Find a Japanese tutor near me in Glasgow

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, less than 0.1% of British students decide to choose Japanese s a foreign language. These figures can easily be explained by the lack of Japanese classes in most schools.

So if you are passionate about Japanese calligraphy, Japanese history and food, here is how to learn how to speak Japanese in Glasgow.

Japanese is a language that attracts many Japanophile. Its symbols, the kanji, and two syllabi (hiragana and katakana) are filled with poetry and are often a source of inspiration for tattoos.

<h3>But is it really worth it to learn Japanese?</h3>

Japanese or kokugo “national language” was never enshrined in the country’s constitution as an official language. However Japanese common sense prevailed and this common language has been used on the islands of Japan for centuries, for all official documents and education alike.

There are more than 127 millions native speakers for Japanese, which makes it one of the most spoken language in the world (8th) despite being rarely used outside its native land.

It would be wrong to assume that Japanse is only spoken in Japan though. Millions of migrants have left the homeland behind them to relocate all around the world.

Lima in Peru and Sao Paulo in Brasil are home to important Japanese communities that have settled there over the past 200 years.

During the 19th and 20th century, when Japan re-opened to the rest of the world, many Japanese citizens decided to leave overcrowded Japanese cities behind them and settle across the ocean.

Faced with massive waves of immigrants, the US was quick to close its doors and many of those Japanese emigrants put their attention onto South America and Brasil in particular. Roughly 1.5 million Brasilian are of Japanese descent, first, second or third generation.

Today, Japanese live all around the world and the Japanese diaspora counts about 3 million people. Japanese communities can be found in  Brazil, Peru, the US, Chine, Australia, Canada, Thailand, Germany, France, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan.

Japanese are also avid tourists and the UK is amongst some of their favourite destinations.

According to TravelWeekly:

“The number of Japanese tourists travelling to the UK is expected to reach its highest level since 2007, as the two countries strengthen economic and cultural ties.

VisitBritain expects visitors from Japan to reach 270,000 in 2019, a 9% increase in 2017.

Spending by Japanese visitors in the UK is expected to reach £285 million this year, up from £250 million in 2017.

Visitors from Japan spent £1,011 on average per visit in the UK in 2017, compared to an overall average of £625.

Japanese travellers will be able to use ePassport gates to enter the UK from the summer as part of a government’s commitment to developing a new global immigration system as the UK leaves the EU.

The ePassport gates, which are currently available for British and EU nationals, provide a faster route through the border as they allow eligible passengers to be processed quickly and securely.”

Japanese tourists represent a wealthy segment of the UK tourism sector.

Japan is also the third biggest economy in the world after the US and China and is a member of many international organisations, the UN, the World Trade Organisation, G8, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Plus Three.

So if you learn how to speak Japanse, it will definitely come in handy.

<h3>Why Take Japanese Classes?</h3>

To learn how to speak Japanese will require focus. Learning a new language brings up new abilities. The more you learn the easiest it gets. Learning how to speak Japanese will grant you the satisfaction of mastering a complicated language.

<h4>Improve your cognitive skills</h4>

Learning any new language is a good exercise for the bain. It stretches our neurones plasticity, meaning that the more you learn the easier it is to learn.

This kind of mental exercise is often found to improve focus and creativity in other areas too.

Practising another language is also a good way to improve self-confidence.

<h4>Improve your culture</h4>

To learn how to speak Japanse is also to learn a new way of thinking. Having been isolated from the rest of the world for hundreds of year, Japan has developed its very own and distinctive culture like no other on Earth.

While studying Japanese you will be able to touch onto everything that makes Japan so unique.

Though the Japanese language, you will also be able to learn about the country’s History, cuisine, films and music.

What a better way to improve your Japanese skills than to read mangas in their original version?

<h4>To Travel</h4>

Travelling has become much easier and much cheaper in recent years. Flights are more frequent and more affordable than ever making it really easy to visit Tokyo, Osaka or Tokyo.

But it can often be frustrating to arrive in a country and to not be able to communicate with the locals. Japanese people do not commonly use English even as a second language and learning even a few Japanese words or sentences will go a long way with the locals.

<h4>For An International Career</h4>

If you are aiming at a career in business or marketing, speaking Japanese could open many unsuspected doors.

You could also go to Japan to teach English, which is more and more in demand.

You could also become a translator, as non-native Japanese speaker are pretty rare, Japanse-English translators are often in very high demand.

<h3>What’s the Point Of Learning Japanese In Glasgow?</h3>

You either want to travel to Japan or wish to move there for your career:learning how to speak Japanese will be indispensable.

London is often considered to be the most cosmopolitan city in the UK but many Japanese have chosen Scotland has their home, reminding some of the northern parts of Japan Hokkaido.

The Glasgow University Japan Society is one example of such links between Japan and Scotland.

The Japanese Society at the University of Glasgow was set up in 1997. They have regular events such as Language workshops, Sushi parties, Movie nights, Pub nights and Cultural events. It is open to Japanese and non-Japanese with the hope that through their events and meeting new people, this Society will help you to understand better Japanese culture.

Membership of the Society is open to everyone (student/staff/public) and is £3 per year, which gives you discount entry to events.

Another such institution is The Japan Society of Scotland which was formed by a group of academics and business people in 1986 to enhance friendship, goodwill, and cooperation between Scotland and Japan. Their aims now include dissemination of information about Japan in Scotland, the promotion and enrichment of commercial and cultural relations, and working together with groups having similar interests.

<h3>How To Study Japanese in Glasgow?</h3>

Unlike other popular languages such as French, Spanish or Italian, Japanese is often overlooked and left aside. Rare are the schools that offer Japanese as an option for GCSEs or A-levels.

Just like Chinese, Arabic or Russian, Japanese is considered to be an exotic language in Western Europe.

If you really wish to learn Japanese, you still have a few options: go and travel to Japan, take classes with a language school, hire a private tutor, move to Japan…

Learning Japanese might not be so popular because of the difficulty of the task. It takes time for new students before perfectly mastering the kanji alphabet and understand hiragana and katakana symbols.

The Japanese Language and Culture in Glasgow group on Meetup.com has more than 1,000 members and the groups meets regularly in cafe or for group studies. Why not join them and learn Japanese with people as passionate as you are about the Japanese language?

<h3>Our Japanese Classes On Superprof</h3>

On our online platform, you will be able to find hundreds of tutors ready to give you online courses. Even though Superprof does have any Japanese tutors registered in Glasgow yet, most of our private teachers are more than happy to offer online classes through Skype or Facetime.

It saves tutors commuting time and it will often save you some money.

With average fees per hour around £15-£20, Japanese tutors will be able to teach you everything you need to know to master the language, from Japanese calligraphy to vocabulary and grammar.

Most of our private tutor offer the first lesson for free, a great way to see if their teaching styles match your learning pace.