Learning Japanese Through Skyrim: Our First Encounter with the Language

When I first loaded up Skyrim in Japanese, I was filled with equal parts excitement and uncertainty. As someone who’s been studying Japanese on and off for three years, I wasn’t sure how well I’d be able to navigate this massive RPG in a new language. But as soon as I started playing, I realized something amazing—even with my intermediate knowledge, I could understand far more than I expected.

My progress through the game is deliberately slow. I take time to look up and understand most of what I encounter, treating each interaction as a learning opportunity. While I could rush through with basic comprehension, I’ve chosen to use this as an immersive study tool. It’s part of my larger goal for 2025: to make significant strides in my Japanese learning journey.

1. My First Steps in a Japanese Skyrim

The moment I loaded into the game, I was surrounded by new words and phrases. Some were instantly recognizable from my previous studies, while others I had to figure out from context.

Here’s a snapshot of what I encountered:

• A dragon (竜 [りゅう], ryuu) flying in the sky
• People shouting “竜が飛ぶ！” (Ryuu ga tobu!) – “The dragon flies!”
• A castle (城 [しろ], shiro) standing in the distance
• Items like a sword (剣 [けん], ken) and a treasure chest (宝箱 [たからばこ], takarabako) scattered around

2. Key Vocabulary from My First Lesson

I quickly realized that in fantasy RPGs, certain words appear again and again. Here are some of the first words I learned while playing:

Fantasy & Exploration Vocabulary

Household & Everyday Objects

Basic Verbs & Actions

Many of these words repeatedly appeared in dialogue, menu descriptions, and in-game interactions. Seeing them in context made it much easier to remember them!

3. Grammar Rules That Helped Me Understand the Game

Even with limited vocabulary, understanding some basic grammar helped me make sense of Skyrim’s world. Here are the key grammar points I picked up during my first session:

A. Using を (o) to Mark Direct Objects

The を particle marks the thing being acted upon.

• 人間を見る (にんげんをみる, ningen o miru) – “To see people”
• 竜を見る (りゅうをみる, ryuu o miru) – “To see a dragon”

This helped when I read prompts like アイテムを取る (aitemu o toru – “Take the item”).

B. Using は (wa) to Mark the Topic

は introduces the topic of the sentence—what we’re talking about.

• 竜は飛ぶ (りゅうはとぶ, Ryuu wa tobu) – “The dragon flies”
• 私は城にいる (わたしはしろにいる, Watashi wa shiro ni iru) – “I am in the castle”

C. Using に (ni) for Location

に tells us where something is happening.

• 城にいる (しろにいる, Shiro ni iru) – “To be in a castle”
• テーブルの上に金貨がある (テーブルのうえにきんかがある, Tēburu no ue ni kinka ga aru) – “There is gold on the table”

D. Using の (no) to Show Possession

の works like “‘s” in English.

• 剣の鞘 (けんのさや, Ken no saya) – “The sword’s sheath”
• ヘルデンのキー (Heruden no kī) – “The key of Heruden”

4. What I Learned From Playing Skyrim in Japanese

• Understanding comes from context! Even if I didn’t know every word, I could guess meanings based on the situation.
• Recognizing common patterns speeds up learning. Skyrim repeats a lot of the same commands and descriptions—which helps reinforce new words quickly.
• Even with basic grammar, you can understand a lot. Just knowing を, は, に, and の made a huge difference in understanding in-game text.

5. How You Can Try This Too

Want to learn Japanese through gaming? Here’s how to start:

• Set your game to Japanese – Even if you only recognize a few words at first, you’ll learn more over time.
• Pay attention to repeated words – Games reuse vocabulary often, which makes memorization easier.
• Use context to figure out meanings – Don’t stress over every unknown word—guess from the situation!
• Write down new words and grammar – Keeping a vocabulary list helps reinforce what you’re learning.

6. What’s Next?

In my next Skyrim session, I’ll focus on:

• Learning combat-related words (attack, shield, magic)
• Exploring how NPC dialogue works in Japanese
• Practicing more complex sentence structures

If you’ve never played a game in Japanese before, I highly recommend trying it out—it’s a fun, immersive, and effective way to improve your language skills.

Are you ready to adventure in Japanese? Let’s continue this journey together!