How to Speak Japanese

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  • This page contains advice on how to speak Japanese.

  • Speaking Japanese: Before You Begin

    1. First, think about why you want to learn Japanese. Learning a new language can be a big time commitment, so consider how much time you can spend learning Japanese.
    2. If you're going to Japan for a vacation or brief visit, concentrate on learning some key phrases phonetically.
    3. Knowing how to say even a few words will let you communicate, and you'll start to understand what others are saying to you.
    4. Phonetic learning will limit you; you will not be able to comprehend any written Japanese, such as signs and newspapers.
    5. To reach a higher level of comprehension, lessons with audio and written elements are necessary.
    6. To get the best return on these lessons, studying regularly is very important!
    7. No matter what type of course you follow, always keep in mind that you should take advantage of any chance you get to practice the language, however the occasion arises.
    8. When you are in Japan, don't worry about what your level of Japanese is, just try to communicate! The people you meet will appreciate every effort you put into speaking the language.
    9. Speaking (and understanding what is said to you) may be hard at first, but it will get easier with every word.

  • Basic Japanese Phrases

    • This video has a very quick overview of Japanese:

  • BBC's Japanese Phrases

    1. Check out BBC Languages' Japanese phrase list.
    2. Listen to the audio files while reading along.
    3. Then try repeating each phrase as you hear it.
    4. If possible, record yourself so you can hear what you sound like.
    5. Print out the phrase list to take with you!

  • U.S. Navy Japanese Language Phrases

    1. The U.S. Navy has put together a list of useful Japanese words and phrases.
    2. There are no audio files, so practice the words on your own, using this pronunciation guide to help.
    3. Print out the list and take it with you!

  • Key Japanese Phrases

  • Japanese Pronunciation and Speaking Tips

    1. Although it can be difficult to learn, pronouncing Japanese is not difficult, as many of its sounds are similar to English.
    2. Survival Japanese also has a page of pronunciation tips.
    3. Remember that Japanese is very different from English:
      • Pronouns are often not used
      • People are addressed with honorific titles, such as san or sensei

  • Reading and Writing in Japanese

    1. Hiragana Chart
      Hiragana Chart (courtesy of Wodonga Primary School)
    2. Japanese uses four writing systems: hiragana, katakana, kanji, and romaji.
    3. Since romaji refers to Japanese words written with Western letters, you already know that system!
    4. A deeper understanding of Japanese requires comprehension of hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
    5. Hiragana has 46 basic characters. Hiragana are used for words without kanji representation and after kanji to show conjugation. Any native Japanese word can be written in hiragana.
    6. Katakana has 46 basic characters. They are used for foreign words and names, such as America; company names; and new Japanese words, like karaoke.
    7. Kanji are symbols, brought from Chinese, that are used to represent words or phrases.
    8. Every term in kanji can be expressed in hiragana. However, understanding kanji is necessary for reading comprehension because written Japanese does not use spaces between words. Kanji allow readers and writers to know where one word ends and another begins.
    9. When learning any of these writing systems, pay attention to stroke order (the direction in which it is written on paper). A different stroke order can indicate a different character.
    10. Traditionally, writing in Japan consisted of columns (running from top to bottom), read from right to left. However, a newer writing format is also used these days, which arranges characters in rows read from left to right.

  • Tips on Reading and Writing in Japanese

    1. If you want to learn Japanese writing, but have limited time, consider focusing on katakana.
    2. Katakana is used for foreign words and companies, so you will recognize the words once you learn how to sound out the characters.
    3. Check out this photo:
      McDonald's in Japan (Photo courtesy of Nicky Pallas)
      McDonald's in Japan (Photo courtesy of Nicky Pallas)
    4. If you know katakana, and how the characters can be modified to make different sounds, you can sound out what the sign says:
      Katakana Writing Tutor
      Katakana Writing Tutor
    5. Which, in this case, is "McDonald's hamburgers"!

  • Genki Online

    1. Check out Genki Online's Katakana chart.
    2. Click on each character to see its stroke order and pronunciation.
    3. Test yourself with the online flashcards.
    4. Learning katakana means learning another alphabet; ideally you will someday know katakana as well as your ABC's.

  • Katakana Writing Tutor

    1. The katakana writing tutor has the sounds of each character written out.
    2. Choose "both" to view the characters and their sounds displayed together.
    3. Then click "katakana" and try to remember the sounds with the characters displayed alone.
    4. Create your own flashcards, writing the characters out yourself to practice.
    5. Carry the flashcards with you to practice whenever you can.

  • Genki Online

    1. Visit Genki Online's Hiragana chart.
    2. Click on each character to see its stroke order and pronunciation.
    3. Test yourself with the online flashcards.
    4. Just like katakana, you will ideally learn hiragana by heart.

  • Hiragana Writing Tutor

    1. The hiragana writing tutor has the sounds of each character written out.
      Hiragana Writing Tutor
      Hiragana Writing Tutor
    2. Choose "both" to view the characters and their sounds displayed together.
    3. Then click "hiragana" and try to remember the sounds with the characters displayed alone.
    4. To progress in hiragana, create your own flashcards. Writing the symbols out yourself will allow you to practice stroke order.
    5. Take flashcards with you to test yourself whenever you can.
    • You can practice your kana (hiragana and katakana) comprehension with these online activities.

  • Kanji Writing Tutor

    1. Visit the Kanji Writing Tutor.
    2. You can choose characters to study in different ways, from subject to stroke number.
    3. After choosing a term to study, click on the kanji.
    4. In the upper left corner, an animation will show the stroke order necessary to write that kanji.

  • Dartmouth College's Kanji Practice

    1. Dartmouth College's Kanji Practice
      Dartmouth College's Kanji Practice
      More kanji exercises are available from Dartmouth College.
    2. Watch the Quicktime video to see the kanji brushstrokes.
    3. Listen to the audio files of the kanji used in a sentence.
    4. Study the English translations of the kanji.

  • Online Kanji Flashcards

    1. Once you know some kanji, Speedanki.com has online flashcards you can use to test your knowledge of kanji.
    2. After choosing the appropriate level, a flashcard will appear with a word or phrase written in kanji.
    3. You can press flip to see the term written in hiragana.
    4. If you need more help to understand the term, checking the box marked example will show the kanji used in a sentence.
    5. Check the box marked meaning to see if you correctly understood the word!

  • Introductory Japanese Lessons

    1. NHK's Japanese Lessons
      NHK's Japanese Lessons
      Visit the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, NHK, which has introductory online lessons, Basic Japanese for You.
    2. The fourteen most recent lessons are available with audio files, so you can listen to the dialogues as well as reading them.
    3. Older lessons do not have audio files, but every lesson is available as a text file.
    4. If the audio file for a lesson, is not available, choose the text file link below it.
    5. Each lesson has a short dialogue, in English and romaji Japanese.
    6. Pay close attention to the highlighted key vocabulary.
    7. For each lesson, study the dialogue.
    8. Try to practice the key words by saying them along with the dialogue.
    9. Then read the dialogue aloud.
    10. Tape yourself to hear how you sound.
    11. Compare yourself to the audio files.

  • Japanese Grammar and Study Approaches

    • Before starting an intermediate or advanced course of study, the information at these sites may be useful.

  • Tim's Takamatsu

    1. A brief overview of Japanese grammar and verbs can be found at Tim's Takamatsu.
    2. Begin by checking out the section a bit of the language. This section has a review of basic pronunciation and writing, but also has fun stuff, like Japanese onomatopoeias.
    3. Then move to the sections on Japanese Verbs, Adjectives, Particles, and Prepositions.
    4. Studying these sections gives you a quick glance at Japanese basics, and a window into the rules of Japanese grammar.

  • Japanese for the Western Brain

    1. Also check out Japanese for the Western brain.
    2. This site does not have specific vocabulary and grammar exercises; instead it attempts to indicate the different approaches to grammar between Japanese and English.
    3. Reading the sections on this site will be useful to any student of Japanese; instead of wondering why something is so different from English, this brings the idea of learning a foreign language back into perspective.

  • NHK Brush Up Your Japanese

    1. Mihoko Honda from NHK's Japanese Lessons
      Mihoko Honda from NHK's Japanese Lessons
      The Japan Broadcasting Corporation also offers Brush Up Your Japanese, an intermediate course.
    2. Each lesson has a short dialogue, in English, hiragana, and romaji, with key vocabulary highlighted.
    3. Every lesson is available as a text file.
    4. The fourteen most recent lessons are available with audio files, so you can listen to the dialogues as well as reading them.
    5. For each lesson, study the dialogue.
    6. Try to practice the key words, by saying them along with the dialogue or by reading the dialogue aloud.
    7. Tape yourself to hear how you sound compared to the audio files!

  • MIT Japanese Lessons

    1. MIT has some online Japanese lessons.
    2. Look at a photo, then press play to hear an audio file naming what's in the picture in Japanese.
    3. The name is also written in Japanese above the photo, in both hiragana and kanji.

  • Intermediate Japanese Video Activity

    • Think you understand intermediate Japanese? Try watching Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon! This version has subtitles so you can check your progress.

  • Nihongo Resources

    1. Nihongo Resources has a Japanese course online.
    2. The courses assume you know Japanese kana, and there are kanji in the lessons as well.
    3. Lesson 0 has a review of reading and writing Japanese, if you need help.
    4. Once you've mastered kana enough to benefit from these lessons, download the free Nihongo Resources Grammar book (a PDF file).
    5. For each lesson, first read the lesson description.
    6. The word list has a review of words used in the lesson.
    7. Then go to the practice section, where you can review what you've just studied.
    8. The conversation section has a conversation entirely in Japanese using words from the lesson. You should be able to understand the conversation based on what you've just studied.
    9. Finally, try reading the conversation aloud. This site does not have audio files, so this is a way to practice your speaking comprehension.
    10. Tape yourself and play back the conversation to hear how fluent you sound!

  • Tae Kim's Japanese guide to Japanese grammar

    1. Once you understand hiragana, katakana, and kanji, Tae Kim's Japanese guide to Japanese grammar has some good lessons.
    2. These grammar lessons are approached from the perspective that it is better to know how to write Japanese as you learn it. As such, do not tackle this page until you understand writing Japanese!

  • Fun Japanese Lessons

    1. Watch Japanese music videos (find them by searching YouTube for JPop) and see if you can understand the lyrics.
    2. The Learn Amazing Japanese blog has videos and anime dialogues you can study.
    3. It's not always polite, but the Japanese slang jisho has slang terms in Japanese (written in romaji).

  • Learn Japanese with Akira Kurosawa

  • Japanese Podcasts

    1. Learn Japanese has a series of podcasts.
    2. Each podcast has a short dialogue, with a transcript posted online for more complex lessons.
      • Check the archives from October 2005 for the first lesson!
    3. You can either listen to the podcast online, or download an MP3 to take with you.
    4. For more advanced students, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri has online video podcasts. Watching and listening these is a great way to test your comprehension.

  • More Tips for Studying Japanese

    1. Mixxer allows language students to register (for free) to find a partner for a language exchange. You can find a partner who is a native speaker of Japanese, and who wants to learn English. By communicating over Skype, you and your partner can each help the other progress in your respective language studies.
    2. Check out your local university to see if they offer Japanese classes, or if there is a student or professor who can tutor you.
    3. Japanese! Japanese! is a blog that compiles posts from many different authors about their experiences studying Japanese.
    4. The J-List Side Blog has five tips for learning Japanese.
    5. Rent movies in Japanese. Turn off the subtitles (or cover the bottom of your TV set).
    6. Visit Japanese restaurants where you live. If you like sushi, try to order it using only Japanese. If there are Japanese speakers on staff, practice your Japanese!

  • Resources for Studying Japanese

    1. Australia's Griffith University has kanji and grammar resources online, which provide answers to basic grammatical questions and a way to check kanji meanings.
    2. Jim Breen's WWWJDIC Server has a great an online dictionary and a kanji look-up page.
    3. Kantango lets you look up a Japanese word (in kanji, kana, or romaji) to see its meaning in English.
    4. Rikai.com provides translations into hiragana and English for kanji. If a site has Japanese characters you need translated, you can type in the web address. The page will reappear, but this time you can hover over any Japanese word and get an English translation!


      • Also check out Mahalo's Guide to the Japanese language

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