English article question.?

Question

Why is it wrong to put (a) before Japanese(or Spanish, French, etc) when I want to say "I am a Japanese?"    It's correct to say "I am (a) Japanese woman," right?  In the same sense, should I say "I am asian"-- without (an)?   Appreciate your answers.

? · Accepted Answer

"I am Asian." is correct.

We can't put an "a" in front of Japanese for several reasons.  The first major reason is that "Japanese" is a proper noun (the first letter being capitalized is a hint to this).  But the noun "Japanese" and the adjective "Japanese" are spelled the same, so it's hard to know which one you are using.  Japanese as a noun is a reference to a specific human group (just like "gay", "Buddhist", etc.).  Often, when we refer to a human group we won't use "a" in front of it.  If you do put an "a" in front of it, it actually sounds very discriminatory (at least in America).  

You can say:
"I am Japanese"  or  "I am a Japanese person"
"I am gay"  or  "I am a gay person"
"I am Buddhist"  or   "I am a Buddhist person"

Notice how in the first sentences the last word is a noun, but in the second sentences the same word is an adjective and "person" is the noun.

I hope this helps

Wayne K · Answer

"I am a Japanese" is not really wrong, but "I am Japanese" would be more idiomatic in English. There is no real consistency here, for example "I am a German" or "I am a Russian" sound perfectly natural in English, but if in doubt, I would suggest leaving out the "a".

Srta. Argentina · Answer

正しいわよ！

私はアルゼンチン人です＝I am an Argentine. 
私は日本人です。＝ I am a Japanese. 
私はアジア人です＝I am an Asian.

ナオコさんは不定冠詞が国籍の前に書きます。　 アメリカ人に聞かないで、彼らは知らないよ。　笑

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