I was recently told that Japanese is the most popular foreign language of my generation (*coughteenscough*). Not only that, people just love their culture and exports (anime, manga, hentai, J-dramas, ARASHI…). There’s just a fascination in everything 日本 (Nihon/Nippon), that definitely leads to the desire to learn the language.
Of course, if you’ve no experience in Japanese language (PLEASE TELL ME YOU’VE AT LEAST WATCHED ONE ANIME), it’s a lot tougher to master the basics of Japanese grammar, because Japanese is wayyyyy different from English. If you compare an English sentence to a Japanese sentence, you’d see a big difference there (and lots of confusion).
It’s not impossible to learn Japanese, though. You just gotta put in a lot of effort and work a lot to improve. I’m certain that Japanese won’t be too difficult if you’ve watched lots of anime or Japanese dramas with English subtitles (like, erm, me.). In the process of avid anime/J-drama-watching, you’d somehow understand the grammar and a small amount of vocabulary.
Those who have learnt Chinese has a huge advantage in learning Japanese, especially in reading and writing kanji (Japanese scripts of Chinese origin), which lots of people complain it’s really difficult. Also, writing Japanese scripts won’t be as hard. But then again, hiragana and katakana are easy to master.
“So, what should I do if I really want to learn Japanese?”
1) Make sure you have a goal and lots of motivation. People give up learning Japanese halfway through because they see it as a hobby, but not passion. Set a goal, like, “I want to learn Japanese so I don’t need to rely on English subtitles to watch anime/J-dramas!”. It’s important that you get something/someone to motivate you. You need a driving force that’ll push you to your goal. It can be a person, or an obsession (Tashiichaan’s motivation is *coughArashicough*), or anything that really encourages you to keep on working!
2) Do your homework. Research on the Japanese levels and classes available in your area, and also get information about the teaching system and the cost. It’s also recommended you get suggestions from those who are more experienced, like friends or any online forums.
3) Consider the cost of Japanese classes. It ain’t cheap, y’know! I’ve a schoolmate who goes for classes at a Japanese school, which is pretty elite. Although I’m interested to join, the class fees for each level is wayyy out of my budget. Plus, my mom assumes that I’m learning due to a temporary obsession (she is half-true), so she suggested that I learn online instead. There are reliable websites that specialise in teaching Japanese, and they’re free, to boot!
4) Have consistency in your work. Do a small Japanese exercise few times a week to improve your grammar. As a beginner, learning hiragana and katakana may be tough, but to overcome that you have to practise a lot. Start by writing a script, and repeating it until you are familiar with the strokes. And when you feel comfortable with that script, you can continue with the next. To practise your reading skills, try reading a few hiragana sentences (write the romaji if you’re uncertain) every few days to get a good grasp on the scripts.
.
Tashiichaan’s progress in learning Japanese -
It’s been almost a month since I started my first grammar lesson. Yes, I’m learning online, from the ever-reliable The Japanese Page. I’ve learnt basic grammar and lots of vocabulary (mainly from the countless J-Dramas and variety shows I watch in the period), and always refer to the lesson by copying it into an exercise book. It gets tedious some times because I’d get confused, but reading through the notes and reading out loud sentences really helped!
Since I’m pretty familiar with the basics and grammar, I decided to put my grammar lessons on hold and start learning hiragana first. At least I’d be able to read the sentences common in variety shows. It’s actually quite fun – I would copy down the entire hiragana chart, and I’d start practising each script by writing it 50 times and reciting it so I’m familiar with it. I’d go for 100 times if I still can’t memorise it (yup, Chinese primary school education drilled that). To learn how to write hiragana scripts, I referred to About.Com – How to Write Hiragana - VERY helpful.
I’ve also extended my Japanese vocabulary and (shock!) kanji vocabulary! I would pick them up while watching the usual dramas (comparing between the subs and the speaking), or from watching shows with Japanese subtitles (Music Station!). It’s easy for me to learn kanji because they’re exactly the same as Chinese characters, just different pronunciation. If I’m not sure about certain words, I’d ask my Japanese-learning schoolmate! (Just this morning I asked her what ‘wasurenai’ meant. xD). Who would’ve known addicting dramas could be so beneficial. ^_^
I’ve also discovered something euphoric (to me, that is) – the other day I was at the dinner table while my brother was watching anime. I was concentrating on the Japanese speaking (I had my back to the TV) and I realised that I could actually understand them! They’re really simple sentences and certain grammar parts confused me, but I could grasp the entire understanding of the sentence. I felt sooo accomplished!
.
If you feel that you need a little advice, feel free to ask me. I really mean it when I said ‘little’! I’m not qualified for difficult Japanese grammar questions T_T. Also, if you have an advice for me, FEEL FREE TO SHARE IT BECAUSE I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ONE. It gets sooo lonely to learn Japanese on my own without a companion… (Tashiichaan gets fascinated/weird stares while she does hiragana exercises. In public and at home.)
.....named 
★ THE FANGIRLS have shrieked and flailed