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German · Japanese · for English speakers

German vs Japanese: which should you learn?

A side-by-side comparison of German and Japanese: how hard each is, how long it takes, where you can use it and who each suits.

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Updated · by the 4ToSpeak team

German vs Japanese at a glance

German compared with Japanese
FeatureGermanJapanese
Written inLatin alphabet (same as English)Japanese script
Difficulty for English speakersModerateHardest
Hours to working proficiencyabout 900about 2,200
Time at 15 minutes a day9.8 years24.1 years
Time at 30 minutes a day4.9 years12.1 years
Time at 1 hour a day2.5 years6 years
HelloHalloこんにちは
Thank youDankeありがとう
Example sentenceWie spät ist es? (What time is it?)駅はどこですか。 (Where is the station?)

Estimates for a native English speaker, following the US Foreign Service Institute’s groupings. Languages the Institute does not rank are placed beside their closest relatives. Your own pace will differ.

Choose German if...

  • You want access to Europe's largest economy, engineering and science, plus a head start on Dutch and the Scandinavian languages.
  • You will use it in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
  • You want the faster path: German is the quicker of the two.
  • You want to read from day one, since German uses the alphabet you already know.

Watch out for: cases, noun genders and verb position are the long part.

Choose Japanese if...

  • You want anime, games, travel and business with Japan, plus a spoken language with only a few sounds.
  • You will use it in Japan.

Watch out for: three writing systems and verbs placed last; kanji is the long project.

Pronunciation and grammar: what to expect

German. Pronunciation is fairly regular and many words are close to English. Cases, genders and verb position are the real work, and they are easier to absorb as whole sentences than as rules.

Japanese. It takes longer than European languages. You face a new writing system and an unfamiliar word order. The sounds themselves are friendly, with few of them and no tones, so speaking is a good place to start.

In both, the quickest fix for pronunciation is the same: hear a whole sentence, say it out loud and check how close you were. That is the loop 4ToSpeak runs on every sentence.

Which first, German or Japanese?

German and Japanese are not close relatives, so learning one saves little time on the other. Pick the one you will use soonest, get to a comfortable conversation, and add the second later.

If you cannot decide, start both for a week at 15 minutes a day. After seven days you will know which one you look forward to, and motivation matters more than the difference in hours.

Start German or start Japanese, both free with no card.

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FAQ

Questions, answered

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Is German or Japanese easier to learn?

German is quicker for an English speaker: about 900 hours to working proficiency against about 2,200 for Japanese. Difficulty is for native English speakers and follows the US Foreign Service Institute's groupings.

Should I learn German or Japanese first?

Learn German first if you want access to Europe's largest economy, engineering and science, plus a head start on Dutch and the Scandinavian languages. Learn Japanese first if you want anime, games, travel and business with Japan, plus a spoken language with only a few sounds. German and Japanese are not close relatives, so learning one saves little time on the other. Pick the one you will use soonest, get to a comfortable conversation, and add the second later.

Can I learn German and Japanese at the same time?

You can, but splitting the same daily time across two languages slows both. Most learners do better by finishing the first stage in one (about three months of daily practice) before adding the other.

How long does it take to learn German compared with Japanese?

At 30 minutes a day, German takes about 4.9 years to reach working proficiency and Japanese about 12.1 years. Holding a first simple conversation takes far less in either.

Related guides

More on German and Japanese

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