Catching People Talking about me in Foreign Languages

See strangers react to me speaking multiple languages on the streets in Japan. Learn how to study languages yourself and how to flawlessly switch back and forth while speaking multiple languages.
Below are my affiliate links to learning tools I highly recommend:
POD101 JAPANESE CLASSES:
www.japanesepod101.com/member...
CLASS101 CHINESE CLASSES:
www.chineseclass101.com/membe...
CLASS101 KOREAN CLASSES:
www.koreanclass101.com/member...
AUDIO LESSONS in 50 LANGUAGES Pimsleur:
imp.i271380.net/c/2397166/111...
SUPPORT CHANNEL ON PATREON:
www.patreon.com/orientalpearl
COLLABORATION with Sam:
/ @tkyosam
My Instagram: anming7?hl=en

[Oriental Pearl]

I can't stress how much having a teacher has helped with my language learning. Don't do this on your own! Sign up for group classes here: Japanese: www.japanesepod101.com/member/go.php?r=810124&l=%2F Chinese: www.chineseclass101.com/member/go.php?r=453861&l=%2F

[j.galasso]

I thought you recommended a different one ...

[xlaostha704x]

That ninja sub at the end was hilarious and also the outro hahaha.

[Cheryl K.]

Does Chinese and Japanese have different dialects, for different areas? Does it make it harder to speak or understand? I am from New Jersey and New York. I live in Pennsylvania. I have been here 26 years and never lost my accent. People sometimes, do not understand me. Because, my accent is a heavy one. I get a good laugh with people over it. My co - workers have fun trying to copy it. They cannot most of the time and it is funny. I love your channel and look forward to your Korean trip. I wish you safe travels. Until then, I wish you and your wonderful husband, blessings without measure. ❤ from CherylakaCheri

[Christopher Padilla]

Hey oriental pearl, I’m 20 and am really interested in the japanese culture, I’m wanting to learn japanese here pretty soon and in the video you said japanese was harder to study, just wondering how long it took you to learn it and if it’s doable for me being 20. I love your videos also, it really gives me an aspect on how japanese people are and they all seem very friendly and caring

[musings of a trad wife]

Thank you for showing us it IS possible for native English speakers to get a grasp on Asian languages.

[steem lenn]

Of course it's possible! I mean, you even managed English! ;)

[Hannah Walmer]

Bro, what? Since when is that a stigma at all? Also, Asia has, like, thousands of languages? Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, Hindi, Kazakh, etc... Weird comment.

[Demetrius Morgenroth]

@Hannah Walmer Except it is. When it comes to a Western language, there isn't a default association between English-speaking background and an inability to speak the language. French people, for instance, will not attempt to use English when communicating with someone whose standard language is English, nor be taken aback by a foreigner who speaks French (no matter how rudimentary). German people will not appear to be surprised at beginners who can say "good morning" and "where is the library?", assuming that the default for a foreigner who's in Germany is to speak absolutely no German. This does not hold true in Japan. I cannot attest to other countries (as I have not lived in them), but commentary on the topic seems to be consistent among most Asian countries - speakers of non-Western languages seem to assume, as a general rule, that speakers of Western languages are unable to attain proper fluency / language proficiency. I must make a comment here: this is NOT me stating that Japanese people (or Asians in general) all seem to abide by this belief. I'm merely stating that, from a statistical standpoint, this is an exceedingly common occurrence in Japan. I cannot enumerate how many times a store clerk attempted to initiate an interaction in English, before I could even say a single word. One might ask "isn't that a demonstration of how polite they are, as they are just trying to make things simpler for the listener?" - and I strongly disagree with that. In fact, the very thought of "they are just trying to make things simpler for the listener" showcases the aforementioned stigma / generalisation: they assume, merely from a person's appearance, that they are more adept at Japanese than English when that is not necessarily the case. To add insult to injury, there are plenty of Western-looking people who do not come from a country that natively speaks English (myself included), and as such assuming that English is a default for any Western-looking person is a hasty generalisation. I also feel like there's a huge conflation between resource-consumption and difficulty. Yes, Japanese is a time-consuming language for someone whose primary background is English - but it is NOT a difficult language. There are many reasons why Japanese is a time-consuming language, including differences in verbal ordering, an emphasis in contextual cues, the existence of a logographic script as the primary method of writing and much more. This means that an English-speaker has to start learning Japanese from scratch - differently from, say, Spanish or French, languages in which certain similarities with English can be used as shortcuts that make the learning process take much less time. I digress. Japanese is a time-consuming language, but the truth is that a random person cannot know for how long one has studied / been studying Japanese, and as such they should assume language ability until proven otherwise. Not doing so showcases what I have been arguing for a long time: the assumption that Japanese (or other Asian language) is far too difficult for a Westerner.

[Inlandish]

​@Demetrius Morgenroth I believe it's more so that it's impressive for a foreigner to speak Japanese in eyes of Japanese people because not a lot of foreigners learn Japanese. Not because it's a time-consuming or difficult language, but because there aren't many people who learn it in contrast to other languages. A Japanese person would also not be impressed by someone saying good morning or good evening. On the flip side, it wouldn't be impressive for a Japanese person to speak English since so many people speak it. Same goes for German, French, and other languages that don't have a lot of learners.

[Demetrius Morgenroth]

@Inlandish I understand how one would reach that conclusion, but my personal experience (and the experience of many other people that live with me in Japan) confirms what I said above. If you foray into Japanese comments, you'll see that quite a few people mention that a plain "good morning" or any other simple sentence, in itself, is impressive when coming from a foreigner. I believe I responded to one such comment recently, so give me a minute while I try to find that reply. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6SwfoNup9ejrdk&lc=UgyyKjNArR6IIiTKeCt4AaABAg.9ZWQg_dVsG49nLG_7SFZ92 - this one. You can see that many comments (not only the one I responded to) also agrees with that narrative. Likewise, I have experienced that kind of event multiple times throughout the four years I have lived in Japan. One could say three or four sentences in Japanese when picking their mail and be complimented on their language skill, no matter how simple or formulaic these sentences are. Furthermore, there are quite a few people who learn Japanese - particularly when dealing with those who live in Japan. I do not have concrete statistics on what percentage of foreigners who live in Japan are able to speak Japanese, but my personal experience indicates that this number is quite high, as most of the people who live in my sharehouse (50 or so foreigners) are able to speak Japanese to some degree. In fact, most of my friends have either N1 or N2 level, indicating that language study for those who live in the country is the rule rather than the exception. I do acknowledge this is anecdotal evidence - that the limited number of people in my analysis is far from the required number to determine the existence of a pattern, and that those who speak Japanese (like myself) are more likely to congregate with those who also speak Japanese. Nevertheless, this pattern seems to hold somewhat true even for those people who are not my friends at the sharehouse where I live, and this circumstantial set of evidence leads me into thinking that Japanese is not that arcane of a language for a Western learner. As a matter of fact, it's quite common to see comments of people who decide to learn Japanese owing to an interest in anime or games. I digress. Even for those who are in Japan, there's an expectation from a large share of the Japanese population that those individuals are not able to speak Japanese appropriately, and the way they react to having an appropriate conversation (without even knowing about the other speaker's background, no less!) conveys that quite clearly. Thus, we need to ask ourselves this question: why is there an expectation that those foreigners living in Japan are not able to speak the language? Naturally, we wouldn't have that kind of expectation with French, German or any other type of resident. Although I have only visited France and Germany in passing (with nothing more than survival French / German in my arsenal), people who lived in that country were not taken aback by a plain greeting or a request to know the price of a product; the same is not true about Japan, in spite of the fact I know drastically more than just saying a simple "hello". All of that seems to converge to a single deduction: there is indeed an expectation of incompatibility between a native speaker of a Western language and Japanese.

[tsuobachi]

You aren't just studying international relations, you're performing them every day.

[daewol]

An American who can speak fluent Japanese, Chinese, Korean. I want to be an Asian who can speak fluent English, Portuguese, Spanish

[Oriental Pearl]

That would be awesome.

[Lifetime Disaster]

Portuguese let's goooo

[Hongkang Zhu]

You can do it. I'm East-Asian and I can easily keep a conversation with people in Spain. I also speak fluent English, but instead of Portuguese I speak Catalan.

[S K]

Id choose french over portuguese

[Yebus]

as an American who can speak fluent italian, spanish and moderate german, I am ashamed i struggle to learn any asiatic languages

[曹永晅Jerome Tso Wing Huen]

Many foreigners and Japanese locals are surprised/impressed with your four language speaking, Miss Alyssa, which feels comfortable to be part of the community.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Jerome. I really love to read your comments. You’re one of my favorite viewers.

[Orblinkluv]

I'm always scared to talk in the languages I've learned in fear of being judged, but the truth is most people are so kind when you try to speak their language. In all my years of speaking more than 1 language only like 1 or 2 people have actually been rude to me about speaking that language. They were the outliers. Most people were so friendly & appreciative even when i felt like I wasn't doing well enough. I'm really grateful for their encouragement.

[little scully]

Sad fact, that many people are afraid of making mistakes and therefore are shy in speaking. But the thing is, if you are not speaking and trying you want be improving. If never met someone who wanted to correct me. If your looking for the right way and speaking English, French or Spanish, people are happy to hear "their" language and help. Despite of grammar mistakes 😉

[Karl Torento]

I'm just so amazed at the depth of your vocabulary and the way you can easily construct sentences on the fly with both languages! People say you're smart, and of course, there's no doubt about that; I believ, however, that your hard work and persistence make 90% of your fluency. And these traits are evident in your videos! Keep up the good work and hopefully we'll see you in Japan when we visit in October-November :)

[Oriental Pearl]

Aww, thank you so much, hope to see you in Japan in the fall.

[Ster Stof]

Exactly she may be smart but even the smartest person cant learn a language without being dedicated to it 😊

[Kris Frederick]

I love your balance between humor and humanity.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much Kris! I love reading your comments.

[elteescat]

You make me want to dive into my books and study my Japanese harder. Lol

[Oriental Pearl]

I’m so glad to hear that!

[Stephanie Cruz]

honestly same!! 🤣

[Nikkitea]

“She’s smart”. “No, that’s not true” I love your humbleness even though you unlocked the trifecta of Asian languages (Korean, Mandarin, and Japanese). To put it into perspective, you can speak to 35% of the population in Asia (China, Japan, South Korea).

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much. I can’t wait to visit Korea next month.

[Dbzlatino27]

The trifecta XD im crying laughting hahah, in serious note that its really hard work i know it just because i have been learning japanese for more than 3 years and reach the ont where im now takes a huge of effort my respects to oriental pearl.

[Jason Brandon]

So would Vietnamese fall under the Chinese category? And if so do Vietnamese ppl simply speak a different dialect of Chinese?

[D Junior]

@Jason Brandon No it's not considered a Chinese language. It shares similarities with some Chinese languages but it's not under the Chinese language umbrella.

[Mr. Amor]

@Oriental Pearl lots of videos please

[Caddy B]

I cannot imagine how special it feels to connect with people like you do! It's like magic, I hope I can learn Spanish soon!

[Oriental Pearl]

You can do it too someday.

[Jack Patterson]

It's really cool how people seem to gather around you in honest curiosity! It's so nice to see how positive people are about others learning their language. I hadn't seen one of my Japanese friends for a while, and when I said like one word in Japanese, she jumped and gasped. She said she hadn't heard my Japanese for a while, and was very happy to hear it again. It was really touching, especially since she's been helping me learn :)

[Oriental Pearl]

Aww that’s such a sweet story Jack. Thanks for sharing it.

[Yukio Ozaki]

Ms. Pearl, You are very impressive and unforgettable to many especially in Japan. Your fluid ability in language in Japanese and Chinese,(of course Englissh), and probably many other European languages too. You are a perfect person to form a bridge between many cultures in the orient. My absolute admirations for what you do and contribute to us for the understanding of people. Thank you very sincerely.

[Lamp Chu A Nung Ang]

Totally agree, Pearl is nice well good collective in a human form, a cultural bridge on Earth that should be preserved.⚘❤💋

[Morten R L]

I totally agree with the learning of local languages. It makes a huge difference. My personal cheat code is to learn the local equivalent of "bro" wherever I go, and use it with a disappointed face when someone tries to scam me on my travels. Usually triggers embarassment and release of withheld return change. "Hello" helps a lot too!

[Oriental Pearl]

Ha ha that’s a good little hack to have.

[jay f]

Wow! Definitely never cease to amaze. I don't speak Korean but for a few phrases and words, but I can tell your Korean is improving so rapidly. On a change of topic, tonight's baseball classic game between the US and Japan should really be great. There's like a huge Japanese contingent in the states that really take great pride in their national team, and Japanese fans seem to travel well whenever their team plays overseas.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much. I’m going into an intensive Korean program next month. It should help a lot.

[Yo Han]

@Oriental Pearl wow

[Glen Gamble]

The foot bath ‘side-eye’ girl is hilarious! 😂

[Miyuki Yori]

I used to work in a hotel and had a Japanese family visit. The grandma didn't know any English and the little bit of Japanese I knew made her excited for me. She gifted me a handkerchief from Japan. Best interaction ever! Still waiting for my long overdue honeymoon to be there 😊

[Perky Fawkes]

How neat and so sweet! I hope that you get your honeymoon soon and congratulations on your marriage. 😁

[Miyuki Yori]

@Perky Fawkes thank you so much!

[表叔侃世界]

Your languages skills are amazing 🎉❤

[Ryan Dempsey]

Sometimes, after a long day full of encounters with rude people, I like to come to this channel to be uplifted by the warm, friendly, and confident interactions in your videos. thank you :3

[Oriental Pearl]

I’m glad these videos make your day better Ryan.

[Vincent Eng]

Love how you can speak Chinese and then Japanese without pausing. I enjoy watching your videos.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Vincent. It’s become a habit now.

[Betty Davis]

Of course the ladies remembered you because you leave a great impression with whom ever you meet. You’re so friendly & relatable 😊

[Oriental Pearl]

Aww thank you so much Betty.

[Yukio Ozaki]

And you can freely converse in Korean too!! What an International Lady you are! The way you show the ability to expand your world through the skills of communication is soooooo admirable.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much. I’m working hard at learning Korean.

[Brian 61]

Your videos always brighten my day ...thanks for all the hard work. Have a great week 😊

[Oriental Pearl]

Aww, that’s so sweet of you Brian.

[T3no SanFran]

It's definitely the "little things" in interacting with others that really count. It's pretty amazing how doors to the mind and spirit open suddenly when we even just try to connect socially with others in any country.

[Margaret Drew]

It is a big deal it is brilliant you speak so fluent. People do not expect you speak with such good vocabulary. ❤

[NinjaViking407]

I love this. It motivates me to study Japanese. I keep telling myself I'll learn one day and I never do. But when I see this, I really want to have wonderful conversations like this. Thank you so much.

[Blue Starlight]

You dealt with the man at the end well. I'm a woman and an introvert and also American and seeing someone a bit aggressively push for a conversation when you try to make it clear that you don't want one (like you turning away from him to keep walking) would make me super nervous, it even made me anxious watching it. He might not have meant anything by it and was only curious and meant well, but still I feel like you dealt with him in the best possible way! Love your videos.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you. I try to keep my cool in those kinds of situations.

[KGPZ]

I was so nervous for her. Sure, she's recording, but it doesn't mean something bad couldn't happen. Glad she got out and made the situation work in her favor.

[Hannah Walmer]

It seems you are a bit anxious and paranoid. As you can see here, not much happened.

[MrPtrism]

@Oriental PearlThe play of the game tho was definitely pressing the subscribe button for him. 10/10

[Preston Chandler]

I love how they are pleased and uncomfortable at the same time. 🤣

[brenda d]

my daughter (Canadian) is doing a masters in Finland and learning Finnish and Swedish. Its amazing to learn new languages and learn the culture

[Oriental Pearl]

That’s so cool Brenda. You must be a very proud mom.

[Ebba Glasell]

WoW, that is so cool! One of the languages that your daughter is learning happens to be my native-tounge. I am born and raised in Sweden, but like Anming I love studying other languages! Am currently working on improving my listening skills as it is not one of my strongsuitswhen it comes to the English language and dialects in particular! Not like to toot my own horn here, but I feel like my vocabulary skills are decent, but there is always room for improvement!

[MD GEISTo]

When I was travelling through Japan for 3 weeks in 2018, I also got the impression that, once people realize you speak Japanese quite proficiently, they are immediately super interested and sooo, so nice and friendly. It was a great experience. Hope I can take another trip to Japan soon (it's just SO expensive, lol 😔).

[Lin_Win]

I'm impressed how quick you spoke Korean, while still in the process of studying! Is there any tips, how to become comfortable in speaking? How to practice it with people? Or even without? I really need to improve my speaking, cuz I have no confidence at all 😢

[Those2menoverthere .]

Keep talking to yourself and mimic what you hear natives say. Then if you want to test it, you could try HelloTalk. My friend has been using it a bit recently for his Japanese, he’s not even good yet but he still uses it. I’ve been studying (fairly lightly for about 9 months now, my friend has been for maybe 2ish months now) and I’ve still yet to do anything like that, but my pronunciation is really good imo, especially for the things I know. But I lack a ton of vocabulary knowledge and grammar structure still, so I wouldn’t want to bother natives yet with my “one-word-at-a-time” speaking. So if you’re past where I am, I’d recommend trying HelloTalk (not saying you have to be past me, just look at what I said about my friend).

[Lin_Win]

@Those2menoverthere . Good thank you! For me vocabulary and Korean grammar is understandable, but when it comes to speaking, I forget everything 😂 I've been studying Japanese only for 3.5 months, so that's what I was thinking with "one word at the time". Really didn't want to bother natives 😂 I will take this advice, thanks man!

[Oriental Pearl]

I’ve been getting all of my practice from the Korean language school, but it’s not nearly enough. I want to make progress faster so I’m going to Korea next month for an intensive homestay program.

[Lin_Win]

@Oriental Pearl Still amazing progress! Hope in Korea you will enjoy the process better, with natural practice ) Oh and good Korean food ❤️

[Bara Robber Baron]

@Lin_Win Good point, when you're done studying intensely for a day you can finish up with some local KBBQ? Yes please! ;)

[Scott Huntington]

Your videos always take me to such a happy place! lol I have thoroughly enjoyed your journey! Thank you for sharing it with us!

[Sunny Moon]

I'm so impressed by your courage to just talk to the people in their languages. I speak fluent italian but I'm always too shy to talk to italian people I don't know. Its probably because I'm German. We tend to shame people for not talking a language perfectly and i have internalized that. (And we are also generally kinda insecure talking to people we dont know)

[Nova]

Haha I love how you just subscribed that guy on his phone. Perfect interaction. Your language skills are amazing but the way you comfortably interact with strangers is also really impressive. Great content!

[Michael R.]

Great to see you being able to speak to so many people in their native languages. Surprised that actually Japanese is the hardest language for you to learn so far. Best of success in studying Vietnamese.

[Lauren H]

Your videos are SO motivational for me. I love the way you throw yourself into the languages you learn! Can't wait for some Korean content, I've been learning for a while and stuck a bit lately for motivation!

[Stephanie Allangarman]

Sam is so funny 🤣…you’ve only been studying Korean for 1/2 a second!! I love how you relate to other people through languages. Anming, I absolutely love your charisma and relatability with others. I know your KOREAN will get better ❤️‍🩹 because your diligence in your studying process. Your even nice to “cringe” and your quick with the comebacks. Good job 👏🏽. 🙋🏻‍♀️🥰

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you Stephanie. I’m going to Korea in April for an intensive homestay program. I know it’s going to help a lot. Can’t wait to show you my videos in Korea.

[autohmae]

I think what sticks with people is how good your language skills are, pretty certain it is because you've lived in these countries which really helps a lot.

[Cinetyk]

Hey Anming / Oriental Pearl. I just want to say I'm Portuguese and I was born in 1984 and eventually found your channel on YT and it has been so much fun and good times ever since. When I was a kid and a teen english was not a given here in Portugal, let alone any other languages. Luckily in retrospect I feel like It's somewhat easier for me on languages, since I was a fan of also French at school and Italian by myself when I was young. Gosh, I'm rambling. I wanted to say: it's lovely to see you using your chinese language skills and japanese language skills and making these videos where people feel close together since they can understand each other. Cheers and I wish you the best happiness in life. There was a time when I could learn japanese and I had a lot of energy but now I'm older and my work weighs me down so I fear I won't ever be able to climb that threshold.

[whushaw]

I like how you always break down barriers Anming, and it's always in a kind and subtle way. Connection is key and you have a gift at engaging with others. I wish you all the success this year! 💜

[Mr. Mojo Risin]

I love your videos! ❤ I like seeing the surprise look on peoples faces when you start speaking in their language fluently. Hope and pray all is well with you and Tommy. Can we expect a little one in the near future?

[Sarah M]

I was smiling so hard watching all of you converse. You make language so inviting, and it's beautiful. My husband and I will be traveling to Japan in a year to visit my sister-in-law (American) and her husband (who is Japanese,) and I've been too intimidated to start learning. You make it seem like it's worth it.

[erı]

The moment they hear anyone speaking, they "glance" at anyone be like Wait, what? I love what you do! In general, they respect anyone who can communicate w/them in their own mother tongue or the native language they speak often. I speak 3 languages (Vietnamese, Finnish, and English), and it is nice to see people communicate in other languages instead of always in English.

[ro63rto]

Being an Italian living in the UK, I love doing this while on holiday in Italy. I'll speak to my brother or whoever is with me in English while listening to shopkeepers talk about us. Once one shop assistant asked her colleague how old she thought we were. Straight away I answered her in perfect Italian. I've never seen someone turn beetroot before 😁

[Roland]

Love watching these videos. Just so cool watching the daily interactions.

[Kathina Gallery]

I love you slow-mo editing especially when someone wows haha. I admire your dedication & commitment to learning languages Anming & it’s beautiful that the impact it leaves on the people you meet. Even though I haven’t done much Japanese studying but recognizing kanji it’s a step & I want to touch those books I bought few years ago. So much languages I want to learn but I don’t want to overwhelm myself.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much. I put extra effort into the editing. I’m glad you noticed those little things.

[Less Is More]

Dang girl you’re motivating me! It must’ve SO FUN taking to other on their language like seriously knowing only English sucks! I need those resources to learn I’m motivated now!

[Camille Sch]

I can't wait to go back to Japan in September! I will be a tourist this time, but I miss speaking Japanese. For my work, I speak French, English, and German on the daily but I rarely have Japanese customers. I cannot wait to completely immerse myself in the language again and, tbh, show off a bit haha.

[Emily Marilyn]

Love your vids! I am normally introverted but when I was in Japan for about 4/5 years and picking up the language I found myself becoming more and more outgoing.. I think it's because people are so curious about gaijin and want to talk.

[Kaija Anne]

You’re one of my favorite KZbinrs and you’re such an inspiration! You make learning languages look easy, but you’ve made it clear it takes lots of hard work to achieve what you have. It’s your authentic, down-to-earth and non-pretentious attitude that makes you so loved by many. I’m also from Detroit (Oakland county area) and studied briefly in Taiwan, Korea and Japan, but it wasn’t enough to become fluent. Now I moved to Germany for work, and I miss Asia SOO much. I really felt at home there. I feel like I’m too old to change my life path and move permanently to Asia (early 40’s), yet Asian languages will forever remain one of my main passions in life. Thank you for sharing your life and love of languages with us!

[Oriental Pearl]

I’m honored to be one of your favorite KZbinrs Kaija. That’s awesome that you got to study in Taiwan, Korea, and Japan too! We have a lot in common. I love all of those places.

[Kaija Anne]

@Oriental Pearl I’m so happy you’ve responded to my comment! Yes I think we do have a lot in common, except you did what I didn’t have the courage to do. Maybe it’s not too late to live that dream, after all we only live once!

[Susan Spence]

I am so amazed and awed by your language skills. You are one smart women for sure! I so enjoy your vlogs!

[Mandeep]

So wholesome 🥰. As usual I’m impressed by your ability to strike up convos so naturally and connect 🥲

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much!

[BigSirZebras]

My brother lived in Japan 30 years ago. He spoke and understood Japanese very well. One time he was with his friend in a grocery store and they were speaking English. Two business men were behind them and one said something like, "it is horrible that they come to our country but don't bother to learn how to speak Japanese". My brother turned around and said, "Oh, I speak Japanese, What do you want to talk about?" I can't imagine the amount of sumimasen that were said but my brother said it was a lot and that was all that they said.

[Rebecca Carranza]

I'm about to graduate for medical and it'll give me more time to finally put full time on learning Korean. I have used many different apps so I'm hoping this will work for me as well. Thank you!

[ItzCoopzFtw]

I can remember translating using basic Japanese at high school for a Japanese girl who didn't know English, dated for a short minute before she left back to Japan. Communicating in other languages is good fun, especially when you see their eyes light up when you speak their language

[Ken Brown]

They say that when you speak to someone in their language, you speak to their heart. I think that's what you see when someone remembers you a year later after just one conversation. You're so memorable- the pretty blonde girl who spoke their language so well- that it has to be a wonderfully positive thing to recall for many years. Just my little bits of pidgin Mandarin made me memorable enough that months after visiting Shihlin night market, on my return visit people remembered me enough to pull me into booths to show me off to their friends. And I'm a big hairy dude, way less striking than you. You're making cool content for us, but you're also making lots of cool memories for the people you talk to. Just such a great channel. Cheers.

[Oriental Pearl]

Well said. Thank you for sharing your story!

[Noob Visions]

Wow amazing conversations! I love how you study language and pronunciations and use it to connect to people and we get to enjoy all the culture and language! Thank you!

[Sarah Reeder]

I've just started my very slow journey to learning Japanese! I've been slowly working my way through learning hiragana and want to have both hiragana and katakana memorized before I take my first class this summer at my university. Things like this really motivate and inspire me! It's so cool seeing their reactions. I love how happy everyone looks when you can communicate with them in a language they're comfortable with!

[Oriental Pearl]

That's awesome Sarah! I wish you the best of luck with your studies. Ask me anytime for help.

[Yana_1089]

Hi, I don’t usually comment on videos but I wanted to say to you that you inspire me to learn Japanese, especially now that I’m self-learning it. This is also my third language, as I know English fluently which is my second. I wanted to say ありがとうございます✨😊

[Oriental Pearl]

That’s so awesome. Thank you for commenting and I hope to hear more from you. Don’t be shy.

[Yana_1089]

@Oriental Pearl Thank you so much! Have a great day 😄

[John Rampulla]

Your videos always make me smile. People in Asia seem so polite, it's very refreshing to see.

[Vyxen Violets]

I've been starting to practice japanese on Duolingo (until i can afford actual classes) and these videos are great practice for me! I can actually recognize some words as you say them, and when reading the translation to English i understand which words were which! I'd like to think that means i'm improving :)

[LeanneM]

I always feel like I am walking, or standing behind you!! lol Thank you again for your wonderful content!! Only the best to you and your family!!

[Lucifer]

I love watching these videos😂to me its so funny how surprised most people are when they see that you understand and can speak their language

[David Bachelard]

Les vidéos d'Oriental Pearl sont vraiment agréable a regarder. C'est juste dommage que le format ne soit pas plus long, avec des vidéos de 20 minutes à regarder. Car quand on aime bien cette chaîne KZbin comme moi, ça passe vraiment trop vite les 10 minutes en moyenne pour chaque vidéo.

[Toni Hurley]

I love studying languages. I grew up in NYC, so was exposed to so many cultures. I studied French for 7 years. My first husband is from Taiwan, but he never wanted to teach me how to speak Taiwanese 😢. We were married for almost 17 years, I know I could have learned it. I'm so busy with work, I'm a Nurse Manager, but someday when I retire I will study more languages again!!

[AAAA]

I've been watching your videos for awhile now and I'm impressed with how good your Korean is after studying for a short time. Keep it up!

[Sutoikkun]

I can also speak Japanese and Chinese after studying them for years and I agree with you that Japanese is harder than Chinese. Japanese has so many different levels of politeness and way too many different readings for each character.

[sunny_11]

I started learning mandarin because of you way back last year when I got poorly and isolated for a few weeks in my room. Sadly I stopped learning as I just gave up as it was hard and I was struggling with my mental health. But now I feel ready to pick it up again. Love your videos so much can't wait to see more ❤

[Oriental Pearl]

That’s amazing. I’m so glad that these videos have inspired you.

[Bleron Mehmeti]

I think the Korean content will definitely be a novelty on this channel! I'm really liking the variation you have been trying to bring to the channel. Your last documentary-type video of that Japanese slum in Osaka was really great to watch.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much. I’ve been trying to do a variety of videos. I’m glad that you like the change of pace.

[Haille Taylor]

That’s incredible! I wish I was good at learning languages but unfortunately I don’t have the talent to do that. It’s unfortunate that we Americans don’t start learning other languages at a young age like other countries do. Starting in high school can work for some but definitely not for others like myself. Sucks because I would love to travel but I feel ignorant about going to places where they can speak their native language and English while I’m over here only being able to speak English. Feels almost disrespectful in a way. Idk I’m rambling now but anyone you sound incredible!

[Kanealoha]

Another excellent video. Keep them coming and thanks for sharing your journey with us!!!!

[NJPS]

Uber talented. Always enjoy your videos, thank you for sharing your talents & showing us life overseas!

[Bex]

I love that you turned that guy hitting on you into a subscriber. You are my hero.

[Oriental Pearl]

Ha ha, that was a pretty funny moment.

[NorthSea 1981]

These language skills are simply impressive, screw anyone who gives you negative comments on any of your videos. You also come across as very humble and your videos are very informative. I had Japanese as well, but I‘m not even remotely as fluent, lightyears away. Greetings from Germany

[Jay January]

You're so amazing, have you ever thought of learning something like Arabic, or Urdu or Hindi? I used to work with a lot of people who spoke languages like that I used to love to hear them talk because it's so beautiful to hear.

[Oriental Pearl]

So many languages and so little time. If I could I’d learn it all.

[C. M.]

Love the video(s). Restaurant: Why would they forget you? You are a famous in their world. It blows many, including me how you pick up the languages so easily. You really make the mood with people and bring together. People get curious and make them think what they can do and what other people are like. What a gift! I found it interesting that you found Japanese the most difficult. Chinese always seemed to be a turn off on unlimited Kanji and tone/pronunciation; but honorifics so difficult. Cultural differences still alive at the end .. neon green jacket guy needs to work on conversation openings lool Super professional interaction retort. Love it. Polyglot going to mood make.

[Oriental Pearl]

Ha ha, I had no idea they would remember me. But I’m flattered that they did.

[Liz Duffy]

Aaahh! You are so inspirational! Thank you for existing😊❤🎉

[Bestrafung]

It's great to see how far you've come, especially since only had like 20,000 subscribers when I first subscribed to you! Also I think it's funny how in your videos you seem to speak more Chinese in Japan than Japanese lol. Keep up the great videos!

[DAVID SORENSEN]

Your videos are always enjoyable! Keep up the good work.

[Therese]

I learned Korean and Japanese for 4 years in college. Now, im inspired to learn more languages because of you. You’re so cool. I wanna be a language teacher.

[Breeze H]

You are speaking 4 languages in this video! With varying dialects too❤❤ I Just love your thirst for learning and how much people warm up to you!!💜💜 🍓 Thank you for trying that white strawberry..I keep seeing them lately and wanted to know of they were sweet😅

[Jim Ross]

How could people not subscribe to the Oriental Pearl Channel featuring the amazing Anming, and her equally amazing friends. We can't leave out Tommy, her exceptional husband, whose proficiency in English is expanding greatly. Anming made me a insta subscriber when I saw how she interacted with people in their languages when possible. Switching between Mandarin, Japanese and English in the same conversation. Sometimes in the same sentence, even. Her advice on languages learning brought me to her channel, and continues to inspire me daily, to work hard on my Japanese proficiency and not slack off, or give up when it gets hard or frustrating. It will happen, it's a part of the process. So that's what initially brought me to the channel, but it's Anming's personality, warmth, spirit, inquisitiveness and yes her intelligence, that makes me a loyal and maybe a bit of an enthusiastic subscriber. This statement was not sponsored or remunerated in any way by the Oriental Pearl Channel. ( KZbin disclaimer). Her content has informed me in so many ways on the culture of Japan and the people she interacts with. Everyone one of her videos are an entertaining opportunity to learn and explore wherever her travels take her. Even New York City. Her proficiency in multiple languages changes the nature of her interactions with the people she meets. It opens doors that would be closed. Anming says she is surprised that a year and a half later she is remembered! I say in lifetime, how could one possibly forget meeting her.

[Oriental Pearl]

Aww thank you Jim. This is such a thoughtful comment. I really appreciate your amazing review. I’ve been working really hard recently trying to get the monthly video uploads up while still spending much needed time learning Korean. Getting viewers to subscribe has been a challenge. I have a lot of viewers, but not very many fans. That’s why I really appreciate you and the small community we have 😊

[lookingfrank]

As a Chinese who also know Japanese I want to say your Chinese and Japanese are both marvellous. Great video!

[scooternak53]

I think you're doing a wonderful thing. You are helping to make people realize how small this World really is. Keep posting and I'll keep watching.

[Kendrick Tong]

Great video. Love their reactions when they know you understand and know their language 😊

[sezfluffy]

I moved to Italy alone after a bad time oh my god my confidence grew so much ! It's beautiful to speak another language xx

[Rens]

Your Korean is so good already! I started studying halfway through 2020 and studied hard for about a year, but have actually been doing very little to maintain it since then. From the little I've heard you speak in this video I'd say my pronunciation is a bit better but I'm guessing that won't last very long, and you're already surpassing my vocab, lol. Great work and very excited to hear you improve!

[Oriental Pearl]

Aww, thank you so much. I know a lot more than just the short conversation shown here. I’ll be in Korea for 5 weeks starting in April. Can’t wait to show you videos there.

[europhile26]

that was fun, I was smiling all the way through!

[Oriental Pearl]

I'm so glad that you liked this video!

[Stephanie Cruz]

I hope to be like you someday!! 💗 I’d love to become fluent in japanese and be able to have conversations

[Mr Westcott X]

For real I wish could speak any existing language despite be nearly impossible.

[Mr. Amor]

With the addition of Korean this is now my favorite language channel out there. Thanks soooo much and can't wait to see your korean take off to japanese and Chinese levels. The top 3 Asian languages that are a must to learn in order to have fun in those countries

[Jack Patterson]

I'm enjoying this so much. There is a lot you can do with what you have learned. Maybe you can assist travelers that are visiting and do specific tours.

[WarCatFurEver101 Writer of fanfics for fandoms]

All the effort of responding to the comments and these quality vids is much appreciated. I love watching your videos, I was just watching them last night before school at midnight when I should’ve been sleeping….lol :P ❤❤❤❤ I just came from school and I see this, made me rlly happy

[supererik man]

The number of people walking past you stopping and looking surprised is crazy lol

[LuLuMa23]

You are amazing!! I love how you jump back and forth between languages.

[Anya Zelyaeva]

I love your videos so much! My native language is Russian. I speak French fluently and I can get by in English. I would love to be able to speak in Japanese. Keep up the good work! 😊

[Ebba Glasell]

@Anya Zelyaeva I would say that your English is very good considering it's not your nativetounge, if you want to be even more proficient in the English language I can highly recommand the youtubechannel English with Lucy where you can learn how to improve all the areas of the language aswell as becoming more and more confident with time! 🙏

[Pheng Ov]

Its amazing to speak in 4 different languages. Good video and switching between languages is difficult. Nice video. Your korean was good too. Your learning Vietnamese too. Good to see you speaking with Vietnamese too.

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you so much. I’m working really hard.

[lxxren]

Anming, you really are an inspiration. You inspired me to learn Japanese, and i’ve been at it for a year now. Thanks for your awesome content ❤❤ ありがとう

[Oriental Pearl]

I'm so happy that these videos inspired you to learn Japanese!

[M FG]

Your language skills are amazing!

[Richard Carnett]

Another great video ❤️ I hardly ever miss one...Thank you for still keeping your channel open. From your fan in Indiana 😊

[Oriental Pearl]

Thank you for watching all of the videos Richard.

[Kyle Clark]

Videos like this are fun and help keep me dedicated to my practice.

[Oriental Pearl]

I’m glad that these videos keeping you motivated.