About 130 million people speak Japanese. The language is part of the Japonic-Ryukyuan languages. Japanese is spoken almost exclusively in Japan though it is also sometimes spoken in Korea, Taiwan, parts of Chinese mainland, Philippines and some Pacific Islands which were occupied by Japan during and prior to World War II. Japanese emigrant communities as in Brazil, Hawaii, Argentina, Peru, Australia, and the United States too speak the language. However, increasingly the descendants rarely speak fluent Japanese. Japanese is the official language of Japan and the island nation of Palau. The Japanese vocabulary consists of words taken from other languages. Predominant amongst them are the Chinese words, a result of 1,500 years of interaction. It has borrowed words from the Indo-European languages, particularly English in the 19h century and some Portuguese and Dutch in the 16th and 17th century respectively. Three different types of scripts are combined to make the Japanese language. They are Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana. The first is the modified Chinese characters while the latter two are two syllabic scripts of the modified Chinese characters.

About 130 million people speak Japanese. The language is part of the Japonic-Ryukyuan languages. Japanese is spoken almost exclusively in Japan though it is also sometimes spoken in Korea, Taiwan, parts of Chinese mainland, Philippines and some Pacific Islands which were occupied by Japan during and prior to World War II. Japanese emigrant communities as in Brazil, Hawaii, Argentina, Peru, Australia, and the United States too speak the language. However, increasingly the descendants rarely speak fluent Japanese. Japanese is the official language of Japan and the island nation of Palau. The Japanese vocabulary consists of words taken from other languages. Predominant amongst them are the Chinese words, a result of 1,500 years of interaction. It has borrowed words from the Indo-European languages, particularly English in the 19h century and some Portuguese and Dutch in the 16th and 17th century respectively. Three different types of scripts are combined to make the Japanese language. They are Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana. The first is the modified Chinese characters while the latter two are two syllabic scripts of the modified Chinese characters.

The Japanese taught in the schools is the standard form, Hyōjungo. This is also what is used officially. But Kyōtsūgo is the common form that is used. When writing the language, Kōgo which is the colloquial language, is used. Bungo, the traditional literary written language, is only sometimes used. Japanese dialects are many. The prominent is the Tokyo-type. The Kyoto-Osaka-type as well as the Kyūshū-type are the other prominent ones. The dialects of the outer regions as Tōhoku, Tsushima and southern Kyūshū are not understood by the mainstream Japanese. Though distinct languages, the Ryūkyūan languages, which are spoken in Okinawa as well as the Amami Islands are taken to be dialects of Japanese. The standard Japanese have been made popular by the media and education across the country.

The world's second largest economy is Japan after the United States. Its technological prowess is world renown. The industrial and financial activities of Japan have spread throughout the world. There has been an increased interest in learning Japanese. A spate of courses offering to teach Japanese has also been produced. The Japanese language proficiency test is something many learners seek to clear.

Increasing global economic dominance and its fascinating culture has popularized the country, its language and culture. Many Japanese words have been borrowed and integrated to English and also commonly used by other languages such as haiku, karaoke, judo, karate, rickshaw, ninja, tycoon, samurai, sayonara, sudoku, sushi, sumo, tsunami and many others.

The Japanese language is a reflection of a very long history, tradition and progress. Through the various course offerings, you will not only learn the language itself but you'll also come to understand how they are as Japanese nation. The history, customs and development is greatly manifested in the Japanese language itself. Certainly, you'll be learning a lot about the Japanese people once you study the different Japanese courses.