To japanese knowing people here

[Oguzhan]

How long did it take you to learn it? I am thinking about starting to learn it.

[Monterossa]

If you mean learning to the point that you can play games and watch anime, it takes around a year. Start with the hiragana and katakana (around a week to memorize them all). Then read the text book series Minna no Nihongo (4 volumes).

You should learn the kanji too, around 2-300 letters should be enough to play games and read manga. But if you want to read novels you need more than that.

By a year, I mean doing it on spared time or on weekends. If you have more time you can do it faster.

[Oguzhan]

Originally posted by Monterossa:

If you mean learning to the point that you can play games and watch anime, it takes around a year. Start with the hiragana and katakana (around a week to memorize them all). Then read the text book series Minna no Nihongo (4 volumes).

You should learn the kanji too, around 2-300 letters should be enough to play games and read manga. But if you want to read novels you need more than that.

Hmm interesting. Thank you for the answer. Also ♥♥♥♥♥♥ 300 letters and still not enough to read a novel.

[Monterossa]

Well... I think being able to read all of their manga, watch anime, and play all the JP-only games are enough. I don't even have time to finish them all. So no time for novels anyway.

[Oguzhan]

Originally posted by Monterossa:

Well... I think being able to read all of their manga, watch anime, and play all the JP-only games are enough. I don't even have time to finish them all. So no time for novels anyway.

Oh yeah. Would it be enough to read the kiseki games too?

[Monterossa]

Originally posted by oguz.gungor96:

Originally posted by Monterossa:

Well... I think being able to read all of their manga, watch anime, and play all the JP-only games are enough. I don't even have time to finish them all. So no time for novels anyway.

Oh yeah. Would it be enough to read the kiseki games too?

I don't think so... The Kiseki dialogues are kinda hard.

finishing the 4 Minna books, you'll be able to get the N4 license, which is around the Japanese elementary school level. Maybe you can play Ys but not Trails games.

Kanji is what makes Japanese language hard. If it's a game that is fully voiced in every scene it'll be easier since you don't need to know kanji.

[明星ヒマリ]

Japanese is very context heavy and generally require a lot of exercise to understand. A slight change of letter or tone will affect almost the entire conversation if used incorrectly.
Take the series title for example
Kiseki, if translated directly is miracle. But if you add sora no kiseki it becomes trails in the sky. Just like how sen no kiseki become trails of cold steel (suppose to be flash, but cold steel makes a lot more sense because trains).
I myself only know tidbits about Japanese just from playing a lot of Japanese games and watch some animes, but I do know my friend who had studied Japanese for 7 years and lived right in the middle of Tokyo said that He himself is still learning because there are tons of word structure that he himself has not quite grasped it.

[Gambio]

I'm learning Japanese since 2013, that may seem a long time, but it's crazy how fast time flows sometimes. I feel competent enough to read some simple stuff, but Japanese is really something you never truly finish learning.

A few pointers

-start today

-do some reading every day, rather then say once a week

-don't burn yourself out by spending too much time learning. The Human Brain is not designed to concentrate for a prolonged amount of time after all. Set yourself a managable Even with only 10 Minutes per Day you can do a lot

-Start actually reading stuff asap, it's tempting to spend a long time just studying in order to prepare you. But the only thing that can truly perpare you is actual text. After a moderate amount grinding Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji(i'd say about 3-4 Months) start delving into Manga or Visual Novels

-I reccomend Anki for your Reps and VN Reader as a programm to help reading Visual Novels. Look into those two things, should make stuff quite a bit easier.

[糾う]

The 'supreme weeaboo' award isn't worth it, dude..

[Marukoban]

Originally posted by Monterossa:

If you mean learning to the point that you can play games and watch anime, it takes around a year. Start with the hiragana and katakana (around a week to memorize them all). Then read the text book series Minna no Nihongo (4 volumes).

You should learn the kanji too, around 2-300 letters should be enough to play games and read manga. But if you want to read novels you need more than that.

By a year, I mean doing it on spared time or on weekends. If you have more time you can do it faster.

I don't think 300 is enough to play games. Maybe enough to play without understanding the story.
Honestly even 1-1000 + days in a week already take like 20 kanji more or less.
300 is not a lot.
I'd assume to be able to read casually you have to know 1.5-2k kanji.

[Broso]

Why does the language have to be that inefficient? 2.5k symbols, like WTF?

[Gambio]

Originally posted by Virsalus:

Why does the language have to be that inefficient? 2.5k symbols, like WTF?

and thats just the basics

there are about 50k of them out there, altough even the Japanese aren't that hardcore to know them all.

Still for advanced high level stuff you need to know about 5000

[Broso]

Originally posted by Gambio:

Originally posted by Virsalus:

Why does the language have to be that inefficient? 2.5k symbols, like WTF?

and thats just the basics

there are about 50k of them out there, altough even the Japanese aren't that hardcore to know them all.

Still for advanced high level stuff you need to know about 5000

How the hell do you manage not to get them mixed up?

[Monterossa]

Originally posted by Virsalus:

Why does the language have to be that inefficient? 2.5k symbols, like WTF?

Blame the Chinese.

Whoever invented a language that use one letter per one thing. You have thousands of things in the world, you need thousands of letters for them. Very terrible concept.

[Monterossa]

Originally posted by Virsalus:

Originally posted by Gambio:

and thats just the basics

there are about 50k of them out there, altough even the Japanese aren't that hardcore to know them all.

Still for advanced high level stuff you need to know about 5000

How the hell do you manage not to get them mixed up?

Nobody remember them all. Japanese kanji use around 2000 letters. Chinese ppl need to know around 3000 letters in order to work in most professions. 6000 letters for those historians, poets, and other hardcore jobs. Beyond 6000 letters are likely from old language that are very pointless to know.

[糾う]

Originally posted by Virsalus:

Why does the language have to be that inefficient? 2.5k symbols, like WTF?

Don't tell me you didn't know Japanese are masochists.
They will tell you "because one word can have exactly the same pronunciation but different meanings", but every language has that and are doing fine.