How Many Languages Are Spoken in Japan?

Japan has two primary language groups:

• Japanese – the official language, spoken by the vast majority. It belongs to the Japonic family and uses a complex writing system.
• Okinawan (Ryukyuan) – a group of languages spoken in the Ryukyu Islands, closely related to Japanese but not mutually intelligible. Three main varieties exist: Northern, Central, and Southern Okinawan.

Additionally, minority languages such as Ainu, Korean, Chinese, and Portuguese are spoken by smaller communities.