Japanese is supposedly one of the hardest languages for native English speakers to learn. What is so difficult about it though?
1. Japanese is nothing like English
This might seem obvious, but the fact is that the more different a language is to your mother tongue, then the more difficult it is to learn. I’ve studied several European languages and found them much easier. The vocabulary of many European languages, such as French or Spanish, tends to have common roots in Latin. This makes it much easier to memorize. Japanese on the other-hand was completely unfamiliar when I started learning it.
2. Kanji
In order to achieve basic literacy, the Japanese ministry of education has officially designated 2136 Kanji (Chinese characters) of around 50,000 in existence, to be officially taught in schools. This is in addition to the two additional phonetic scripts, hiragana and katakana. Of course you can learn to speak Japanese with no knowledge of Kanji at all, but in my opinion it is necessary in order to truly master the language. There are in fact a lot of homonyms in Japanese; words which sound the same, but are written with different characters. Knowledge of kanji will give you a much greater depth and richness to your language.
3. Loanwords
There are many words that have been incorporated into Japanese from other languages, including English. This might sound like an advantage at first, but unfortunately for those looking for a shortcut, many of them have taken on completely different meanings. This can make it pretty confusing sometimes.
4. Tones
As I said above, there are many homonyms in Japanese. When reading and writing it is easy to distinguish these with Kanji. However, when speaking, tones (high and low) play a big role in helping differentiate these words. In practice, I have found that people are actually quite good at working out what you mean from context, so you can get by even if you make mistakes. However if you truly want to master Japanese, you do need to learn these tones. The added difficulty is that it can vary by region.
5. Levels of formality
An interesting and unique feature of Japanese is the existence of different grammatical patterns and vocabulary which are used to express different levels of formality. The way you would talk to a friend, a stranger on the street, your boss or a valued customer are all different. It can almost feel like a completely different language depending on the situation. Honorific and humble speech is particularly distinct.
6. Much is left unsaid
Japanese is a very contextual language. Pronouns are often omitted and there is often an assumption of mutual shared knowledge which allows for the language to be less direct than English in many circumstances. If you don’t know the context it can sometimes be very difficult to follow the conversation.
7. Lost in translation
There are several phrases in Japanese that are difficult to translate into English. I remember struggling to use these unfamiliar phrases at first because they just felt so odd to me. They are so commonly spoken though, that it is necessary to learn them. Truly speaking a foreign language is not just translating your mother tongue. It is learning to think in a different way and expressing yourself in a culturally appropriate way.
8. Making close friends can be difficult
Obviously in order to learn a language, you need to use it. I think there are a few things that can make it difficult to make friends in Japan though.
(These are generalisations based on my personal observations. There are of course many exceptions!)
- Many people who want to talk to you want to speak in English.
- People can be quite shy (without alcohol anyway) so it can be difficult to get people talking.
- People tend to have very strong boundaries regarding their inner and outer circles. It can take a very long time to get to know people intimately.
- It can be difficult to get past established hierarchical relationships based on age, profession, status, etc. You may feel you are equals and good friends, but this may not be reciprocated in the same way. It may feel like there is an invisible barrier.
- People may not want to fully invest in a friendship if they know you will be leaving Japan in the near future.
More on Japan
First impressions of my new life in Japan
My new life in Japan – adapting to country life
Life in Japan – adapting to my new celebrity status