Learn To Speak Japanese And Avoid The Frustration Of Not Being Able To Communicate Your Basic Needs

To learn to speak Japanese... or not? It's a good question and one you're probably asking yourself as you plan your holiday to Japan. Will you be able to use the language of your home country? Is English ok? Will you be able to cope without any Japanese or will you need some survival Japanese phrases to get you through?

Well technically you don't need to learn to speak Japanese to have a good time in Tokyo. But it definitely helps if you can master just a few words and expressions for everyday use. If you're going to visit some other areas in Japan then this advantage gets even bigger.

What's the big deal? I've coped in other countries without bothering to learn any of the lingo.

In Tokyo things like train signs are available in English as well as Japanese, Korean and Chinese. When you start heading out to the countryside, however, access to English and other languages gets less and less and the probability of you needing to ask how to get somewhere goes up.

Regardless of whether you're in Tokyo or in the back of beyond in Japan though, having just a little Japanese under your belt will give you the confidence to get out there and do the things you want to do. You'll know that if you get stuck you have a way to ask for help! Imagine needing to go the toilet and either a) not being able to see where they are or b) not being able to figure out which is the mens or ladies as the signs are all in kanji. All you need is some survival Japanese and you'll be able to avoid the discomfort of these kinds of situations.

How hard is it to learn to speak Japanese?

When you hear it for the first time, Japanese can sound pretty difficult but it's really not that hard. There are some basic questions and phrases that will help you get the answers you need... even if the answer has to be in gesture form : ) All you need to do is get used to saying the words before you get here. That's the most important thing. Once you've familiarized yourself with the phrases it becomes much easier to actually use them when you're here.

What resources can help you learn to speak Japanese?

There are the usual phrase books you can buy that will give you a quick reference to some of the language you'll need. They're ok as far as it goes but, if you're anything like us, there are often gaps in the 'real' language you need.

That's why we've put together our Japanese word list of survival Japanese. These are the phrases we find the most useful in our daily goings on in Tokyo for all kinds of different situations. Get these words under your belt and you'll be able to communicate in the most common situatons you're likely to run in to.