Learning Japanese Online: 10 Essential Tips

Tips for learning the language and culture for expatriates in Japan

1. In order to keep leaning, it has to be fun

The first Japanese words which adult foreigners spontaneously learn will normally be the names of seafood such as

• いか Ika (squid)
• たこ tako (octopus)
• まぐろ maguro (tuna)
• うに uni (sea urchin)
• あなご anago (conger)

You know, the items that garnish the top of sushi rice when you order at a restaurant. They are easy to learn in exchange for the delicious experience for you. Because it is a fun experience, it motivates you to learn these new words.

Similarly, young people tend to become interested in learning Japanese through watching their favorite Japanese manga, anime or drama.

Nowadays, you may find someone who shares common interests with you through the internet quite easily. Many groups or communities are found all over the web. You may also enjoy conversation in foreign languages - in online forums, mailing lists, or other community platforms (e.g. through Facebook groups, Instagram, Slack, YouTube, Twitter, Spotify, Twitch, Mixcloud etc.).

There are also a lot of online forums and blogs, or online gamers communities. Of course, you could also get out of such virtual communities and speak Japanese with actual people in real life.

Once you have landed, in Japan if you can find someone who may be your guide through the Japanese culture and language (it can be your friend, partner, colleague, business associate, teacher, online tutor) then you will make a lot more progress. In fact, many expats who have already mastered Japanese relatively quickly say this is one of the reasons.

If you are a foreigner or an expat in Japan and don't have Japanese-speaking family or friends, the workplace might be the best place to improve your proficiency. You need to put yourself in a place bustling with Japanese conversation. Some refugee immigrants in Japan who work at construction sites told me that they became very fluent in Japanese within just 1 year after arriving in Japan.

They can learn Japanese language from their Japanese colleagues while working at the construction/demolition sites. However, these people tend to end up "semi-lingual", meaning, they can speak Japanese, but cannot write and read it at all without enrolling in schools. And while working men can learn the language very fast, their wives staying at home with children may be unable to improve Japanese for many years.

As with many other languages, understanding basic grammar is very important. You can expand your capacity if you know the basic grammar very well.

While studying a language at home continuously may not always appeal, learning online is more convenient than "in-person" lessons since it is reachable for you at any moment, anywhere, as long as you have Internet access. You may also find your private instructor can be tailored to your specific needs, life conditions, objectives, progress in learning, or your own schedule.

Online tutoring of Japanese language for expats was a relatively underdeveloped business area until the current pandemic situation. But, it has already started to show its potential. BiCortex Languages is a global language school teaching thousands of expatriates worldwide, many of them relocating to Japan, mainly in towns such as Tokyo, Akashi, Nagoya and Osaka.

Try understanding Japanese words & expressions together with the culture, customs and history behind them.

For example, if you wish to understand a supermarket's flyers, with its myriad of photos of Japanese food items, you should know about each item, some are prepared for specific seasonal ceremonies, some items have traditional food culture behind them.

If you come across some Japanese food items, it may remind you of how different they are from your own food culture. You can take the opportunity to explain this to your tutor and classmates, practicing what you know.

If you are in a business setting in Japan, polite words or courteous expressions are required. Business people make seasonal greetings with each other, using presentation language, writing business emails in an appropriate manner.

Online lessons can provide you ample opportunity to get familiar with business terms giving you plenty of sample phrases with actual recorded sounds in Japanese. You will be also exposed to information about Japanese business customs, typical corporate calendars noting major events, and so on.