Why are Japanese people so bad at English, compared to other developed countries?

[Anonymous]

They're basically the richest country in Asia, and yet their English skills are so poor compared those of Singaporeans and Europeans. In Tokyo, I asked a group of office workers at a train stop, "Does anyone speak English?" because I needed help with the vending machine. All these men and women in their fancy suits stood there frozen. Even the young people, who looked like teens in school, couldn't understand. The hotel staff had to use a physical clock because she didn't know how to say "check out is at 3." I went to a touristy cafe, yet the waiter didn't understand the word "sugar" when I said it 5 times politely and slowly.

Updates

+1 y

Suprisingly, when I went to Thailand, people there spoke way better than Japanese people. Keep in mind, Thailand is nowhere as rich as Japan. Come on, you're the richest nation in Asia. You have all these international companies, you should know better English.

[SnowedIn]

I disagree with you. Perhaps that was your experience but that wasn't mine when I lived there for four years. Or my wife's. Or her family. Or the experience my friends have had.

Perhaps they chose not to speak English to you while you were there. I have seen that happen.

[Ironic_Method]

I wonder how your Japanese is...

You also explained it in your post, potentially. Nevermind that your limited interaction isn't a good baseline to judge all Japanese on their English, but the other countries depend more on English and tourism for their income. Weird that you complain about visiting another country and expecting them to know your language better.

[Asker]

Oh shut up. I'm Vietnamese. My little cousins in Vietnam speak better English. Since Japan is such a rich country with companies everywhere (Sony, Toyota, etc), I assumed their English would be great to do international business. I figured a richer country would have more drive to speak better English, kinda like how Germans, Swiss, etc. are amazing at English.

[Asker]

Heck, even Vietnamese people talk about how badly Japanese people speak English. I've seen articles about "why can't Japanese speak good English?" Tại sao người nhật nói tiếng anh kém?

[Anonymous]

and why would you expect a country that doesn’t have English as their native language to know English simply so they can communicate with you? if you’re going to visit a country, then you should learn the basics of that language if you want to communicate with the people there.

[jennifer_bloom]

What if Japanese people start complaining about how nobody at Burger King can say burger or poutine in Japanese?

[Asker]

It isn't the same, as English is the international language. Since Japan is such a rich country with companies everywhere (Sony, Toyota, etc), I assumed their English would be great to do internaitional business. Besides, I'm Vietnamese. My little cousins in a small city in Vietnam speak better English than these business workers in their expensive suits in Tokyo. I've read articles in Vietnamese that say "Japanese people are bad at English." I'm trying to understand why. "Tại sao người Nhật Bản lại kém tiếng Anh?" Why are Japanese bad at English?

[Noodle_fan]

u can't compare japan and thailand , thailand is heavily depend on tourism as their main income so it is obvious they can speak English better

many japanese people are just proud , they refuse to speak English on their country , they prefer gaijin (or foreginer) to adapt instead , by learning to speak japanese

tokyo is actually not that bad , there are less people who speak English in other main cities there , like osaka , kyoto , fukuoka , sapporo etc

[Asker]

I see, so it's because of pride. Since Japan is such a rich country with companies everywhere (Sony, Toyota, etc), I assumed their English would be great to do international business. I also went to Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. Their English was worse than in Tokyo, so I didn't even bothering mentioning them.

[Noodle_fan]

yes , also , they also have very strong of culture , which make them less likely willing to adapt to other cultures from different countries , especially western

you may want to try to use translator on your phone , it is not perfect , but it helps a bit

if you like japan , you may also south korea. south korea is way more westernized than japan , the people there speak English better

[Asker]

I also went to South Korea and Taiwan. Their English was soooo much better than Japanese people. Heck, at this quaint bubble tea shop in Taiwan, the owner was this 50-year-old woman and even she knew how to say, "That's 50 dollars, thank you." In Japan, the hotel staff didn't even know the number 3 in English.

[FunkyMonkee]

I can easily understand them wanting to speak their lingo! It IS their country! Just like how I hate everything being thrown at me in Spanish instead of English! I can't help it iif they haven't learned the language! Why do I have to learn a foreign language ion my own country! They wanna come live here, learn English!! If they need help with that, fine! I don't mind helping.

[FunkyMonkee]

I think I've seen WAY more American's butcher the hell out of English, at least in the past 30 years, than I've seen or heard Japanese do it most of my life! At least with Japanese people, you can EXPECT and accept them making a mistake since, it's not their native tongue! Younger Americans, today, don't even know the difference between "woman" and "women"!! And, they're the WORST when it comes to synonyms!!

[DryGermanGuy]

And! what’s! with! the! use! of!!! after! every! sentence? !!!

[FunkyMonkee]

@DryGermanGuy What's with the use of it after every WORD?

[Pyrofox]

I think its in large part due their primitive superiority complex about their own language. Hinders their ability to learn languages outside of their own cultural standards. You'll have better results asking teens than adults in Japan.

[Asker]

I did ask teens. Some of the young waiters at cafe and restaurant barely knew "10 yen" or "sugar" in English. In Korea and Taiwan, their English is way better. Heck, at this quaint bubble tea shop in Taiwan, the owner was this middle-aged woman and even she knew how to say, "That's 50 dollars, thank you." In Japan, the hotel staff didn't even know the number 3 in English.

[Avicenna]

English is an official language in Singapore, the lingua franca and the language of education.

Japanese is not related to English in the least; most European languages are either closely related or at least much close than Japanese

[Asker]

Yes, I know Japanese is completely different to English in terms of everything. Doesn't explain why Thais, Koreans, and Taiwanese speak better than Japanese people. I had an easier time communicating in those countries than in Japan.

[Asker]

Imagine working in a hotel in the biggest city in the world and not knowing how to say "check-out time is..."

[Avicenna]

Koreans make a much greater effort to learn English than Japanese do, but their economy is more tied to foreign trade than the Japanese economy. Same thing with the Taiwanese. Thailand has a lot of tourism. I don't know what it's like today, but knowledge of English in Thailand overall was relatively poor in the late 1990s.

[Avicenna]

I see that you're Vietnamese. Your government has made a very big effort to improve knowledge of English. Not every country's government does that.

[Anonymous]

You went to Japan and expected them to know how to speak your language in their home country? How arrogant can you get?

To answer your ignorant question, it's because, as you said, Japan is a rich country. They don't have to speak English. Other, less wealthy countries, have more motivation to learn the most spoken language in the world.

[Asker]

Oh shut up. I'm Vietnamese. My little cousins in Vietnam speak better English. I am not arrogant or forcing all Japanese people to speak English. Since Japan is such a rich country with companies everywhere (Sony, Toyota, etc), I assumed their English would be great to do international business. No arrogance here, dumbo. I figured a richer country would have more drive to speak better English, kinda like how Germans, Swiss, etc. are amazing at English. Besides, I encountered better English-speakers in Korea and Taiwan.

[Asker]

Heck, even Vietnamese people talk about how badly Japanese people speak English. I've seen articles about "why can't Japanese speak good English?" Tại sao người nhật nói tiếng anh kém?

[Opinion Owner]

Người Nhật không có lý do gì để học nói tiếng Anh hơn là học tiếng Quan Thoại, tiếng Đức hay tiếng Nga. Hãy suy nghĩ về nó.

[Asker]

No, English is the language of business. Thus, I think Japanese people would have more reason to learn English than to learn German. I have cousins in German, and they were required to learn English in school. My cousin travels around Europe and does presentations using English -- Greece, Norway, and Czech.

[Asker]

in Germany*

[Asker]

Also, English is everywhere -- in songs, movies, and books. Heck, Japanese uses a lot of English loan words. A door is a "do-a." Saw that a lot in Japan. An elevator is an "erebeta."

[gothbxtch]

yikes this is. racist. how well can you speak japanese?

[Blueeyes81]

One could ask why your Japanese is so poor? It's pretty asinine to be a travler and expect them to speak your language.

[Asker]

You're comparing apples to oranges. English is the international language. Since Japan is such a rich country with companies everywhere (Sony, Toyota, etc), I assumed their English would be great to do international business. It's just the logical thing to assume. Besides, I'm Vietnamese and have seen articles online that say "why are Japanese bad at English?" "Tại sao người Nhật Bản lại kém tiếng Anh?"

[Anonymous]

Why are English-speaking people so bad at Japanese?

[Asker]

I'm Vietnamese. My little cousins in a small city in Vietnam speak better English than these business workers in their expensive suits in Tokyo. I've read articles in Vietnamese that say "Japanese people are bad at English." I'm trying to understand why. "Tại sao người Nhật Bản lại kém tiếng Anh?" Why are Japanese bad at English?

[slatyb]

How many languages do you speak?

[Asker]

Two. I'm Vietnamese. I've read articles in Vietnamese that say "Japanese people are bad at English." "Tại sao người Nhật Bản lại kém tiếng Anh?" I'm trying to understand why. Since Japan is such a rich country with companies everywhere (Sony, Toyota, etc), I assumed their English would be great to do international business.

[slatyb]

Cool, at least you are judging with some understanding of what it takes to learn a second language. Are you still in Vietnam, or have you emigrated to an English-speaking country?

You would think -- they have a huge program to bring native English speakers into their high schools. My sister did this for four years. I think it's hard to learn any language until you are immersed in it. I never judge anyone for a lack of fluency in English because I'm monolingual.

[provokeesmokee]

Lol, what an American. 🤣

[Asker]

Oh shut up, I'm Vietnamese. My little cousins in a small city in Vietnam speak better English than these business workers in their expensive suits in Tokyo. I've read articles in Vietnamese that say "Japanese people are bad at English." I'm trying to understand why. "Tại sao người Nhật Bản lại kém tiếng Anh?" Why are Japanese bad at English?