The Best Way To Learn Japanese

Take The Easy Path To Learn Japanese Language With The Ling App

Why Learn Croatian with Ling?

Discover The Easy Path To Hard Languages. And learn Croatian with Ling!  Croatian is the official language of Croatia, an Eastern  European country with a rich cultural heritage. Whether you aspire to advance your career, plan a relocation, or enrich your life,  Ling’s Croatian language lessons open up a world of possibilities. Explore basic Croatian phrases, like “Thank you” in Croatian, to  sentence structures and grammar. Ling is your language-learning companion to linguistic and cultural mastery.

Quick Croatian Must-Knows

Want to know more about the language in Croatia?
Here are some must-knows!

Number of Speakers:  6.8 million (5.5 million as mother tongue; 1.3 million as second language)

Official/National Language of: Croatia (also spoken in parts of Bosnia, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia)

Region: Eastern Europe Language Family: Slavic, Indo European

Writing System: Latin-based, left-to-right

Tonal or Non-tonal Language: Non-tonal, stress-timed

Fun Croatian Language Facts

1
Script Evolution:

Croatian was historically written with Cyrillic script, but thanks to Ljudevit Gaj’s standardization in 1830–1850, it now uses the Latin alphabet. This makes it an ideal starting point for English speakers delving into Slavic languages.

2
Variety of Dialects

Croatian has regional dialects that vary in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. The three main dialects are Čakavian, Kajkavian, and Štokavian. Standard Croatian is based on the Štokavian dialect.

3
Phonetic Simplicity

In Croatian, one letter corresponds to one sound. This phonetic nature makes reading and pronunciation straightforward, unlike the varied pronunciations in English

Did You Know This About Croatia?

Cultural Etiquette:
Maintaining eye contact during conversations is highly encouraged in Croatian culture. It signals attentiveness and a willingness to engage, contributing positively to communication. Here are some tips on phrases and etiquette to keep in mind when communicating with someone in Croatian.

Is English spoken in Croatia?
Yes, many Croatians speak English. However, making an effort to learn the local language is highly appreciated. You can engage more authentically by taking Ling’s Croatian lessons, enhancing your overall experience in Croatia.

Survival Croatian Vocabulary and Phrases

Ever wondered how to say hello in Croatian? How about I love you in Croatian? Now you can! Ling has some survival Croatian phrases so you can talk with Croatian locals with confidence! For more, check out the best app to learn Croatian – Ling!

よろしく お願い します。
Yo-ro-shi-ku o-ne-gai shi-ma-su
Nice to meet you
ありがとう
A-ri-ga-to
Thank you
さようなら
Sa-yo-u-na-ra
Goodbye
私の名前はメアリーです
Wa-ta-shi no na-ma-e wa Me-a-ri de-su
My name is Mary
あなた の 名前 は なんですか?
A-na-ta no na-ma-e wa nan-de-su-ka?
What is your name?
こんにちは
Kon-ni-chi-wa
Good afternoon
元気ですか?
Gen-ki de-su ka
How are you?
元気です
Gen-ki de-su
I’m fine.
おはようございます
O-ha-yo go-za-i-ma-su
Good morning
こんにちは
Kon-ni-chi-wa
Hello

The Easy Path Philosophy

1
2 minutes to...

Learn new words and how to use them in a sentence.

2
3 minutes to...

Review vocabulary from current and past lessons with a variety of reinforced gamification techniques.

3
5 minutes to...

Listen and learn from natives through a conversation taken from a real-life context between 2 people.

4
And more...

Explore grammar-specific lessons, review features, and culture notes.

Kudos From Our Learners

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Frequently asked questions about learning Japanese

Is It Hard To Learn Japanese?

Japanese is one of the most complex languages to learn along with Korean, Arabic, and Chinese.

Despite the language’s many rules, learning Japanese can be so much fun! With language learning apps, like Ling, you’ll forget you’re even learning!

Here are some quick facts about Japanese:

  • Grammar: Unlike many languages, Japanese has sentence-end particles even if it follows the Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order.
  • Vocabulary: A significant portion of Japanese vocabulary uses onomatopoeia and historical lexicon from Chinese, Dutch, and Portuguese, among others.
  • Speaking/Listening: Japanese culture values politeness and a hierarchical inflection system. When learning the pronunciation, be careful of the “r” and “j” consonants.
  • Reading/Writing: Japanese script can come in the form of traditional vertical writing (縦書き – tategaki) or modern horizontal writing (横書き – yokogaki). The Japanese script contains three main writing systems or characters: Hiragana (ひらがな or simple characters), Katakana (カタカナ or partial characters), and Kanji (漢字 or Han characters from China).
How Can I Learn Japanese On My Own?

The first step in learning Japanese is knowing why you want to study the language in the first place. After that, you can learn Japanese on your own with various online learning materials.

By far, the best language learning tool out there is the Ling app, which contains over 200 lessons per language. If you want to become fluent in Japanese, Ling has plenty of lessons, all the way from beginner to advanced.

Learning a language by yourself can be challenging at times, but don’t give up! Here are other ways you can learn Japanese:

  • Set realistic language goals
  • Watch Japanese movies, dramas, or anime
  • Learn about a variety of topics when practicing hiragana, katakana, or kanji
  • Read Japanese poetry or Haiku (俳句)
  • Speak Japanese out loud so you can hear your own pronunciation
  • Download the Ling app to learn new vocabulary, phrases, and topics quickly
How Quickly Can I Learn Japanese?

According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), the average learner can reach proficiency in Japanese after at least 2200 hours. That means 12-18 months of intensive courses if you’re trying to finish fast!

If you have no prior experience with learning other languages, it might take you a minimum of 3-5 years to reach proficiency. That’s mainly because of the language’s complex writing systems, but we suggest you focus on hiragana and katakana first.

If you want to learn Japanese, you should start speaking from day one! Japanese isn’t easy, so don’t waste your time. Start with easy, simple vocabulary, phrases, and topics. From there, you can slowly start to learn the more difficult parts of the language.

 

Is Japanese Worth Learning?

With nearly 128 million speakers, Japanese is a very fascinating language to learn. Apart from its cute aesthetic and kawaii culture, Japan has been revered as one of the best in innovation and technology.

Here are some other reasons to learn Japanese:

Language Of Business Giants

As the Japanese economy continues to increase, so do business opportunities.

Imagine how much easier it will be to communicate with your business partner or potential client if you can speak Japanese!

Build Appreciation For Japanese Culture

When people think of Japan, they usually think of its rich culture. If you learn Japanese, there’s no doubt that you’ll appreciate and understand Japanese culture even more!

May Help You Learn Other Languages

Being one of the world’s most challenging languages, learning to speak Japanese is a huge feat.

After learning Japanese, you should find learning other character languages, like Chinese, much easier. So, if you want to learn multiple languages, Japanese is a great place to start!

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