MARCH 2000 QUESTIONS
- (Manda)
What is the title of the world's first novel?
The earliest surviving novel known today is Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji). You can read about it in the page "Who wrote the first novel in the world, and what was it about?" in our Tradition and Culture section.
- (Philippa, Australia)
What Asian languages besides Japanese use kanji writing?
Aside from Japanese, Chinese characters are used in the Chinese and Korean languages, although today Koreans mainly use their own script, called han'gul. The word kanji, by the way, refers specifically to the Japanese adaptation of Chinese characters.
- (Chris, U.S.A.)
When should you add -san to a person's name? When you are speaking with them, or about them?
There's no simple answer: In both cases it's polite to add -san after the name, but what you call a person depends on the relationship as well as the situation. If you're friends, you might use -chan or -kun instead or might not add anything at all. If you're talking about someone within your group (your family, company, and so on) with an outsider, it's considered proper manners to leave out the -san. For lessons on the Japanese language, visit our Language Lab!
- (Lauren)
How tall is Mt. Fuji?
To find out, go to either the "Opening of Climbing Season on Mt. Fuji" page in our Annual Calendar section or "What is the highest mountain in Japan?" in Nature and Climate!
- (Pincess)
How much rice does Japan make per year?
According to the Ministry of Forestry and Fisheries, in 1999 about 9,175,000 metric tons of rice were produced in Japan.
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