Quick question: after learning Japanese

[Chaotic]

After learning Japanese (kanji, etc), would Chinese become easier to learn afterwards? I was thinking about learning Chinese after Japanese...whenever that would be and however long aways off that would be.

 

[Charles Barkley]

After learning Japanese (kanji, etc), would Chinese become easier to learn afterwards? I was thinking about learning Chinese after Japanese...whenever that would be and however long aways off that would be.

Probably not all that much easier. Or at least not enough to make it worth your while if your end goal is to focus on chinese. I have a friend here whose goal is to eventually learn chinese, and he thought japanese would be a good stepping stone towards that goal, as he imagined japanese would be a much easier language to study (kind of a warm-up) and would help out his chinese studies a lot in the end. Needless to say he now admits it was terrible logic. But then again, he's reasonably happy studying Japanese as well.

 

[The7thSamurai]

So you're planning on starting Chinese in around 2017?

 

[Chaotic]

So you're planning on starting Chinese in around 2017?

Actually no, Chinese doesn't really interest me (maybe it will later on, maybe it won't). I was just curious if Chinese was easier after learning Japanese is all.


Thanks for the replies.

 

[The7thSamurai]

Actually no, Chinese doesn't really interest me (maybe it will later on, maybe it won't). I was just curious if Chinese was easier after learning Japanese is all.


Thanks for the replies.

Although I know zero Chinese, I've heard that the grammar is not all that dissimilar to English, so considering that, coupled with a solid foundation in kanji then Chinese might be a little easier.

Check out this website:
AJATT | All Japanese All The Time | You don't know a language, you live it. You don't learn a language, you get used to it.
This guy started with Chinese, switched to Japanese, then after "mastering" Japanese has just recently gone back to Chinese.

 

[nice gaijin]

Other than some shared characters and onyomi modeled after chinese pronunciation, Chinese and Japanese don't have much in common linguistically.

 

[hamihaha]

Haha, I've just ask the same opposite question.
Is Japanese easy after learning Chinese?

 

[SushiShin]

hahaah it ain't easy to learn a language like in 1...2...3...

it takes 'by way of speaking' ages to master a language completly!

unless you are a quick learner like me

 

[nhk9]

Other than some shared characters and onyomi modeled after chinese pronunciation, Chinese and Japanese don't have much in common linguistically.

The fact that they share many characters is really a advantage for someone learning Chinese after years learning all those kanjis. Chinese grammar is known by many to be very easy, so those who are used to European grammar will breeze through it. What remains tough is pronunciation and oral communication.

 

[moofs]

I would recommend Chinese first then Japanese.