Japanese
日本語
Japanese uses three different writing systems at the same time! And the word "emoji" literally comes from Japanese — e (picture) + moji (character).
Lin says:
Konnichiwa! I'm Lin! Japanese is extraordinary — it uses THREE different writing systems at the same time! And Japanese culture has given the world anime, sushi, origami, Nintendo, karaoke, emoji (yes, emoji comes from Japanese!), and the concept of ikigai — your life's purpose. Sugoi! (Amazing!)
Quick Facts
Speakers
~125 million
Language Family
Japonic
Writing Systems
Hiragana + Katakana + Kanji
Official in
Japan
Discover Japanese
Japanese uses three different writing systems at the same time! And the word "emoji" literally comes from Japanese — e (picture) + moji (character).
Writing System
Hiragana, Katakana & Kanji
Native Speakers
~125 million
Key Countries
For Educators
Language learning builds empathy and global understanding. Use this page to spark classroom discussions about cultural diversity and communication across borders.
Did You Know?
Japanese has multiple levels of politeness built into the language — the words you use change depending on whether you are speaking to a friend, a teacher, or royalty.
The Japanese school curriculum requires students to learn 2,136 "Jōyō kanji" (standard use characters) by the end of high school.
Japanese has beautiful seasonal words called kigo — specific words for phenomena like the first cherry blossoms (sakura) or the sound of cicadas in summer (semi no koe).
What Makes Japanese Special?
Three Writing Systems
Japanese is written using three scripts simultaneously: Hiragana (46 characters), Katakana (46 characters), and Kanji — over 2,000 Chinese-derived characters!
Pop Culture Powerhouse
Anime, manga, Nintendo, Sony, Pokemon, and Studio Ghibli — Japanese language and culture have shaped global entertainment like no other.
Invented Emoji
The word "emoji" comes from Japanese 絵文字 (e = picture, moji = character) — created by Shigetaka Kurita in Japan in 1999!
Keep Exploring the World!
Languages are windows into the world's cultures. Discover more languages and the countries where they are spoken.