Sage-Tips

What Japanese dialect should I learn first?

Hiragana is Japan’s version of the alphabet. It is one of three Japanese writing systems you need to learn to be able to read. The other two are katakana and kanji, but hiragana is where everything starts. The ability to read hiragana is going to be a prerequisite for most beginner Japanese textbooks and resources.

What is the most common dialect of Japanese?

The Spread of Standard Japanese Kansai-ben is probably Japan’s most widely recognized dialect. Its intonation is markedly different from standard Japanese and verbs are also conjugated differently—for example, wakaranai (I don’t know) becomes wakarahen or wakerehen.

What is the hardest Japanese dialect?

Tohoku: Welcome to the North It is a bit hard to speak of one Tohoku dialect as there are quite a lot of different variations throughout the area but they do have certain things in common. First and foremost, it might be the one that is the hardest to understand, even for native Japanese speakers.

Is there a posh Japanese accent?

Juuuergen said: I have heard that the Kansai dialect is a prestige dialect in Japan. That is to say, even though it isn’t the standard dialect, it sounds quite elegant/cultured/posh compared to other dialects, much the way that many Americans view British English.

Is there a Japanese accent?

Accent and tone are the most variable aspect of Japanese dialects. Some have no accent at all; of those that do, it may occur in addition to a high or low word tone. In any case, the downstep has phonological meaning and the syllable followed by downstep is said to be “accented”.

Are there different dialects in Japan?

Yes, Japan have many different dialects (方言). Most notably, Western Japanese speak in different accent than standard Japanese (Tokyo dialect). They have different words/grammar too. The western dialects are known collectively as Kansai-ben (関西弁).

Is Japanese a difficult language to learn?

It’s one of the more difficult languages to learn, but can be a gateway language to other Asian languages. If you’re an English-speaker, Japanese will seem very different, for obvious reasons.

Do they speak Japanese in Japan?

Yes, they have! Several languages or dialects in Japan include the Ryukyuan languages, Ainu languages, the Orok language and the Nivkh language. These languages belong to two language families spoken in Japan – the Japonic languages and the Ainu languages. The Japonic languages include the following:

What is the best way to learn Japanese for beginners?

FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. It naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You’ll learn real Japanese as it’s spoken in real life.