Have you ever faced a challenge while learning Japanese? I still can remember the first time I learned Japanese, it was an extremely different learning experience compared to learning English. One who has ever learned Japanese before must realize that all Japanese words can be spelled by the English alphabets. However, it is not as easy as what you think. Based on my observation, I find out that there are three main differences between English and Japanese.

     First, the pronunciation of the two languages is one of the major differences. Take the Japanese alphabets for example. Their syllable sounds can directly be translated into Romanization. Like “あいうえお”, these five vowels can be identified as “a, i, u, e, o”. The original intention of creating this Japanese alphabet is to better help people understand the pronunciation of Japanese. But in fact, the pronunciation of the same word between Japanese and English is quite different. In English, the word “taxi” and “computer” is pronounced as /ˈtæk.si/ and /kəmˈpjuː.t̬ɚ/ which are different from [takushī] and [konpyūtā] in Japanese. Due to the lack of tongue and breath sounds, it is not easy for Japanese people to make the sounds of "the", "wh", and "er". Because of the difference in pronunciation, we usually do not understand what Japanese are talking about when they speak English.

     Second, the grammar of the two languages is followed by different rules, especially in the sentence structures. English sentences are sometimes similar to our Chinese sentences. We all follow the rule of Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). For example, we say “I like beef” in English. But in Japanese, they say “私は 牛肉が 大好き。” (I beef like). It is because the Japanese follow the rule of S O V/adj., put the verb at the end of the sentence. Furthermore, the structure of Japanese questions are much easier to make in Japanese than in English. To ask a yes or no question, you just simply tack on か at the end of the sentence. For instance, the sentence “彼は優しい人です。” means “He is a nice person.” But when the sentence becomes the question, it would be like “彼は優しい人ですか？” (Is he a nice person?)  Thus, due to the differences between sentence structures in grammar, it is easy for a novice to be confuse.

     Third, the use of honorifics in the two languages is the most different part. Every language has ordinary forms, polite forms, and so do English and Japanese. However, Japanese shows more special in it honorifics. When facing different people, Japanese people use different words for men and women, and also for acquaintances and unfamiliar people. More importantly, they pay high attention to the relationship between the elder and the young. But when it comes to English, it is not that complicated. For example, to give an apology, people will only say “I am really sorry.” in English. But in Japanese, people will say “大変申し訳ございません。ご迷惑をかけてしまって、本当にすみませんでした。” (Sorry. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'm sorry.) Japanese tend to be tactful. Of course, it is not to say that English is rude. It is because Japanese are too polite. But with those differences in the use of words, we can easily distinguish them.

     In conclusion, it is undeniable that English and Japanese have differences in pronunciation, grammar, and the use of honorifics. We cannot say that English is easier than Japanese, or English is more difficult than Japanese. But through comparing these two languages, we can learn how they are different.