fbpx
Japan Nakama
No Result
View All Result
  • Anime
  • Creativity
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • TV & Film
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Gaming
  • Language
  • Travel
  • Music
Japan Nakama
No Result
View All Result
Japan Nakama
No Result
View All Result

Home » Language » 5 Unusual Ways To Master The Japanese Language

5 Unusual Ways To Master The Japanese Language

Nakama Secrets!

Wayne Daniels by Wayne Daniels
September 9, 2020
in Language, Lifestyle, Travel
0
0

130 million people in the world speak the Japanese language, making it the 9th most spoken language around. Although there are countless sources out there these days that help you further your knowledge, mastering the Japanese language ain’t that straight forward.

Not to mention the 3 levels of ways that the Japanese language expresses politeness: the plain form (“kudaketa”), the simple polite form (“teinei”), and the advanced polite form (“keigo”)

Despite all this, the trick to learning any language, amongst others, is to have fun with it. We’ve compiled a list of 5 unusual and quirky way that we used to Master the Japanese Language!

1. Talk to yourself… in Japanese “HITORIGOTO”

Yes, it’s the first sign of craziness, we know. But it’s so effective!
You won’t always have a chance to practice your Japanese every day, and just like a sword, if not constantly sharpened, will become dull.

Everyday life is full of opportunities to ‘talk to yourself’ or ‘Hitorigoto’ as the Japanese call it.

Ok, imagine this. You’re in Sainsbury’s looking for bread, in this scenario we’d usually talk to ourselves.

“Ok, next is bread. Um… which isle was on again?”
instead think it in Japanese,
“Yosha, tsugi wa pan da ne. Eto… michi wa doiitsu dake?”.

Or getting your day plan together
“Alright, first I’ll hop in the shower, then have a quick breakfast… but just before that I should go for a  jog. Ah but today’s so cold >.<”

“Sa-te-to, saishou kara showa shite, asa gohan tabete… demo sonno mai ni chotto jyoggu shiyou ka na. Ah sotto wa samui dakedo >.<”

Do you see? All that practice! Practical situations too!

2. Anime and J Drama Schooling

Master the Japanese language while you entertain yourself, you can’t go wrong with this one!

The great thing is that most Anime that you can watch online, is that they’re subtitled.
If you play close attention to what is being said while reading the subtitles, it’s the ultimate (Animated) flashcard game!

Do be aware that most dramatic Anime use the same words repetitively, so the translation team try to find more creative English translations.

So, a simple Usotsuki “Liar” can become “You lying scumbag!”

3. Practice your Japanese with others who are ACTUALLY LEARNING JAPANESE

Master the Japanese language with others who’re studying Japanese! Here’s a great counterintuitive that most people studying Japanese don’t realise, ready for it?

Japanese people here don’t want to speak Japanese, they want to practice their English!

Mind-blowing isn’t it?

If you think about it if you went to Japan, wouldn’t you want to speak Japanese rather than English? So, it’s the same for Japanese who come to the UK or other western countries.

Although the Japanese are a polite people, they will play along, hoping you’ll eventually snap out of your KY mode (aka Kuuki Yomenai – Can’t read the situation).

Find others who are studying Japanese, practice to your heart’s content! Check out our article about where to meet people who want to practice their Japanese in London, here.

4. Make speaking Japanese a Necessity Not an Option!

Most of us Nakama forced ourselves into situations where we HAD to speak Japanese!

We worked in Japanese companies in London where the majority of staff were Japanese. Being surrounded daily by a language forces you to learn it!

That’ll give you a chance to hear a real conversation between two or more native speakers in a realistic scenario. A chance to jump into the conversation and have practical use of language!

Of course, you’ll have the sympathetic advantage being a non-native speaker, it’d be easier to forgive mistakes… like accidentally mixing up Gindara (Black Cod) and Kintama (…Testicles).

5. Change your device’s language from English to Japanese!

This will through you in the deep end of trying to master the Japanese language for sure! Go to the options setting on your mobile phone, tablet or laptop and change the language to Japanese! – No, seriously!

Most of use our devices every day, so, that’s a chance to practice every day!
Mobile phones like iPhones even have a “Voice Over” option in accessibility settings. Meaning your iPhone will speak to you in Japanese!

This includes Siri and Google Voice Search which recognises Japanese speech. We’ve often blown other Japanese people’s minds when we spoke to our phone in Japanese while on the tube!

selecting romaji
Tags: japanese languagelearn japanese
Previous Post

The new Japan Center is bringing Depachika back to London!

Next Post

Tokyo’s Newest and Hottest Kamikaze on Japanese Fashion

Wayne Daniels

Wayne Daniels

Entrepreneur, Designer, Japanese Linguist.

Related Posts

japanese store
Language

A Beginner’s Guide to Learning Japanese

Learning a language is an extremely useful skill. Recent statistics on the Guardian show that only 32 per cent of young Brits can read...

by Simon Martin
man doing japanese calligraphy
Culture

Beautiful Japanese Words that Don’t Exist in English

Five months or so since we were trapped inside our homes, the global pandemic left us all in a state of wanderlust -- having a...

by Kathy Wu
japaneseparty
Language

5 Irresistible Parties to Meet Japanese People in London

So you love Japan. We know that you'd love to know more about the culture, perhaps practice your Japanese, socialise, network or just make some...

by Wayne Daniels
Next Post
neogal2

Tokyo’s Newest and Hottest Kamikaze on Japanese Fashion

Latest Articles

zen-japanese-philosophy-pebbles

Japanese Philosophies to Get You Through Lockdown

The Kobe Earthquake: January 17th 1995

The Kobe Earthquake: January 17th 1995

Take Me To Japan: Free Personalized Advice for Studying in Japan

Demon Slayer: Japans Highest Grossing Film of 2020

Tadao Ando 4x4 House

Japanese Architects: An Introduction

Follow Japan Nakama on Instagram

Our friends at @hai_hiragana have released their H Our friends at @hai_hiragana have released their Hai!Ku Kanji book: A friendly and easy introduction to learning Japanese Kanji. A must for fans of graphic design and learning Japanese alike, with 352 pages of learning 162 Kanji through visuals and Haiku! 🥳💥💪  #learnjapanese #日本語 #japaneselanguage #studyingjapanese #japanesewords #kanji #lovejapanese #japanesekanji #japanlover #lovejapan #learningjapanese #japanesecharacters #languagelearning #learninglanguages
This is my Friday night 🥳. #demonslayers #anim This is my Friday night 🥳.  #demonslayers #animecharacter #demonslayeredits #animecommunity #demonslayeranime #popularanime #myanimelist #animeposts #instaanime #animeseries #mangaseries #kimetsunoyaibamanga #kimetsunoyaibaanime #kimetsunoyaibaedits
🎮 😂😂😂. #capitolhill #capitolhilloccup 🎮 😂😂😂.  #capitolhill #capitolhilloccupiedprotest #capitolhillmemes #assassinscreed #ubisoft #wouldplay #assassinscreededit
🏗️🏢🏨🏛️🏫🏠🌇 #kazuyosejima 🏗️🏢🏨🏛️🏫🏠🌇  #kazuyosejima #itsukohasegawa #kumikoinui #japanesearchitecture #tokyoarchitecture #japanesedesign #tadaoando #shigeruban #architecturalinspiration #kengokuma #soufujimoto #toyoito #architecturedaily #archi_focus_on #architecturedetail
This is why you don’t buy robots from China. WAL This is why you don’t buy robots from China. WALL-E comin in HOT.  #dontbuy #robotled #artificialintelligence #robotica #deeplearning #failclips #wow😍 #fails #funnyfail #vidoftheday #walle
200 days to go till the postponed Tokyo Olympics. 200 days to go till the postponed Tokyo Olympics. Gotta love the shot of the Japan National Stadium designed by @kkaa_official . 
#tokyo #tokyocity #tokyo2021🇯🇵 #olympics #kengokuma  #kengokumaarchitects #summer #tokyoarchitecture
@dantanda remixed a MF DOOM X TATSURO YAMASHITA 6 @dantanda remixed a MF DOOM X TATSURO YAMASHITA 6 track EP. What a great way to pay respects for the hip-hop genius. RIP.
#mfdoom #ripmfdoom🙏🏾🎤👑 #tatsuroyamashita #citypopmusic #remixmusic
Happy new year.See y’all in 2021. Here’s a a y Happy new year.See y’all in 2021. Here’s a a year we would wanna forget but won’t. 
Totally vibing on the ASMR of the film loading of these old school Japanese cameras by @filmobjektiv .  If there’s one thing 2020 has taught us, is that you really need to cherish and capture the good times. It’s those moments that get us through the rough patches.
Peace.  #mamiya #analoguevibes #back2thebase #theanalogclub #analoguephotography #happynewyear #lifetime #filmcameralovers #istillshootfilm #thefilmshot #asmrtrigger #asmrrelaxation
@loewe and My Neighbor Totoro have come together f @loewe and My Neighbor Totoro have come together for an exciting collaboration.  Fans of Studio Ghibli can purchase leather bags, T-shirts, hoodies, footwear and accessories that highlight both the film’s stunning landscapes and the characters such as the blue Chuu-Totoro, the white Chibi-Totoro, the Susuwatari and, of course, Totoro.  #totorolover #fashioncollab #studioghibliedit #myneighbourtotoro #totoroclothing #loewetotoro #animecollabedit #getyourhandsonit
Merry Xmas everyone. 🎄 We made it. Sending lov Merry Xmas everyone. 🎄
We made it. 
Sending love to all on the Xmas express from the voice of city pop Tatsuro Yamashita.
.
.
.
Thanks @showa_era_memories for the Shinkansen song that takes us back to 80s Japan.
#tatsuroyamashita #jrrail #shinkansen #merrychristmas #cominghomeforchristmas #lockdownxmas2020 #80sjapan #xmassongs #citypopmusic #xmasgifts
Christmas saved KFC in Japan. KFC became Japan’s Christmas saved KFC in Japan. KFC became Japan’s answer to traditional Western Christmas food. With Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakki, or “Kentucky for Christmas” being a familiar promotion during the holidays.  KFC promoted fried chicken as a substitute for traditional Christmas turkey, which the Japanese knew was eaten in the West. Selling chicken and sides together in Christmas-themed “Party Barrels” and turning Colonel Sanders into Santa-san turned KFC into a new holiday tradition in Japan.
🌈 Good vibezz ✨Happy weekend everyone✨ #w 🌈 Good vibezz 
✨Happy weekend everyone✨  #weekendvibes #lostintranslation #pinkaesthetic #karaokenight #bladerunner2049 #anadearmas #scarlettjohanssonsexy #shibuyakaraoke #karaokekan #scifimovies

Stay up to date with our latest posts!

SUBSCRIBE NOW
Facebook Twitter Instagram

About us

Japan Nakama are a London based online publication that investigates and explores all aspects of Japanese Culture. To those new to Japanese culture welcome, to the Japan obsessed, welcome home.

JAPAN NAKAMA

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Promotional Videos
  • Contact us

Interested in writing for us?

© 2020 Japan Nakama - Connecting people through the spirit of Japan

No Result
View All Result
  • Anime
  • Creativity
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • TV & Film
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Gaming
  • Language
  • Travel
  • Music

© 2020 Japan Nakama - Connecting people through the spirit of Japan

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.