{"id":3381,"date":"2015-07-24T17:25:48","date_gmt":"2015-07-24T17:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=3381"},"modified":"2015-07-24T17:29:40","modified_gmt":"2015-07-24T17:29:40","slug":"9-surprising-facts-about-the-japanese-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/9-surprising-facts-about-the-japanese-language\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Surprising Facts About the Japanese Language"},"content":{"rendered":"

You know all about anime, you\u2019ve sung karaoke to JPop tunes, and you\u2019ve dined to your heart\u2019s content on sushi and sashimi. Indeed, Japanese culture has certainly made its mark internationally \u2013 but how much do you know about its language? Did you know about its complex system of honorifics? Or that Japanese speakers make up less than 2% of the world population, but almost 10% of Internet users? Keep reading for more fun linguistic trivia about the Japanese language.<\/p>\n

\"interestingfacts_japanese1\"<\/a>Image via fetchcomms<\/a> \/ Wikipedia<\/p>\n

1. Verbs aren\u2019t conjugated.<\/b><\/p>\n

This one\u2019s a relief to Japanese learners: verbs aren\u2019t conjugated for person or number, so once you\u2019ve learned the base verb, you don\u2019t have to memorize tons of pesky derivatives. Instead, you can focus your attention on the complexities of the notoriously difficult Japanese writing systems.<\/p>\n

2. Japanese bears no relation to any other major language.<\/b><\/p>\n

Unlike English, which is closely tied to Romance (e.g., Spanish, French) and Germanic languages (e.g., German), Japanese is not closely related to any other major language. In fact, until recently, it was classified as a language isolate, <\/b>meaning that it is completely unique among all current world languages. Since then, linguists have found common roots between Japanese and Ryukyuan languages, which are indigenous languages spoken in southern Japan.<\/p>\n

3. The Japanese word for \u201cJapan\u201d means \u201cLand of the Rising Sun\u201d.<\/b><\/p>\n

The word \u201cJapan\u201d is a foreign word \u2013 Japanese people call their country\u306b\u307b\u3093<\/b> (Nihon) <\/b>or \u00a0\u306b\u3063\u307d\u3093 (<\/b>Nippon), <\/b>which roughly translates to \u201cLand of the Rising Sun\u201d.<\/p>\n

4. Almost 10% of Internet users speak Japanese.<\/b><\/p>\n

Japanese is the 9th most-spoken language worldwide, but it\u2019s the third-largest language on the Internet, behind English and Spanish. Even though Japanese speakers represent less than 2% of the world population, they make up almost 10% of Internet users.<\/p>\n

How good is your Japanese? Put your skills to the test with this <\/i><\/b>free online level test<\/i><\/b><\/a> and find out!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

5. The Japanese language evolved in the 6th century from the Yamato people.<\/b><\/p>\n

Around 1500 years ago, the Yamato people set up the first dynasty in what is now known as Japan. Their language eventually evolved into modern Japanese as we know it today.<\/p>\n

6. Japanese features loanwords from languages all over the world.<\/b><\/p>\n

Japanese contains a vast amount of \u5916\u6765\u8a9e <\/b>(\u201cgairaigo\u201d, loanwords from other languages). However, these don\u2019t just come from English. Some words like \u30c6\u30ec\u30d3 \u00a0<\/b>(\u201cterebi\u201d) derive from English. Indeed, other languages are present too: \u30d1\u30f3<\/b> (\u201cpan\u201d, bread) come from Portuguese p\u00e3o, <\/b>and \u30a2\u30eb\u30d0\u30a4\u30c8<\/b> (\u201carubaito\u201d, part-time worker) comes from the German word Arbeit <\/b>(work).<\/p>\n

7. Homophones abound.<\/b><\/p>\n

If you thought that English has a lot of homophones (words that mean different things but are pronounced the same), try studying Japanese! All eight characters below are pronounced shin, <\/b>but they mean totally different things: God, to advance, to believe, new, true, stretch, heart, <\/i>and parent, <\/i>from left to right.<\/p>\n

\"interestingfacts_japanese2\"<\/a>Image via James Japan<\/a><\/p>\n

8. Honorifics abound, too.<\/b><\/p>\n

Japanese makes extensive use of honorifics, <\/b>which involve adding suffixes to words in order to show various degrees of respect. Different honorific suffixes are used for peers, children, guests, elders, colleagues, teachers, and more!<\/p>\n

9. Japanese is one of the fastest spoken languages.<\/b><\/p>\n

A recent study compared the speed (in syllables per second) at which native speakers of various languages talk. Japanese topped the list at a rip-roaring 7.84 <\/b>syllables per second! For comparison, English is spoken at a comparatively snail-paced 6.19 syllables per second.<\/p>\n

You may be a blackbelt in karate or a connoisseur of manga, but we\u2019re guessing you didn\u2019t know about Japanese loanwords from Portuguese, or the eight distinct meanings of \u201cshin\u201d!<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot more to Japanese than just the fun trivia on this list. If you want to learn more, consider taking tailor-made classes from a native Japanese speaker<\/a>. Whether you want to learn face-to-face or via Skype, Listen & Learn\u2019s course and package options will have something for you. Contact us<\/a> to find out more information and to kick your Japanese skills into high gear!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You know all about anime, you\u2019ve sung karaoke to JPop tunes, and you\u2019ve dined to your heart\u2019s content on sushi and sashimi. Indeed, Japanese culture has certainly made its mark internationally \u2013 but how much do you know about its language? Did you know about its complex system of honorifics? Or that Japanese speakers make(\u2026)<\/p>\n

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