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This is an exercise from Genki 1, Chapter 12.

Now the way I would word that sentence is: 私{わたし}は日本{にほん}に勉強{べんきょう}しに行{い}きます。
However, I put that same [English] phrase in Google Translate and got this:
私は日本に[留学]{りゅうがく}つもりです。 So now I'm not sure which translation is correct. Since
the exercise didn't specify, we'll assume that the person is studying the
Japanese Language.

So which one is correct? My translation or Google's translation?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-10-23T20:34:10.067
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2012-01-26T19:12:59.790
2012-01-26T19:12:59.790
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question
grammar
How to express: I am going to Japan to study?
I am going to Japan to study: 日本に勉強しに行く

I am going to Japan to study the Japanese language: 日本に[日本語]{にほんご}を勉強しに行く

I **intend** to study in Japan: 日本に留学する **つもり** です (留学 has the added meaning
of "overseas study")
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2011-10-24T00:59:56.893
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2011-10-27T05:07:34.447
2011-10-27T05:07:34.447
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answer
`日本に勉強しに行く` simply means "I'm going to Japan to study", but lacks any
specifics like what you are going to study (though this might be obvious
depending on the surrounding context), or how long are you going there (drop
by for an afternoon, study, then leave? A few days? weeks? etc.)

`私は日本に留学するつもりです` means "I intend to study abroad in Japan". Although less is
said, a lot more is implied. First, a lengthy period of time. You don't go
study abroad for a few days or a few weeks (possible, I suppose, but not
common); studying abroad is usually measured in semesters or years. Second,
when studying abroad in a country where the native language is not the same as
yours, one is most likely studying abroad in this county specifically to study
the language. In this case, Japan is the only Japanese-speaking country in the
world, so saying you're going to study abroad there implies you're going to
study the language. If it were something else (assuming you were already
fluent enough in Japanese, and you were going to do collaborative doctoral
studies in some field), you'd need to explicitly state what the field was.
Likewise, if your native language is English and you say you're going to study
abroad in England, you're not going to study the English language, and saying
`イギリスに留学する` is ambiguous about your field of study.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-10-24T15:10:29.220
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2011-10-27T14:35:36.843
2011-10-27T14:35:36.843
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answer