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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