How To Learn Japanese Romaji

Learning romaji will largely depend on your listening skills.

Learning Japanese can seem intimidating for many people because of the number of characters they have to learn. The language has three different alphabets: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. Fortunately, they all involve the same consonants and have the capability of being written in the Roman alphabet. This transliteration form of Japanese characters is known as romaji. Although romaji does not help you learn Japanese characters, it does help you learn proper pronunciation. Learning Japanese romaji is geared more toward trying to learn the language through auditory means and not written.

Things You'll Need

• Japanese-English dictionary
• Index cards
• Japanese audio CD
• Japanese movie or anime show

Instructions

1. Learn all the consonants and vowels of the Japanese language in romaji form. Although the language has various alphabet symbols, hiragana, katana and kanji all have the same 66 consonants and five vowels. By memorizing the written romaji version of these consonants, you will be ready to start learning their pronunciation.

2. Purchase a Japanese audio CD to help you learn how each consonant should sound. CDs will usually contain a Japanese native speaker repeating each consonant. You can practice each sound in the comfort of your home or while you are driving to work. Have a friend let you know if you are imitating the sound incorrectly.

3. Watch a Japanese audio movie or anime. Although you might not be ready to understand what they are saying yet, it will get you used to the sounds of the language. This will serve as field test for your audio CD lessons. You will also be able to note what consonants are softer than others. Do not be afraid of imitating certain words and accents, even if you do not know what they mean yet.

   Some subtitles will include romaji instead of Japanese characters. Read the subtitles as a character speaks and listen carefully to their pronunciation.

4. Listen carefully for well-pronounced Japanese words and try to write them out in romaji. This will allow you to start understanding words in a conversation rather than just their written form. The goal here is not to start translating yet, but just to try to accurately place Japanese sounds. However, you may wish to try translating the words using a Japanese-to-English dictionary.

5. Create a list of Japanese vocabulary words and start learning them. Memorizing actual words will teach you how to use romaji to pronounce words correctly and understand what they mean. Start small and focus on everyday words such as things found in a bedroom, kitchen or bathroom. Try to learn at least two words a day.

6. Create flashcards to help you learn vocabulary words. Flashcards are always a favorite way to learn concepts, and Japanese romaji is no exception. Write a word in romaji on one side and its English meaning on the other.

References

• Learn Japanese Online: Romaji
• Flashcard Exchange: Let's Learn Japanese Basic (Romaji Vocabulary)
• Joe Wright.org: So you really want to learn Japanese?
• I Can Speak Japanese: Learn Romaji