Japanese Language

language · Japan · writing systems · communication

Three Writing Systems. Japanese uses three different ways to write at the same time: hiragana and katakana (two alphabet-like systems with curved characters), and kanji (pictures and symbols borrowed from Chinese that represent whole words or ideas). Most sentences mix all three together, which makes Japanese unique among world languages.

Over 123 Million Speakers. Japanese is spoken by more than 123 million people around the world, mostly in Japan. Japanese families and communities living in other countries also speak it, keeping the language alive far from home.

Japan's Official Language. Japanese is the national language of Japan, meaning it is the official language used by the government, schools, and media. It is the only country where Japanese is the main language everyone speaks every day.

Part of the Japonic Family. Japanese belongs to the Japonic language family, which is its own special group of languages. This family includes a few other languages spoken in the Japanese islands, making Japanese and its relatives unique in the world.

Ancient and Modern. Japanese has a very long history, with written records going back many centuries. Even though it is very old, it is still spoken and written exactly the same way by millions of people today.