Student Answers – Frequently Asked Questions

You see the Japanese characters everywhere and figure that they are really interesting looking.  You are amazed and starting to understand why people are getting tattoos in that language.  From this, a decision comes to mind:  I want to write something in Japanese too!  There is one problem, you do not know how to.  I guess it would be a good decision to learn something about Japanese symbol writing if you want to part-take in what the rest of the world is doing.  But you ask, “Where can I learn about Japanese symbol writing?” Here is a list of ways to learn Japanese symbol writing.

1. Do a search on the internet.  Surf over to a major search engine and type in “Learn Hiragana” or, “Learn Katakana” (These search queries are two forms of the Japanese syllabary).  From all the results you will be given many different sites that you can learn with.  Pick a site to learn based on credibility.  You can go about checking credibility by finding reviews or stories from people who used the site before.  Nonetheless, the internet is a perfect place to learn how to write Japanese symbols.

2. Get a teacher to help educate you.  If you do not know how to write in Japanese, get the wisdom from someone that is professionally trained to know and teach others.  Search for schools in you area that have a Japanese language program.  If you find one, they will definitely have teachers that will be willing to teach you how to write and understand Japanese.

3. Ask a Japanese friend to teach you.  If you have a friend who knows Japanese, try to work a deal out with them so they will teach you all the symbols they know for free.  Buy them dinner or a hair cut.  This method is cheaper than the above tip.  This way you can keep the money that you would spend on fees to pay the teacher.  

4. Get a book that shows you how to write in Japanese.  Go to your local library and find a kiosk to type in “Learn Japanese”.  Find the section that contains books on the Japanese Language.  Search for a particular book that shows you how to write Hiragana or Katakana.  Further, you can use that exact same book finding method at a bookstore, but their knowledge will cost you some money.

5. Get software that can teach you how to write in Japanese.  There are many types of software online and at stores that can help you learn.  Compile a list of all the different types of software you find and research if they are actually able to teach you–some companies say they can teach you, but never live up to what they say.  Make sure you are checking for reviews from people who used the software that you are analyzing.  This will help prove the effectiveness of the software.

These were only a few methods of learning Japanese symbol writing.  It takes practice, but practice often.  Be patient and you will eventually get the hang of writing in Japanese.  Before long, you will be a professional writer for the Japanese language.