Why I Study Japanese
I love learning languages. I speak Mandarin Chinese as my native tongue, English as my second language, and I picked up a little Cantonese while I worked in Hong Kong this summer. Different languages enabled me to communicate and make friends with people from various cultures, and the different perspectives and ways of thinking that came along with languages are what I am truly grateful for. Therefore, I really wanted to learn a third language in my college years.
I chose Japanese because I am interested in Japan's history, philosophy, and economic development. Growing up in China, I found it fascinating how Japanese culture shares a lot in common with my culture but also differs from it in many ways. By learning Japanese, I hope to more critically examine Japan as a nation as well as East Asian cultures as a whole. Besides, I went to Japan last summer and this summer, and made many Japanese friends - hopefully the next time I meet them, I will be able to converse in their language!
I chose Japanese because I am interested in Japan's history, philosophy, and economic development. Growing up in China, I found it fascinating how Japanese culture shares a lot in common with my culture but also differs from it in many ways. By learning Japanese, I hope to more critically examine Japan as a nation as well as East Asian cultures as a whole. Besides, I went to Japan last summer and this summer, and made many Japanese friends - hopefully the next time I meet them, I will be able to converse in their language!
I think it's really cool that you're trying to learn Japanese as a way of understanding the bigger context of East Asian history. I agree that learning the language will help you understand more of the smaller details of a culture. It's also nice that you have Japanese friends as well! They can help you with the language, and hopefully you'll be fluent soon to converse with them!
ReplyDeleteIt must be really interesting to study Japan's history and economic development from both an American and Chinese perspective. It's also great that you have Japanese friends to practice with!
ReplyDeleteHi Jiachen! I love learning languages too, I agree that learning a language opens doors to many perspectives and reveals nuances in a specific culture/country. My first language was also Mandarin Chinese along with English! I think it's great that you know some Cantonese, I know a little bit too but sadly not enough to converse with my friends. I think it's wonderful that you want to know more about East Asian history as well as learn how to communicate with your new friends. Good luck with everything!
ReplyDelete