How to Learn to Speak Japanese

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Practice Japanese greetings.

   Learning how to greet people properly is one of the first steps to speaking any language.
   
   Following are some common ways to say "hello" and "goodbye" in Japanese.
   
   Look up the sounds that correspond to the characters to make sure you pronounce them correctly: はじめまして ("Nice to meet you.") おはようございます ("Good morning.") こんにちは ("Good Day" {can be used only till sunset and thus can also be used as "Good Afternoon"}) おやすみなさい ("Good night.") さようなら ("Goodbye.")
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   Step 2: Learn some conversational phrases.

   Now that you know the most basic way to start a conversation, learn a few phrases that will help you move it along by expressing interest in the person to whom you're talking. おげんき　ですか？("How are you?") げんき　です。ありがとう。("I'm fine, thanks.") ありがとう ございます ("Thank you.") すみません ("Excuse me.") ごめん　なさい ("Sorry.") わかります ("I understand.") しりません ("I don't know.") , The numerals 1 through 10 are written in Kanji.They are pronounced using different combinations of the same 46 sounds that are used to pronounce all Japanese characters.
   
   Practice counting to ten: 一 (1) 二 (2) 三 (3) 四 (4) 五 (5) 六 (6) 七 (7) 八 (8) 九 (9) 十 (10) , Buy an English
   - Japanese dictionary and practice pronouncing different words and phrases until you're comfortable with the sounds.
   
   Having this foundation will help you excel when you take your Japanese to the next level by signing up for some classes.
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   Step 3: Learn numbers.

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   Step 4: Explore more complicated words and phrases.

Detailed Guide

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