The language of Japan- Nihongo (Amirali)

Artistic expressions are the depiction of a country’s traditional values and rituals. Several countries use two or more ethnic languages which strengthens the cultural base. However, what makes Japan unique and cool is that it uses one language, albeit with a mixture of 3 scripts. Yes THREE scripts! A major part comes from Chinese characters kanji; other components include hiragana and a script for foreign words katakana. Recently to help foreigners and facilitate usage of computers, another script, named romaji is used.

Therefore Nihongo encompasses rich traditional roots which are a matter of pride for the Japanese. Unfortunately some countries have been trapped in the spell of Modernization so much so that they have given up their native language to learn English; this case is most prominent in developing countries. In these countries people prioritize learning English and the one who can speak English fluently is considered an ideal. Japan is no way follows this trend. People in Japan take pride in learning and communicating in their native language- Nihongo. It is true that ability to communicate in English is distinguished and such people are given priority in the job market. However, Nihongo is still the medium of communication in both public and private spheres. And this is easily noticeable. In trains, most people can be seen reading manga, traditional Japanese comic books; in stores, the workers greet in Nihongo; the direction at all important place are given in Nihongo and only recently is romaji used to facilitate foreigners. Though excessive exposure to Nihongo gets tough for a foreigner, yet I feel great respect for the people as they honor their language and preserve its cultural identity. I think this is really cool.

Moreover, the expressions in Nihongo are worth mentioning; it is one of the most expressive languages I have ever come across. It is not just spoken; it makes the speaker involved completely with expression, highs and lows in tone and hand movements. Add the humble attitude of Japanese people to this scenario and the result is even better. Therefore, a foreigner may come across times when he won’t know Nihongo, but communicating with Japanese and looking his expressions and movements almost always gets the message through. Isn’t that cool!

Written text in Nihongo depicts beauty too. I met a friend in Malaysia who had a tattoo on his arm with text in Kanji. Surprised to see a Malaysian with such interest in Japanese, I inquired, “The tattoo on your arm, what does it mean?” To my astonishment he replied, “I don’t know. But it looks cool, isn’t it!” I think this explains the artistic beauty of Japanese Kanji and its lovers around the world who may not understand it, but find beauty in its text.