As far as languages go, Japanese has the potential to be extremely benefical to anyone who decides to learn the island nation’s mother tongue. Japan has money, as well as the most diverse economy in Asia. With a GDP of trillions, Japan’s economy is 2nd only to that of the U.S. Why? Do the names Sony, Toshiba, Sanyo, Casio, Canon, Honda, Toyota, or Mitsubishi ring any bells? Whether you’re in the field of business, engineering, manufacturing, research, economics, or politics, chances are you will be competing with – if not working for – a Japanese entity.
On the topic of business, exports to Japan have previously accounted for $54 billion of the U.S. GDP. Being able to communicate with potential customers in their own language is key to winning their trust. Learning Japanese means you not only have a great language under your belt, but you also get an insider view of the culture. Understanding the work ethic, their business etiquette, and knowing which cultural faux pas to avoid can often make or break your standing in business deals.
Obviously, Japanese culture is explosive. They’ve exported everything from anime to sushi bars, karaoke to manga, bonsai to origami – they’re culture has filterred on an international level. Being able to order sashimi like a native is reason enough to learn Japanese.
What intimidates most people (especially English speakers) in regards to the Japanese language is that their entire system of writing is different than any European language. Thankfully, foreigners can get away with learning just forty-something hiragana or katakana characters which represent sounds in the same way as the English alphabet. Grammar is also a piece of cake. Japanese nouns have no genders, plural forms, or accompanying articles to learn. The language also has only two verb tenses, present and past, and includes very few irregular verbs. Spoken Japanese has only 5 vowel sounds and spelling is completely in line phonetically, making the language incredibly easy to pronounce.
Dont delay – learn Japanese today!
Check out our Rocket Japanese review for the best available Japanese course!
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