How To Practise Speaking Japanese

This article is about how to know if you’re practising speaking Japanese properly.

Can you really improve your speaking skills if you don’t have a Japanese teacher or live in Japan? 

The short answer is yes! You can absolutely improve your Japanese speaking skills, even without a teacher or visiting Japan.

Let’s make one thing absolutely clear before we get into the details: the point of speaking is communication with other people. Unless you’re studying for a test at school, the point is not to use perfect grammar or correct sentence structure; the main point is to get your meaning across.

Gestures, facial expressions and even images can help you communicate.

I have first-hand experience with this, because as I write this article I’m traveling in Turkey. I don’t speak much Turkish, but I’m getting by just fine.

However, if you want to really level up and speak Japanese more fluently, and with much more confidence, this article is for you.

So, how can you practise speaking Japanese and actually improve if you don’t have a partner?

Many learners believe that they need a partner to practise speaking with in order to improve. Maybe this helped them learn other languages in the past. 

However, many of my students who had mastered other languages before trying to learn Japanese have told me that this method didn’t work for learning to speak Japanese. They started to lose confidence and came to me for help.

Why couldn’t they improve their Japanese speaking skills, even though they practised with a partner and worked very hard? To tell you the truth, the same thing happened to me when I studied English.

The reason is simple. Learning Japanese is a lot like learning the piano: you need to practise by yourself before performing in front of others.

You can’t suddenly perform after a single piano lesson, and it’s the same with Japanese - you can’t have a smooth, natural conversation right after learning a few phrases.

But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to learn Japanese for years before having a smooth conversation.

The key is to link your brain and your mouth, linking your input (your new expressions) and your output (using them in conversation).

If you can do this, you’ll become a confident speaker, and you’ll find that your practise will pay off very quickly.

Imagine the connection between your brain and your mouth is a water pipe. If you want to have a better flow, you need a bigger, wider pipe. If you don’t have a pipe, or just a very small one, the flow of conversation will be restricted, or maybe it won’t flow at all.

When I was 21 years old, I visited Dublin. I hadn’t practised speaking English very well, and when I got on a bus, I couldn’t even ask the driver if it was going where I needed to go. It was so frustrating because even though I had the knowledge of what I wanted to say, I couldn’t say it at all!

When I came back to Japan, I realised from this experience that I needed to train the link between my brain and my mouth. I created many ways to practise by myself, since I didn’t have anyone to practise with in my hometown.

I also found ways to practise with other people more effectively, and I combined these methods whenever I got the chance. Later, during my studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, and at King’s College, I learnt that there was actually science behind the methods I’d discovered.

I’ve combined my own practical experience with the best language acquisition theories and techniques to show you how to practise speaking Japanese to improve as quickly as possible.

You’ll learn how to:

• Practise speaking Japanese effectively by yourself
• Practise speaking Japanese with a native speaker

I guarantee that if you try these methods, you’ll become a much more confident speaker. In fact, if you follow these methods, you can become a confident Japanese speaker in as little as 4 weeks!

❤ How to practise speaking Japanese effectively by yourself

Have you ever felt frustrated that you know how to say something in Japanese but it just won’t come out?

Practising speaking by yourself is a good first step to overcoming this. It’s training for real conversations, to make sure that you don’t freeze or make mistakes when the time comes.

Once you’ve learnt some new expressions, try these methods for practising speaking by yourself:

1. Read Japanese texts aloud
2. Repeat after audio
3. Self-talk (monologue)
4. Self-talk (Q&A/conversation style)
5. Q&A with your pet or an image of your favourite person

1. Read Japanese texts aloud

Make sure you review the material from your last lesson before you try to use them in a conversation. It’s useful to have texts of example sentences that you can see rather than just doing it from memory.

Understanding sentence structure is important when speaking, so having a visual aide can be a great starting point when you’re practising speaking by yourself.

Reading aloud is a great way to start because you can take your time understanding the meaning and sentence structure, and it’s much more stimulating than just reading it in silence. The more stimulation your brain has, the easier it will be for new phrases to enter into your long-term memory.

You need to pay special attention when reading aloud. This isn’t just usual reading practice - you need to make sure your intonation is correct and that the words flow smoothly.

Reading aloud will help you understand how to put your new vocabulary, grammar points and expressions into a properly-formed sentence.

2. Repeat after audio

If you can, find study materials with audio and repeat the example sentences until you can say them all smoothly. You can pause if the sentence is too long. It’s better to break it down into chunks and repeat each phrase until you can say it exactly the same as the audio.

I did this every single day when I was studying English.

For example, it was really difficult for me to say, “I’m interested in XXXX” (in English).

I repeated that phrase 100 times because the pronunciation is so different from Japanese. Pronunciation is so different between Japanese and English that you really need to make sure that your tongue gets used to moving the right way.

If you want to work more on your pronunciation, read my article, How To Improve Japanese Pronunciation.

3. Self-talk (monologue)

It’s normal for people to talk to themselves throughout the day. It’s actually a great way to practise speaking Japanese - nobody’s around to hear you, correct you or criticise you, and you don’t need to worry about making mistakes.

I regret not doing more of this before I went to Dublin…

As I mentioned in my article, Japanese Study: 5 Steps For Effective Input, you should practise speaking by talking about things in your life. Focus on useful phrases and expressions.

You can practise new expressions when you’re drinking coffee, having a shower, putting on make-up, or anything else you do around your home.

You can even speak to yourself mentally (not necessarily aloud) when you’re out in public - shopping, waiting for the bus, etc.

For example,

きょう、おいしいレストランにいきます。 I’m going to a nice restaurant today!

4. Self-talk (Q&A/conversation style)

Once you start getting used to speaking Japanese and the words are flowing a bit more smoothly, it’s a good time to start using a question and answer format in your self-talk.

For example, if you’ve learned いきます [to go], you could practise it like this:

Q：きょう、どこにいきますか。                  Where am I going today? 

A：おいしいレストランにいきます！           I’m going to a nice restaurant!

This kind of one person role-play will prepare you for a real conversation with a native speaker.

5. Q&A with your pet or an image of your favourite person

Now that you’re used to using a Q&A or conversational format for self-talk, the next step is to start focusing on another person or thing.

You can speak to an image of someone you like - your partner, your mother, a celebrity, a pet, or even a soft toy.

Q (to your cat)：きょう、どこにいきますか。         Where are you going today? 

A：わたしはおいしいレストランにいきます！                    I’m going to a nice restaurant!

This step might sound silly, but it really is an important one. It’ll help your brain make connections that will help you focus on other people during a conversation.

Focusing on another person or thing will also help you imagine different answers to the ones you might give in certain situations. It’ll help you a lot.

❤ Practising with a native Japanese speaker

Now that you’ve spent some time practising speaking Japanese by yourself, it’s a good idea to test your new skills on a native speaker! This is an important part of the process of becoming a better Japanese speaker.

There 3 basic options for speaking with a native Japanese speaker:

1. Speaking with a Japanese teacher
2. Speaking with a Japanese person
3. Joining a Japanese language community

1. Speaking to a Japanese teacher

Speaking with a Japanese teacher is the best option for improving your speaking as quickly as possible. You can get customised feedback appropriate for your level from someone who is both a native speaker and who is qualified in language acquisition techniques.

1-on-1 lessons are even better if you want completely personalised feedback. If you’re a complete beginner, a 1-hour lesson might be too much. 15 minutes is an appropriate time to learn some new expressions and get a feel for a simple Q&A style conversation.

It might seem counterintuitive, but if you really want to practise speaking, avoid group lessons. I used to teach group lessons, but teachers in these situations can’t pay attention to everything you say because they have to listen to other students, too.

A 15-minute 1-on-1 lesson will give you better results for speaking than a 1-hour group lesson. If you want to give it a try, you can sign up for a 15-minute lesson with a native Japanese teacher from Arai Academy.

2. Speaking with a Japanese person

Speaking with a Japanese person really is the most natural setting for a conversation in Japanese. You might encounter this at a shop or a restaurant. It’s also the most challenging type of Japanese conversation.

First of all, you need the courage to speak Japanese when you do finally get the chance. This can be difficult for introverted people like me, but if you can overcome your shyness, it’s a fantastic opportunity to test your skills and make a human connection.

Another difficulty is that they might not have experience in speaking to a Japanese language learner. They’re often not as patient as teachers, they might not give you the right kind of feedback, and if they’re a store clerk or a waiter, they might try to speak to you using formal words like they would with any other guest or customer.

It can be really stressful when you’re in a situation where both you and your conversation partner can’t understand each other.

Merril Swain, a Canadian Linguist who specialised in second language acquisition, created her Output Hypothesis after many years of research.

She concluded that speaking is a great opportunity to test and become aware of the gap between your own speech and that of a native speaker’s.

To get the most out of practising with a native speaker, Swain recommends the following key points:

• Say a sentence that you created
• Check to see if your sentence is understood
• Reflect on how you might express yourself better next time

This is the best way to improve when practising with a native speaker. It’s always important to be active and intentional when you practise, but even more so when you’re speaking with someone who isn’t a trained teacher.

3. Joining a Japanese language community

Joining a Japanese language community is a great idea. If it’s in your local area, you can make new friends. Online communities are very convenient if you want to meet people from around the world, or if your schedule is very busy.

You can get inspiration from other learners and you’ll be much more motivated than if you just study alone. It’s also a great opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences.

It’s even better if you have a native Japanese teacher in the community to facilitate and maximise your speaking opportunities, since practising speaking in a group setting is more challenging than 1-on-1.

If you want to join an online learning community run by a native teacher that provides support to help you progress and lots of chances to practise speaking Japanese, try out the Master Speaking Japanese - Learner course! There’s a monthly live event with other learners and you’ll have direct access to me, so you can get answers and advice for the parts of Japanese you’re struggling with.

So, there you have it. You really can build up your confidence by practising speaking Japanese without a conversation. Then you can try your new skills by speaking to a native teacher, Japanese people, and in groups! If you do join a group, start with a small one, and then you can try bigger and bigger groups.

If you struggle, try and find a quieter place or a smaller group.

The future of language learning is very interesting! I’m actually testing out an AI language teacher at the moment. I’ll write about my thoughts and experiences in the future. If you want updates on my thoughts about the place of AI in language learning, sign up for my mailing list.

Mineko Arai

Hello! I'm Mineko Arai. I’ve been teaching Japanese for about 20 years. I was a lecturer at top UK universities like the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, the University of Sheffield, and King's College. 

I was also employed by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to prepare diplomats for postings to the British embassy in Tokyo.

I'm now the director of the Arai Academy of Japanese Studies. The academy has provided corporate training to the British Museum,  as well as executives and business leaders at companies like Deloitte, Sony, Dentsu and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank.

I was also voted #1 online tutor at Vidalingua.

I have an MA in applied Japanese linguistics from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and an MBA in Education Management from King's College London.

Most textbooks and courses lock you in to stock examples and phrases, which are unusable, and sound stiff and unnatural. However, the Master Speaking Japanese course empowers you to say exactly what you want naturally and fluently from the very beginning! Get started for free!