Is Learning Japanese Worth It?

If you have thought about learning Japanese you will have probably heard other peoples opinion on it and also realised it will take a lot of effort, so really it is perfectly reasonable to ask if it is worth your time or not.

I would argue that it is, but really this comes down to you and what you want to achieve. I think Japanese will make your life better, but let’s go through some things you can ask yourself to see if it is right for you. 

Only You Can Answer This Question

While I can sit here and tell you how great it is and how it can enrich your life, it is not my place to decide if Japanese is right for you. You need to answer this question on your own.

For many of you reading this, it will indeed be worth it …but for many of you, it will be a total waste of your time and I am sure there will also be a few of you somewhere in the middle. 

Where you lie on this scale really comes down to what you want from Japanese and if you feel it would bring value to your life and if the sacrifice to get there is worth this reward or not.

You really need to weigh up the positives and negatives and decide if this is for you. If you are unsure, give it a try and you will quickly know either way. 

What Do You Want From Japanese?

Really if you want to know if learning Japanese is worth it, you need to know what you want from with.

I guess it may be easier to see this as “what is Japanese offering you?” and if you can answer this, you will know if it is going to be worth your time. So let’s look at some things Japanese can offer you, as it is a bit more than just being able to speak the language. 

Watching Anime

A lot of people just want to learn Japanese so that they can understand anime without subtitles or dubbing and that is a perfectly valid reason for wanting to learn. This also applies to any other sort of Japanese media like movies, manga, books, tv and music.

If you want to enjoy these things and really the Japanese culture in general then you need to learn the language and a lot of people will tell you that unlocking all of this is certainly worth the effort.   

(You can read more about – Is Anime Bad For Learning Japanese?)

Making Friends

Learning Japanese will also unlock your ability to make friends and this can certainly make the hours of study worthwhile.

Japanese people are wonderful and while you can use English to communicate with them, it is a very different experience if you can get to know them through the Japanese language. 

Moving To Japan

If you are thinking about moving to Japan then the Japanese language really is going to be a necessity and will certainly be worth your time and effort.

You will find you can move to Japan knowing very little, but really your quality of life is just not going to be the same as someone who is able to speak the language and fully integrate with society.  

Getting A Job

If you are planning to get a job in Japan, then you need to know Japanese. There is no way round this. They will simply not hire you if you cannot speak the language, so really if you want the job …it’s worth the time to learn Japanese. 

This probably does go hand in hand with moving to Japan. Most people are going to need a job if they move there, so really learning Japanese is worth it as it is going to facilitate your personal and business life. Without it, it will be very hard to make these things a reality.

If You See Value In It, Do It

I think the whole question of worth can be boiled down to value. If you think you can find any sort of value in learning Japanese, then it is probably going to be worth learning.

This is of course going to cover what I discussed above, but it also covers so much more. Of course there is value in learning Japanese if you want a job for example, but really it can be for any reason.

If you just enjoy the process of learning Japanese and you find it fun to study, then this is giving you value and it is therefore worth your time.

I would suggest that if you even get the smallest slither of value from Japanese, then it is worth your time. 

Personally I have no real reason to learn Japanese, I just want to, it’s kinda cool and for me, this is valuable. Sure it is tough at times and some things annoy me, but overall the experience is great and I think it has been worth all the effort I have put in.

Even if I stopped today and never went any further, I would still feel it was valuable and worth the effort. 

Can You Make Japanese A Part Of Your Life

A lot of the “value” you get from Japanese is really going to come down to how much you can integrate it into your life.

The more Japanese friends you have,  or the more media you like to watch or even the more business trips you like to take to Japan …these all make the language integral to your daily life and more you can have this feeling, the more you will feel it is worthwhile.

If you can’t really see Japanese as being any part of your life, even a small part, you really have to ask if you should even bother starting.

As I already mentioned, I have no real reason to learn Japanese. I could live the rest of my life and never see another kanji character again. However, that is not how I want to live my life. I have now made the effort to force Japanese into my life and I have made it an essential part.

I have shows I like to watch, music I like to listen to and people I like to speak to and they are now all a part of my life.

Really what I am saying is – you can make Japanese a part of your life and you can make it worthwhile to you.

It all comes down to you, you can equally write it off and come up with 100 reasons why it doesn’t need to be a part of your life …so which option are you going to pick?    

(You can read more about – How To Use Japanese Throughout Your Day)

What Else Are You Going To Do?

If you are asking if Japanese is worth your time,  you have to ask what else you could be doing instead?

It is going to take a lot of effort to get decent in Japanese, and you can’t get around that …but as I have mentioned throughout this article, your decision to learn the language should really come down to if you see value in doing so.

If you are having doubts about starting, you need to ask what you might value instead. Maybe it’s a different language, or something completely different …maybe you value doing nothing and sitting round watching tv, only you can decide this.

However, the time is always going to pass, this is something you cannot control. So are you going to study Japanese for the next year and see what you can achieve, or are you just going to let the time slip by?     

Conclusion

While I can’t tell you if learning Japanese is going to be worth it for you, I do still think you should try.

If you have nothing else to put your energy into, learning languages is a good place to start. You are going to take a lot away from learning any language, especially Japanese and at the very least you will get some education around the culture of Japan and opening your horizons to things like this is never a bad idea.

Hopefully you can see the value in starting Japanese and give it a go. I really think you will find the countless hours of struggling will be worth it when you are rewarded with the language. I certainly have felt this way and the only regret I have is not starting years ago!  

(If you are looking to learn Japanese, you can follow my plan – Learn Japanese – The Plan For A Complete Beginner)