Do you think its better for me to learn Chinese or Japanese?
453310
hahaha\njapanese is definitely NOT easier to learn than chinese.\nto a native english speaker, korean and japanese are the most difficult languages to learn in the world.\nwith a name like "yooni" i'm assuming that maybe you're korean?  if that's so, and you know some korean, then japanese grammar is almost identical to korean grammar, but the vocabulary is completely different.\non the other hand, again based off of korean, because korean has so much chinese-based vocabulary, learning hanja is actually pretty easy, because it's logical and makes sense for the most part.  plus, chinese has very little grammar at all.  while the characters will make it a little more difficult to learn how to read, you can be speaking chinese with a bit of fluency in no time.  \nbut remember, japanese has three ways of writing, and the main one is pure chinese characters (or variants thereof).  so, whether you learn japanese or chinese, you'll still have to memorize all that hanja.\n\nyour parents are right.  according to all major economists, japan is sinking in the international community, and china and korea are rising.  i strongly suggest learning either chinese or korean.\nhowever, if you *really* want to learn japanese, go ahead.  i don't see much benefit in japanese other than to read japanese literature.
1016121
Eerr... read and speak more? Or you can do a double major in Chinese Studies and English in the UNiversity.\n\n15062006: I think you should try to speak Chinese more. When you encounter any Chinese words that you do not understand, check the dictionary. It may sound 'duh' but I guess that is one effective way to improve your command of it.
2934
Spanish, not only for the reasons given by others, but for two others: it's a Latin language (so you have a good basis for French, Italian, etc.) and it's logical in its spelling (unlike French, which is very arbitrary.) If you're learning a language as a start towards learning more and to use in the US and Europe, it seems like the obvious choice.\n\nIf on the other hand, you want a mental challenge, Mandarin is so unlike any Western language in syntax, tones, etc. that you'll 'stretch' your mind a great deal. It will also prove increasingly useful as China moves more and more to a capitalist model.
681560
i think your best bet is to find a newcomer so that you can teach him english and u can teach him chinese. that way you can both benefit.
403791
I depends on what your native language.   The structure of Chinese is very different compared to english.   There are even several Chinese dialects that are very different from each other.   I hear the hardest is supposed to be Mandarin Chinese.
1149689
I spent ten years working for a Japanese engineering company in Tokyo; it was valuable experience for me in every way.\n\nBoth China and Japan will continue to have important relations with the U.S., and you couldn't go wrong with either one; but, if you are looking at a career in translation, I might suggest that you think more of Chinese, as the Chinese economy is now where the Japanese economy was about 40 years ago, and will only become more important to to U.S. investors in the future.\n\nGood luck!
633092
The language spoken in Beijing is considered the most eloquent even to the people in Taiwan. I have used Transparent Language materials and feel that they are pretty good language software.\n\nYou will need to learn Pinyin (Mandarin romanization) first, then start learning characters. It's a lot to learn at once and can get overwhelming but will level off after a while.\n\nI haven't used software to learn Mandarin, I have lived here for almost 20 years, but you definitely need to hear the language constantly in order to grasp the tones. So you will want something that will give you lots to listen to.\n\nIf you are looking to only use it in or around Taiwan you may want to consider not learning the Mainland China dialect, there are some word usage differences. Plus the character system is the complicated and not simplified system you find in the Mainland. But if you will be using it in the Mainland stick to simplified and Beijing dialect.\n\nThe on-line course at hellomandarin.com sounds good too and they are located in Beijing. Looks reasonable and there is a demo.\n\nZhu ni hao yun! (Good luck!)
732043
Ni Hao Conor, I'd just like to say for the record there isn't a language called Chinese. In China there's two main languages, Mandarin and Cantonese. Cantonese is usually spoken in Hong Kong and Mandarin is spoken pretty much everywhere else.\n\nI think it'd be great to learn Mandarin, it's a widely used language. You could learn it for business or for traveling, or to even have foreign friends.
304898
Having English and Spanish down, you're pretty good.  I would recommend Chinese because it is obviously an up and coming nation that will have a huge global influence on everything from politics to trade to just about everything.  If not Chinese, I would look into Arabic for similar reasons (spanning a variety of countries).  Either will make you incredibly marketable!
1171876
You asked "is Japanese easy (to learn)?" I have learned Japanese for more than two years and I can tell you it is not easy at all. It isn't like English--You can study all the grammar at the first place then the problem is only about vocabulary. Japanese grammar system is very complecated.  English native speakers may not understand its honorifics! However, comparatively speaking, Japanese language is somewhat easier for the Chinese or Korean.
882524
Some magnet schools (including elementary schools) in Chicago teach Japanese, as do some prep schools.  My (private prep) high school in Virginia didn't teach Japanese, but our brother school did.  So some of the better high schools in all parts of the country do teach it, though a lot do not.  I think Chinese is the new hot language for prep schools to teach, and this has taken away from Japanese.\n\nIf you love learning Japanese, you should consider doing the JET Programme after college (http://www.jetprogramme.org).  It's a good way to improve you language skills, make some money, and live somewhere a little different.
3382
It depends on what your native language is.  If you speak english, the easiest languages to learn are going to be french, spanish or italian.  That's because all of these languages derived from latin so they have form, structure, and even many words in common (or notably similar).  However, if your native language was vietnamese it would probably be easier for you to learn chinese than italian.
739273
Chinese is the older language.  Japanese went to China in the Chin dynasty to learn the language and culture; therefore, lots of Japanese words have Chinese roots, some even have similar meanings.\n\nChina, the sleeping dragon, is the rising power and is the better language to learn.
396876
I've been learning Japanese for two years now and have a Jpanaese girlfriend and I still can't string a sentence together.  It's hard but not impossible, but unless your really good at learning languages I'd go for Spanish, which is a beautiful language anyway.
165698
I found learning the Russian language to be very enriching. However, it was also extremely useful to me as I grew up in Alaska and MANY spoke Russian. I think it depends on what you wish to do whether or not it would be worthwhile for you. Learning Russian can help greatly with learning other languages such as Greek, Persian, and even Chinese. It can be very useful if you wish to go into International Business or International Law. Also, if you plan to study dance, art, or music the Russian peoples made many great contributions. I found studying Russian to be worth my while.
540423
take up a beginner's course.\nsing (as you learn) along to some pop chinese songs, with your limited mandarin.\nhonest.\nhave fun, & good luck :)
45634
Japanese for Dummies... great book. Otherwise, I'd suggest getting a human teacher. I take Japanese in school... and I find it easier than Spanish. Imagine, no future tenses. Easy words. Easy sentence-structures. It's... awesome. I suggest you go and find a living-person to be your teacher. ^_^ Or take a trip to Japan for a month, you'll pick up Japanese really fast, then!\n\nHiragana has 46 characters\nKatakana has 45 characters\nKanji has too many characters