Japan Languages: Difference between revisions

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''[[Asia]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Japan Genealogy|Japan]]'' {{Japan-sidebar}}
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==Description==
Modern-day Japanese is the language of virtually all Japanese living in Japan, but prior to 1868 there were many significant regional variations. Korean is spoken by one-half of one percent of the population. The Ainu language, spoken by the aboriginal Ainu people, is nearly extinct. There are also several Ryukyuan languages, closely related to Japanese, used in Okinawa and other islands in the south. These languages are disappearing as the younger generations are using modern Japanese.
Modern-day Japanese is the language of virtually all Japanese living in Japan, but prior to 1868 there were many significant regional variations. Korean is spoken by one-half of one percent of the population. The Ainu language, spoken by the aboriginal Ainu people, is nearly extinct. There are also several Ryukyuan languages, closely related to Japanese, used in Okinawa and other islands in the south. These languages are disappearing as the younger generations are using modern Japanese.


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{{Tip|You can decipher "old" kanji, by using the IME pad on the Language Bar on your computer? Draw the kanji - in stroke order, then move your curser over the corresponding kanji on the right. It will reveal the different options of how to read/speak the kanji.}}
{{Tip|You can decipher "old" kanji, by using the IME pad on the Language Bar on your computer? Draw the kanji - in stroke order, then move your curser over the corresponding kanji on the right. It will reveal the different options of how to read/speak the kanji.}}
==Word List(s)==
* [[Japanese Genealogical Word List]]
* [https://www.fluentin3months.com/core-japanese-words/ 101 Core and Commonly Used Japanese Words - Fluent in 3 months]
* [https://cotoacademy.com/top-100-basic-japanese-words/ Top 100 Basic Japanese Words - Coto Japanese Academy]
==Alphabet and Pronunciation==
The Japanese written language has three writing systems:
* '''Kanji'''
: Characters are borrowed from Chinese (tens of thousands)
: only 2,000 kanji are needed to read Japanese
* '''Hiragana'''
: Phonetic system
: 46 basic symbols or letters --- [https://iknow.jp/courses/24666 See List]
* '''Katakana'''
: Phonetic system
: 46 basic symbols or letters --- [https://iknow.jp/courses/24667 See List]
<br>
'''Online Resources'''
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language#Phonology Aids for Vowels and Consonants - Wikipedia]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_phonology Japanese Phonology (including Consonants, Vowels, Accent, Sound Change, etc.) - Wikipedia]
* [https://www.japanesepod101.com/japanese-vocabulary-lists/numbers List of Numbers in Japanese]
* [https://www.japanesepod101.com/japanese-vocabulary-lists/talking-about-days List of Days in Japanese]
* [https://www.japanesepod101.com/japanese-vocabulary-lists/talking-about-months List of Months in Japanese]
* [https://www.japanesepod101.com/japanese-vocabulary-lists/50-most-common-nouns List of Most Common Nouns in Japanese]
* [https://www.japanesepod101.com/japanese-vocabulary-lists/most-useful-pronouns List of Most Useful Pronouns in Japanese]
* [https://www.japanesepod101.com/japanese-vocabulary-lists/50-most-common-verbs List of Most Common Verbs in Japanese]
* [https://www.japanesepod101.com/japanese-vocabulary-lists/must-know-terms-for-family-members List of Family Member Terms in Japanese]
* [https://www.japanesepod101.com/japanese-vocabulary-lists/top-10-travel-spots-in-japan List of 100 Places in Japan in Japanese]
* [https://www.japanesepod101.com/japanese-vocabulary-lists/direction-words List of Directions in Japanese]
==Language Aids and Dictionaries==
'''Dictionaries'''
* [https://jisho.org/ Japanese-English Dictionary (Jisho)]
* [https://tangorin.com/ Japanese-English Dictionary (Tangorin)]
* [https://www.japandict.com/ Japanese-English Dictionary (JapanDict)]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_dictionary History of Japanese Dictionaries - Wikipedia]
'''Language Aids'''
* [https://www.fluentu.com/blog/japanese/japanese-learning-tools/ 20 Must-have Japanese Learning Tools]
* [https://archive.org/details/Genki/Genki%20I%20-%20Integrated%20Elementary%20Japanese%20Course%20%28with%20bookmarks%29/page/n1/mode/2up?view=theater Elementary Japanese]
* [https://www.jlcse.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/programs/tools/ Japanese Language Learning Tools]
==Additional Resources==
* Jorden, Eleanor Harz, and Hamako Ito Chaplin. ''Reading Japanese.'' Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle, 1976. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/857139319 WorldCat].
* Chaplin, Hamako Ito, and Jorden Eleanor harz. ''Reading Japanese.'' Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc., 1992. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/474488910 WorldCat].
* Sakade, Florence. ''A Guide to reading & writing Japanese.'' Rutland, Vt.: Charles E. Tuttle Co., 2000. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/50426936 WorldCat].
* Konomi, Emiko. ''Reading and writing Japanese hiragana.'' Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2020. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/1145916964 WorldCat].
* Konomi, Emiko. ''Reading and writing Japanese katakana.'' Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2020. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/1159753034 WorldCat].
* Takagaki, Tetsuo, and Kenneth G. Henshall. ''Learning hiragana and katakana.'' Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Publishing, 1990. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/868924968 WorldCat].
* Kaneda, Fujihiko, and Rika Samidori. ''Easy hiragana : first steps to reading and writing basic Japanese.'' Chicago, Ill: Passport Books, 2004. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/56921142 WorldCat].
* Sato, Eriko, and Anna Sato. ''Reading & writing Japanese.'' North Clarendon, VT: Tuttle Publishing, 2021. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/1232515078 WorldCat].


== References ==
== References ==

Revision as of 10:10, 28 April 2016

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Modern-day Japanese is the language of virtually all Japanese living in Japan, but prior to 1868 there were many significant regional variations. Korean is spoken by one-half of one percent of the population. The Ainu language, spoken by the aboriginal Ainu people, is nearly extinct. There are also several Ryukyuan languages, closely related to Japanese, used in Okinawa and other islands in the south. These languages are disappearing as the younger generations are using modern Japanese.

The earliest documents in Japan were written in Chinese. Japanese language documents are written with a complex mixture of three separate writing systems: Japanese in Chinese characters (called Kanji) and two phonetic syllabic systems - Hiragana (more cursive and often used with Kanji characters) and Katakana (more angular and for transcribing words of foreign origin).[1]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Japan,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1986-2001.