How to acquire English skills even if you don’t want to. 　Chapter 6. English in the world　6.2 Ranking of Popular Foreign Languages to Learn

　What are the most popular foreign languages among Japanese people? With the spread of the Internet, information has been borderless and companies more internationalized. If you can speak at least one foreign language, it will be useful at work and you will be able to enjoy your trips with ease.

No. 1 English

English is still the most widely spoken foreign language. It is used as an official language in countries such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia, and since many people in other countries are also learning English, it is also called the universal or official language of the world.

In Japan, English education is provided from elementary school, but despite the huge amount of time spent in English classes at junior high, high school, and university, the number of people who can speak English is still small, which has become a problem.

Most companies use scores from English examinations, TOEIC, TOEFL, etc., as reference when people find jobs or change jobs, so it is the No. 1 foreign language you should learn first.

No. 2 Chinese

With China's economic growth, the number of people learning Chinese is increasing worldwide. Since all sentences are written in Chinese characters, it is an easy foreign language for Japanese to learn.

However, pronunciation, accent, and inflection are unique to Chinese and require a considerable amount of time to master them. Nevertheless, the ability to understand Chinese characters gives Japanese people an advantage over other foreigners in learning Chinese.

No. 3 Korean

Many people may have traveled to the neighboring country of Korea. The Korean boom was sparked by Winter Sonata, and along with it, the number of people learning Korean increased.

Although the boom seems to have died down recently, the number of people learning Korean still seems to be large. It is one of the easiest languages for Japanese to learn because the grammar is very similar to that of Japanese and there are many words based on Chinese characters.

No. 4 Spanish

Spanish has many speakers not only in Spain but also in European countries and the U.S. In Japan, Spanish is often chosen as a second language by people who can speak English to some extent.

Especially in the U.S., the Hispanic population has increased, and many people can speak both English and Spanish, and it is said that if you can speak Spanish, you will have no trouble in daily life.

No. 5 French

After English, French is the second most spoken language in the world. The most famous Japanese celebrity who speaks French is Daisuke Matsui, a soccer player who played in the World Cup.

In addition to France, French is often spoken in many European countries. In Quebec, Canada, French is the official language.

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