Some people think that Japanese is one of the hardest languages to learn. Basically this is not true. Japanese language always follows its rules. This language has no masculine/feminine; no conjugations and almost all modern words are cognates (similar in English). The writing system can be overwhelming, but for basic Japanese, you won't need to be able to read much. Listen to tapes, movies or conversations with those who speak the language fluently. Use the language every day. In order to learn any language effectively, you must devote the proper amount of time. The Japanese writing system is broken down into three separate and complete parts: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. Hiragana is used to spell out Japanese words using syllables. It consists of many letters, all of which are completely different and bear no resemblance to each other. Hiragana and Katakana are syllabic alphabets. Hiragana is used for native Japanese words. Katakana is commonly used for foreign loan words. Kanji are Chinese characters the Japanese have modified and used for centuries.

Instead of spending your money on books or a class, you should use the Internet to teach yourself Japanese. There are a broad range of text and audio tutorials online. Best of all, you can go back and repeat lessons as you see fit. Hire a personal language coach. One of the best ways to learn Japanese is from some one who is part of the culture. You will not only learn the appropriate way to pronounce words, but you will learn the more casual, local way to speak them.