Why Do Japanese People Prefer to Type in English

Japanese people who can write in English prefer type in English than in Japanese.

The reason for this is that it takes almost double the amount of time to type in Japanese.

Double the Time to Type

Every single kanji word that you type, you need to press the space bar and enter button at least once to select what kanjis to use.

This means that you need to press space and enter at least 3 times per sentence.

You select the kanji based on sound and since the Japanese language has many words that sound alike, you will be spending at least a couple seconds looking through all the options.

As someone who is accustomed to English typing, I literally press the space and enter button once every time I have to select kanji.

It takes too long but there is no way around it.

Context & Honorific Form (Keigo)

Another reason why it takes double the time to type in Japanese is that you have to consider who you are talking to when you type.

If you are talking to a customer then you must use honorific form.

For example you might just want to say something simple like I will send my (Residency) papers.