Which Foreign Language Should I Learn?

I’m going to say Japanese since you appear to be an anime fan. That way you can watch anime without annoying subs or the god awful dubs :)

That depends on what you want to do with them. Do you envision working in a business in one of the countries? Reading literature in that language? Teaching there? Working in a government agency of one, such as the embassy or a consulate? I’ve been in Thailand and Japan and could imagine living in either. I think it’s a choice only you can make. Do let us know what you decide and why.

@uberbatman haha thank you xD

@Sunny2 well.. i’m probably going to get a study there and maybe get a job at that place. Also, I’m just one of those weird fans of Kpop, Jrock and Anime, and Thai dramas. o.o”

Try Japanese- for the reason @uberbatman gave and also because it is an extremely interesting language. I had some Japanese lessons for about a year (given by a Korean woman incidentally) and they were nice. I was very proud when I learnt to read and write Kanji.

Thai seems interesting!

I think Japanese might be more useful, but it depends on your specific circumstance. When I lived in DC I had a lot of Korean friends. So, I was around the language, whoch can be helpful. I took Spanish and wound up around Spanish a lot. I didn’t know that would be the case. When I chose Spanish in school French was still more popular and considered more useful in the US. Several years later Spanish was the favored language to take as a second language. Which is another reason to go with whatever you think you will like best. Things change and we cannot always predict what will be most useful. I do like how Japanese sounds.

@Hallucination Welcome to Fluther.

This is just me, but I’d learn Thai. My wife is Thai and much of here extended family is here in the US. We go to Thailand from time to time as well. The Thai people seem much more open and accepting of diversity than either the Japanese or Koreans. I love their cuisine, as well. I enjoy visiting Thailand much more than Japan or Korea. But that’s just my personal bias.

As everyone else has said, it depends on which language you think will be most useful or fun given what you would like to do in the future.

I would like to add that, if you are a westerner, you should know that Thai and Korean are “tonal” languages, i.e., the tone (like rising or falling in pitch, or both falling and rising, etc.) of a given syllable greatly affects its meaning. This is sometimes difficult for westerners.

Japanese is not tonal, but on the other hand, it has 3 writing systems, known as Kanji, Katakana and Hiragana, all rolled into one.

Whether you are intimidated or excited by the challenge is all up to you. I wish you well. Good for you for wanting to learn a new language. It will open up vast new vistas for you! Good luck!

I think Thai is going to be very useful for business for a long time. I think you need to go on an immersion journey and get a feel for all three cultures. They have almost nothing in common. Enjoy!!

I’d choose Japanese but I just like the sound of the language, to me it sound prettier than Korean.

I’d go with Japanese. It will be a little more difficult because you will have to learn the different character sets. But once you have it you will be able to use it in more places than you’d think.
Korean, Hangul, is easy to learn but you need to translate all words phonetically. That slows you down. By the way, Hangul is so easy, once you know Japanese, you can learn it in only 2 days of serious studying.
Gambatte!

I’ve taken some Japanese, and it’s difficult to learn, especially writing.

Thai sounds interesting, but I’d personally go with Korean. But I’m interested in their politics and regime, so that’s why I would choose it.

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s something you can use and keep up with, you can’t just learn for a year or two and never use it again and call yourself fluent. :)

Go for Japanese, than when you go to Japan at least you will be able to order chicken instead of dog in a restaurant.

@antimatter As a lover of Thailand, I take offense at that. Just where in the three cultures mentioned is dog on the menu?

It depends on your work and on reason for that you are learning that language. I suggest you to choose Japanese language.

I could be biased and say Thai. I think Korean sounds good but Japanese is more useful.