Learning Japanese: Discovering a Language
My journey into Japanese language learning, from everyday greetings to understanding how grammar reflects the way people communicate.
Studying East Asian cultures has taught me that language is much more than a way to communicate. It reflects a society's history, values, traditions, and ways of thinking. After spending part of my childhood in Japan and developing an interest in East Asian Studies, I wanted to deepen my understanding of Japanese culture by learning the language itself.
Through my Japanese 111 coursework from Oregon State University, I have been exploring the foundations of Japanese communication, including greetings, verb conjugations, adjectives, sentence structures, and expressions that convey politeness and emotion.
Although learning a new language can be challenging, I have discovered that even the simplest Japanese expressions reveal something meaningful about how people interact.
Beginning with Everyday Conversations
One of the first things I learned was how important greetings and everyday expressions are in Japanese.
Words and phrases such as "ohayou gozaimasu" (good morning), "konnichiwa" (hello), and "arigatou gozaimasu" (thank you) are useful starting points. However, learning when and how to use them is just as important as memorizing their meanings.
Japanese communication places considerable emphasis on politeness, context, and relationships between speakers.
For example, "arigatou" and "arigatou gozaimasu" both express gratitude, but the second is more polite.
Another expression I found interesting is "itadakimasu", which is commonly said before eating. It conveys appreciation for the food and those involved in providing it. Rather than simply translating it as "let's eat," understanding its cultural significance offers a glimpse into Japanese customs surrounding meals and gratitude.
Learning these expressions has helped me recognize that language reflects cultural expectations in ways that direct translations cannot always capture.
Understanding Japanese Verbs and Tenses
One of my biggest challenges has been learning Japanese verb conjugations.
Unlike English, where verbs change according to tense and sometimes the subject, polite Japanese verbs use predictable endings to communicate whether an action is affirmative, negative, present/future, or past.
In class, I have been practicing four essential verb forms: Present/Future Affirmative, Present/Future Negative, Past Affirmative, Past Negative.
These patterns also apply to many other verbs I have studied, including nomimasu (drink), ikimasu (go), kimasu (come), shimasu (do), tsukurimasu (make), and kaimasu (buy).
What initially seemed confusing became easier once I began recognizing the patterns.
For example, the difference between nomimasu (drink) and nomimashita (drank) is simply a change in the verb ending.
I have also learned that Japanese present-tense forms can refer to future actions. Instead of requiring a separate future tense, Japanese often relies on context and time expressions to communicate when something will happen.
Part of the course is also learning hiragana. This has been challenging to learn the characters, memorize images that will bring out how write the Roman version and how to pronounce the character. I found this resource is really helpful for anyone learning hiragana!
Also here are examples of Hiragana charts. Pick one that works for you!
So far I have learned that first 6 columns including K, S, T, N, and H which is nearly 30 hiragana!
I have weekly lab sessions where we students practice core conversations and applications. I was really nervous to start this also as I'm a high school student but the professor is very supportive and the class is fun!
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