Japanese may be considered by some to be one of the hardest languages to learn. And it is not without its difficulties: the kanji take a while to master, the different levels of politeness can be confusing and the sentence structure has a peculiar logic. On the other hand, Japanese may be one of the most beneficial foreign languages to learn. In this article, we will take a look at some of the great reasons for learning Japanese.
It can offer great career opportunities
Japan is one of the largest economies in the world. With many companies established all over the world, famous Japanese brands such as Toshiba, Honda, Sony, Nikon, Toyota and Casio to name a few have become international household names.
With Japan’s influential position in global business, knowledge of Japanese can provide a wealth of opportunities and make Japanese-speaking professionals sought-after employees by multinational firms all around the world.
It opens doors to a rich new culture
Understanding Japanese will allow you to access the rich history and customs of Japan. From unique ancient traditions to the heights of modern technology, from classical Japanese poetry to modern anime and manga, Japanese culture has a lot to offer.
Learning the Japanese language will allow you to immerse yourself in this culture and understand it much better through deeper and more authentic experiences.
It is a unique language
Japanese is a member of its own group: Japonic languages, which includes Japanese and a group of critically endangered, dying Ryukyuan languages, spoken on the Ryukyu Islands. Some linguists are trying to establish a relation between Japanese and Korean, but there is no data that fully confirms that.
Japanese being unique makes learning it a unique experience as well. This does include some challenges, but it also includes a lot of fun that you will have mastering this language!
You’ll be able to make a lot of friends among like-minded people
There are a lot of fans of the Japanese language and culture all over the world. If you embark on the journey that learning Japanese is, you will not only find lots of great resources available – you will find an international community of fellow learners, who will support you in your learning and possibly even become your good friends.
It makes traveling to Japan a much better experience
There are quite a lot of things to enjoy in Japan: authentic food, great views, fast trains, exotic festivals, great museums and much more. You may be able to enjoy these things to some extent even if you don’t speak any Japanese.
However, knowledge of the language will truly make your trip unforgettable, allowing you to make the most of all the major attractions, as well as stray away from the ‘beaten tourist path’ and discover some hidden gems.
It is not as hard as it seems
Just like other ‘hardest languages in the world’, Japanese is not as scary and hard as it seems and there are things that are actually quite easy and balance out some of the hard ones.
For instance, there are a few things in Japanese grammar that do make learners happy: there are no articles, no category of gender or number, there are few tenses, verbs are not conjugated to match the subject, etc.
There are also quite a few borrowings from English, so if you speak English, you already have a small vocabulary to get you started.
It will help you gain a new perspective on the world
Learning any foreign language expands our horizons. A language is a reflection of its speakers’ world view and when you learn a foreign language, you also learn to see some things differently.
Learning Japanese with its logic that is so different from most Indo-European and other languages is a challenge for your brain, but it also allows you to grow a lot as a person.
Final thoughts
Japanese is a unique language that is a little bit of a challenge, but also a lot of fun. Learning it will open up a new culture and a new way of thinking, while at the same time giving you some great travel and career opportunities – and a way to make new friends all over the world.