Japanese is one of the most studied languages in the world. Even though it is dominant in only one country, it has enormous worldwide importance and there are a wide variety of reasons to learn it: travel for tourism, need for work, relevance or cultural affinity, curiosity and many others.
For a long time, Brazilians who wanted to learn Japanese had great difficulties: they had to look for a language school or a private teacher with a quality face-to-face course, or try their luck in books and handouts without any help.
Fortunately, technology has revolutionized language learning. There are effective methods for those who wish to study not only 日本語: for example, Hindu and Turkish are among the most sought-after courses in language teaching apps.
If you want to learn Japanese, then, there are several different ways. Below, we list some of the main ones. Just choose which one (or which ones!) you like the most!
Table of Content
1. Traditional courses
Traditional Japanese courses are still available at language schools or with private tutors and are the best option for those who prefer an older method, with face-to-face and a lot of conversation.
Many of the Japanese teachers in Brazil are either immigrants or Brazilians who have lived in Japan, as the strength of the migration movement between the two countries has always been very significant. This possibility makes the teaching much more comprehensive and detailed.
2. Online courses
Those who want to save money on commuting and prefer the computer or cell phone to learn can opt for an online course. Many teachers already offer this option, most often with private lessons and rich materials.
According to the editors of the Meta Lecture distance learning platform, the demand for online language courses grew by 401% in 2020 and 2021. Japanese is part of this increase for both work-related reasons and as a hobby.
3. Courses by application
App-based courses are the fastest-growing way to learn new languages. Duolingo, Babbel, and Memrise, for example, offer quite comprehensive courses that allow mastering vocabulary and grammar. They make learning fun through games, puzzles, tests, and various presentations of exercises.
Despite being thorough on these specific issues, application-based courses lack conversation. Therefore, our recommendation is that they are allied to a traditional model, with a teacher.
4. Other types of apps
Learning a language through direct contact with natives or with the local culture is a great option. And for those studying japonês, there are excellent apps that allow you to (permitem) from talking with people who live in Japan to intensely consuming products like anime, mangás, movies, and series.
You can register on a Japanese social network and participate in conversations with natives, subscribe to a streaming platform specializing in anime or even have the application of the largest news conglomerate in Japan on your smartphone. With each of these options, language learning is much faster than with just one course.