Learning a new language helps you stand out in a saturated labour market. Why not pick up Japanese? Japan is the world’s third largest economy—and a global leader in manufacturing, retail and services.

Furthermore, it literally pays to learn the Japanese language. According to Reeracoen Singapore’s Salary Guide 2023, candidates who are proficient in the Japanese language can receive salary premiums of up to 15% across various industries.

An Introduction to the Japanese Language: Where to Start

First, you need to understand that the Japanese language contains three distinct writing systems: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. It is often recommended for beginners to start with Hiragana, which contains 46 basic characters.

Then there is Katakana, primarily used for foreign words, loanwords and onomatopoeia. Similar to Hiragana, there are 5 singular vowels, 40 consonant-vowels and 1 singular consonant in Katakana. However, you can differentiate Katakana from Hiragana by their visual appearance—Katakana characters are written with sharper and blockish strokes.

With over 50,000 characters, Kanji is the hardest system to learn of them all. Its pictographic nature adds to its complexity. Nonetheless, you should aim to master Kanji as it is used in combination with Hiragana and Katakana for complete sentences.

Resources for Learning Japanese

Since Japanese has been ranked the most difficult language for native English speakers to acquire, it’s not advisable to learn on your own. Here are a list of some popular Japanese schools in Singapore where you can take Japanese lessons:

• Bunka Language School
• Ikoma Language School
• Tomo Japanese Language School
• Japanese Explorer - Best Japanese Language School In Singapore
• Taiyo Japanese Language School
• Lingo School of Knowledge - Thai | Korean | Spanish | French Language School
• Tsubasa Language Services
• Pyaess Japanese Language School
• Crystal Learning Language School
• Berlitz Singapore Language & Assessment
• Stanford Language Centre
• Hougang Japanese Language School
• JSU Language School
• Tokyo Codomo Japanese Language Centre
• Learn Chinese, English, Japanese & Korean with Learning Explorer
• Alpha Language School
• Epower Language Hub
• Musubi Japanese
• inlingua School of Languages
• Agape School of Education
• Janus Academy.

With such a proliferation of choices, you may face a dilemma choosing between schools. One factor to consider is whether the courses offered are eligible for SkillsFuture Credits. By enrolling in a SkillsFuture-claimable course, you will be able to enjoy significant subsidies.

Other factors include the mode of delivery and pedagogy. Is the course conducted face-to-face—or purely online via Zoom? Does the curriculum place an emphasis on conversational Japanese in real-life situations (as opposed to rote memorisation of grammar rules)? Small class sizes also speed up your learning process since you can receive more personalised attention from the instructor.

If you wish to have more opportunities to speak Japanese outside the classroom, informal meet-up groups are the way to go. Several Japanese language groups are listed on the social network Meetup such as Totemo Japan. These groups periodically organise Japanese cultural activities, whether it be sushi-making sessions or matcha tea ceremonies. Join these groups to immerse yourself in Japanese culture without leaving the sunny shores of Singapore!

How to Be Certified

After several months—or years—of learning Japanese, it’s time for you to get certified. The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is the gold standard for certifying Japanese language proficiency for non-native speakers. It is a standardised criterion-referenced test with 5 levels, with N1 being the most advanced level and N5 being the easiest.

The JLPT exam in Singapore is held biannually on the first Sunday of July and December. You can only register online on the Japanese Culture Society’s website. Take note that the JLPT exam fees of $110 are strictly non-refundable.

Also, registrations open in March or August every year. Make sure you register as soon as you can because seats are limited. The Japan Foundation caps the number of registrants at 400 (from N1 to N3) and 450 (for N4 and N5) respectively.

In order to ace the JLPT exam, you will need adequate preparation. JLPT practice tests are your best bet to evaluate your performance and pinpoint areas for improvement. We hope your endeavours to learn Japanese will bear fruit, ultimately leading to brighter career prospects!

Seeking Your Next Career Opportunity?

Submit your CV — Our Career Consultants will review your resume and contact you if we find a position that matches your profile!

A Quick Note to Employers: Though your company highly desires candidates with JLPT certification, we would advise you to look beyond JLPT certification on resumes. Craft your job description in such a way that JLPT certification is recommended but not required. For instance, state that you require candidates to “possess Japanese language skills equivalent to N2”. You’ll thus attract more qualified candidates who may not necessarily have taken the JLPT.

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Perks of Learning a New Language