Learn Japanese in Japan

Plan a trip to study Japanese in Japan! Find courses from the best language schools in places like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.

Best Japanese Language Courses in Japan

Japanese Language

The Japanese language is spoken only in Japan and some immigrant communities dotted around the globe.

For Westerners it is one of the most difficult languages to learn as it is written in a combination of four scripts and none of the spoken words have a recognisable sound in Western Latin based languages. Modern Japanese has however embraced some Western words as the country embraced globalization. English has been embraced by Japanese business and international diplomats and the demand for English teachers remains high.

Learning to read and write the Japanese language is a time-consuming and extremely difficult process. It is often considered to be one of the most difficult languages to learn but if you can master its intricacies then congratulations! Experts advise that the best way to learn the lingo is to get an idea as to how the written aspect works.

In Japanese there are two sets of characters; kana and kanji. The kana characters are similar to western alphabet but unlike those symbols each kana represents a sound and confusingly not all western sounds are represented, (the reason why many Japanese find some western words hard to say). There are 46 Kana in the language and most of these are mastered by Japanese children before they finish their first grade of schooling. If they can do it then so can you!

Kanji characters are considerably more complicated. These are symbolic characters that represent specific words and concepts. They were imported from Chinese around 600 AD and there are 2,000 of them. It takes Japanese children 9 years to learn the kanji.

Since most Japanese publications are written in kanji, do not expect to read anything more complicated than signs fluently until you have learned the most common kanji.

Ready to show Japan what you got? Book a course today.

Essential Japanese Phrases

Hello: Kon’nichiwa (pronounced “kon-ee-chee-wa”)
Goodbye: Sayōnara (pronounced “sai-ohn-nah-ra)
Thank-you: Arigatou (pronounced “aree-got-oh”)
Sorry: Gomen (pronounced “go-men”)
Yes: Hai (pronounced “hi”)
No: iie (pronounced “ee-ehh”)

Visa

Nationals of many countries are eligible to enter Japan to study without a visa unless the purpose of the visit is to reside in Japan, to obtain employment or to otherwise engage in remunerative activities.