HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO LEARN JAPANESE?

“How long will it take to learn Japanese?”

Short Answer :

Everyone is different, and there is no definitive number like 5.47 years with a margin of error of plus/minus 26 percent. It depends on how much time you are willing to put in. For most, it will take over 6 years.

Long Answer :

A good estimate comes from the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the US Department of State. They claim that it requires 2200 classroom hours with 1 year of in-country study to reach Level 3 on the ILR scale in speaking, reading, listening and writing in Japanese.

see my Proficiency Scales for more information

Well then, lets explore what ILR (Interagency Language Roundtable) Level 3 is.

S3	Speaking: Speak with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations in practical, social and professional topics.
R3	Reading: Read within a normal range of speed and with almost complete comprehension of a variety of authentic prose material on unfamiliar subjects.
W3	Writing: Write the language effectively in most formal and informal written exchanges on practical, social, and professional topics.
L3	Listening: Understand the essentials of all speech in a standard dialect including technical discussions within a special field.

Looks like fun. Lets take a closer look. Let’s say, you study:

Hours / Day	Weeks / Year	Days / Week	Hours / Year	2200 Hrs in:
1	52	5	260	8.46 years
2	52	5	520	4.23 years
3	52	5	780	2.82 years
4	52	5	1040	2.12 years

If your head is spinning by now, quit while you are ahead and go learn Spanish, or try OLiSPIELS.com. If you are not a quitter, lets proceed.

Q: Why does it take so long to learn Japanese?
A1: Japanese is very different from English <– click for more info
A2: Japanese uses Kanji <– click for more info

— Excerpt on Kanji —
An integral part of Japanese is kanji – those boxy-squiggly Chinese exports. No, not instant ramen, dangit. I have heard many-a-time that kanji is not important. However, without kanji reading the most basic Japanese is impossible.

If… you were to go through the Japanese edumacational system (grades 1-9):

1. you would not be able to pronounce the letter ‘L’
2. you would speak English like ‘makudanarudo chiizubaagaa happii okei retsu go’ (I’m paraphrasing, so excuse me)
3. you would know about 2500 kanji

unFortunately you did not go there the Japanese educational system. And… Well… That is that.
— Excerpt on Kanji —

Another answer that has  become popular in the last few years is the 10,000 Sentences Method. However “10,000 Sentences” is not an answer in terms of “How Long”.

see Goals & Timetables for more info

Using any method will “really” take 2-9 years for ‘YOU’ to be able to use Japanese with “sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations in practical, social and professional topics.” Sorry to burst your bubble. It’s like the old adage, 1000 monkeys, on a 1000 typewriters – if you study long enough you will become fluent. But, since you are not 10-year-old in a sailor uniform, and do not have 9 years to spend on learning kanji, there are other methods available.

If your follow-up question is, “How do I become functionally fluent in 2-3 years?” you are in the right place, so read on…

Further Reading:
Introduction to NiHONGOCENTRAL
The Japanese Language
Language Proficiency Scales
Goals & Timetables
What it Takes to Learn Japanese
Method Overview

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