Do they know english?

[briareos]

I was always under the impression that many young japanese these days know some english, but a recent trip to Japan seemed otherwise.

Previously, english was compulsory in school, right? So that would mean many Japanese in their 20s or younger should know english. But I did encounter some in this age group who couldn't speak a single word of it. Were there any exceptions to the regular school subjects?

In addition, was there a recent policy change to stop english from being compulsory in school?

[Bucko]

Nope, they all study it. There are two factors to this:
1) most of their study is of written English
2) they're not interested in the slightest

[KirinMan]

I was always under the impression that many young japanese these days know some english, but a recent trip to Japan seemed otherwise.
Previously, english was compulsory in school, right? So that would mean many Japanese in their 20s or younger should know english. But I did encounter some in this age group who couldn't speak a single word of it. Were there any exceptions to the regular school subjects?
In addition, was there a recent policy change to stop english from being compulsory in school?

I dont know where you got the idea that English wasnt compulsory anymore but it still is and in fact is probably going to be so soon in Elementary schools as well.

"Should know English" depends quite a bit on what your definition of should know is. Sure they study English for anywhere from 6 to 10 years depending on whether or not they attend college, however that doesnt necessarily mean that they can speak the language.

No there havent been any "policy" changes about removing English as a compulsory subject.


1) most of their study is of written English
2) they're not interested in the slightest

Number 1: Yep that is true

Number 2: That is definitely NOT true for all of the kids here, too general of a reply. I can name literally thousands of kids that have a very high level of interest in learning English.

Sure there are those that dont have an interest but not in the sense that Bucko is writing here.

[yotanf4i]

I had to learn French and Spanish in school (US Junior High on)..... still can't speak lick of either language.

[KirinMan]

I had to learn French and Spanish in school (US Junior High on)..... still can't speak lick of either language.
Do you have a chance to use them practically as in everyday conversation?

[Mike Cash]

1. It is all but impossible to fail a grade in a Japanese school.
2. Being in class for x years isn't the same as studying for x years. (See #1)

[yotanf4i]

Do you have a chance to use them practically as in everyday conversation?

I lived in San Diego... Spanish was the un-official second language.

Just like my inability to speak Spanish, its not surprising that most Japanese kids can't carry on a conversation in English.

Briareos, just talk louder at them if they don't understand the words that are coming out of your mouth. :-)

[DoctorP]

Briareos, just talk louder at them if they don't understand the words that are coming out of your mouth. :-)


Yes...speaking louder and slower is definitely the way to improve someones English skills! :p

[Arch]

Many Japanese are simply too scared to use English.

[marsans]

I'm just lucky that all of my Japanese friends are English majors! :relief:

[Pachipro]

Many Japanese are simply too scared to use English.

Truer words were never spoken. Japanese, even though they may understand and speak a fair amount of English, are just too scared to use it lest they make a mistake and embarrass themselves in front of others.

It's only those Japanese who have studied overseas or who have befriended foreigners who are not afraid to use it.

Therefore, there will always be perpetual employment for English speakers desiring to teach in Japan.

[yukio_michael]

Absolutely No. Especially the ones who pour out of Nova's pre-packaged classes, filled with boring forgettable, static coursework... There will always be people who study English to learn it... but there will always be people who study English to learn it as a fad.

[Mike Cash]

Many Japanese are simply too scared to use English.

That gives them something in common with the many foreigners who are simply too scared to use Japanese.

Isn't it wonderful how the whole world is kin?

[Gorotsuki]

I was always under the impression that many young japanese these days know some english, but a recent trip to Japan seemed otherwise.
Previously, english was compulsory in school, right? So that would mean many Japanese in their 20s or younger should know english. But I did encounter some in this age group who couldn't speak a single word of it. Were there any exceptions to the regular school subjects?
In addition, was there a recent policy change to stop english from being compulsory in school?

A lot of people take spanish in America and not a lot of people know it...I have taken spanish for 4 years and I know just about nothing.

[Glenski]

English has been semi-compulsory for decades. I actually heard that English classes are voluntary, but that 99% or more of the students take them.

Three years of junior high, three years of senior high. Start out with some grammar rules, then progress to boring grammar translation activities just to pass college entrance exams. They can speak to some degree, but it is very weak, and they are very shy about making mistakes. Not all schools have the benefit of a native English speaker to come in and help with oral communication, and even so, as mentioned earlier, motivation is low. Yes, as Obeika said, this is case by case, but by and large you will find far more kids with low motivation than those with higher motivation. I have taught in high school and university. Not much difference.

However, there is a move to stop putting English in the primary schools. It's called the current administration. Thank you, jerks. Koizumi had the ball rolling to put it in, and then PM Abe swoops down and puts the brakes on everything. Stupid.

[briareos]

Yes, I read it had something to do with Abe.. something about recent generations distancing themselves from their native language.

[maushan3]

A lot of people take spanish in America and not a lot of people know it...I have taken spanish for 4 years and I know just about nothing.

A lot of people take it, a lot of people don't, and it is not just that you take it, but that you are willing to learn from it, if you like it, I guarantee you 110% that you will now at least a little bit more than what you know now. It also helps if you talk to native speakers, so I don't know if this is within your reach.

Mauricio

[WHEATTHlNS]

Many people are simply too scared to use a foreign language.

Corrected. There were some folks who were "students of the language" who REFUSED to use Japanese when I was with them. It's very intimidating because:

1. People will assume youre FLUENT in the language and not able to use it as a utility.

2. Folks just aren't comfortable in their ability to speak to NATIVE speakers as they are to non-natives.

[JerseyBoy]

I have to agree with the comments posted in this thread. It is a rare breed of Japanese who can communicate in English comfortably and confidently. I am fortunate enough to be away from Japan for many years so I can pretend to be a foreigner who has learned Japanese. Learning simple conversational phrases will not get you far as you would be hard pressed to find the content you want to speak of or discuss (it seems students at English conversation schools tend to learn "filler talks" instead of picking up the foreign language with which they can discuss more meaningful subjects). Even at my work place (which is a subsidiary of a USA company), only some of my Japanese colleagues can speak smoothly and articulately. Most of them speak in very stilted English.

[GaijinPunch]

I find it ironic that most people doing the "Japanese can't speak English" finger pointing are native English speakers...traditionally the worst foreign language speakers on the planet. Yeah, the average Japanese' English is awful. At least some of them try though.

[KirinMan]

I find it ironic that most people doing the "Japanese can't speak English" finger pointing are native English speakers...traditionally the worst foreign language speakers on the planet. Yeah, the average Japanese' English is awful. At least some of them try though.

You make a great point here, I often get the feeling that "native" speakers expect Japanese people to speak perfect or flawless English.

[Glenski]

Ironic, perhaps true, GaijinPunch, but isn't it equally ironic that after 6 years of study in junior and senior high, most Japanese can barely muster more than the robotic, "how are you? I'm fine, thank you. And, you?"

[JimmySeal]

Ironic, perhaps true, GaijinPunch, but isn't it equally ironic that after 6 years of study in junior and senior high, most Japanese can barely muster more than the robotic, "how are you? I'm fine, thank you. And, you?"
Not as ironic as you might think, when you consider how it's taught. They're not so much learning English as they are learning about English, with the teachers talking in Japanese for most of the class time, and the students learning grammar rules the same way they would learn math theorems, it's more like a chemistry class than a language class. And little focus is placed on speaking. As long as the students can muster something resembling a coherent sentence every few class periods, they're par for the course. You can't tremendously fault them for applying the same teaching methods they use in other classes, but it doesn't work.
With little actual language learning and not much practice afterwards, anything that was successfully acquired is soon forgotten when they stop taking classes.

Other countries suffer from this too, but maybe not as much. Many students study Spanish for four years in the US and can't muster much more than a "hola." I'd be curious to know how English is taught in countries where most people learn to use it proficiently.

[GaijinPunch]

Yeah, what Jimmy said. Seriously, look at kids that take Spanish all through junior high and high school, with a LOT of hispanic influence all around them (at least in the South) yet, can't string much of a sentence together. English->Spanish is arguably a cakewalk compared to Japanese->English to boot.

[KirinMan]

Round and round it goes but all fingers should be pointing in the direction of the culprit of all of this.......University Entrance Exams and by default High School Entrance Exams.

[frmain]

My friend Emiri came over to New Zealand a year ago, she couldn't speak very much English before that. She studied hard every day and she tries really hard to speak in English. She's gone back to Japan now and has decided to learn Chinese instead - but every Japanese person I've met has always been very interested in English and how to speak it. I doubt it would be the same if I went to Japan - where a lot of people don't ever need to speak English.

[JerseyBoy]

It seems your friend Emiri may not be able to learn Chinese either as she was not able to learn English despite her hard work. Some people are not cut out well for learning foreign languages, I believe.

[gaijinalways]

Hmm, I still know some Spanish sentences and I never formally studied it. I think most Japanese don't see the connection between learning a language and using it for communication and broadening your horizons. Then again, many other people don't see the communication/cultural connection, so the Japanese are not the only ones who fail to make good use of what they learn linguistically.

[diceke]

I was always under the impression that many young japanese these days know some english, but a recent trip to Japan seemed otherwise.

Previously, english was compulsory in school, right? So that would mean many Japanese in their 20s or younger should know english. But I did encounter some in this age group who couldn't speak a single word of it. Were there any exceptions to the regular school subjects?

In addition, was there a recent policy change to stop english from being compulsory in school?
Most Japanese are proudly monolingual. :souka:

Actually, the question should be: "Do you know Japanese?"
Or are you one of those victims of linguistic imperialism?

[JimmySeal]

My friend Emiri came over to New Zealand a year ago, she couldn't speak very much English before that. She studied hard every day and she tries really hard to speak in English. She's gone back to Japan now and has decided to learn Chinese instead - but every Japanese person I've met has always been very interested in English and how to speak it. I doubt it would be the same if I went to Japan - where a lot of people don't ever need to speak English.

It seems your friend Emiri may not be able to learn Chinese either as she was not able to learn English despite her hard work. Some people are not cut out well for learning foreign languages, I believe.
I think anyone can learn a language if they go about it the right way, but I doubt anyone would have an easier time learning Chinese as a second language rather than English. What was the end result, frmain? Did Emiri's English improve? Why did she stop studying English?

[crouk]

When I was there, I found a lot of Japanese who adress us to speak english. But they didn't know that our english was VERY bad!! :relief: