Learn About Japanese
日本語 • 125 million speakers worldwide
"こんにちは、元気ですか？"
Pronunciation: kon-ni-chi-wa, gen-ki desu ka?
Translation: Hello, how are you?
Speakers
125 million
Language Family
Japonic (Japanese)
Writing System
Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji
Official Status
Official in Japan and Palau
Regions (2 countries)
Japanese developed independently with significant influence from Chinese characters (kanji) introduced in the 5th century. The writing system combines native syllabaries with borrowed Chinese characters.
Three writing systems used simultaneously
Complex honorific system (keigo)
No grammatical gender or plural forms
Subject-Object-Verb word order
Pitch accent system
Tokyo Japanese
Kansai Japanese
Kyushu Japanese
Tohoku Japanese
Okinawan Japanese
Start with hiragana, then katakana, then basic kanji
Learn the politeness levels early - they're essential
Practice stroke order for writing characters
Use mnemonics to remember kanji meanings and readings
Immerse yourself in Japanese media with subtitles
Respect and hierarchy are fundamental in Japanese society
Group harmony (wa) is prioritized over individual expression
Gift-giving has elaborate rules and customs
Seasonal awareness is deeply embedded in the culture
Japanese has three different writing systems used together
There are different counting systems for different types of objects
Japanese has many onomatopoeia words
The language has multiple levels of politeness built into grammar