Why Do Foreigners Go Out of Their Way to Learn Japanese?
If you are going to study a foreign language, which one offers the greatest benefit?
English is the obvious choice, while Chinese and Spanish are also spoken by people all over the world. There is a good chance that they will be useful at work, too.
But what about Japanese?
Basically, it is only understood in Japan. On top of that, you have to learn three writing systems: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. The grammar is also completely different from English.
Judged purely in terms of cost-effectiveness, Japanese offers a rather poor return on the effort it demands.
And yet, there are many people around the world who are passionately studying it.
According to a YouTuber living in New Zealand, Japanese is a popular choice among the foreign languages taught in schools there.
Why would anyone go out of their way to choose Japanese?
Studying Something Because It Is Useful Is Not Enough to Keep You Going
In schools across the English-speaking world, French and Spanish are often chosen as second languages.
They will be useful in the future. They are spoken in nearby countries. They are among the electives offered at school.
All of these are perfectly respectable reasons.
But how many students actually continue studying those languages after graduation?
Japanese people also study English for years in junior high and high school. Yet many lose all contact with the language as soon as they graduate.
They memorize vocabulary for exams, answer grammar questions, and forget it all once the test is over.
If you asked whether I still remember most of what I learned at school, I would have to admit that I am not so sure.
“It will be useful someday” may be enough to make someone start studying, but it is surprisingly weak as a reason to continue.
The inconvenience of studying today ends up outweighing the benefits promised for the future.
Learning Japanese to Understand Anime
Some foreigners who study Japanese, on the other hand, have a slightly different motivation.
They love anime, manga, and video games.
They want to watch their favorite shows without subtitles. They want to read manga that has not been translated. They want to understand exactly what the voice actors are saying.
The reason could hardly be clearer.
For them, Japanese is not an exam subject. It is a tool for enjoying their hobby.
And the more they study, the more rewards they receive.
They can understand a line they could not make out yesterday. They can catch wordplay that was lost in translation.
They can immediately experience the results of their studying through the works they love.
It is easy to see why they keep going.
Whether Japanese will help them get a job someday is probably a secondary concern.
“I Love It” Is Stronger Than “It Is Useful”
Come to think of it, this is not limited to foreign languages.
Someone who found memorizing dates in history class unbearable may become absorbed in a historical video game and effortlessly learn the names and family trees of Japan’s feudal warlords.
No one ordered them to do it, yet they keep absorbing knowledge that nobody even asked them to acquire.
What is more, they do not think of it as studying.
They look things up because they love the subject. Looking things up makes them more knowledgeable. The more they know, the more interesting it becomes.
Anyone who enters this cycle is hard to stop.
Some of the foreigners learning Japanese are probably caught up in the same kind of cycle.
Of course, not everyone who studies Japanese is an anime fan. Still, it is fascinating that the desire to understand something you love can provide the motivation to spend years learning a difficult language.
The Same Is True for Japanese People Learning English
Japanese people usually study English because “it will be useful in the future.”
They need it for entrance exams. It may help them find a job. They might have to use it at work.
But how many people can continue studying for years for reasons like these?
Meanwhile, some people overseas go so far as to learn kanji simply because they want to understand Japanese anime better.
When you think about it, the irony is striking.
Japanese students study English for years at school but stop using it after graduation. Foreigners, without anyone forcing them, keep studying Japanese to enjoy the works they love.
In the end, the strongest force in language learning is probably neither a sense of obligation nor the promise of future benefits, but the desire to understand something at all costs.
Japan’s English education system should perhaps spend more time thinking about how to help students actually enjoy English.
Then again, while schools are busy lecturing students to study because “it will be useful someday,” anime fans overseas are happily learning kanji today.
It seems that the greatest contributors to Japanese-language education overseas are not Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Ministry of Education, but manga artists and anime studios.