Japanese Language Fundamentals

Writing Systems

• Japanese language has three main writing systems:
  • Hiragana (): used to write native Japanese words and to indicate the pronunciation of Kanji characters
  • Katakana (): used to write foreign words, loanwords, and emphasis
  • Kanji (): Chinese characters used to represent meaning and words

Kanji

• There are over 50,000 Kanji characters in existence, but only around 2,000-3,000 are commonly used in everyday Japanese writing
• Kanji characters can have multiple readings (On-yomi and Kun-yomi) and meanings
• Kanji characters are used in combination with Hiragana to form complete words and sentences

Grammar

• Japanese grammar is very different from Western languages
• Verbs come at the end of sentences
• There are many grammatical particles (e.g.,,) that indicate the relationship between words in a sentence
• Japanese has many different levels of formality, depending on the situation and the speaker's relationship to the listener

Vocabulary

• Japanese vocabulary is composed of native Japanese words (Yamato kotoba) and loanwords (Gairaigo)
• Many Japanese words have multiple meanings and nuances
• Japanese has a complex system of honorifics, which are used to show respect or politeness

Dialects

• There are many different dialects of Japanese, including:
  • Standard Japanese (Hyōjungo): the official dialect used in government and education
  • Kansai-ben: spoken in the Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto, etc.)
  • Hokkaido-ben: spoken in Hokkaido
  • Kyushu-ben: spoken in Kyushu

History

• Japanese language has a long history, with roots in ancient Chinese and other languages
• Japanese language has been influenced by many other languages, including English, Portuguese, and Dutch
• Japanese language has undergone many changes and reforms over the centuries, including the introduction of new writing systems and vocabulary