ok to learn to speak without learning characters?

[callagga]

Hi,

Is it OK to start learning Japanese verbally (via CD) and not bother to try to learn the characters at the same time?

I'm only after getting to some basic conversational level for a future trip to Japan for a few weeks. I'm assuming that trying to learn the characters would be quite a bit more difficult, plus it personally doesn't interest me as much as verbal/speaking aspect.

Cheers

 

[Jericho Desu]

If your learning just some phrases/key words for a trip and don't intend to take the language any further then... ok? But it might help to learn romaji (romanization of Japanese words）for writing down your travel Japanese, its not hard.

 

[callagga]

oh, thanks - I've also just read "If you want to write or read in Japanese, start learning hiragana and katakana" - how does this relate?

 

[Jericho Desu]

Hiragana and Katakana are two of the three Japanese alphabets, even though they are like the upper and lower cases of the Japanese world, although the usage is different. If you don't want to learn Japanese seriously then I don't think you need to concern yourself with it.

 

[callagga]

ok - thanks for that