10 Difficulties in Learning the Japanese Language

In this article, we will talk about the biggest difficulties of learning the Japanese language. Knowing this can help us face these challenges, so don’t look at the difficulties and think about giving up. Learning Japanese can be a big challenge, but it is quite fun and rewarding.

By clicking on the title of some of the difficulties, you will be redirected to a special article on the subject.

1 – Another language

Those who think that learning a new language is simply learning how to say a certain Portuguese word in Japanese are completely mistaken. The Japanese language has a completely different vocabulary. There are words that only exist in Japanese and words that only exist in Portuguese. Some Japanese expressions may not make sense to those studying the language, and at times you will really struggle to understand some expressions.

2 – Kanji

I think everyone who thinks about learning the Japanese language knows the Chinese ideograms present in the language; they are one of the biggest difficulties.

You have to learn at least 1,000 kanji to be able to achieve a certain fluency, or 2,000 to be able to read anything in the language, but the total number of kanji exceeds 4,000.

Besides the enormous amount of ideograms and strokes, a kanji usually has several pronunciations. On top of that, there are many kanji that are similar to each other, making studies even more difficult.

3 – Small words

Japanese has only 106 syllables, so many words tend to be just 1 syllable, which can confuse inexperienced students.

Words like 目(me, eyes), 手 (te, hand), 愛 (ai, love), 名 (na, name) can end up mixing with other syllables, and you might think you are hearing another word.

4 – Same words

Japanese has many words with the same pronunciation but different meanings. This can drive you a little crazy if you haven’t paid attention to the context.

Words like “Kami” can mean God, Hair, or paper. There are pronunciations that can mean up to 50 different words.

5 – Speed of conversation

Besides the words being similar, Japanese people speak very quickly. Understanding and speaking Japanese at a standard speed is a big challenge.

Trying to read a text in Japanese and a text in Portuguese, you will take much longer with the Japanese because you can’t read at the correct speed.

Japanese really has more words than Portuguese in a sentence; sometimes you will hear thousands of anata and watashi in a text.

6 – Grammar

Although Japanese grammar is simple compared to Portuguese, it is still difficult. You will have to memorize the particles and know in which occasions to use them.

You will encounter thousands of peculiarities. Japanese grammar is indeed very simple, but different from Portuguese, which can cause a good difficulty at the beginning.

The order of words, sentence endings, the fact that there are no genders, plural, and future tense, all of this can hinder understanding the language.

7 – Keigo – Formality

Japanese is a polite and refined language. Besides the standard spoken language, there are polite and refined ways to speak with certain types of people, known as Keigo.

It is used to converse formally with people of different levels. It uses a vocabulary, structures, and grammatical expressions that are completely different. It’s like an intellectual Brazilian who uses complicated words that we don’t understand.

8 – Dialects

Even if you learn standard Japanese, dialects can become a nuisance in certain regions of Japan. The country is divided into 47 states, each with its own distinct dialect or accent. The problem is that these dialects can change many words and grammar of the language, making it difficult to understand a conversation.

9 – Numerical counts

Another challenge that can be faced is when learning numbers. It is easy to learn to count from 1 to 1,000. However, the Japanese use a counting method for each object or thing.

They use a suffix after the number to indicate that they are counting something, in addition to changing the pronunciation of some numbers. Examples: 五匹の猫 (gohiki no neko – 5 cats) 二人 (futari – 2 people).

10 – Words with the same meaning

Japanese has many words with the same meaning, which may or may not be used in certain situations. For example, there are various ways to say “I” and other pronouns.

There is the Americanized version of some words, like milk: ミルク (Miruku) or 牛乳 (Gyūnyū) and several other words that can have the same meaning and different pronunciations, especially kanji words, some tend to have their reading abbreviated to just one syllable.

Conclusion

No matter the difficulties ahead, learning Japanese is something very satisfying and fun if done the right way. If you have difficulties while studying, our site is committed to helping you with articles about the Japanese language and Japan. It is up to you to put it into practice, dedicate yourself to a study method, and never give up!