Languages spoken in Japan
Asia · Capital: Tokyo · Population 123.2 million
The official language of Japan is Japanese. An estimated 95% of the population speaks it as a first or additional language, or roughly 117 million people. The only other recorded language is Korean, at 0.5% of the population. Japanese belongs to the Japonic language family. In total, two languages are recorded in Japan, and their shares add up to 95.5% of the population, which implies the average resident speaks about 1.0 of them.
What languages are spoken in Japan?
| Language | Share of population | Status | Estimated speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| JapaneseJaponic | 95% | Official | 117 million |
| KoreanKoreanic | 0.5% | Spoken | 640,650 |
Percentages are the share of the population that speaks each language, including as a second language, so they add up to well over 100% in multilingual countries. Speaker counts are estimates derived from the percentage and the country's population, not counted figures.
What is the official language of Japan?
The official language of Japan is Japanese. Japanese is spoken by an estimated 95% of the population, or roughly 117 million people, counting both first-language and additional speakers.
Official status comes from Unicode CLDR. It distinguishes languages that are official nationwide, those used as de facto official without being named in law, and those official only in particular regions or territories.
How many people speak Japanese in Japan?
An estimated 95% of Japan's 123.2 million people speak Japanese, which works out at roughly 117 million speakers. That figure is derived from the population and the reported share, and it counts second-language speakers, so it is an estimate rather than a census count.
Key facts about Japan
- Capital
- Tokyo
- Population
- 123.2 million
- Continent
- Asia
- Area
- 377,930 km²
- Currency
- JPY
- Languages recorded
- 2
- Land borders
- None
- ISO codes
- JP / JPN / 392
Explore more
Language shares, population, and official status: Unicode CLDR. Capital, area, borders, and currency: mledoze/countries (ODbL 1.0). Flag image: flagcdn.com. Speaker counts are estimates derived from population and reported share.