HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The classical Japanese language ( ''bungo'', "literary language"), also called "old writing" ( ''kobun''), sometimes simply called "Medieval Japanese" is the literary form of the
Japanese language is spoken natively by about 128 million people, primarily by Japanese people and primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language. Japanese belongs to the Japonic or Japanese- Ryukyuan language family. There have been ...
that was the standard until the early
Shōwa period Shōwa may refer to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian ...
(1926–1989). It is based on
Early Middle Japanese is a stage of the Japanese language between 794 and 1185, which is known as the Heian Period(). The successor to Old Japanese(), it is also known as Late Old Japanese. However, the term "Early Middle Japanese" is preferred, as it is closer to ...
, the language as spoken during the
Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...
(794–1185), but exhibits some later influences. Its use started to decline during the late
Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
(1868–1912) when novelists started writing their works in the spoken form. Eventually, the spoken style came into widespread use, including in major newspapers, but many official documents were still written in the old style. After the
end of World War II End of World War II can refer to: * End of World War II in Europe * End of World War II in Asia {{set index
Bungo Nyūmon: A Brief Introduction to Classical Japanese

Bart. "Book Review: ''A Grammar of Classical Japanese'' by Akira Komai", ''Monumenta Nipponica,'' Vol. 34, No. 4 (Winter, 1979), pp. 501-504.Dictionaries for Classical Japanese
{{DEFAULTSORT:Classical Japanese Language Archaic Japanese language Japanese