Japanese

Japanese is the official language of Japan, spoken by over 125 million people worldwide. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which includes only Japanese and the Ryukyuan languages spoken in the Ryukyu Islands. Japanese has three writing systems: hiragana and katakana (collectively known as kana) and kanji, which are Chinese characters adopted for the Japanese language. Japanese grammar is relatively simple, and it does not have articles or verb conjugations. It is known for its complex honorifics system, which is used to indicate social status or level of politeness. Japanese culture has had a significant influence on many areas of the world, from literature and film to fashion and technology. It is also the second most used language in international business after English.