What should I consentrate more on: Japanese or Chinese?

Question

And why... I know some japanese and no chinese but i speak english. And if chinese, i need a free on line site the teaches the roman way(not symbols) and maybe japanese as well

Answer 1

It all depends on why you want to study one of those languages in the first place. Learning either will help you to a degree in learning the other because of the similarity in the writing system because learning kanji/hanzi is the most time consuming of either language.
I've been learning both for a while. Chinese is more difficult to pronounce and there are more characters to learn but the grammar is quite straight forward and much closer to English grammar than Japanese. Japanese uses less characters, but each character can between 2 and 6 different pronunciations where as the majority of those used in Chinese only have one (if by Chinese you mean Mandarin). And the grammar in Japanese is very different from English.
It all comes down on who you want to talk to. Japanese are more friendly, polite, intelligent and very generous. Chinese are generally rude, dirty, condescending and brainwashed. (Taiwan also speaks Chinese and they are also very friendly and polite etc. but it only has 23 million people)
If you're planning on just using it for business remember, half the people in China don't speak Chinese and the few who have the opportunities to explore business ventures have had special connections and private English classes since they were 6. The vast majority of Chinese aren't even allowed to go to Hong Kong by their own government, how many of them do you think you'll run into. Japanese on the other hand don't need visas to most countries but many are poor at English.
But as others said, it's unlikely you'll learn anything on line. At least go to the bookstore and buy some CD's

Answer 2

If you were taking a class, I'd say learn Chinese first. You learn a lot more of the characters when you study Chinese, and it would be useful for studying Japanese.

But since you are studying on your own, I would say concentrate on whichever one has the most materials available to you. Is there a cable channel in Japanese or Chinese that you can watch? Which language has more titles in your video store? Can you hang out with foreign exchange students who speak either language? Which textbooks and regular books are available in your local library? And does your library subcribe to magazines or newspapers in either language? (You might find some in a college library.) Finally, are there any courses offered in your high school or college?

The best way to learn is to go there; China is cheaper, but I have a feeling it's a little more wilder than Japan.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Chinese is a LOT more commonly spoken but much harder to learn.
Japanese isnt that common (other than in Japan of course) but it a little easier to learn.

Personally I learned quite a bit of Japanese - kinda fun really

And a web site wont be so effective - Suck it up and buy a book or take a class - They'll work much better.

Answer 4

well i think both of them would be neat to learn they both have alot to learn about other then the languages amazing countries to start of with. if i had to pick one or the other i would pick Chinese to start out with. but since you already know some Japanese start with that. I like how everyone has to put some else down because of there spelling no punctuations or the way they worded something. as if they were perfect! Sorry about that had to get that out of my system i see it alot on here and it bothers me! it's good that you want to learn something else. I'm teaching myself German and then after that working my way to other languages.

Answer 5

It depends.
If you go down the japanese road, you get some really cool writing systems, fun words, and fewer dialects.
Chinese is a little similer, but only one writing system, and 24 dialects. Choose which one looks better to you.

Answer 6

Neither as you're depending on learning the language through the Internet in a romanized, bastardized form. This is a useless way of "learning" and you'll get no way very quickly.
Just go to school, learn how to write better English, and take foreign language classes there.

Answer 7

Japanese and Chinese seem to be the new languages of business. Your browser should take you to many free sites.

Answer 8

Chinese. Many more people speak it than Japanese. Besides, it's a more popular second lanuguage than Japanese.

Answer 9

Chinese, because there are more chinese around the world.
japanese are much less than chinese. and it is hard to find job in japan.

Answer 10

chinese is good for the futer but japanese is way more easy to learn belive me! i know!