Japanese language facts
- Japanese is not directly related to any other language (family).
- Despite the complexity, Japan boasts an adult literacy level
of 99%.
- Unlike other Asian languages Japanese is not tonal… pronunciation
is a lot easier to master, that way.
- Even though Japanese is only spoken in Japan as first language,
there is a good number of dialects with considerable variation.
Japanese language facts
- Japanese uses 4 distinct systems of writing: kanji, hiragana,
katakana and romanji.
Hiragana is syllabic and the most original writing system
in Japan. It is used for simple words, conjugations, particles
and children's literature as it is the first set of writing which
is taught.
Katakana is used to write foreign words.
Kanji is based on the Chinese writing system and consists
of about 2000 signs. Kanji was imported from Chinese in the 6th
century AD. It has developed strongly ever since, often simplifying
the original letters.
Recently, romanji - a romanization of Japanese words -
has developed, too.
- Formal / informal address
Japanese uses 4 different ways of addressing people: kun, chan,
san and sama. Kun is somewhat condescending, chan
is used for intimates and children, san is the universal
mode and sama is deferential. However, getting hierarchies
and politeness levels right is difficult and you need a lot of
additional information (context) about your conversational partner
and some insights into the working of Japanese language and culture.
- Gender
Vocabulary can vary according to gender of the speaking person:
women use other vocabulary than men
- There is no distinction between singular and plural. Gender,
too, is not indicated grammatically. There are no relative pronouns.
- Word order
Verbs are usually placed at the end of a sentence.
- Most Japanese words end in vowels, which determines the structure
and rhythm of Japanese language. Usually, all syllables carry
equal stress.
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