Stop Saying “Japanese is too hard”!

As a learner and teacher of languages, one of the most frustrating things I can hear are these two phrases!

• It’s too hard…

• I’m not good at it…

Every time I hear these phrases I want to scream and yell! AAAHHHH!

Just this morning I was helping a student prepare for an upcoming test. She kept on saying that she is not good at it. It’s too hard and she will never remember everything.

Somewhere something has gone drastically wrong with the way we teach languages, don’t you think so?

Why is it that students feel they need to be perfect at the language?

What are we teaching in schools that is giving them the wrong impression/ knowledge?

I know there is a lot to learn, but it is also impossible to know it all!

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I realised this about a month ago. Haha yes about a month ago. I had always believed this idea, but it was not until about a month ago I was in an online Zoom meeting with about 12 Japanese people. One of them was reading out of a book and kept making mistakes. As I listened it dawned on me that he is a grown man. Grew up in Japan, went through the Japanese education system, knows a lot more Kanji and words than I do, but here he is in his 50’s making mistakes!

I sat there and my mind was blown away! It might sound strange but the old thinking of being perfect was smashed to bits. I realised that instead of trying to learn everything, just go with what you have, use it, love it and build upon what it is that you have!

Japanese is not hard! It is not! It is just different. The problem is learners look at is using their Mother tongue mindset. They expect to have the same vocabulary and skill set, but they forget that they are just babies learning to hear, walk and talk the language! There is no need to rush, rather take your time, have fun and be like a child and enjoy learning the language!

And as for saying you are not good at Japanese, I will add this to the next post! This post will become too long!