Japanese

Print

Primary tabs

A language of Japan

ISO 639-3
jpn
Population

127,000,000 in Japan (2010). Total users in all countries: 128,161,460 (as L1: 128,149,960; as L2: 11,500).

Location

Widespread.

Language Maps
Language Status

1 (National). De facto national language.

Classification
Japonic
Dialects

Eastern Japanese, Western Japanese, Zu-zu-ben. Possibly related to Korean [kor]. Kagoshima dialect is 84% cognate with Tokyo dialect. Zu-zu-ben dialects unintelligible to other Japanese, and dying out as standard Tokyo Japanese takes over.

Typology

SOV; postpositions; demonstrative, numeral, adjective, possessive, relative clause, proper noun precedes noun head; adverb precedes verb; sentence final question particle; no articles; passives; tense and aspect; causatives; 15 consonants, 5 vowels, 3 diphthongs; non-tonal; pitch-accentuation pattern.

Language Development
Taught in primary and secondary schools. Fully developed. Bible: 1883–1987.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Japanese
Writing

Braille script [Brai]. Han, Hiragana, and Katakana scripts [Jpan], primary usage.

Other Comments

Buddhist, Shintoist.

Also spoken in:

Expand All Collapse All
Page Views Left: