These aren’t exactly tips; these are more of a call for fellow Malaysians who are learning Japanese to make use of the advantages they have in the language.
Though when I put it that way… I guess you can call these study tips?
Anyway. I’m about to go into my second year of studying Japanese here in Japan in a couple of months, and it was during this time that I noticed a few advantages that I, a Malaysian, have in studying Japanese. And if you are a Malaysian, you do too!
Today, I will be sharing these advantages we have in hopes that it will help accelerate your Japanese studies. After all, if you are more aware of these, the more you will make use of these advantages and get further ahead. Even a person with a lot of natural advantages wouldn’t get far if they don’t make use of what they have.
Now, onto the list.
Our accent
Who knew that knowing Malay would come in handy in studying Japanese?
Why, exactly? Because the pronunciation for Malay is almost the same as Japanese. Although it doesn’t seem like a big deal, as you progress even further into your Japanese studies, you will find that this is especially handy.
I say this because there will be many times where miscommunication would happen with a native Japanese person simply because of pronunciation. In this sense, our conversations with native Japanese people would go on much more smoothly than many others of different nationalities would from a very early stage. Assuming that you are dedicated to your Japanese studies, of course. Pronunciation and accent alone cannot help you if you do not have the basics to form a sentence.
Knowing the English language
Again, another thing that comes in handy in the long-run, though again like Malay, you don’t really notice the huge advantage until much later. This is because as you learn more Japanese, you will learn more vocabulary–and a good portion of Japanese loan words stem from the English language. This will give you an edge over your peers who may be more accustomed to denoting meaning to each character (as in kanji and hanzi) rather than point-blank memorizing words.
Knowing English can also come in handy in conversation. For example, if you’re unsure what something is called in Japanese, you can always try pronouncing the English word in the Japanese way. It might feel racist, but trust me, it isn’t. That is how they pronounce English words here!
Bonus: When Japanese teachers are in a pinch, they often use a bit of English to explain Japanese words. This is an advantage that not many students would benefit from as the majority of Japanese language learners in Japan are from non-English speaking countries.
Not having a common language with other students
I know this sounds more like a disadvantage than an advantage, but hear me out. Certainly, it can get lonely when you’re all by yourself in another country where no one else speaks your language (think finding English speakers is hard? Try finding Malay ones!), but that just means it’ll force you to use Japanese. While everyone else groups with people who speak their own language and only speak their mother tongue everyday day in and day out, resulting in little to no progress in Japanese, you’ll throw yourself into your language studies, hoping to one day be able to communicate with someone.
It’s a lonely journey, but in the end, you might just come out on top.
Take this from someone who has gone through exactly that. Though I admit I do wish from time to time to have a common language with my classmates, I am proud of the progress that I’ve made with my Japanese. Top of my class (for now, because my motivation fluctuates. Ha), and I hope I’ll continue improving.
Knowing the Chinese language
Although more and more Malaysians of all races are studying Mandarin, at this time of writing, the ones who will likely benefit from this the most are the Malaysian Chinese.
The first reason for this is obvious. If you are well-versed in hanzi, this will lend a huge advantage to you when it comes to reading kanji, which originated from hanzi. Of course, there are certain differences in usage and even appearances, but overall, there are enough similarities to give you a boost in your studies.
The second reason is not as obvious. Most students who study Japanese in Japan are from China. And there are quite a few from Hong Kong and Taiwan as well! So if you ever need a language partner or just someone to help explain something to you in class? You can always refer to your Chinese classmate. What makes it even better is that you might just make a couple of new friends along the way. The Chinese are quite friendly!
