Introduction to Japanese
From centuries of isolation, Japan has developed a language very different from other Asian languages, such as Mandarin or Korean. However, over the centuries, Japan has started using loan words, or gairaigo from other languages, such as "hon" (a Chinese word for "book") and within the last century, has been using many words from the English language, modified to fit the Japanese language. Some examples of these words include "anime", short for animation, "gitaa", meaning guitar, and "tenisu", meaning tennis.