日語 / 日语
Rìyǔcolloquial
In Chinese, the phrase for the Japanese language can be expressed in several ways, with 日語 / 日语 (Rìyǔ) being the default form. Wiktionary also lists 日文 (Rìwén) and 日本話 / 日本话 (Rìběnhuà).
Meaning: Japanese language (name)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 日語 / 日语 | Rìyǔ | colloquial |
| 日文 | Rìwén | literary |
| 日本話 / 日本话 | Rìběnhuà | rare |
| 日本語 / 日本语 | Rìběnyǔ | rare |
| 日本文 | Rìběnwén | rare |
When talking about the ability to speak or the study of the language, 日語 / 日语 or 日文 are the standard choices.
What does it mean word for word?
The character 日 (rì) used in these terms literally means 'sun' or 'day', serving as a shorthand for 'Japan' (日本).
Which one should you use?
日文 (Rìwén) is frequently used to refer to the written form of the Japanese language or Japanese literature. The forms 日本話 / 日本话, 日本語 / 日本语 and 日本文 are considered rare.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
日語 / 日语 is a colloquial way to refer to the language. 日文 is used in more literary contexts. For referring to Japanese people in a formal setting, use 日本人.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
Rìyǔ
Did you know?
- Even though the term 日本語 is technically correct, using it in a Chinese conversation can actually make you sound more like a Japanese speaker than a Chinese one.
- In some contexts, using the term 日本語 might actually sound more like you are speaking Chinese than a native speaker would, as that specific combination is much more common in Japanese than in Chinese.
- If you are in a library and ask for 日文, you are specifically asking for Japanese literature or texts, whereas asking for 日語 implies you want to hear the spoken language.
Examples in context
- 我正在學日文。I am learning Japanese.This sentence shows how to express that you are currently learning 日文.Tatoeba #3742414 by egg0073, translation #975673 by ultrasaurus
- 我對日文不大了解。My knowledge of Japanese is rather poor.This sentence describes having limited knowledge of 日文.Tatoeba #1020023 by egg0073, translation #1020022 by CM
- 你花多長時間學日文？How long did it take you to learn Japanese?This sentence asks about the duration of time spent learning 日文.Tatoeba #13321251 by LeviHighway, translation #9085620 by Hybrid
- 在我们公司有一位日本人There is a Japanese person in our company.
- 我正在学习日本话I am currently learning Japanese.
- 我的朋友是个日本人My friend is Japanese.
- 我喜欢学习日语I enjoy learning Japanese.
- 嗨，你认识日本人吗？Hi, do you know any Japanese people?
- 不好意思，您会说日本话吗？Excuse me, can you speak Japanese?
- 30 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “japanese” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
