I also mean the writing systems and all the dialect. I will commit as many years and hours a day as I can, but how long does it usually take for each language? Which language should be learned first, Japanese or Korean?
206457
there is no similarity between korean and japanese, other than the fact that the grammar is very similar.  vocabulary-wise, many words in both languages are based off of chinese characters.  however, japanese uses chinese characters (kanji) and pronounce them by pure japanese words, and koreans simply have pure korean and sino-korean vocabulary mixed together... in essence, almost two words for everything.\ni've studied both korean and japanese, and personally, i found korean to be much more enjoyable.  then again, i'm sure this is only personal preference.\ni studied korean intensively in korea, and it takes a while to attain even a basic level of fluency, due to the fact that the grammar is almost completely backwards from english.  however, in korea, most korean people are very helpful and willing to work with you.  when i went to japan, i noticed that most japanese people either ignore you completely if you talk to them, or rattle off as fast as they can even though they know you won't understand it.\nif you're choosing whether to study in either country, i'd certainly recommend korean.
343681
They're all pretty difficult.  But there are some things about each language that are just a tad bit easier than others. I've studied all four languages, and here are my impressions of each:\n\n1. Writing System:\nMandarin: Uses hanzi (Chinese characters).  Not really difficult, but if you want to be literate, you have to know at least three thousand of them. So there are a lot to remember.\n\nCantonese: No written standard, but there are Cantonese characters that people use but it's not used in schools. \n\nJapanese: Japanese uses a combination of kanji (Chinese characters) and two sets of syllables that represent 46 sounds each called hiragana and katakana.   Hiragana and katakana are easy to learn.  However, knowing kanji is essential but you have to know fewer than the Chinese have to. Also, unlike Chinese (Most of the time), each kanji can have different pronunciations depending on how it's used.\n\nKorean: Koreans rely less on hanja (Chinese characters), but it's still encountered.  Koreans have their own unique writing system called han'geul. It's very easy to learn and quite logical, as they say. Korean is definitely easy in this respect.\n\n2. Pronunciation:\n\nMandarin: Uses tones.  Each vowel can be pronounced in one of 5 tones. For example there is a high tone or a dipping tone.  Mandarin also makes use of retroflex consonants which involve curling the tongue back. This is not found in English.\n\nCantonese: There are no retroflex consonants in Cantonese, but there are more tones - 9 of them.  \n\nJapanese: Japanese probably has the easiest pronunciation out of the four. However, it does have its difficulties.  There are no tones, but there is pitch accent. \n\nKorean: Easier pronunciations. No tones.  But there are more vowels that English speakers may have difficulty with. So it's a bit harder than Japanese.\n\n3. Grammar:\n\nMandarin & Cantonese: word order is usually SUBJECT VERB OBJECT (like English).  You don't have to worry about conjugations or inflections. In fact, the structure is remotely similar to English.\n\nJapanese & Korean: Conjugation is involved.  Use of pronouns is discouraged.  Honorifics are present. There are also different verbs depending on politeness. Word order is SUBJECT OBJECT VERB. English speakers will have more difficulty in these two languages than they will in the two Chinese languages above.\n\nIn any case, don't let the difficulties scare you.  In the end, they are all equally hard. Choose whatever you think will be of most use to you in whatever you do. Good luck!
51768
Hmmm I can speak of french as I'm french. It's said to be a quite hard language and it really is, lots of exceptions in grammar, many problems of tenses. Well it's also known as a beautiful language and maybe it comes from the fact it's difficult.\nSpanish is close to french I think complexity is quite the same or slightly easier (I've learned it for 3 years). It's a nice language that sounds good, like there's sun in their language :)\nChinese is much more simple regarding tenses and grammar (my girlfriend is chinese) but one very hard thing is they have sounds we don't, they make difference between two sounds just from the tone where we don't really hear any difference, I think it's a question of habit. Of course the writing is also harder, there's a way to write with normal letters too...\n\nRegarding usefulness I think chinese is a language that will be interesting in the few next years as China is opening more, french can be interesting too and I think french can provide a better population coverage than spanish if you choose between those two...\n\nSo good luck in your learning and I hope I provided interesting inofmrations to guide you in your choice :)
149568
Japanese, dear.\n\nWith so many different dialects, you would be better off going to a university to learn it.\n\nSeriously, I understand your desire to learn this beautiful language.  But a friend of mine majored in Japanese studies and languages and the many dialects that the Japanese have absolutely REQUIRES that you study in a university to get the full benefit of what you're saying.  You could say something in Japanese in Toyko that means something completely different in Hiroshima.
359617
They are very different and aren't related to each other.  \n\nAlthough, it is debated that Japanese and Korean may be related. And in my view, they might. They use politeness levels and honorifics (though Korean has more than Japanese!).\n\nJapanese and Korean verbs conjugate while Chinese verbs do not.\n\nJapanese and Korean verbs tend to end a sentence. Chinese verbs are somewhere in the middle.\n\nPhonologically, Chinese has tones.  Mandarin, particularly, has 4 while Cantonese has 9. Japanese and Korean rely on pitch accent.\n\nIn writing, Japanese mixes Chinese characters with its syllabic writing system.  South Koreans use Chinese characters (North Koreans have gotten rid of them 60 years ago), though it seems like they use it sparingly these days. The writing system is rather unique and easy to learn.  \n\nVocabulary wise, Japanese and Korean have a lot of Chinese words.\n\nAnyway, here are some examples of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean so you can get an idea of how different they are:\n\nEnglish: I read this book.\nChinese: 我看過這本書了。 (wo kan guo zhe ben shu le)\n\nJapanese: 私は、この本を読みました。 (watakushi wa, kono hon o yomimashita)\n\nKorean: 저는 이 책을 읽었습니다. (jeoneun i chaegeul ilgeosseumnida)
488787
I am learning Chinese (Mandarin). I have already studied for five years, with about half of that time spent in Taiwan or China. I enjoy it a lot!
241632
Living Language is a good company to use. I have Spanish and Japanese learning course. They are very easy to use and to understand. Here is there web site to check out.\n\nhttp://www.randomhouse.com/livinglanguage/
468884
I'm Japanese and I think the best way to learn the language is from a good teacher. But, if  you are going to learn it yourself, I think you might want to start with learning the hiragana, which are the basic 50 Japanese alphabets. However, if you prefer to be more into the talking rather than writing and reading, I would recommend listening to Japanese CDs, whether it be music, books, or anything where you can here the words, so you'll get used to listening, which probably makes it easier to talk. (This is how I learned English few years ago)\n\nI really think it's great that more people are willing to learn Japanese today, which is only spoken in Japan, unlike French and Spanish that are spoken and official in several countries!!\nIf you have any questions on the culture or anything, it probably would be the best if you answer here. There are probably other people willing to share their information about our culture with you, and there are people who might have the same questions you do. \n\nがんばってね！(ganbattene=good luck!)
4848
I'd say Mandarin Chinese. Not only do you have to learn words ... inflection is also key ... and there are four inflections you can put on any word/syllable. And some of the words are best pronounced in a sing-song sort of tone. \n\nJapanese is definitely easier because it is not so heavily dependent on inflection. \n\nFrench, Spanish and German are all a piece of cake compared to Mandarin Chinese.
532331
Since you already speak and write English, I strongly recomend Japanese. Japan is at the fore-front of software, electronic, etc. break throughs. If you can speak and write Japanese, you will be golden and many new opportunities will open up for you. If you moved to Japan, of course, they make accomodations for people who speak English, but if you spoke Japanese it would make things a lot easier and you would be a lot more desirable in their job market. Especially since you already speak English.
93827
Let's see...\n\nI'd recomend japanese.about.com for japanese if what you wnat are the basics.\n\nI'm a native spanish speaker so I haven't checked it out, but I'm guessing they have a spanish.about.com too.\n\nHope they help.
106536
Pimsleur Japanese is expensive but worth every penny-especially if you get it used or borrow a friend's copy. Trust me, I've been living in Japan for the past two years and it's been the most helpful tool for learning the language I've found yet. I also suggest checking out the Japan Times' Kanji Clinic archives-which suggests repeatedly a book entitled 2001 Kanji by Joseph De Roo (available only through the Bonjinsha website). Kanji Clinic is a good introduction to kanji and also funny. Jim Bream's WWWJDIC Word/Text translator http://www.aa.tufs.ac.jp/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?9T\nis also an invaluable resource. Good luck!
323290
Latin is great from an intellectual standpoint. But if you want to learn an alternative language for productivity and business purposes, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish are probably the best languages right now to learn and each has its own reasons. Spanish obviously for businesses based in the southern part of the US, Japanese for big and well established businesses, and Chinese because the economy over there is exponentially expanding and upstart businesses there will probably become fortune 500 within 2 years. Its a matter of opinion really.
59896
Hmmm... What do you mean by fast? Is 4 years fast? This is how much it got me to actually say I can use my Japanese... I think all the languages you would like to learn take at least 2 or 3 years. For Japanese, there are plenty of good sites on the internet. You could use them. I dont know any courses, though. Don't worry for your spelling. It's perfectly understandable. Good luck with the others!
233143
Japanese and all Nations speak the same when it comes to music. So one two three four... is the same in any language.  I have been in Japan for 10 years and I know many musicians and dancers. It is the same.
103280
I am a native speaker of Korean, but my American friend who has learned French and Korean told me that Korean was ten times harder than French. He now speaks Korean fluently though, after taking Korean at college for four years. As somebody who learned English as a second language, many features of English grammar didn't make sense at all. And I assume that you will find Korean grammar doesn't makke sense at all. And even if you learn the grammar and the vocabulary of Korean perfectly, it will be hard to speak or understand oral speaking, because the word order is quite opposite. For example, if I say "I know a girl who speaks Korean" would be in Korean something like "I Korean speaks a girl know."
278937
They offer this monbusho scholarship program in Japan for foreign students (grad and undergrad), wherein you will undergo intensive language training for 6 months. Inquire at the Japanese counsulate.\n\nI studied for 4 years in a non-english speaking country. I spent the first 2 years learning the language. It was tough. When I did my comprehensive exams, I spent half of the time reviewing (and understanding) the questions!