Japanese vs. Spanish: Which Language Should You Learn First?

"Which language should I learn?" is the most common question in language learning communities — and the most difficult to answer. It depends on your goals, available time, cultural interests, and career aspirations.

Two of the most popular choices for English speakers are Spanish and Japanese. They couldn't be more different:one shares your alphabet and thousands of vocabulary words; the other uses three writing systems and a grammar structure that's essentially the reverse of English.

Let's compare them honestly across every dimension that matters.

Difficulty for English Speakers

The U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI) ranks world languages by difficulty for native English speakers:

Language	FSI Category	Hours to Proficiency	Writing Systems
Spanish	Category I (Easiest)	~600 hours	Latin alphabet
Japanese	Category IV (Hardest)	~2,200 hours	Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji

Spanish is consistently rated as one of the easiest languages for English speakers. Shared vocabulary, similar grammar concepts, and phonetic spelling make it approachable from day one.

Japanese is at the opposite extreme. The writing system alone — 46 hiragana, 46 katakana, and 2,136 "jōyō" kanji characters — requires hundreds of hours of dedicated study before you can read a newspaper.

Grammar Comparison

Spanish grammar is complex but systematic. Six verb conjugation forms per tense, gendered nouns, and the subjunctive mood present challenges, but the underlying structure follows patterns that English speakers can recognise.

Japanese grammar is fundamentally different from English:

• Verbs come at the end of sentences (SOV order)
• No articles (a, the)
• No plurals
• Particles mark grammatical function instead of word order
• Multiple levels of politeness affect verb forms, vocabulary, and even sentence structure

The flip side: Japanese pronunciation is much simpler than Spanish. Only five vowel sounds, no gender, no conjugation by person, and almost no irregular verbs.

Career Value

Spanish

With 559 million speakers (native and second language), Spanish opens doors across:

• USA: 42 million native speakers, growing by ~1 million per year. Bilingual employees earn 5–20% salary premiums in healthcare, education, law, and customer service.
• Latin America: The world's fastest-growing middle class. Business opportunities in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina are booming.
• Europe: Spain is the EU's fourth-largest economy.

Japanese

Japan has the world's third-largest economy and is a global leader in:

• Technology: Toyota, Sony, Nintendo, Honda, SoftBank
• Entertainment: Anime, manga, and gaming are billion-dollar global industries
• Finance: Tokyo is a major financial centre

Japanese speakers are rare outside Japan, making the skill highly valuable. Bilingual professionals in tech, finance, and entertainment often command 30–50% salary premiums over monolingual peers.

Cultural Access

This is where personal passion matters most — and where the "right" choice becomes deeply individual.

Spanish Cultural Access

• Literature: Borges, García Márquez, Cervantes, Neruda
• Music: Reggaeton, flamenco, mariachi, cumbia, Latin pop
• Film: Almodóvar, del Toro, Iñárritu
• Food: Tacos al pastor, paella, ceviche, empanadas
• Travel: 20+ countries across four continents

Japanese Cultural Access

• Anime and manga without subtitles or fan translations
• Video games in their original language (many never get English translations)
• Literature: Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto, classic poetry
• Traditional arts: Tea ceremony, calligraphy, martial arts philosophy
• Food culture: Ramen, sushi, kaiseki — understanding menus, regional specialties, and food culture

Learning Resources

Spanish Resources

Spanish has arguably the richest ecosystem of learning resources of any second language:

• Apps: LumenLingo, Duolingo, Babbel, Busuu
• Media: Thousands of podcasts, Netflix shows, YouTube channels
• Tutors: Affordable tutors on iTalki, Preply, and Verbling
• Immersion: Easy travel access to Spanish-speaking countries from most of the world

Japanese Resources

Japanese resources are plentiful but the learning curve is steeper:

• Apps: LumenLingo (coming soon), WaniKani (kanji), Anki (flashcards)
• Textbooks: Genki series is the gold standard
• Media: Abundant anime, drama, and variety shows — but be cautious about learning casual/slang Japanese from anime
• Tutors: Available online but more expensive than Spanish tutors

The Honest Recommendation

Choose Spanish if:

• You want the fastest path to conversational ability
• You live in or travel to the Americas
• You value career flexibility across many industries
• You want abundant learning resources and practice opportunities

Choose Japanese if:

• You have a deep passion for Japanese culture (anime, gaming, martial arts, cuisine)
• You work in or want to work in technology, finance, or entertainment
• You enjoy the challenge of a fundamentally different language system
• You're comfortable with a longer time investment

Or better yet: Start with one, and add the other later. Polyglots often report that learning any second language makes the third much easier — your brain develops general language acquisition skills that transfer across languages.

The Only Wrong Choice

The only wrong language choice is the one you never start. Both Spanish and Japanese will expand your worldview, improve your cognitive flexibility, and open doors you didn't know existed.

Pick the one that excites you most. Open the app. Start with one word.

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Ready to decide? Download LumenLingo and explore your language options with free sample lessons — swipe through flashcards, listen to native audio, and find your perfect match.