Learn Japanese

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More than 120 million people speak, read and write Japanese as their primary language in the countries of Japan and Palau. There are dozens of dialects with the two foremost being the Tokyo and Kyoto-Osaka types, differentiated primarily by accents. Although Japanese borrows freely from Chinese, especially in its written characters, the two languages are not otherwise related. The language is structured with a hierarchy that emphasizes politeness and formality mandated by Japan’s social structure. The earliest recorded form of Japanese dates to the 8thCentury, CE with the modern language believed to have evolved primarily beginning with the Edo period in the 1600s. The end of the Japanese system of Sakoku in the mid-1800s, where virtually no foreigner could enter the country nor would a Japanese citizen be allowed to leave, has seen the need for the Japanese language to incorporate words that had no correlation to the ancient way of life, especially words related to technology and transportation that now find their basis in English. Although the written Japanese language is normally represented with logographic characters the initial introduction to the language usually takes the form of Romaji, or the Romanization of Japanese characters. Whether your dream is to learn to converse in Japanese using the Romaji form or develop the skills necessary to communicate using the traditional Japanese script your goal of greater understanding and appreciation of the Japanese culture and language can be jump-started by adding Learn Japanese to your list. Locate some of the classic Japanese films, turn off the sub-titles and immerse yourself in the experience. Then, find just the right method to learn Japanese that matches your personality.

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