Japanese | |
---|---|
日本語 Nihongo |
|
"Nihongo" ("Japanese")
in Japanese script |
|
Pronunciation | /nihoɴɡo/: [nihõŋɡo], [nihõŋŋo] |
Native to | Japan |
Ethnicity | Japanese (Yamato) |
Native speakers
|
125 million (2010) |
Japonic
|
|
Early forms
|
|
Signed Japanese | |
Official status | |
Official language in
|
Japan (de facto) |
Recognised minority
language in |
|
Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | ja |
ISO 639-2 | jpn |
ISO 639-3 |
|
Glottolog |
nucl1643 excluding Hachijo
|
Linguasphere | 45-CAA-a |
Japanese (日本語 Nihongo, [ɲihoŋɡo] or [ɲihoŋŋo]) is an East Asian language spoken by about 125 million speakers, primarily in Japan, where it is the national language. It is a member of the Japonic (or Japanese-Ryukyuan) language family. Relations to other language groups are debated. Japanese shows in its proto-form strong similarities to Southeast Asian languages. A 2015 analysis using the Automated Similarity Judgment Program resulted in the Japonic languages being grouped with the Ainu and then with the Austroasiatic languages. Relations to Korean or to the now discredited Altaic family are seen as obsolete.
Little is known of the language's prehistory, or when it first appeared in Japan. Chinese documents from the 3rd century recorded a few Japanese words, but substantial texts did not appear until the 8th century. During the Heian period (794–1185), Chinese had considerable influence on the vocabulary and phonology of Old Japanese. Late Middle Japanese (1185–1600) included changes in features that brought it closer to the modern language, and the first appearance of European loanwords. The standard dialect moved from the Kansai region to the Edo (modern Tokyo) region in the Early Modern Japanese period (early 17th century–mid-19th century). Following the end in 1853 of Japan's self-imposed isolation, the flow of loanwords from European languages increased significantly. English loanwords, in particular, have become frequent, and Japanese words from English roots have proliferated.