Let’s get the elephant out of the room: I am Asian. To be specific, I am of half Chinese and half Korean decent. Some people might quickly assume I am bilingual or multilingual because of my parents’ background. My mom’s first language was Japanese (she was born and raised in Japan) and my father’s was Chinese. There are many Asian Americans who have learned their parents’ mother tongue, English, and manage to speak both languages fluently as they get older.
In my case, however, I did not learn any of my family’s language. When I was starting kindergarten, I went up to my mom and asked her if she could teach me Japanese. She turned me down. I remember her telling me that when I get older and master English, she can teach me.
Since then, my desire to learn my mom’s language has gone back-and-forth. When I got to high school, I had to take one of the three languages offered: Spanish, French, and German. I chose Spanish because I heard it was very easy. After years of saying “Hola” and “Cual es tu telephone?” I started to lose interest in learning another language. When I asked mom again, she mentioned that she would teach me if I really wanted to know. I had gotten lazy with the idea of learning another language - until spring break.
I want to break my laziness by getting back into learning Japanese. There are many reasons why I want to learn Japanese at 22 years old. However, I have five primary reasons why I am learning Japanese:
1. It is fun to learn!
I grew up watching “Shin-chan,” “Doraemon,” and “Apamon” from my mom’s relatives’ VHS tapes. All of the cartoon shows were in Japanese, but I pretended to know what they were saying. I do the same thing to Anime, especially now. I also remember some of the phrases and words mom had spoken in front of me such as “Arigatou Gozaimasu” (Thank you), “Daijobudeska?” (Are you okay?), and “Abunaidesu!” (Be careful or watch out). Since I am only learning simple words and phrases, I plan to take that advantage. Plus, it will be great to know what my favorite characters are saying.
2. It challenges me.
Not only it is fun, it is also a great way to work my brain. Since I am mostly studying my major and applying for scholarships, I have some time to study Japanese. Mom can be strict, but it benefits me because she can correct me if I am not pronouncing a word correctly. Japanese words are usually flat and doesn’t require the tongue. It may be difficult for me because my mother tongue is American English. However, I am the type of person who loves to learn and is willing to take on a challenge. I will fully commit to myself for learning from mom.
3. Letting my mom make fun of me.
Mom can be blunt while teaching me. However, if I mess up she will comment: “You obviously sound American” or “The more you said it, it gets worse.” Oh, mom. So real, so funny.
4. Brings me closer to my mom’s culture.
Japan was my mom’s birthplace. She has mentioned what it is like to live in a country that is across the sea from me. Even though most of her memories were not pleasant, it motivates me to learn the language. Mom may not be able to teach me how to be fluent in the language, but I get to appreciate where my mom came from.
5. Bonding with my mom.
It goes back to what I said in number three. Not only do I want to learn from mom and let her make fun of me, it lets me become closer to my mom. She may think differently, but that is how I see it. Learning Japanese is not just challenging myself. It is not just about getting to know her culture. I am learning Japanese from my mom so I don’t have to let her and my kindergarten self down.
