see some a, b, c’s in each of these foreign writing systems, and they seem at least a little less foreign for this. However, this is not the case for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, or Hindi, which have writing systems all of their own. Seeing these scripts for the first time will be like looking at a form of picture code at best, and at worst at a bunch of random squiggles. Thankfully, these languages are typically 'romanized' as well, which means the Roman alphabet is used to represent the sounds of the language to the best possible degree. Remember, some of the sounds in these languages do not have clear analogues in English, so using our alphabet is always an imprecise science. When you're getting started, using the romanized writing is a perfectly acceptable way to get your head (and mouth) around the language. Eventually, though, you will have to negotiate a reliance on the Romanized alphabet with a desire to achieve greater proficiency and appreciation of the language by learning its special writing system. Formal & Honorific Speech: Another major difference between English and many other languages is the degree to which formal and polite forms of speech play into the culture. It is crucially important to use the appropriate forms when addressing people depending on their position in the social hierarchy. Simply put, there's more than one way to say 'I' or 'you' in these languages. Asian languages are the most complex in this regard. Japanese has at least five ways to address someone depending on who it is and what situation you are in. In addition, Japanese verbs change according to formality. Typically, the more formal you make your address for someone else, the more humbly you address yourself. At times, such as in certain business situations, the customary speech involves referring to ourselves with what we might consider language that would be demeaning or insulting!