日本語 (Japanese)

Japanese is spoken by 125 million people, primarily in Japan. It's the language of anime, manga, Nintendo, and Toyota; of haiku, kabuki, and zen.

Why learn Japanese?

Japanese opens doors to one of the world's most technologically advanced nations and a uniquely rich culture. Japan is the world's third-largest economy and a leader in technology, gaming, and automotive industries.

What makes Japanese distinctive?

• Three writing systems — Hiragana, katakana, and kanji
• Agglutinative grammar — Meaning built by adding endings
• SOV word order — Verb comes at the end
• Politeness levels — Different vocabulary and grammar for formality
• Topic-prominent — The particle は (wa) marks the topic
• No articles or grammatical gender

This guide

1. Writing systems — Hiragana, katakana, and kanji
2. Your first words — Essential vocabulary
3. Grammar basics — Particles and sentence structure
4. Verbs — Conjugation patterns
5. Numbers and time — Counting systems
6. Everyday conversations — Practical phrases
7. Culture and context — Understanding Japanese society
8. Next steps — Resources for continued learning

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