Japanese is probably one of the most difficult languages to learn. Its use of four different writing systems, including the much dreaded Chinese characters or 'kanji', and the various readings for each character, make Japanese extremely hard to master. Since Japanese conversation is very difficult to teach on the internet without the use of the phonetic alphabet, I will limit myself to the written language. I really don't want to bother you with yet another writing system.

As an aid to these lessons I recommend getting hold of a guide to writing Japanese, like Hadamitzky and Spahn's Kanji & Kana. Even the deceptively simple hiragana and katakana have quite a few pitfalls when it comes to writing. Using the wrong stroke order or direction can produce a completely different character. On top of that is the written form sometimes different from the printed form. Using a guide to writing will help you avoid these pitfalls.

First the lowdown of the currently existing writing systems in Japan.

1. Hiragana
   Phonetic writing system, used for native Japanese words and for the conjugations of verbs.
2. Katakana
   Phonetic writing system, used for foreign words.
3. Kanji
   Chinese characters.
4. Latin
   The western alphabet.

These are broad strokes and these categories don't apply very strictly. You will find foreign words like tobacco and coffee written in kanji, and Japanese words written in katakana, used as italics or for readability reasons on digital displays. Sometimes you will even encounter different writing systems in a single word.

Unfortunately the Latin alphabet is rarely used, but we mention it because it can be used for initials, advertising, and names.

Reading and writing Japanese
There are two ways that the Japanese tend to write:

In the classical method: from top to bottom and from right to left.	In the modern method: from left to right and from top to bottom.
ら 前 へ 読 む と こ ろ で す 書 き 方 で す 二 つ 目 な ら 本 を 後 ろ か 二 つ 目 は 上 か ら 下 へ 右 か ら 左 へ の 書 き 方 で す 一 つ 目 は 左 か ら 右 へ 上 か ら 下 へ の 日 本 語 の 書 き 方 向 は 二 つ あ り ま す	日本語の書き方向は二つあります。 一つ目は左から右へ、上から下への 書き方です。 二つ目は上から下へ、右から左への 書き方です。二つ目なら本を後ろか ら前へ読むところです。

On shop signs or on the right-hand side of cars
you may find Japanese written from right to left:

ばそんどう (うどんそば / udon soba)
ーシクタ (タクシー / taxi)
車急救 (救急車 / ambulance).

Transcription and Pronunciation
We will be using a variation of the Hepburn transcription. It is important to read through the transcription and pronunciation pages since the sounds used in Japanese are different from the ones used in English.