough. *Everything* about Arabic is *very* difficult. Makes Japanese look like a walk in the park.)
good luck.
Japanese is the easiest language to learn. Also the hardest.
The grammar is extraordinarily simple. You can learn most of the basic grammar you need in a few weeks of intensive memorization.
Pronunciation is so easy for an English speaker you hardly even have to work at it.
Vocab works the way English works: combine some parts to make a whole. So once you learn a core set of words you can generate new ones relatively easily.
The writing system is extraordinarily difficult. Kana - you can memorize the entire hiragana/katakana system in a day if you really want to. But kanji! Count on spending years working at it.
Colloquial, socially appropriate speech - extraordinarily difficult. You can get the basic concepts from a book or class, but this level you can only really learn in-country, from native-speaker informants, and even then you may not get it completely.
In sum, you can learn enough J to communicate effectively verbally, and to understand manga, etc. pretty easily. Practical advice: find a Japanese bookstore or website - I'd bet there's more good printed material for students of J than for any other language. Memorize, memorize, memorize, and actually make the sounds. And find a native speaker to help you. And don't be intimidated. And don't waste your time if you're not serious about it. And if you _really_ want to learn the language, plan on a stay in Japan of at least one year. There's no other way to do it.
(I've studied J for years, Japanese wife, etc. but gave up trying to really master it since I've not lived in Japan. If you want to try a *truly* difficult language, try Arabic. I'm pretty fluent - 2+ years in Egypt, not enough. *Everything* about Arabic is *very* difficult. Makes Japanese look like a walk in the park.)
good luck.
