Learn Japanese Before Moving to Japan: The 3-Month Plan

## The Reality of Moving to Japan Without Japanese Japan is a wonderful country to live in. It's also one of the more challenging countries to navigate without the local language. Unlike many European cities, English is not widely spoken outside of major tourist areas. Menus, forms, street signs, and everyday conversations are predominantly in Japanese. The good news: three months of focused study can take you from zero to functional. Not fluent — but capable of handling daily life, making yourself understood, and building from there once you arrive. Here's exactly what to prioritise. ## Month 1: The Foundation ### Week 1–2: Hiragana and Katakana Before anything else, learn the two phonetic scripts. Hiragana (46 characters) and Katakana (46 characters) can be learned in 2–3 weeks with daily practice. Why this matters: Menus, signs, and forms in Japan use these scripts constantly. Being able to read them — even slowly — is immediately practical. It also means you can sound out words you don't know yet. **Daily practice:** Write each character 10 times while saying it aloud. Use a structured chart and work through one row per day. ### Week 3–4: Core Sentence Structure and Survival Phrases Learn the basic sentence structure of Japanese: Subject + Object + Verb. Then learn the 30 most essential survival phrases: - すみません (*Sumimasen*) — Excuse me / Sorry - ありがとうございます (*Arigatou gozaimasu*) — Thank you - わかりません (*Wakarimasen*) — I don't understand - もう一度お願いします (*Mou ichido onegaishimasu*) — Please say that again - 〜はどこですか？(*〜 wa doko desu ka?*) — Where is 〜? - いくらですか？(*Ikura desu ka?*) — How much is it? - 〜をください (*〜 wo kudasai*) — Please give me 〜 - 英語を話せますか？(*Eigo wo hanasemasu ka?*) — Do you speak English? These phrases handle 80% of daily interactions in the first few weeks. ## Month 2: The Framework ### Weeks 5–6: Particles Japanese particles are small words that mark the grammatical role of each noun in a sentence. They're the most important grammar concept for beginners. **The essential particles:** - は (*wa*) — topic marker: "As for X..." - が (*ga*) — subject marker: "X does..." - を (*wo*) — object marker: "...X (is acted upon)" - に (*ni*) — direction/time/location: "to/at/on X" - で (*de*) — location of action / means: "at X / by means of X" - の (*no*) — possession: "X's Y" - と (*to*) — "and" (for nouns) / "with" - か (*ka*) — question marker (adds "?" to any sentence) Understanding particles transforms your ability to construct sentences rather than just memorise them. ### Weeks 7–8: Verb Forms Learn the four most essential verb forms: 1. **Masu form** (ます) — polite present/future: 食べます (*tabemasu*, I eat/will eat) 2. **Mashita form** (ました) — polite past: 食べました (*tabemashita*, I ate) 3. **Masen form** (ません) — polite negative: 食べません (*tabemasen*, I don't eat) 4. **Te form** (て) — connecting actions and making requests: 食べてください (*tabete kudasai*, please eat) With these four forms, you can express most everyday situations politely. ## Month 3: The Structure ### Weeks 9–10: Numbers, Money, and Time These are immediately practical for daily life in Japan: **Numbers:** Learn 1–10, then the pattern extends logically (11 = 十一, 12 = 十二, 20 = 二十, etc.) **Money:** Japan is still largely cash-based. Being able to understand prices and make change is essential. **Time expressions:** 今日 (*kyou*, today), 明日 (*ashita*, tomorrow), 昨日 (*kinou*, yesterday), 今 (*ima*, now), 〜時 (*〜ji*, o'clock) ### Weeks 11–12: Practical Vocabulary by Category Focus on vocabulary you'll actually use: **Transport:** 駅 (station), 電車 (train), バス (bus), タクシー (taxi), 〜行き (bound for 〜) **Food:** Common menu items, dietary restrictions (アレルギー, *arerugii*, allergy) **Shopping:** 〜はありますか？(Do you have 〜?), 試着してもいいですか？(May I try this on?) **Medical/Emergency:** 病院 (hospital), 薬局 (pharmacy), 助けてください (Please help me) ## What to Skip (For Now) **Kanji:** You'll encounter Kanji everywhere in Japan, but you don't need to write it before you arrive. Focus on recognition of the most common characters (numbers, basic nouns) rather than writing. **Keigo (formal/honorific language):** Important eventually, but not for survival Japanese. Polite masu/desu form is sufficient for most situations. **Grammar edge cases:** Don't get lost in grammar nuances. Focus on patterns you'll actually use. ## The Right Course for This Plan This three-month plan works best with a structured audio course that follows the same sequence — phonetics first, then sentence structure, then vocabulary in practical contexts. The [Constructing Japanese Audio Course](/courses/constructing-japanese-audio) was built around exactly this progression. It's audio-first (perfect for commuting and busy schedules), covers grammar clearly, and is fully downloadable so you can study anywhere. [Browse our Japanese courses](/courses) and listen to free audio previews before your move. --- *Already in Japan and struggling? The same course works just as well for learners already on the ground — real-world immersion combined with structured study is the fastest path to fluency.*