Learn Japanese with the Vocabo Chrome Extension
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Master Japanese vocabulary while browsing the web. Free Chrome extension for language learners. Japanese is spoken by 125+ million people. Japan is a leader in technology, anime, gaming, and has one of the world's strongest economies.
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About Japanese
Japanese uses three different writing systems simultaneously: hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
Speakers
125+ million
Language Family
Japonic
Writing System
Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji
Difficulty
Very Hard
Spoken in
Why Learn Japanese?
Japan is a leader in technology, anime, gaming, and has one of the world's strongest economies.
Common Japanese Words
Start your Japanese journey with these essential words and phrases.
こんにちは
Hello
kon-nee-chee-wah
ありがとう
Thank you
ah-ree-gah-toh
お願いします
Please
oh-neh-gah-ee shee-mahs
はい
Yes
hai
いいえ
No
ee-ee-eh
水
Water
mee-zoo
食べ物
Food
tah-beh-moh-noh
友達
Friend
toh-moh-dah-chee
愛
Love
ai
さようなら
Goodbye
sah-yoh-nah-rah
家
House
ee-eh
本
Book
hon
History of Japanese
Japanese writing was first recorded in the 8th century using Chinese characters. Hiragana and katakana syllabaries developed to better represent Japanese sounds. The language remained isolated until the Meiji era brought Western loanwords. Modern Japanese blends traditional elements with extensive English borrowings.
Is Japanese Hard to Learn?
Japanese requires learning three writing systems and approximately 2,000 kanji characters. Grammar is vastly different from English with SOV word order. However, pronunciation is straightforward and there are no gendered nouns or articles.
Similar Languages to Japanese
If you're interested in Japanese, you might also want to explore these related languages:
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