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View Poll Results: What is your motivation to learn Japanese ?

Voters
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  • I want to communicate with my Japanese relatives

    57 7.64%
  • I want to talk to my Japanese friends or make some new ones

    290 38.87%
  • I live in Japan (so for daily life use...)

    62 8.31%
  • My boyfriend/girlfriend is Japanese or want to make one.

    136 18.23%
  • I (will) need it for my job

    152 20.38%
  • To read the manga or understand the anime

    289 38.74%
  • For the video games

    171 22.92%
  • To travel in Japan

    384 51.47%
  • I am interested in Japanese culture/language, etc.

    557 74.66%
  • For no particular reason or others (please specify in forum)

    88 11.80%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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Thread: Why are you learning Japanese ?

  1. #51
    Junior Member georget98's Avatar
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    I suppose it started when I was about 10 years old (I'm 56 now). I read an article in Popular Electronics magazine about Akihabara. I was an electronics and gadget nut then and still am.

    From that point I was always interested in going to Japan "someday."

    In 1996 I saw someone wearing geta in a magazine and a couple things happened: My interest in Japan woke from hibernation, I started wondering if Akihabara still existed [Yes!], and I wanted a pair of geta

    Well, it turns out you can't just drive over to Payless Shoes and pick up a pair in the sandal department, so I went and posted a message on alt.soc.japan.

    I got a couple helpful replies and now 6 years later:
    - speak Japanese well enough to be understood (too bad I can't understand the answers...)
    - own enough geta to hold a small festival
    - have been to Japan, including Akihabara, twice

    Not bad for a 1 year subscription to a magazine



    Now if I could just find a good bowl of ramen on Cape Cod

  2. #52
    Regular Member matshelge's Avatar
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    Mostly for understanding anything in japanese (movies, anime, Jrock) .. and to show off..

  3. #53
    Yancha-Kunoichi Chipi's Avatar
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    ..for the huge interest I have on everything concerning japanese culture, for the possible studying/working period I will have in Japan, to be able to speak with japanese people and hopefully make some japanese friends (would be fun!)...Iエm 100% certain that knowing japanese language doesnエt bring anything else but good things with it.

    ..It would be kind of cool to work for relations between Finland and Japan..embassy perhaps :P

  4. #54
    Hi Keiichi's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Chipi
    ..for the huge interest I have on everything concerning japanese culture, for the possible studying/working period I will have in Japan, to be able to speak with japanese people and hopefully make some japanese friends (would be fun!)...Iエm 100% certain that knowing japanese language doesnエt bring anything else but good things with it.
    Sounds like my reasons. Though also I'd like to enjoy more Japanese mangas and Jpop by being able to understand them on the fly.
    K1

  5. #55
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    Hi all,
    I'm new here, from Europe(Hungary). I learn Japanese in my high school, so I came here, but I don't know you all.
    I learn Japanese in my high school. This is my favourite language. It's very interesting, I think. I began to learn Japanese because here you can not so much hear about Asia, but I'd like to know all... I like the Japanese people soo much, please if you can, write me...
    Thank you! ) Arigatou gozaimasu !!

  6. #56
    Junior Member Andy's Avatar
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    Why...indeed

    I'm learn Japanese as my wife is Japanese and I'm now living in Japan
    I started when I first meet my wife, but I and a bad study and let it slip, now I'm in Japan wishing I had worked harder at it...

    Now I have a pressing need to learn, as it's hard to live in a country where you don't speak the lingo. I want to get the most out of my time here.

    I used to do Aikido too (back in NZ), I really enjoyed Aikido, but I stopped training as I reached the stage where my sensei was telling me I needed to train more often and take it seriously if I want to get higher gradings. I didn't want to commit that much time to training and miss out on family time.

  7. #57
    Regular Member philupthetank86's Avatar
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    IIIIIIIIIII got introduced into japanese through dragon ball z, i heard trunks say something in japanese and i was hooked, japanese is the coolest sounding langauge to me, and german is the second.
    Now, however, there remain faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

  8. #58
    Regular Member
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    well, im learning japanese because i had a friend who introducded me and i then became fasinated with the language and culture. i then wanted to go abroad before i left school and i wanted to go to china, since my great grandfather is chinese (wanted to know about my ancestorys culture) but wasnt allowed because i played football so i decided on Japan, and from then i have been learning. I have a year under my belt and since i have one more semester before i graduate, i am taking another japanese course and thinking about moving to Japan for good. i think because i tired of the american life, i think i can have more fun, enlightment, and opportunites in japan.

    Jamaata

  9. #59
    __________ budd's Avatar
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    bad experiences with american women (if they fine, they flaky), good experiences with NATIVE asian
    there are SO MANY encounters i've missed out on, because i couldn't read signals (or speak the language) properly over there
    ttp://www.tcvb.or.jp/

  10. #60
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    1th and main reason , women

    i wish to live there , maybe take on some exchange project
    doesn't hurt to start learning japanese early on
    i actually bought a studybook

    ~KETTOBASE`~

  11. #61
    Junior Member orchid's Avatar
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    I learn Japanese because I find the language and its culture are interesting . I'm the young generation of my family . My family had relation with Japan's military during WWII in South East Asia . My family was rescued from capture of the French . We were offered protection and installed back to our home.

  12. #62
    Junior Member Yuya's Avatar
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    I'm learning it because I'm interested in Japan and I wanna make new friends ^^

  13. #63
    Haizara ViciousBrutality's Avatar
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    i'm learning cuz

    I'm learning because I'm just interested. I like the language, culture, and all that stuff. I would love to travel to Japan one day. Maybe I'll move there and be a gainjin. Sounds good to me.

  14. #64
    Regular Member Gackt's Twin Fan's Avatar
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    I want to learn it so I can understand what all of the songs are saying so I don't have to look up it up on the enternet.
    Pretending I did not recognize,
    I was staring at the distant view from the small window.
    The echo of Angel's song is spreading through the sky,
    wafted in on the breeze.
    I see the leaves rustle in the wind, but no sound is to be heard.
    "It's just a sweet time's mischief,"
    I whispered to the sky.

    (Miserable, Gackt)

  15. #65
    Regular Member Matsuyuu's Avatar
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    I'm interested in Japanese because I love Asian culture (in general) and I'm especially interested in Japanese culture/language. I don't think learning Japanese so you can read the original manga or watch original anime is a good enough reason, but, hey, who am I to judge?
    <img src="http://www.angelfire.com/ego2/mathuzia8814/me002.jpg" width="50" height="25" border="1" alt=""> マツユー<br>
    <p align="right">"I'll be around only if you want me to be there by your side, I'm ready for you. Don't be afraid, I know what you're going through. So when you think it's time, I'm ready for you."<br>-Hoobatsank: I'll Be Around

  16. #66
    Regular Member maji's Avatar
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    actually i dont know why im that interested with japan. its just that when i was uncontent with the job i had at a design company a friend of mine told me to study japanology since im interested in japan for a longer time and thus it seems right. so i started studying that.
    but i still dont know why im actually interested in japan. i guess im just an intuitive person and if i have the feeling that i should so something i do it.

  17. #67
    Regular Member
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    I want to do a survey like that

    Hello. I want to take a survey like the one posted here, but I will be wanting to have a break down by gender, age, and so on. Is it possible to do that here on this site?

    I did not think so, so I am now working on a form on my website. I hope you can all help me.

    I just need to write an essay on why people study Japanese. Thank you.
    Kaz

  18. #68
    Regular Member MtoM's Avatar
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    I want to learn japanese cuz i want to anderstand animes and video games that many of them are japanese(take an example:detective conan)
    and also i want to make a frindship with some japanese people
    an.. maybe someday i'll visit japan..i wonder..
    意味の無い世界には、愛も意味の無いことだ。

    Are you studying at Purdu University?

  19. #69
    Regular Member CANON's Avatar
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    I'm studying japanese at university, maybei will live and work in japan someday..

  20. #70
    ~~ Carolgirl00's Avatar
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    I'm learning it because I find the language itself very intriguing and I plan on visiting Japan soon. It's pretty much been my lifelong dream to visit. =D (I haven't lived too long though. haha)

  21. #71
    Junior Member okashii77's Avatar
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    Hello all,


    I joined this forum a while back, and I visit every once in a while, but I usually do not bother posting. I guess that I have been busy...
    Anyway, I am studying Japanese because I studied Asian cultures and societies in college, and I fell in love with MOST things Japanese. I like the way the language sounds, and I believe that kanji and kana are beautiful; that is probably why I can remember them well even though I am in the US.
    Anyway, I intend to return to Japan (I did a brief stint there as an English teacher), and I really would like to avoid the "eikaiwa arena"
    Since I will not be returning for a number of years, I plan to be fluent by the time I DO return. I also plan on developing my Chinese so that I am fluent in that as well. The difficult thing is studying Chinese and Japanese at the same time...talk about confusing!!
    I am MOSTLY studying Japanese because I want a career in languages, and Japanese is one of the major ones, especially considering the fact that I want to live there...

    My plan is to perfect my Japanese, then do the same with my Chinese, and take up Korean.

    Anyway, I also am crazy abt Asian women...

  22. #72
    Kunkei Five M teru2xbouzu's Avatar
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    i got 4 specific reasons which stated above :

    - I want to talk to my Japanese friends or make some new ones
    - To read the manga or understand the anime
    - For the video games
    - I am interested in Japanese culture/language, etc

  23. #73
    Junior Member
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    Ive always been interested in anything Japanese and I would love to be able to communicate with my Japanese friend and read Japanese *she sent me a book written by Toshiaki Karasawa and it's all in Japanese*

  24. #74
    Junior Member NotAPrettyGirl's Avatar
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    I live in Japan.

  25. #75
    Regular Member samuraitora's Avatar
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    I envy you, but wonder a little about your nic, NotAPrettyGirl.
    ja mata
    samuraitora
    (^_-)/

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