Prerequisite for learning Java

I think Java is really difficult to understand for a "novice".  I have heard that C++ is similar but easier to understand.  Do you think that is true?

No. I certainly don't think that C++ is easier to understand than Java. In fact, there are a lot of features in C/C++ that make it pretty difficult to grasp for a newcomer, like pointers and pointer arithmetics, for instance. Those do not exist in Java. On the other hand, some very typical features of Java simply don't exist in C++.

But it is useless to wonder what might be easier to learn: C++ or Java. After all, it is Java that you want to learn. So in any case, C++ will be a detour.

In my opinion, C++ is harder to pick up than Java is.
But my real point is that these two languages do indeed have some similarities, and that you are new to both.

Imagine this: You decide you wish to learn Portuguese because you plan to spend your next summer holiday in Brasil. A friend tells you: "Hey, I heard Portuguese isn't that easy to learn. Learn Spanish first, that will help you learn Portuguese."
Would you follow this advice?

And if you did, one need not be a linguist to predict that you would end up in a total confusion, because for a real novice both languages are still similar enough to make it almost impossible to keep their grammar and spelling apart from each other. Especially when learnt at almost the same time.