Learning Japanese: the mistakes to expect, by first language
Some Japanese difficulties hit everyone. Others depend on the language you grew up with. Start with the ones every learner meets, then open the page for your first language.
Hard for every Japanese learner
Particles (は/が/を/に/で)
Particles mark grammatical role — choosing は vs が and を vs に is the core challenge.
Words to watch: は が を に で
Verb-final word order
Japanese is Subject-Object-Verb; the verb always comes last.
Counters
Counting needs the right counter word (一本, 一枚, 一匹) for the object’s shape/type.
Politeness levels (keigo)
Plain vs polite (です/ます) vs honorific forms must match the social context.
Japanese for speakers of…
🇫🇷 French speakers
Verb goes last (SVO→SOV) · +4 more
🇩🇪 German speakers
Your weil/dass instinct generalises (advantage!) · +4 more
🇧🇷 Portuguese speakers
Verb goes last (SVO→SOV) · +4 more
🇮🇹 Italian speakers
Your vowels and double consonants transfer (advantage!) · +4 more
🇸🇦 Arabic speakers
Verb moves from first to LAST · +4 more
🇷🇺 Russian speakers
Case instinct helps — particles replace endings · +4 more
🇰🇷 Korean speakers
Grammar transfers almost wholesale (advantage!) · +4 more
🇨🇳 Chinese speakers
Kanji false friends · +4 more
🇮🇩 Indonesian speakers
Verb goes last (SVO→SOV) · +4 more
🇹🇷 Turkish speakers
SOV + suffixing instinct transfers (advantage!) · +4 more
Keep going
- 40 natural Japanese expressions, by situation
- 30 real-life Japanese speaking scenes with translations
- All language pairs
Questions about learning Japanese
What is hard about learning Japanese?
Particles (は/が/を/に/で): Particles mark grammatical role — choosing は vs が and を vs に is the core challenge. Verb-final word order: Japanese is Subject-Object-Verb; the verb always comes last. Counters: Counting needs the right counter word (一本, 一枚, 一匹) for the object’s shape/type. Politeness levels (keigo): Plain vs polite (です/ます) vs honorific forms must match the social context.
Does my first language change which Japanese mistakes I make?
Yes. Your first language shapes the mistakes you make: its sounds, word order and grammar leak into Japanese. That is why WordSlick shows different traps for, say, French speakers and German speakers, and coaches each one separately.
Can I practise speaking Japanese with an AI tutor?
Yes. AskSlick, WordSlick’s AI tutor, holds Japanese conversations at your level, role-plays real situations and corrects you gently, explaining in your own language.