Language

Beautiful Japanese is the most difficult language in the world!

Hi how are you?

Learning the Japanese language seems to be quite few people around the world.

The number of Japanese learners, however, has been on the rise recently due to the many factors such as anime, manga, games, and music has gained popularity worldwide, leading many people to learn Japanese to enjoy these forms of media, along with drastic increases of tourists.

Additionally, international events like the Olympics and Paralympics had also heightened global attention towards Japan.
In this context, we would like to introduce a female singer of Russian origin who boldly proclaims, “Japanese is a beautiful yet the most challenging languages in the world.”

She has a deep affection for the Japanese language and culture. Her extensive studies and impressive narrative delve into the intricacies of the language, and I believe you will find her story captivating and truly interesting.

Please continue to listen until the end.

What percentage of the world is currently (2023) learning Japanese?

And is it growing compared to the past? Or is it decreasing?

The current percentage of people learning Japanese around the world is approximately 0.05%, which means that out of the global population of about 8 billion people, around 4 million individuals are learning Japanese.

However, please note that this figure is based on the 2018 survey of Japanese educational institutions and does not include self-learners or cultural exchange groups.

This number is expected to have grown slightly since then, but it is still a relatively small percentage of the world’s population.

The number of people studying Japanese has been growing steadily in recent years, but it experienced a slight decline in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in February 2022, Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine, and in July 2023, the world hit by unprecedented heat, which could be so intense that it would choke not only the Japanese economy but the world economy as well.

However, the number is expected to rebound in the coming years.

The most popular reasons for studying Japanese are:

An interest in Japanese culture, anime, manga, and other Japanese pop culture.
A desire to do business in Japan.
A desire to study or work in Japan.
A personal interest in the Japanese language.
The countries with the highest percentage of people studying Japanese are:

The Philippines
China
Malaysia
South Korea
Indonesia
Overall, the number of people studying Japanese is expected to continue to grow in the coming years.

The Japanese language is becoming increasingly important in the global economy, and there is a growing interest in Japanese culture and pop culture around the world.

Finally, the knowledge of Japanese language might help you have more enjoyable time in communicating in local people, so let’s learn Japanese!

About the author

古林 茂樹(Shigeki Furubayashi )