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Modern Japanese language
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Modern Japanese language

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The modern Japanese language is the official language of Japan, spoken by the vast majority of its population. Its writing system is complex, utilizing kanji (adapted from Chinese characters), alongside two phonetic scripts: hiragana and katakana.12

The language has a history dating back to the 8th century, with Modern Japanese emerging from the 19th century onwards. A key characteristic of Japanese syntax is its Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) structure. Vocabulary is comprised of native words, Sino-Japanese terms, foreign loanwords (predominantly from English), and onomatopoeic expressions. Standard Japanese, based on the Tokyo dialect, is understood nationwide due to compulsory education and mass media.34526

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
10 Britannica Sources
  1. Japan: Top Questions
  2. Japanese language - Syntax
  3. Japan - Languages
  4. Japanese language - Grammatical structure
  5. Japanese language - Writing systems
  6. Japanese language - Grammatical structure: Communicating
  7. hiragana
  8. Japanese language - Dialects
  9. Japanese language - Vocabulary
  10. Japanese language - Phonology

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