How much time do I need in order to be able to read VNs in japanese?

[kushidadousaku]

I really love japanese language since I was a kid, and of course I know a decent amount of words. But when it comes to reading, well, I literally can't read a thing.

So, how much time would it take for me to be able to read VNs in japanese without problems, a year? two? And will that be easy to learn?

Edited 12 hours ago by kushidadousaku

[LostPomegranate]

I won't lie to you it depends on your motivation and how much time you can dedicate to learning the writing in general, as well as how quickly you pick things up. At the very least you should know hiragana and katakana before you start, and ideally be aware of the basics of Japanese written grammar. With some of the software now the kanji readings can be done "for you" (but you may have to select the "right one" based on context between the various readings that could be possible) and you'll just pick them up as you see them more often while reading visual novels.

 

Safe estimate, to read visual novels in Japanese without any problems, meaning at the speed you read your native language: 5-10 years is a safe estimation. This time will largely be impacted by how much time you can dedicate to it. For example: for most people to be considered "fluent" in written Japanese you need to know somewhere between 1000-2000 kanji. To read a newspaper you need to know about 1200, and your average Japanese adult probably knows around 2000 with those who have university educations know somewhere around 3000.

 

If your goal is just to read at a decent speed, so 50-75% your native language speed, you can probably hit that in 1-2 years with some dedication and work. It's definitely a lot easier to learn nowadays than it was 15+ years ago though, so my estimates may be a bit long.

[kushidadousaku]

9 hours ago, LostPomegranate said:

I won't lie to you it depends on your motivation and how much time you can dedicate to learning the writing in general, as well as how quickly you pick things up. At the very least you should know hiragana and katakana before you start, and ideally be aware of the basics of Japanese written grammar. With some of the software now the kanji readings can be done "for you" (but you may have to select the "right one" based on context between the various readings that could be possible) and you'll just pick them up as you see them more often while reading visual novels.

 

Safe estimate, to read visual novels in Japanese without any problems, meaning at the speed you read your native language: 5-10 years is a safe estimation. This time will largely be impacted by how much time you can dedicate to it. For example: for most people to be considered "fluent" in written Japanese you need to know somewhere between 1000-2000 kanji. To read a newspaper you need to know about 1200, and your average Japanese adult probably knows around 2000 with those who have university educations know somewhere around 3000.

 

If your goal is just to read at a decent speed, so 50-75% your native language speed, you can probably hit that in 1-2 years with some dedication and work. It's definitely a lot easier to learn nowadays than it was 15+ years ago though, so my estimates may be a bit long.

Thanks a lot for the explanation, this gave me more motivation tbh