Name: Joseph Herwin De Vera Date: August 30, 2023

Year/Section: 3/C

There are 3 major distinct languages spoken by people in Japan. Those are the Standard
Japanese, also called Nihongo by the Japanese people themselves, the Ryukyuan languages,
and the Okinawan languages. In addition, there’s the Ainu language, which is spoken by only a
handful of people and can go extinct if it’s not preserved within the next 10 years or so.
Nihongo the Standard Japanese language is currently spoken by nearly 99% of the Japanese
population, while the other language groups account for up to one million speakers each.
However, none of the languages have any sort of formal status in the country. In fact, in Japan,
official languages are a non-existent thing as the Japanese Constitution does not define any.
Alongside Nihongo, the population of Japan also speaks Ryukyuan, Okinawa languages, Ainu
language, and several minor languages spread across the country’s numerous islands. While
Standard Japanese is spoken by the vast majority of the population, it is predominantly
widespread on the four biggest islands in Japan, which are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and
Shikoku. Okinawa is also classified as one of the major islands of Japan, yet, its predominant
language is Okinawan, instead of Nihongo.

Ryukyuan
Ryukyuan language is spoken predominantly on Ryukyuan Islands. The word “Ryukyuan” can
be translated simply as “islands,” so the Japanese term “Ryukyu-go” can be translated as
“island speech”. Some of the major distinctions of Ryukyuan languages from Standard
Japanese rely on the use of Kanji and kana (the Japanese alphabet), phonetic features, such as
nasal phonemes, as well as different grammar that resembles Old Japanese and is more
complex than that of the Modern Japanese language.
Okinawan
Okinawan languages are a bigger group of Japanese dialects and are spoken mostly on the
Okinawa Islands, which are inhabited by nearly 1 million native Okinawan speakers. Although
the population of the islands is also fluent in Standard Japanese, most people prefer the
Okinawan dialect, nevertheless. As there are no Japanese official languages in the country,
Okinawan is also used as the language of media and education on the islands.
Ainu
Ainu language is perhaps the least spoken language in Japan. As of today, only the Hokkaido
Ainu form of the language survives with up to 10 native speakers left. Currently, the government
of Japan makes some attempts to revitalize the language by making the written and spoken
records and encouraging local people to learn it. Among the special features of Ainu, there are
the writing system and pronunciation.

Languages Spoken Around the Japanese Islands

While there are only three major languages and language groups spoken in Japan, there is a
vast number of dialects that are commonly used on smaller islands in the country. As there are
no official languages in Japan at all, nearly every minor island uses its own dialect for media
and education, although, the situation is currently more winning for the Standard Japanese
language.

Kungami
Kunigami language, spoken by only about 5,000 native speakers, is used in the Yanbaru region
of the Okinawan Island. With the majority of speakers currently being the elderly people,
Kunigami language is considered to be endangered.
Amami
Amami dialect can be found on the islands located around Kyushu and largely resembles
Okinawan language. However, it is classified as a Ryukyuan language as it is spoken only on
the minor islands of Japan. Interestingly, the dialect is quite diverse to the degree that it has
been divided into two sub-dialects, the Northern and Southern.
Yonaguni
Yonaguni dialect is a variation of the Ryukyuan language. It is spoken in the regions close to
Taiwan and is quite unique for its writing system. Although Yonaguni people currently use the
Japanese kana and Kanji for education, media, and official documents, the region has utilized
the Kaida logographic system, which consists of logograms, similar to those found in Ancient
Egyptian language.
Yaeyema
Yaeyema dialect group is one of the major groups of minor island dialects. Similar to other
Ryukyuan dialects and languages, Yaeyema is spoken mostly on the island group of the same
name and accounts for nearly 47,000 native speakers. The major distinction of this language is
the phonetic system that contains six short and seven long vowel sounds.
Miyako
Miyako language is the most widespread minority language found on the Japanese Islands.
Accounting for 67,000 native speakers, Miyako largely resembles Okinawan language and is
spoken in the Southwestern part of the Okinawan island. Most of the native speakers of Miyako
are around 60 years old and are also fluent in Standard Japanese, which makes this dialect
more likely to survive.
In addition to the languages listed above, there are many other variations of Okinawan and
Ryukyuan dialects found throughout hundreds of minor islands around Japan. Most of them are
isolates and have preserved many features of the older versions of the Japanese language.
Hence, they are quite valuable for the historical research of Japan. Finally, due to the current
process of globalization, many foreign languages, such as English, French, Russian,
Portuguese, Chinese, Taiwanese, and many more can be found in use throughout Japan.
Reference:
Translate Hub (2020). Languages Spoken in Japan and Its Dialects
https://translatehub.org/languages-spoken-in-japan/