Why Japanese Is a High-Income Skill (and How to Start Today)

How many of you look at Japan and think: if I could work there, study there, build any kind of career there, I would put in the effort?

If that's you, here's the short and sweet version of what to learn right now. Sit up with a notebook.

The problem with the race everyone is running 🏃

Most students in India prepare for JEE, NEET or government exams like UPSC. Why? Usually because everyone else is.

But think about it. If lakhs of students prepare for the same exams, earn the same degrees and build the same skills, so many engineers and doctors come out every year that companies don't need to pay a premium for any one of them. What makes you different?

And the question isn't only "will I get a job?" It's also: will I have a good lifestyle, clean air and water, nature, good company? If you've always wanted to explore the world, I think Japan is one of the best places to aim for. For that, there's one skill to start right now: the Japanese language.

Why the demand is real 🇯🇵🇮🇳

• Japan has an ageing population and labour shortages. India has a huge young population.
• The two governments are working on it. At the India–Japan summit in August 2025, both sides announced plans to expand exchanges, from skilled workers and students to researchers.
• Japanese companies are already here and growing: automobile makers like Toyota and Suzuki, trading houses, retail brands. They need people who speak Japanese and can work with international teams.

And here's the gap: very few Indians study Japanese seriously. Many start, and give up after two or three months. The people who keep going become rare, and that's what makes the skill valuable.

You can use Japanese from India too, in IT companies, pharma, translation and Japan-coordination roles, and the opportunities get bigger still in Japan. (I wrote more about this in working for a Japanese company in India.)

Stop saying "later" ⏰

"Exams are going on." "There's a function." "There's no proper roadmap yet." I'll start later.

You won't. And while you wait, the opportunity moves on. More and more students are discovering Japan: JLPT seats are filling faster every round, and more students are getting into universities, language schools, scholarships and exchange programs.

Write it in your notebook right now: I am starting Japanese today.

Whatever you want next (a scholarship, the EJU, a language school, a job), learn Japanese first. Without it there's no scholarship, no job and no growth in Japan. With it, you have leverage.

When I applied for MEXT, applications opened in May. I'd started serious Japanese in February, and within a few months I was at around N4–N3 level. It's possible when you focus.

A simple plan to start this week 📓

1. Watch the Kihon Summer Camp classes on the JWA YouTube channel to build the foundation and clear hiragana and katakana. Or use our free hiragana and katakana charts.
2. Pick one book, such as Genki or Sō Matome, and follow its order.
3. Keep four notebooks: vocabulary, kanji, grammar and listening.
4. One to two hours a day. Most of you are busy until 6 or 7 p.m. So set a timer from 7:30 to 8:30, and study for that hour, every day.
5. Don't study alone if you can't stay consistent. Make a WhatsApp group with friends and help each other.

N5 properly takes about four months: grammar, vocabulary, kanji, everything. You can't jump to N3 or N2 at once, but N5 is the first step. Start it, and you may enjoy it so much that you're aiming for N3 within a year.

If you want structure

Random learning doesn't work. A few YouTube videos won't make you fluent. If you want a teacher to clear your doubts, a community of learners, books, tests, assignments and real accountability, Kihon's live classes with JWA's senseis start from absolute zero. You can watch a free demo class first.

And if you can't afford a course right now, that's fine. Keep learning free with our video course. Money should never be the reason you can't learn Japanese.

A book, a pen and that heartbeat in your chest are more than enough to get you to Japan. If there's dedication, anything is possible.