Early Modern Japanese language

Japanese language

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June 25, 2026

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Early Modern Japanese refers to the period of the Japanese language from the 17th to the 18th century. This era is part of a broader linguistic history that spans over 1,200 years, with written records dating back to the 8th century. During the Early Modern period, the language shed many of its Old Japanese characteristics and began to adopt features of modern Japanese.123

Key developments during this time included changes in grammatical structure, such as the loss of distinction between conclusive and noun-modifying forms of predicates. The Japanese writing system also saw advancements, with printing becoming more widespread, enabling the production of popular literature. The vocabulary continued to evolve, influenced by Chinese in earlier times and European languages more recently.14

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Japanese language
Literary history
…century), Middle Japanese (12th–16th century), Early Modern Japanese (17th–18th century), and Modern Japanese (19th century to the present).
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…century), Middle Japanese (12th–16th century), Early Modern Japanese (17th–18th century), and Modern Japanese (19th century to the present).
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