Teaching points

In this module, we'll look at how the Japanese language affects a Japanese student's English so we can customize our lessons better to suit their needs.

The Japanese language is made up of three alphabets: hiragana, katakana, and kanji.

Hiragana (ひらがな) - the basic alphabet that kids start off learning; has 46 basic characters

Katakana (カタカナ) - the alphabet used for words from other countries; has 46 basic characters (the same as hiragana except they look different)

Kanji (漢字) - comes from Chinese characters (some are the same; most look different); there are 2,136 kanji that are used commonly and who knows how many more

Katakana words have to do with a lot of mispronunciation and misuse of words for Japanese students, but here are the main things that a student might struggle with/not even realize about their English:

  1. The mispronunciation of words because it exists in katakana form in the Japanese language (e.g. country names like Australia, Vietnam, and Portugal/words like "allergy"/アレルギー (a - re - ru - gee/"hard g"), "admin"/アドミニ (a - do - mi - ni), and "theme"/テーマ (tehh - ma);
  2. The misuse of English words. Some words are used with different meanings in Japanese (for example, we use the word "claim" to say "complaint"), while others are used incorrectly (like "choice" being used as a verb); 
  3. The usage of non-English words as though they are English (e.g. "ノルマ/noruma" for "quota" or "アルバイト/arubaito" for "part-time job"); 
  4. Japanese words that get directly translated but don't really exist in the English language (e.g. 元気/genki energetic or “energish”、まじめ/majime “serious”、気を遣う/ki-wo-tsukau take care of); and
  5. Words that don't really exist or aren't used often in Japanese (e.g. introvert/extrovert, sarcastic, passive-aggressive).

Pronunciation teaching points:

  1. L/R, th, si/shi, vowel sounds that don't exist in Japanese like "æ" (good to teach if someone needs it, but don't put too much focus on these in the lesson or it'll just eat up time);
  2. Not ending every word with a vowel sound (e.g. but, if, that, etc.). This is because most Japanese words end in a vowel sound. There is only one letter in the Japanese alphabet that ends in a consonant;
  3. Correct syllable stress for words (this is more important so that they are understood. It's also much easier for a student to focus on and get quick results with. Be careful though, sometimes you might think a word is pronounced one way when it can be pronounced multiple ways like the word "frustrated". When in doubt, check!);
  4. Correct pronunciation of words that aren't spelled phonetically like "clothes" and "comfortable"; 
  5. Intonation; and
  6. Linking words together instead of pronouncing each and every word.

One last point about pronunciation, knowing how to pronounce words right and learning how to use intonation effectively can go a long way (the halo effect), but some of the reasons many students want to avoid it are because:

  1. They feel it's impossible (especially because Japan as a country seems to have given up on pronunciation).
  2. They don't understand the importance of it.
  3. They don't want to be seen as "wannabes" by their peers and/or native speakers.
  4. Japanese people already feel like they are the butt of pronunciation jokes. 

That said, there is a balance when it comes to someone's accent since it is also a part of their identity. We want people to be comfortable and confident in who they are and how they speak. We just also want to help students speak in a way that listeners will want to listen (e.g. by pronouncing words correctly, linking words so people can focus on what's being said, etc.).

Major linguistic differences:

  1. No articles (a/an/the) in Japanese, so students have a hard time using articles or understanding the difference between when to use "a/an" and when to use"the";
  2. The use of the passive voice/transitive verbs ("I was taught by my teacher" instead of "My teacher taught me..."); and
  3. In Japanese, "-ed" and "-ing" adjectives are usually just the same word, so it is hard to understand when to use which.

Indirect language

Please make sure students are not too direct when they speak. A lot of times, Japanese people have this preconceived notion that English speakers are always direct, so they do what they think is the same. In reality, we are direct in some situations while not in others, and students need to learnt this or they will sound rude.