{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.japanese","code":"thing-q5287","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q5287/","name":"Japanese","alternateNames":["Hachijō dialects","Japanese as a second or foreign language","Kyūshū Japanese","Modern Japanese","zūzū-ben","Matagi dialect","small kana writing","Eastern Japanese","Amami Japanese","Western Japanese","Legal Japanese","Japanese dialect"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.2","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.MED"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"The national language of Japan, a member of the Japonic family, spoken by about 125 million people, written with kanji, hiragana and katakana, with standard Japanese based on the Tokyo dialect and many regional dialects such as those of Kyushu, Tohoku and the Hachijo islands; Japanese is widely studied as a foreign language.","purpose":"Let an agent handle the Japanese language: explain its writing systems, grammar and politeness levels, distinguish dialects, support learning and translation, and give sourced information on its use.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Japonic language","Three scripts","Honorific system","Standard and dialects"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"language","name":"Language","description":"Structure.","layers":[{"id":"writing","name":"Writing","description":"Writing systems.","findings":[{"id":"writing-finding","name":"Writing","description":"Writing systems.","questions":[{"text":"How are kanji, hiragana and katakana used together, and how is this word written?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which readings does this kanji have?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"grammar","name":"Grammar","description":"Key features.","findings":[{"id":"grammar-finding","name":"Grammar","description":"Grammar.","questions":[{"text":"How does this grammar point work, such as particles or verb forms?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"What are common learner errors?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"politeness","name":"Politeness","description":"Register.","layers":[{"id":"keigo","name":"Keigo","description":"Honorific speech.","findings":[{"id":"keigo-finding","name":"Keigo","description":"Honorific speech.","questions":[{"text":"Which politeness level suits this situation, and how is it formed?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"What are the honorific, humble and polite forms?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"dialects","name":"Dialects","description":"Regional varieties.","findings":[{"id":"dialects-finding","name":"Dialects","description":"Dialects.","questions":[{"text":"How does this dialect differ from standard Japanese, and is it described respectfully?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which varieties, such as Hachijo, are endangered?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"learn","name":"Learn","description":"Learning and using.","layers":[{"id":"resources","name":"Resources","description":"Learning Japanese.","findings":[{"id":"resources-finding","name":"Resources","description":"Learning.","questions":[{"text":"Which resources and courses suit this learner level?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which JLPT level applies?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"translate","name":"Translate","description":"Translation.","findings":[{"id":"translate-finding","name":"Translate","description":"Translation.","questions":[{"text":"How should this phrase be translated, considering register and context?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Is a certified translation needed?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"status","name":"Status","description":"Use and history.","layers":[{"id":"official","name":"Official","description":"Status and policy.","findings":[{"id":"official-finding","name":"Official","description":"Status.","questions":[{"text":"What is the official status of Japanese, and which bodies guide its use?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How are loanwords handled?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"Development.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did Japanese develop, according to historical linguists?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What is known about its relationship to Ryukyuan?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Translate and explain Japanese, stating the register and script used.","Help learners with grammar, kanji, kana and politeness levels."],"mustNot":["Translate in a way that drops honorifics or politeness that change the meaning or respect shown.","Mock regional dialects or present them as incorrect Japanese.","Present machine translation as certified for legal or medical use.","Ignore the Ainu and Ryukyuan languages when describing language in Japan."],"requiresHuman":["Certifying a translation for legal, medical or official use."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Mistranslation can cause offence or serious misunderstanding in medical and legal settings.","Minority languages in Japan have been suppressed; accurate description matters to their speakers."],"affectedParties":["Speakers and learners","People relying on translations","Speakers of minority languages in Japan"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns a language; it is held in common by its speakers.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q33612","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Japonic","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"Dutch","type":"related","note":"other language"},{"target":"Portuguese","type":"related","note":"historical loanwords"},{"target":"Agency for Cultural Affairs","type":"related","note":"guidance body"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.japanese","Wikidata: Q5287 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5287)","ISO 639-1: ja language code","ISO 639-3: jpn language code"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Kanji, hiragana and katakana","Subject-object-verb order","Chinese uses characters but is unrelated","Not physical; a language in speech and text."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain writing systems and grammar","explain politeness and honorific speech","distinguish dialects","support learning and translation"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Wrong politeness level","Confusing scripts and readings","Treating dialects as incorrect"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Joyo kanji list and official orthography guidance","Japanese-Language Proficiency Test levels","CEFR-based frameworks for learners"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Communication in Japan and among learners worldwide.","standard Japanese","regional dialects","historical stages such as Classical Japanese","Japanese as a foreign language","Hachijo and other divergent varieties"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q5287: Japanese","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5287","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Japanese language","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should each dialect be a separate entry?","How should dictionaries be linked?","How should learning resources be graded?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q5287/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q5287/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T19:52:27Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:52:00+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}