Major: Japanese
The CIA's World Factbook
From thousand-year-old novels to three-line haiku, Japanese literature is often still as poignant as the day it was written. Yet as one of today’s economic superpowers, Japanese culture is rapidly changing. Businesspeople speeding to work on bullet trains read new literary forms such as manga comic books. As a Japanese major, you’ll not only discover ancient literary masterpieces; you’ll learn how to function on many different levels in Japanese society today.
Students of Japanese language and literature learn how to speak, write, and read Japanese, and study ancient and modern Japanese literature.
Did You Know?
- The Japanese use three kinds of writing: kanji, hiragana, and katakana.
Are You Ready To...?
- Memorize several hundred written characters every semester
- Read masterpieces of Japanese literature from as early as 600
- Learn the language well enough to read Japanese poetry in the original and maybe even write a few haiku of your own
- Live in Japan for a semester, maybe in someone’s home
It Helps to Be...
Persistent. Since Japanese uses written characters rather than letters, your progress may feel slow or even stalled at times, but be patient and you will eventually feel more confident.
College Checklist
- How many full-time professors does the program have?
- How many years of Japanese language courses does the program offer?
- How many hours a week do language courses meet and what is the usual class size?
- What kind of cultural activities does the department sponsor?
- Is there a Japanese community on campus or nearby?
- Does the program offer a study-abroad program?
Did You Know?
- The world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji, was written in hiragana one thousand years ago by Murasaki Shikibu, a Japanese woman.
Course Spotlight
In beginning Japanese courses, many schools focus on the practical, everyday side of the language. You might learn how to talk about weather, food, shopping, and school and how to read menus, street maps, signs, and letters. You may even learn how to use email in Japanese. Since Japanese majors often go on to work in business, practical details like these come in handy.
