Beginner Tips that Helped Me Learn Japanese Quickly and Sustainably

I moved to Tokyo in March of 2016, without much of a plan. I basically wanted to learn about Japanese language and culture to my heart’s content, and then see where life would take me.

In December 2018, after some of the most arduous years of study my life (way worse than my Master’s degree), I passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N1: the most difficult of the Japanese language tests administered by the Japanese government.

N1 is ludicrously hard. To pass, you need to grasp antiquated expressions, literary grammatical structures and extremely formal business Japanese. However, once you make it, finding a rewarding and long-term job (not to mentions friends, a partner, etc.) in Japan becomes so much easier.

Along the way, you’ll learn a tremendous amount about Japan’s culture and history. You’ll become able to interact with Japanese people much more smoothly, breaking through some of the notoriously formidable barriers of high-context communication. With a bit of introspection, you’ll also learn a lot more about your own language, and just how much the words we use shape the way we think about and interact with the world around us.

So if you’re ready to embark upon this mad quest, here are four beginner tips to learn Japanese.