Japanese vs Korean: Which Language Should You Learn?

So you're trying to decide between Japanese and Korean? I get it. Both languages have amazing content to consume, interesting cultures to explore, and they're both pretty different from English. The good news is that Japanese and Korean actually share some similarities that make comparing them easier than you'd think. Let's break down the real differences in writing systems, grammar, pronunciation, and what actually matters when you're choosing which one to learn first.

Writing systems: the biggest difference you'll notice

Here's the thing about Japanese and Korean writing systems. They look equally intimidating at first, but they work completely differently once you start learning them.

Korean uses Hangul, an alphabet created in the 15th century specifically to be easy to learn. It has 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels that combine into syllable blocks. You can legitimately learn to read Hangul in a few hours. Seriously. The consonant shapes were designed to show how your mouth moves when you pronounce them. The letter ㄱ (g/k sound) kind of looks like the back of your tongue touching your soft palate. Pretty cool design.

Japanese uses three writing systems at once. Hiragana and Katakana are syllabaries with about 46 characters each. Hiragana handles native Japanese words and grammar particles, while Katakana writes foreign loanwords. Then there's Kanji, the Chinese characters. You need around 2,000 kanji to read a newspaper comfortably. Each kanji can have multiple readings depending on context. The word can be read as "nama" (raw), "sei" (life), "u" (to be born), and several other ways.

The practical difference? You can start reading basic Korean text within your first week of study. With Japanese, you'll spend months just getting comfortable with the writing system. But here's what people don't tell you: kanji actually helps with vocabulary retention once you get past the initial learning curve. Chinese characters carry meaning, so you can often guess what a word means even if you've never seen it before.

Korean's Hangul might seem easier initially, but the syllable blocks can be tricky. The same consonant can be written slightly differently depending on whether it appears at the start or end of a syllable. And double consonants look almost identical to single ones but sound completely different.

Grammar similarities and differences

Japanese and Korean grammar are surprisingly similar. Both languages use Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, which feels backward if you're an English speaker. In English, you say "I eat rice." In Japanese and Korean, the structure is "I rice eat."

Both languages use particles after nouns to mark grammatical function. Japanese uses は (wa) for topics and を (wo) for direct objects. Korean uses 은/는 (eun/neun) for topics and 을/를 (eul/reul) for direct objects. The logic is basically the same.

Verb conjugation works similarly too. Both languages attach endings to verb stems to show tense, politeness, and other grammatical information. Neither language has articles (no "a" or "the"), and both drop subjects constantly when context makes them clear.

The differences show up in the details. Korean has more complex consonant and vowel changes when you attach endings. Japanese keeps things more regular. Korean distinguishes between past tense actions that affect the present and those that don't. Japanese handles this differently through context and additional words.

Honorifics and politeness levels exist in both languages, but Korean takes it further. Korean has multiple speech levels you switch between depending on who you're talking to. Japanese mainly distinguishes between casual and polite forms, with some extra humble and respectful vocabulary for specific situations.

Pronunciation challenges for English speakers

Korean pronunciation trips up learners more than Japanese does initially. Korean has consonants that English doesn't have, including three different "k" sounds, three different "t" sounds, and three different "p" sounds. These distinguish between plain, aspirated, and tense consonants. To English speakers, they sound almost identical at first.

Korean vowels include sounds that don't exist in English. The difference between ㅓ (eo) and ㅗ (o) is subtle but crucial. Get it wrong and you might say "nose" instead of "chestnut" or accidentally insult someone.

Japanese pronunciation is more forgiving for English speakers. It has five vowels (a, i, u, e, o) that stay pretty consistent. The consonant inventory is smaller and most sounds exist in English already. The main challenge is pitch accent, which most textbooks ignore. Japanese uses pitch to distinguish words. (bridge) and (chopsticks) are both pronounced "hashi" but with different pitch patterns.

Japanese syllable structure is simpler. Almost every syllable ends in a vowel (except for "n"). This makes Japanese easier to pronounce clearly, though English speakers often struggle with the reduced "u" sound and distinguishing between long and short vowels.

Korean syllables can end in consonants, and the final consonant sounds get neutralized in specific ways. The letter ㄱ at the end of a syllable doesn't sound like a full "k" but more like a stopped sound in your throat. This takes practice.

Both languages have sounds that shift depending on what comes before or after them. Korean has more of these sound changes, which makes it harder to recognize words when listening compared to reading.

Why Japanese and Korean sound similar to outsiders

People always ask why do Japanese and Korean sound similar when they're actually unrelated languages. The answer is prosody and rhythm.

Both languages have relatively even stress patterns compared to English. English has strong stress differences between syllables (think "PHOtograph" vs "phoTOGraphy"). Japanese and Korean distribute stress more evenly across words, giving them both a smoother, more rhythmic quality.

Both languages also share some vocabulary borrowed from Chinese. When you hear Korean and Japanese speakers discussing academic or formal topics, you'll catch similar-sounding words. The Korean word for "student" is 학생 (haksaeng) and the Japanese word is (gakusei). Both come from the same Chinese characters.

The intonation patterns differ though. Korean has more pitch variation within sentences, while Japanese uses pitch accent on individual words. Once you've studied either language for a while, they stop sounding similar at all.

Do Japanese and Korean share words?

Yes, but not because they're related languages. Both Japanese and Korean borrowed heavily from Chinese over centuries. Around 60% of Korean vocabulary and 50% of Japanese vocabulary comes from Chinese characters.

This means Japanese and Korean share thousands of cognates through Chinese. The word for "telephone" is 전화 (jeonhwa) in Korean and (denwa) in Japanese. "University" is 대학 (daehak) in Korean and (daigaku) in Japanese.

If you know Chinese characters (or even Mandarin), you get a massive head start in both languages. The readings differ, but the meanings stay consistent.

Beyond Chinese borrowings, Korean has adopted some Japanese words during the occupation period, though many have been replaced with native Korean alternatives in recent decades. Japanese has borrowed very few Korean words historically.

Is Japanese or Korean easier to learn?

The honest answer depends on what you find difficult.

Korean is easier at the beginning. Hangul takes hours to learn versus months for Japanese writing systems. You can start reading Korean street signs and restaurant menus almost immediately.

Japanese becomes more manageable in the intermediate stages. The grammar stays relatively regular, and kanji helps you distinguish between homophones. Korean has tons of words that sound identical but mean completely different things, which gets confusing without context.

The Foreign Service Institute rates both languages as Category IV, requiring 2,200 hours of study for English speakers to reach professional proficiency. In practice, most learners find Korean slightly faster to reach conversational ability but Japanese easier to progress in long-term.

Pronunciation-wise, Japanese is easier for most English speakers to produce clearly. Korean's consonant and vowel distinctions require more ear training.

For reading, Korean wins hands down initially. But once you've invested the time in kanji, Japanese reading becomes efficient because the characters carry so much information in compact form.

Choosing based on your goals and interests

Forget about which language is "easier" and think about why you actually want to learn.

If you're into K-pop, K-dramas, or Korean food culture, learn Korean. You'll stay motivated because you can engage with content you already love. Korean variety shows are genuinely funny once you understand the language, and Korean YouTube has exploded in the past few years.

If you're into anime, manga, Japanese games, or traditional Japanese culture, obviously go with Japanese. The amount of Japanese content available is staggering. Light novels, visual novels, Japanese YouTube, Japanese Netflix shows, there's endless material.

For business, consider where you want to work. Japan has the larger economy overall, but South Korea dominates in specific industries like semiconductors, entertainment, and cosmetics. Both countries have aging populations and need foreign workers in various fields.

For travel, both countries are amazing to visit. Japan has more English signage in major cities, but Korea's Hangul is easier to read as a learner. Both countries have regions where English is rare and knowing the local language transforms your experience.

Learning resources and time to fluency

Both Korean and Japanese have solid learning resources available in 2026. Apps like Duolingo, Busuu, and LingoDeer cover both languages. For textbooks, Japanese has Genki and Minna no Nihongo. Korean has Korean Grammar in Use and Talk to Me in Korean.

The Korean learning community has grown massively thanks to Hallyu (the Korean Wave). Talk to Me in Korean produces excellent free content. For Japanese, resources like Tae Kim's Grammar Guide and various Anki decks have been around longer and are more developed.

Time to fluency varies by person, but expect at least two years of consistent study to reach conversational fluency in either language. Reading fluency takes longer, especially for Japanese where you need to build up your kanji knowledge.

Both languages benefit hugely from immersion learning. Watching shows, reading books, and listening to podcasts in your target language accelerates progress way more than textbook study alone.

Can learning one help with the other?

Absolutely. The grammar similarities mean that once you understand particles and SOV word order in one language, the other makes way more sense. The honorific systems share similar logic even if the specific forms differ.

If you learn Japanese first, Korean grammar will feel familiar. You'll struggle with pronunciation and Hangul initially, but the grammatical concepts transfer over. If you learn Korean first, Japanese grammar is easier, but you still have to tackle the writing system from scratch.

The Chinese-origin vocabulary helps both directions. If you've memorized that (gakkou) means "school" in Japanese, recognizing 학교 (hakgyo) in Korean becomes easier.

Some people learn both simultaneously, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have a specific reason. The similar grammar can cause interference where you mix up particles or endings between the languages.

Which should you choose?

Pick the language connected to content and culture you already consume. If you watch more Korean dramas than anime, learn Korean. If you read more manga than webtoons, learn Japanese.

Both languages open doors to rich cultures, interesting people, and career opportunities. Both are challenging for English speakers but totally learnable with consistent effort. Korean gives you faster initial progress and easier reading. Japanese offers more content variety and useful kanji knowledge that extends to Chinese.

The "best" choice is whichever one you'll actually stick with for the long haul. Language learning takes years, so pick the one that excites you enough to keep going when it gets tough.

If you want to actually immerse yourself in Japanese or Korean content while learning, Migaku's browser extension lets you look up words instantly while watching shows or reading articles. You can create flashcards from real content you care about instead of generic textbook sentences. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.