How to Speak Japanese: 8 Tips Anyone Can Apply

If you’re learning Japanese…

Chances are, you want to speak Japanese above all else.

Good!

This guide will give you ways you practice speaking Japanese…

Some may be a bit crazy…

Some may seem a bit too easy…

And they should work regardless if you’re young or old,

All you need is the willingness to open your mouth and produce sounds.

But whichever method you pick, I swear to god, you CAN’T just do it once. It’s like doing a pushup once and claiming you’re now fit. No, no, no. You gotta do this daily for as long as you feel you’re not good enough.

1. Listening and picking up on what you’re hearing / understanding.

Who’s this for? Beginners and above.
– How to apply it? Podcasts, audiobooks, audio programs.
– Requirements? Good listening skills.
– Easy to do? Only if you’ve developed good listening skills.

What!? The first advice on how to speak Japanese as a beginner…

…is… listening?!

Not speaking!?

Calm down.

It’s not JUST listening. It’s also being able to pick up on what you’ve heard. You see, that second part is crucial because there’s no point in listening the Japanese sounds like “osadj9a8shuhaudhfisduf” to you. There’s no point if you can’t tell where one word ends and another starts — it’s too hard.

What I mean is… even if you don’t yet know the meanings exactly, you can tell that you heard a “Konnichiwa,” a “watashi wa” and a “Suzuki desu.”

For example, try listening to this and see if you can pick up on all the words.

Same lesson by JapanesePod101 — you can get more lessons in their prigram.

If you can make out the sounds, you’re on the right path to training your ear for Japanese speaking.

And if you listen and hear enough Japanese… and know what it sounds like…

You can use your mouth to mimic the sounds and also speak Japanese.

So, listen to a lot of Japanese and make sure you can process the sounds.

Now, at least one smart person reading this will wonder… “what if it’s too fast? How do I process the sounds? I am not good at listening to real people.”

Well, this is why listening to Japanese way above your level is not a good idea for beginners.

Whether that’s podcasts, TV shows, and so on.

At this point, you want to start listening to easy Japanese… something designed for beginners.

How? What should you do?

  1. Get a beginner audio program (I recommend JapanesePod101) but if doesn’t really matter which one as long as it’s beginner friendly. In the case of JapanesePod101, they teach Japanese through conversations so you will hear basic conversations
  2. Sign up for a Japanese beginner podcast
  3. Get a beginner level Japanese Audiobook

Audio is key here.

But let’s say your listening skills are not great… and that’s okay — all beginners have struggle here.

You can do this next method…

2. Read along with a transcript as you listen

Who’s this for? Beginners and above.
– How to apply it? Podcasts, audiobooks, audio programs that offer transcripts.
– Requirements? Can read Japanese. Transcript. This can’t work without a transcript.
– Easy to do? Yes, as long as you can read.

Having a transcript to follow is a good way to match what you hear to the actual words…

…and allows you to process the sounds and pick up on every single word.

Now, what does this have to do with speaking Japanese?

Again, if you can process and make out the sounds… and every word… you will be able to mimic them and say them out loud.

And even better, if you can read out the transcript out loud…

Or read anything out loud…

Yes, you’re pretty much speaking Japanese.

So, where can you get.a transcript for listening + reading along?

  • JapanesePod101, as mentioned above, offers these for every lesson
  • Japanese Audiobooks should offer these as well – you should make sure before you buy.
  • Japanese podcasts likely do but these may not always be free (which is totally okay – if you like a certain podcaster and find their content valuable – you should support them.)

3. Shadowing

Who’s this for? Beginners and above.
– How to apply it? Audiobooks, Audio programs, TV shows, etc.
– Requirements? Good listening/comprehension skills.
– Easy to do? Yes, as long as you can listen well.

Shadowing is a Japanese speaking practice technique where you’re repeating what you hear out loud.

Shadowing s meant for upper beginners who can listen well enough because…

…it 100% depends on your ability to listen to Japanese.

So, if you can pick apart the words that you hear, even if you don’t know some of the meanings… shadowing is for you.

How to shadow:

  1. Listen to Japanese
  2. Repeat what you hear
  3. And keep on shadowing

It’s pretty simple in practice but can be hard if your listening isn’t quite sharp.

If you can’t, well, you’re not ready yet.

Or, you can apply the next tip…

4. Read Out Loud

Who’s this for? Absolute beginners and above
– How to apply it? With textbooks, books, transcripts, and any reading material
– Requirements? Need to able to read in Japanese at a basic level.
– Easy to do? Very easy way to practice speaking.

If you’re already reading Japanese with a Japanese textbook

If you try to read out loud, you will essentially be speaking Japanese.

This is one of the simplest ways to practice speaking Japanese… as long as you know how to read Japanese (meaning, you know your Japanese alphabet – Kana and some Kanji.)

“But what if I’m mispronouncing some words!?”

If you’re asking this….

You’re an insecure (or perfectionist – which is not good despite how “pErFeCt” and positive the word sounds) beginner afraid to make mistakes.

And I know internet forum weirdos stress on the importance of being “perfect” (and also in an attempt to sell you something.)

But relax.

Pronunciation’s not too important. Especially when you’re a beginner. Why?

Because If you’re already doing enough listening with an audio program or otherwise, you’ll pick up the correct pronunciation.

And if not, hey no big deal — natives will understand you and appreciate your effort. So, stop worrying.

Let’s get back to the point — practice speaking by reading out loud.

You can even do this with the “follow along with a transcript” method I mentioned above.

5. How to Speak Japanese FAST

Now, there is another way to ADJUST the “Read out loud” trick…

…to speak even better. To speak Japanese fast.

But first…

So, imagine a child reading a book for the first time. On the first try, they will struggle through a line. Then they will read it a bit faster. Then a bit faster.

Now, apply the same tactic here to reading out loud.

  1. Read a line out loud slowly first (if you don’t struggle with reading, skip this step)
  2. Read a line out loud at a normal pace
    • and now that you’re fully acquainted with the sounds…
  3. Speed up your reading a bit… and re-read that line a bit faster
  4. Speed up a bit and re-read that line even faster
  5. Repeat for the next line.

By starting slow, you get acquainted with the sounds. So on the next round, you can re-read it out loud normally. And then you speed up a bit.

This will help you speak Japanese fast… and with confidence.

6. Get a Japanese native speaking teacher

Now, some people (particularly shy beginners) may not be ready for this one…

…and that’s okay.

I felt similar in the past.

So, don’t feel like you should go hire one right now.

But you eventually should.

You should get a tutor or teacher when YOU feel ready for it — which depends on you. Some brand new beginners would want one right away… and some would want one after some months of self learning.

Whenever you feel ready.

Having ongoing speaking practice is what will improve your Japanese speaking skills the most, in my opinion.

After all, half of the battle with learning is the practice.

If you don”t practice what you learn, then you don’t learn.

Plus all the feedback and corrections will help you speak with more confidence.

This is probably the best way… if you want ti know how to speak Japanese.

What should you do?

  • When you feel ready…
  • Look for a tutor or teacher – in-person or online

Side comment #1. I’ve used online teachers in the past and don’t regret it one bit. Of course, your experience may vary since there are many kinds of people out there, so be sure to shop around.

Side comment #2. Of course, just attending sessions with a teacher alone will not be enough. You will need to practice on your own time and bring things you want to talk about or get feedback on. Otherwise, you’ll be no different from a college kid that just shows up in class, sits there, leaves, studies for the test, then forgets it all.

7. Every New Word & Phrase You Learn…

Since you’re learning the language…

You WILL come across new words, phrases and grammar patterns all the time.

Now, my approach here is not to worry or overwhelm yourself with trying to memorize everything.

Why? Well, because if you’re consistently learning, you WILL come across these words again and that continued repetition will lock em into your brain.

But, from a speaking perspective…

Whenever you come across a new word or phrase…

Try and say it out loud 5 or 10 times.

The whole point here is that “coming across new words” is the easy part and only 1/2 of learning.

The other 1/2 comes from the practice. So, you may as well take a moment to practice saying the word out loud a few times. That way, you have a better chance of remembering it…

…and when it comes time to speak that word or phrase…

…you won’t struggle.

8. Should you use AI to for Japanese speaking practice?

In this day and age, you’re going to see a lot of apps for… “practice with AI.”

And you may be tempted.

You can finally practice without making embarrassing mistakes.

So, you may be wondering — should you use AI?

My thoughts?

If you haven’t started learning and practicing already… I say no. Because it seems like you’re under the tempting influence of the “shiny new object” syndrome.

Also if it requires you to pay…. and all you’re getting is this AI, I still say no.

You see, like any other tool — you still have to actively use it. If you don’t use it, nothing will happen. So, if you have a whole bunch of other tools you haven’t used, the same is going to happen here. You’ll waste your money in the long run.

So, get a learning habit first.

Or, get a resource that is not JUST AI… so that you get more bang for your buck.

But in the grand scheme, I say an actual person is better to practice with.

There’s no excitement and emotion going on if you’re using some AI app.

No face is excited to hear you. Noone’s there to ask you questions. Noone’s there to start talking with you even if you’re afraid to make the first move. Noone’s reacting to your good (or bad pronunciation). Noone’s smirking at your mistake.

While most people go “oh no0o0o” to being judged…

Those reactions from a native speaker is exactly what helps you learn faster and improve.

An AI app, after you use it a few times, will go sitting unused with all the other resources…

But hey, if you’re looking for a tool and you have a good learning routine going…
Meaning, you don’t buy resources and then abandon them…

Then why not?

Since I’m fan of JapanesePod101, I can suggest their Dialogue RolePlay tool. You can find it in every lesson. This lets you practice the lesson dialogue and then get feedback from the AI. But you would need a paid subscription (Premium PLUS – which gives you the whole program) to access that.

Conclusion

Now you know how to speak Japanese…

And how to get some Japanese speaking practice.

Whichever method you pick…

Make sure you’re not doing it just once.

That’s the only way you’ll get good at speaking Japanese.

Japanese speaking practice must be done daily… just like brushing your teeth,

This is the main message I want to drill… above any trick and method. Any of ’em will work fine enough — even the really bad methods — if you put in enough time and practice.

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Joshua Davis

Fantastic read,

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