Try some of my favorite podcasts and make sure you have a look sat there website. They do very good things with language structure and methods of learning a new language.
“Getting lost in translation can be a real drag. Especially when your in a right fickle and need to get your point across!
Avoid the frustration and get local with the lingo.”
“Learning a little of the necessary language without bombarding yourself is a valuable travel tool, making the experience more rewarding.”
Japanese script is really easy to learn for English speakers and writers. The phonetics are just as about the same and often transferable words and characters make it an easy transition.
Starting with the first Alphabet, there are 3 with over 2000 characters and complicated double meanings, is Hiragana, is by far the easiest to learn. There are 46 characters and most combine with others to make 3 different sounds. When you get the hang of it, you will really enjoy using it as often as you can. See the following pronunciation notes for advice as get that wrong and it can completely change the word definition.
A (Car) I (Fishy) U (Futon) E (Elephant) O (or)
Essential Phrases
Good Morning
O hi o gor zai mas
Hello
Kon knee chee wa
Good Evening
Kon bun wa
Good Night
O ya sue me na sai
Please
Kudasai
Thankyou
Arigato gozaimas
1 item please?
Hitotsu o kudasai
1 Sushi please?
Sushi o hitotsu ony gaishi mus
Cheers
Kampai
Delicious
Oishi
Before you eat or drink
Itadakimus
Nice meal it was
Gochi soor sama
Japan is a very easy language to grasp, and with a little effort, it will go a long way. Japanese very rarely will speak with you in English. So it sure helps to have some Nihongo (Japanese Language) under your belt.
With access to technology and the rage of the ipod and mp3 player, you now have full control of the media you chose to listen to.
Check out some of the podcasts we have listened to explore the language layer of Japan.
The Japanese talk in numbers and so should you. To understand a language, numbers make things seem smaller or sound larger depending on what you say. The Japanese have a few things that can confuse you if you got taught School subject Japanese.
You have to live and experience Japan as there are so many dialects, to the point the island of Kyushu where Nagasaki was A-Bombed by the USA, used their dialect in war time due to being indescribable.
You will use numbers daily navigating your way on train platforms, purchasing products you name it. So get started now and print out our handy reference guide FREE for you.
Podcasts are a great way to get some free language learning before you go away. Take at least 3 months to learn the basics of a new language.
