Hello there!! Hola!! నమస్కారం!! こんにちは!!

Learning languages is something I’ve always found very fun. I think that finding similarities and patterns between different languages is really fascinating, and can paint a picture on the common evolution of different cultures.

For four years in school, I learned Spanish (Español). The language was much easier for me to pick up because its alphabet is the same as English (with some twists), and many of the words are cognates. As my first foreign language to learn (besides my two first languages), Spanish was exciting to learn because of how I could compare it to other languages I knew, and to create patterns to find the best way to understand it myself.

My very first language was Telugu, which I learned from my parents. Recently, I began learning how to read and write in the language, as previously, I was only frequent in conversing. I love learning Telugu because it allows me to be closer to my culture, and helps me communicate with my family in India. A goal I have for myself right now is to become fluent in reading and writing before I visit India next.

Currently, I am learning Japanese (Nihongo) on my own. My interest towards Japanese culture started a few years ago, and I’ve finished learning both Hiragana and Katakana, two out of the three scripts. I’m finding the third script, Kanji, to be more difficult because it isn’t syllable-based. Rather, it uses symbols to represent concepts, similar to Mandarin. I also hope to start conversation practice soon, and be fluent enough to speak with others before a trip to Japan in the future.