Many Japanese beginners tend to memorise mainly vocabulary and grammar. I really admire your effort, but sadly this rarely leads to fluency. 

Again, if this is you, it's not your fault! 

Most learning materials lock you in to stock examples and phrases, which are stiff and unnatural. It's hard to move beyond that and really make the language your own.

The missing link is learning the Japanese mindset.

When you learn the Japanese mindset, you'll understand Japanese expressions. Culture-based learning will help you to quickly understand new expressions and grammar points on a deeper level, which will boost your confidence and speaking ability. 

It becomes much easier to understand why certain phrases are said when you understand the cultural mindset behind them. That's why I say, 'Mind = Expressions!'

Lev Vygotsky, a world-famous Russian sociologist, wrote about sociocultural influences on language learning. He said what you think becomes how you express yourself, and understanding the native mindset is a big help in language learning!

When you learn the Japanese mindset, becoming fluent in Japanese is only a matter of time.

Here are the key concepts for learning Japanese effectively as a beginner:

1. Understanding word order
2. How group-oriented culture affects expressions
3. Why Japanese people omit repetitive phrases
4. Japanese is an emotional language
5. Learn by speaking

Once you understand these core parts of the Japanese mindset, your Japanese language journey will be much, much faster!

1. Understanding Japanese Word Order

Word order is something that trips a lot of people up when they first try to learn Japanese. Here's why:

When Japanese people look at the world, they start from general information and work their way to more specific things. This is the exact opposite of how English speakers see the world!

For example, in Japanese:

わたしはかみがながいです。About me, the hair is long.

But in English, the same sentence would be: 

“My hair is long.”

In English, we start with the specifics and work our way out to the bigger picture. 

The direction – or how we see the world in each language – is different.

If you can understand how Japanese people see the world, finding the right word order will become natural.

2. How Group-Oriented Culture Affects Japanese Expressions

It might surprise you to know that when Japanese people receive sweets from their colleagues, they apologise instead of saying “thank you!”

Why on earth would someone apologise when they receive a present?

It's because Japanese people feel sorry when someone does something nice for them. 

In this case, they would think about how the colleague had to spend time choosing the sweets, spending money, and going to a lot of effort just for them! 

The focus is on the other person and rather than on themselves. This is why Japanese people tend to say すみません or sorry rather than ありがとう or thank you when receiving gifts.

3. Why Japanese People Omit Repetitive Phrases

The easiest way to sound like a native Japanese speaker is to omit all repetitive phrases.

For example, in everyday speech, Japanese people usually drop the “I” when they're talking about themselves or what they're doing.

In English, saying, “I went to a cafe, I had a cappuccino, and then I went home,” is perfectly fine. However, in Japanese, it sounds completely self-centered!

Japanese people would usually only mention “I,”  when it's absolutely necessary for context.

In English, “went to a cafe, had a cappuccino, went home,” sounds a bit rough or rude, but it's normal in Japanese.

4. Japanese Is An Emotional Language

In English, the focus is on facts.

Take this sentence, for example: 

“Tom helped me.”

Nothing about this sentence shows emotion. It's just a statement of fact.

But in Japanese, such a sentence can't exist without focusing on the emotion of the event. In fact, the word for receive (くれる) actually conveys gratitude.

トムさんがたすけてくれました。I (gratefully) received help from Tom.

Japanese people share their feelings about the things they say. If you can make a connection between feelings and events, you'll be able to speak and understand Japanese much more easily.

5. Learn By Speaking

Different languages require different learning methods.

For some European languages, English speakers can get by with learning a few phrases and doing some reading, since they're quite similar to English. 

However, you can't learn Japanese without speaking a lot!

This is the most important step in becoming fluent.

If you're struggling to practice speaking Japanese, here are 3 ways to do it effectively:

1. On your own
2. With a native teacher
3. With a native speaker

1. Learn Japanese On Your Own

Do you need a Japanese person to practise speaking after learning new expressions?

The surprising answer is... no!

If you've ever learnt a musical instrument, you'll know that you have to practise new material by yourself before performing it in front of other people. It's the same in Japanese – you need to practice new words and phrases before trying to use them with a native speaker!

You can:

• Speak to yourself in Japanese 
• Speak to your pet or an image of your favourite person in Japanese 
• Repeat questions and answers from model conversations and add your own original words. 

Practise until you can say everything smoothly with the right rhythm, speed, intonation and pronunciation.

Just like playing the piano, speaking a little Japanese every day will help you improve faster than speaking a whole lot just before you need to perform. 

Your mouth and brain will gradually get used to speaking Japanese.

I cover this method in my Japanese self-study course. If you're interested, check out Master Speaking Japanese and get started for free!

2. Learn Japanese With A Native Teacher

It's possible to learn new expressions and grammar points by yourself. But, for best results, you need a native teacher to give you personalised feedback on how to improve.

They'll also teach you how to use new expressions properly, including any cultural nuances you might not be aware of.

Experienced native teachers have a logical system for helping you to speak naturally. Once you understand the logic behind the language, you can speak even more confidently.

3. Speak Japanese With A Native Speaker

This option is the most challenging for one important reason. 

If the native speaker doesn't have any teaching experience, or much experience with Japanese language learners, they may not know how to best support your speaking practice.

But don't give up!

You'll be ready to get the most out of conversations with a native speaker after learning with a native Japanese teacher and practicing on your own!

If you do have this option available to you, it would be a good idea to prepare questions or things you want to talk about with them in advance.

How many textbooks and apps have you used to try to learn Japanese? 

Did any of them actually help you to have a smooth, anxiety-free conversation with a native Japanese speaker?

If yes, I’m happy for you. If not,  most textbooks and apps basically teach you expressions and are not designed to help you actually speak Japanese. Sure, they cover lots of reading, grammar points, maybe even some writing. But speaking? That’s another matter entirely.

If you truly want to communicate in Japanese, it’s better to use materials that focus on speaking. 

Whether you’re traveling, sightseeing, working at a Japanese company or just trying to order food at a local Japanese restaurant, focusing on speaking skill is the must. And I’m sure that this skill is the one most of you actually want to develop.

If you can master speaking Japanese, all the grammar, vocabulary and kanji will become so much easier. Your progress will be faster, you’ll see real results, you’ll gain confidence, and your language journey will be a lot more fun!

Here are 5 tips for choosing the best materials for learning to speak Japanese:

1. Make sure the materials are in a question and answer, or conversational format rather than in a monologue
2. Choose materials that help you speak about yourself and your own life rather than an imaginary person
3. Use materials with crystal clear explanations of grammar and vocabulary
4. Find materials that let you learn new expressions by speaking (rather than just reading or writing)
5. Make sure the materials include Japanese for practical, real-life situations

Let’s get into the details.
 

1. Make sure the materials are in a Q&A or a conversational format

When was the last time you made a speech? Personally, I can’t remember the last time I made one.

We don’t make speeches or give presentations on a daily basis, so why would we learn to speak Japanese in a speech or presentation format?

Most of your time spent speaking is in a conversational format, which means lots of questions and answers.

This means that finding materials that teach you how to speak Japanese in a conversational style is crucial!

It’s no good only being able to recite your self-introduction or a presentation about what you did on the weekend if your conversation partner asks you a question.

You need to understand common questions and responses in different situations. You need to be able to express yourself freely and confidently. And the materials you choose need to teach you how to do this.

If you learn from the right materials, you won’t hesitate to speak Japanese whenever you get the chance because you’ll have the knowledge, practice and confidence to have smooth conversations.

You’ll never miss another opportunity because you’ll be ready for anything!

2. Choose materials that help you speak about yourself and your own life

Do you think there’s practical benefit to learning the following phrase:

たなかさんはにほんじんです。 

Mr. Tanaka is Japanese.

Most possibly not! Because you’ll almost never say it (unless someone cannot figure out the nationality from the name). 

Plus, when you speak, you want to express yourself. You talk to the person in front of you. You talk about your family and friends.

This is how real conversations work.

We rarely talk about made-up characters from a textbook. So, let’s forget about them.

If you find materials that help you learn and use expressions about yourself and your life, you’ll enjoy studying Japanese a lot more. You’ll be able to have real conversations sooner. They’ll go more smoothly. You’ll feel more comfortable and confident.

You’ll start thinking about how to use them in your area, in an online community, or when you visit Japan. 

3. Use materials with crystal clear explanations of grammar and vocabulary

If you’re learning by yourself, it’s crucial to be able to understand grammar points and the differences between similar expressions.

Whatever materials you choose, they should help you to learn the use cases, cultural meaning, and nuances behind the grammar, vocabulary and phrases you’re learning.

It sounds obvious, but the materials you choose should also build up your speaking skills by moving from easier expressions to more challenging ones.

This will help you avoid common errors.

It’ll also help you with another key point:

In Japanese, the same grammar point can be used to show different things in different situations.

Take the ‘ni’ particle, for example.

If you learn it in the context of a holiday, a typical sentence might look like this:

(わたしは)きょうとにいきます。

I’m going to Kyoto.

But if you learn the same particle in the context of a convenience store, a sentence could look like this:

おにぎりはあそこにあります。

The onigiri/rice balls are over there.

The ‘ni’ particle is the same, but one sentence is talking about a travel destination and the other is talking about where you can find a tasty snack! 

If you don’t learn by taking small steps with meaningful practice, you might never understand how to use ‘ni’ in both cases. You might also never learn other important points, like that in Japanese culture it’s natural (and even preferred) to omit repetitive words and phrases. I talk more about that specific point in my article on How To Learn Japanese.

Good materials will give you specific patterns that look something like this:

[Destination + ni] + movement.

（わたしは) きょうとにいきます。

I’m going to Kyoto.

[Location + ni] + exist.

(おにぎりは) あそこにあります。

The onigiri/rice balls are over there.

When you learn the formulas from clear explanations, you’ll be able to express yourself more easily. You’ll constantly add to your toolbox of phrases and you’ll be able to distinguish between similar grammar points and avoid common errors.

If your materials make you jump up to the difficult stuff, you might start to feel frustrated and give up. So, take small, steady steps and you’ll be speaking like a native in no time!

(A quick learning note: never learn the ‘ni’ particle as [place + ni]. Learning it this way can cause a lot of confusion down the line.)

4. Find materials that let you learn expressions by speaking

 In a conversation, how confidently can you use grammar points and vocabulary that you memorised?

Learning Japanese is like learning a musical instrument - having theoretical knowledge isn’t enough. You need regular practice.

Learning new information by speaking is the best possible way to make it stick.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re choosing Japanese materials:

• Example sentences should have audio for you to mirror and repeat
• Good instructions should give you the chance to make your own practical questions and answers using the new expressions
• Good materials should provide you with model conversations for you to check your usage against

If the materials you use encourage you to speak, repeat and experiment, your brain and mouth will get used to cooperating. It’s a widely-studied phenomenon, but using more of your physical body and senses (like speaking) also helps activate your long-term memory. Speaking is the first step to fluency!

5. Make sure the materials include Japanese for practical, real-life situations

If you want to become a fluent Japanese speaker, you should learn expressions for practical, real-life situations. Learn Japanese you’ll use on a daily basis.

For example, if you’re planning to visit Japan for a holiday or a business trip, it would make sense to learn expressions related to sightseeing or business. While learning hiragana and lists of random vocabulary can help you indirectly, it shouldn’t be the main focus of your study.

Make sure the materials you choose cover Japanese expressions for the situations you’re likely to encounter.

That way you’ll be able to navigate your interactions with native speakers smoothly and easily.

The science behind these 5 points

These 5 points are very important for language learning. Here’s why:

According to world-famous American linguist, educational researcher and activist Stephen Krashen (inventor of Krashen’s Input Theory), the most important factors in language learning are:

1. You should acquire expressions from your life setting and your goals
2. You should study from something you can understand
3. It should be a bit challenging, but not too hard

If you stick to the points covered in this chapter, you’ll be well equipped to choose the best materials for learning to speak Japanese.

When you have very little time to study, it can seem like you don’t make any progress at all, or even that your Japanese actually gets worse!

Most textbooks and apps don’t tell you how to manage your daily practice time.

But there is good news: most of the people I’ve successfully taught in my 20 years of Japanese teaching have been extremely busy. 

If the people I’ve successfully taught Japanese to were all very busy, that means you can reach your language goals, too!

Here are 5 science-backed methods for maximising your limited practice time, so you can achieve higher levels of fluency even if you’re time-poor.

These tips have helped many of my students, from university students to business leaders around the world.

Here are my 5 tips for how to study Japanese when you’re busy:

1. Revise new expressions within 24 hours
2. Study while you do repetitive tasks
3. Set alarms for regular study times
4. Write down your goals by hand
5. Visualise your goal to keep your motivation high

1. Revise new expressions within 24 hours

Is it hard for you to remember new vocabulary, expressions and grammar points?

Don’t worry, just revise them within 24 hours and you’ll remember them just fine! Here’s how it works:

Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German Psychologist and pioneer of memory studies, discovered that you normally forget 50% of new facts after 1 hour, 70% after 24 hours, and almost 100% after 1 month.

However, if you revise new expressions within 24 hours (and especially if you revise them 3 days in a row), they’ll get stored in your long-term memory!

So, every time you learn something new, revise it 3 times and you’ll see a huge jump in your progress. You don’t have to wait until you’ve finished the revision cycle to add something new, but when you do, make sure you revise!

2. Study while you do repetitive tasks

If you’re really struggling to find time, you can study while you do repetitive tasks, or while going about your daily life.

For example, you can: 

• Set a screenshot of your new expressions as your phone background or lock screen
• Write new expressions on post-it notes and put them on your fridge, on your doors, in your bathroom and on your desk
• Record audio of the expressions and listen to them while you’re brushing your teeth, having a shower and commuting

Read them out loud every time you see them. Imagine yourself saying them while you’re listening to them. Get your brain and mouth used to cooperating, and integrate them into your life (even if it’s just for 3 days each).

You’ll be amazed at how much you can learn even when you have next to no time to study!

3. Set alarms for regular study times

One of the best ways to be able to integrate and use your new expressions is to repeat them in a model conversation every day.

I wrote about the importance of using audio in your speaking practice in my article ‘How To Choose The Best Materials For Learning To Speak Japanese.’

Set an alarm to practice speaking at least once a day. 

Or, you could add the going through a model conversation to an existing habit. For example, you could do your speaking practice and repeat after the model conversation right when you wake up or go to bed. 

You could also run through the conversation when you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The key is to make it a regular habit, part of your daily routine.

That way you’ll see yourself getting closer and closer to your goal of Japanese fluency.

4. Write down your goals by hand

A 2007 study by the Dominican University of California showed that learners who write out their goals by hand are 42% more likely to achieve them!

This is because writing things out by hand is more stimulating for your brain than typing.

Here’s how to take full advantage of this psychological mechanism, and how I’ve applied this research to learning Japanese:

1. Write out your Japanese learning goals by hand. Put your goals on your desk or where you can see them every day, and read them out loud for even more stimulation!
2. Write out your daily plan to achieve your goals, including specific lesson numbers in your materials. If you can, include some spare time in case you need a break. Make sure the goals are achievable but just a little challenging
3. Mark your daily goals as ‘completed,’ or give yourself a sticker (or whatever you like!) whenever you get through them. This takes advantage of the dopamine mechanism in your brain and helps you stay motivated. Don’t sweat it if you don’t reach your daily target - you can catch up in your scheduled spare time or by using the methods I’ve mentioned above
4. Join a community where you can meet other dedicated people who are also studying Japanese, and encourage each other to reach your goals! Learning partners and accountability are great ways to find motivation and track your progress

5. Visualise your goals to keep your motivation high

Visualisation is another scientifically-backed method that will keep you motivated and focused on achieving your Japanese speaking goals.

Imagine how it will feel to reach your goals. This feeling will motivate you to keep practicing, even when you’re busy.

When you feel motivated and relaxed, you learn far more effectively than when you feel stressed, worried and unconfident.

So, imagine, feel and focus on the future you - the you that has already achieved your goals. Achieving them becomes just a matter of time!

There you have it: 5 tips for how to study Japanese, even when you’re busy.

I use these methods in my private lessons, as well as in my online course, Master Speaking Japanese, to help my students progress an average of 3.7x faster, and to speak Japanese with an average of 400% more confidence (according to a recent survey I conducted).

One of my busiest students was so proud of himself when he visited a friend in Tokyo who told him he’d never met a Japanese learner whose progress had been so dramatic before. The most amazing part of his story is that he started learning Japanese as an adult with no previous experience in learning foreign languages!

Have you ever tried to study Japanese really intensely, but you got burnt out?

It’s great having so much passion and motivation, but learning Japanese should be fun rather than stressful. I understand you want to study intensely but this rarely leads to fluency. Sadly, I’ve seen many learners lose confidence and give up when they approach Japanese in this way. 

Your method of study should be fun and sustainable.

How you study is just as important as what you study.

Once you understand how to study properly, you’ll automatically stay motivated, and enjoy a Japanese language journey full of joy and confidence.

One of the most important factors in how to study properly is making sure that you have the right input. Input is the material you study, listen to, read and watch. 

Here are the 5 steps for choosing effective Japanese input.

1. Don’t jump ahead
2. Take baby steps
3. Find clear grammar explanations
4. Make sure what you’re learning is practical and fun
5. Practice effective listening

Once you apply these steps to your Japanese study, your progress will be much smoother and a lot more enjoyable! You’ll be reaching your goals before you know it.

1. Don’t jump ahead

It’s so tempting to rush from one lesson to the next as quickly as possible!

But there’s real danger in this approach. It’s not sustainable and it leads to burnout.

If you rush ahead from day one, you train your brain to think it’s normal to study at a fast pace. However, there will come a time when you meet tricky grammar points or advanced vocabulary, and you won’t be able to progress as quickly as you’re used to. When this happens, it’s really easy to feel frustrated and disappointed. You might lose confidence and feel like it’s just a matter of time until you give up.

Jumping from one grammar point to another before you’ve mastered the first one is also a recipe for disaster. Most materials use previous grammar points in their examples for new grammar. So, if you jump forward too quickly, you’ll end up facing unfamiliar nuances and you’ll quickly become overwhelmed.

Here’s a good way to find the appropriate level, and to make sure you’re progressing at the appropriate speed.

American linguist, educational researcher and activist Stephen Krashen’s Input Theory gives two important points you can apply to your Japanese study:

1. When you feel stressed because you can’t understand what you’re learning, then the level is too high for you
2. If you’re bored with what you’re learning, the level is too low for you

In the goldilocks zone, you’ll find material at a level that makes you feel excited to learn! Not too easy, not too difficult.

As long as you stay in this zone, you’ll make steady progress and you’ll never get tired of studying Japanese! 

I’ve mentioned Krashen in chapter 2 of this guide, and I highly recommend his methods!

2. Take baby steps

Do you feel like each lesson in your current learning materials covers too much new information?

Don’t worry - there’s nothing wrong with you. Don’t believe me? I can prove it - with science!

Another part of Krashen’s Input Theory deals with how much information you should take in from each lesson. Most materials cover a lot of information at once. This can easily make you feel overwhelmed, and can sometimes make you feel like you’re not good enough.

Taking baby steps is the answer.

When you think about how babies learn to speak, they spend a lot of time on input - listening and watching. From there, they try to output sounds, then simple words, then simple sentences, and before you know it, they can say everything they want to say.

It’s important to approach Japanese in the same way, gradually building on previously learned knowledge. 

Of course, as adults with fully developed brains and a good grasp of at least one language, we can progress much faster than babies who are learning their very first words.

But what do baby steps look like for adults learning Japanese?

You should learn a small amount in each lesson. Then, you should try to speak (output) using your new expressions straight away after the lesson ends. Repeat this small amount until you can use it smoothly and confidently.

Then, when you progress in the next lesson, you can add a small amount to it, which you will also revise straight away. 

For example, if you’re a complete beginner, you can study Japanese vowel sounds:

• あ [a]
• い [i]
• う [u]
• え [e]
• お [o]

Then, once you’ve revised until you’ve mastered the sounds, you can move onto the next lesson:

• か [ka]
• き [ki]
• く [ku]
• け [ke]
• こ [ko]

Of course, this is a very basic example, but I hope you can see my point.

Aside from increasing your confidence, maintaining your motivation, and avoiding burnout, taking baby steps allows you plenty of time to revise, too!

I cover the importance of revising and its impact on long-term memory, and give a detailed revision schedule, in my article 5 Tips For How To Study Japanese In Your Busy Life.

3. Find clear grammar explanations

You shouldn’t have to read the same explanation over and over again to understand a new grammar point. You should be able to understand it instantly.

So, find crystal clear explanations of grammar and vocabulary that make you feel like ‘Yes, I got it!’ without having to spend a lot of time on it.

Here are the benefits of finding great, clear grammar explanations:

1. Clear explanations save time and protect you from frustration
2. Crystal clear explanations help you memorise new learning points smoothly because they make a big impact on your brain, which helps you remember them automatically
3. They help you avoid common mistakes because you’ll understand the subtle differences between similar expressions and usages

4. Make sure what you’re learning is practical and fun

Compare these two example sentences. Which one are you likely to come across? Which one is more practical?

Example 1: これはやまださんのかばんですか。Is this Mr. Yamada’s bag?

Example 2: これはおきゃくさまのスマホですか。Is this your smart phone? (spoken by a clerk)

The grammar point is exactly the same, but the second sentence is much more practical. You’ll be in a lot of  trouble if you lose your phone! But you’re unlikely to ever hear the first sentence in a real life situation.

When you study new input - new grammar and expressions - you’ll progress much more quickly if you use practical and fun Japanese! 

5. Practice effective listening

When you have conversations, you need to understand what the other person is saying to you. It’s important to practise listening before having conversations.

I encourage you to think about finding appropriate input from a listening perspective.

Many learners jump straight into listening to native speakers on podcasts, YouTube videos, anime and films. This can be great for getting used to the sound and flow of Japanese, and this method works when you learn other European languages. However, for Japanese learning, it takes time and doesn’t really help you achieve concrete results.

Another point is that if you mainly listen to anime or drama, for example, you’ll learn very casual speech patterns that aren’t useful in most situations you’ll encounter in real life, like restaurants and business meetings.

When you’re choosing a conversational input to listen to, you should be able to understand about 70% of it. If you can’t understand half of what’s being said, it’s really not an appropriate level and won’t help you improve quickly.

For the other 30%, you can make a short list of expressions you don’t yet fully understand to study and practice. In this way, you can enjoy learning and stay motivated without struggling!

If you’re intentional with your input, your Japanese will improve very quickly!

Do you feel overwhelmed when you study Japanese vocabulary? Does it sometimes feel like there’s just too much to learn, or that when you finally learn one set of words, you forget another?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Most Japanese materials give you a list of pre-selected expressions and vocabulary. These lists can be useful but often long, and sometimes the words aren’t relevant to your life. No wonder they don’t stick!

The good news is that you don’t have to remember these long lists or irrelevant words to make progress. 

So, how do you actually study Japanese vocabulary so it sticks?

The short answer is to prioritise words and phrases that are useful and relevant to your life and situation.

However, it’s crucial to be mindful of the methods you use to memorise new expressions.

Here are my 5 tips for making sure Japanese vocabulary sticks in your long term memory:

1. Learn and practice relevant vocabulary and phrases
2. Learn vocabulary in chunks
3. Revise using scientific methods
4. Track your progress to keep motivation high
5. Get professional support

Once you understand these core concepts for remembering Japanese vocabulary, you’ll progress much, much faster!

1. Learn and practice relevant vocabulary and phrases

Most textbooks give you lists of vocabulary that are totally irrelevant to your actual life. This means that you’ll waste a lot of time and effort learning expressions that aren’t really suitable for the kinds of conversations you’re going to have.

The good news is that you can take charge of your Japanese language journey.

The first step is to choose which words and expressions to prioritise. Here’s a good guide:

1. Select words and phrases that you need to use regularly in your life
2. Select extra words and phrases that you want to use
3. Practice by making short example sentences relevant to your life 

For example:

（ともだちの）マリアさんはインフルエンサーです。(My friend) Maria is an influencer.

（わたしは）ゲームデザイナーです。I’m a game designer.

I cover the importance of learning relevant vocabulary in more detail in my article Japanese Study: 5 Steps For Effective Input.

2. Learn vocabulary in chunks

Have you ever felt like some Japanese words sound so similar that they’re hard to tell apart? Or like you can remember certain phrases but can’t use them properly in a sentence or a conversation?

Here’s the solution.

When we’re dealing with similar words and expressions, there are two reasons why our brains have a hard time telling them apart. The first is due to similar sounds, and the other is due to similar meanings.

Mastering the 5 Japanese vowel sounds is the key to differentiating between similar-sounding words.

For example, many people struggle to differentiate between kawaii (cute) vs kowai (scary). Once you master the 5 Japanese vowel sounds, you’ll easily be able to tell the difference between words like these.

As for words with similar meanings,like tsukurimasu (to make) and tsukaimasu (to use), the trick is to create your own sentences that resonate with you.

For example:

（わたしは）よくすしをつくります。I often make sushi.

（わたしは）いつもはしをつかいます。I always make chopsticks.

You should also make your own sentences with words that sound similar.

For example:

ハローキティはかわいいです Hello Kitty is cute.

リングはこわいです。The Ring (a Japanese horror movie) is scary.

Once you’ve made a few sentences with the groups of words you’re struggling with, practice them until they make 100% sense to you. That way, you won’t make mistakes when you use them in the future!

If you struggle with using your new phrases in a sentence or conversation, it often comes down to not knowing which particle to use with them. If you’re talking about your own actions, you’d usually use を. 

For example:

こんばん、ラーメンをたべます。 I’m going to eat ramen tonight.

まいにちJ-Popをききます。 I listen to J-Pop every day.

However, not all verbs take the particle を, which can be a little confusing. Verbs that show movement and require a direction or a destination take the に particle.

For example:

ふろにはいります。 I’ll take a bath. (I’ll enter the bath, with bath being the destination)

せんせいにあいます。I’ll meet my teacher. (I’ll move towards my teacher)

When you learn phrases and vocabulary in chunks (with either similar sounds or similar grammar points), you’ll be able to avoid confusion and progress much faster.

3. Revise using scientific methods

Do you feel like Japanese words don’t sound like any words in your language, or like you can’t guess the meaning of the words like you might be able to in French or Spanish?

This can make it very difficult for you to remember vocabulary.

Don’t worry - I was in the same situation when I was learning English. In this section, I’ll share how I got over these problems, and how my solution has helped hundreds of my students to learn vocabulary so it sticks!

Revising effectively using science-backed language acquisition methods is the best way to remember vocabulary.

Very few people have the time to sit down and study for hours a day. However, you can still revise effectively even if you only have a few minutes.

Revising new vocabulary and expressions within the first 24 hours is a big help. If you can keep that revision going for 3 consecutive days, it’ll be much more likely to enter your long-term memory, even if you only spend a few minutes a day on each word, phrase, or chunk.

Following on from this, if you can revise them again after a week, and then again after a month, it’s almost certain that you’ll remember new vocabulary.

Revising takes much less time than learning or relearning, so with the time you save, you can keep learning new vocabulary every day. That way, you can keep up a steady stream of learning and revision, and you can make quick and steady progress!

I wrote more about this method in my article, How To Study Japanese In Your Busy Life.

Revising takes such little time that you can even do it while waiting for a train, having a shower or going for a walk. You can record the phrases you want to remember and play them back during your free time. It’ll be doubly effective if you can repeat after the audio. You can even take photos or screenshots of your lesson material and set it to your phone’s lock screen so you can revise briefly every time you look at your phone!

If you apply these methods, you’ll probably find that you can revise without even needing to change your schedule.

4. Track your progress to keep motivation high

Do you use a calendar, either on your wall, your desk or your phone? It can be a great tool for helping you to track your progress and keep yourself motivated!

There are two ways to use a calendar.

1. a) Write your planned vocabulary for each day cross out when you learn it; or 
2. b) Fill in the vocabulary that you learned each day.

If you prefer to plan your learning schedule a week or a month in advance, a) would be the better choice for you.

If you much prefer to learn new phrases every time you hear or read a new word, then b) is better for your learning style.

Whichever calendar method you use, it’s good to write down at least one new expression a day so you can track your progress.

Of course, you can learn much more than one new word or phrase a day, as long as you can still make time to revise them for the next 3 days, as I mentioned earlier.

A word of warning, though: it’s easy to overdo it and get burnt out if you try to do too much at once. 

I talk about ways to avoid burnout in chapter 4, so check it out if you plan to use the calendar method.

Just remember, even writing down one word or phrase a day can still motivate you and help you track your progress! It might not look like much, but it compounds over time, and taking small but regular steps is the hallmark of a successful Japanese learner!

5. Get professional support

When you’re learning on your own, it can sometimes be hard to decide what vocabulary to learn, or how to get going again when you feel stuck, especially if you have big goals.

It’s best to find a professional teacher to support your language learning so that you can get the best solutions for your problems. This is especially true when it comes to learning new vocabulary.

It’s better to get help solving your language problems earlier rather than spending months or years feeling discouraged, stressed, and making minimal progress.

Another solution is to find a learning community where you can find support from professional, native Japanese teachers as well as other learners. People in these kinds of communities are usually happy to answer questions and share the learning methods that work best for them.

I combine both of these in my online course, Master Speaking Japanese. The ‘Learner’ package includes a monthly live community event with direct access to me, as well as other dedicated Japanese learners. There’s even an optional mini private lesson for you to check your Japanese with a native teacher. The monthly subscription is a fraction of the cost of a single private lesson, and you can progress at your own pace.

If you combine these 5 steps, you’ll have no trouble learning Japanese vocabulary so it sticks in your long-term memory. You’ll also stay motivated to continue your Japanese learning journey and reach your goals!

Do you find Japanese pronunciation a bit challenging? If so, you’re not alone. Learning the native leik pronunciation in any foreign language is a challenge.

I understand your feelings very well - I actually faced the same thing when I learnt English! I studied phonetics in both English and Japanese, as well as language acquisition, at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

In this chapter, I’ll share the methods I’ve learned for how to improve Japanese pronunciation. I’ll also share the methods I’ve developed myself over the last 20 years of teaching diplomats, business leaders, university courses and private students.

It’s quite easy to pronounce Japanese words once you understand the sounds of the hiragana table with Japanese vowel sounds - it’s a totally phonetic language.

Japanese pronunciation is so simple that even one of my students - a complete beginner when he started with me - managed to impress his clients with his clear pronunciation on a business trip to Japan after just 3 weeks.

You can absolutely master Japanese pronunciation… when you learn the right way!

 Here are 5 tips for improving your Japanese pronunciation:

 Master the 5 vowel sounds

1. Check whether or not to stretch the sound
2. Check whether or not to hold the next sound a little bit
3. Speak in chunks
4. Make sure the pitch of your voice falls at the end

Japanese has many words that sound very similar, and many Japanese learners accidentally substitute one for the other when they haven’t yet mastered Japanese pronunciation. It’s a bit like when English learners confuse ‘L’ and ‘R’ sounds in words like ‘play’ and ‘pray.’

 But, if you follow these 5 steps, you’ll learn to avoid those common mistakes.

1. Master the 5 vowel sounds

There are only 5 vowel sounds in Japanese, あ [a] い [i] う [u] え [e] お [o]. English has around 20. Think about the difference between the words ‘cat’ and ‘car’ and you’ll see what I mean - they have the same vowel, but they sound different. The Japanese あ [a] is the same every time, but Japanese learners often struggle to get it right.

This is because for most learners, their native English vowel sounds tend to sit somewhere between different Japanese vowels, rather than being a direct phonetic comparison.

For example, how does it sound when you say these words out loud?

1. いえ [ie] house
2. いう [iu] to say

These can sound almost the same if you don’t make each vowel sound 100% clear. This can lead to miscommunication with Japanese people who might not be able to understand which word you’re trying to say.

If you learn the 5 vowel sounds properly, you’ll never make this mistake again.

Let’s try some more words:

1. かい [ka i] clam
2. こい [ko i] koi fish

Were you able to say those clearly?

Once you’ve differentiated all 5 vowels, you can move on to learning the rest of the hiragana table, one line at a time. The next step after the vowels would be learning か [ka] き [ki] く[ku] け [ke] こ ko].

Here are some more difficult words combining vowels and consonants:

1. ひとつ [hi to tsu] 1 thing
2. ふたつ [hu ta tsu] 2 things

These words sound completely different to Japanese people when you pronounce them correctly. When you can do that properly, you can avoid receiving only one coffee when you actually ordered two for yourself and a friend at a café!

Almost all Japanese learners struggle with pronunciation at some point, but if you take it step-by-step, as I talked about in chapter 4, you’ll soon be able to sound like a native speaker!

2. Check whether or not to stretch the sound

In Japanese, the length of each sound is critically important. Words can take on completely different meanings depending on whether a sound is long or short.

For example, try saying these words out loud:

1. いえ [ie] house
2. いいえ [i ie] no

Getting this wrong can sound a bit like the difference between ‘eel’ vs ‘ill’ or ‘pool’ vs ‘pull’ in English. Of course, Japanese people can sometimes understand what you mean from the context of the conversation, but it can sometimes take them a bit of time to figure out what you mean.

There are also cases where the opposite can happen. If you don’t understand the exact pronunciation of a word in Japanese, you might struggle to understand what it means when someone says it to you.

Try these:

1. せん [sen] 1,000
2. にせん [ni sen] 2,000

These words are very easy to understand when you read them. However, it’s often difficult for learners to understand ‘2’ when a native speaker says it to them. This is because it’s an unexpectedly short sound. Japanese learners tend to try to pronounce it like this:

にいせん [ni i sen]

‘2’ never gets stretched like this in Japanese, so if you’re used to this pronunciation,  not only will Japanese people not be able to understand you, but you won’t be able to understand them when they say it to you correctly!

This can lead to big misunderstandings if you’re trying to buy something. If you’re not used to the short ‘ni’ sound, you might miss it entirely! Imagine a clerk asking you for  ¥2,000, and you only give them ¥1,000. 

The trick to overcoming this is focusing on the length of the sounds when you encounter new words. Say them aloud and hear the different sounds. If you can, repeat after audio to make sure you’re getting it right.

3. Check whether or not to hold the next sound a little bit

Another point to pay attention to in Japanese pronunciation is holding the next sound for a little bit. 

It’s a bit like a pause, but instead of just silence, you’re getting ready to say the next sound but hold it for a moment. This is normally marked with a small つ [tsu], which looks like this: っ.

Here are some examples where holding the next sound changes the meaning entirely:

1. いち [i chi] one vs いっち [ i cchi] perfect fit
2. まち [ma chi] town vs まっち/マッチ [ma cchi] a match (to light something)
3. さか [sa ka] slope vs さっか [sa kka] writer

I’m sure you can imagine the confusion mispronouncing these words might cause! ‘I like this まち [ma chi]’ and ‘I like this マッチ [ma cchi]’ mean completely different things.

Practice new words until you can feel the difference. That way, you’ll never make these errors again

4. Speak in chunks

Japanese phrases contain particles to mark certain functions in a sentence. When you pause between a word and its particle, it’s very difficult to understand for Japanese people.

Let’s look at 2 sentences with the particle を [o]. The first has a pause after the particle, and the second has a pause before the particle:

 ゲームを　します。 [game-o shimasu] I play games.

 Vs

 ゲーム をします。 [game oshimasu]  ???

The first is easy to understand because the pause is after the particle を [o]. This shows that the object of [shimasu] play is marked with ‘を’.

On the other hand, in the second example, the object ‘game’ and the particle を are separated, which makes it seem like the particle, or even just its sound, is attached to ‘shimasu.’ ‘Oshimasu’ means ‘to push’ in Japanese, and it makes the meaning very strange and difficult to understand.

Please remember: the particle always follows the phrase it marks for, so don’t separate them.

Japanese people also omit repetitive phrases in natural conversation. When you omit a phrase, you should also omit the particle it’s attached to.

For example, have a look at the following conversation:

A: ゲームをしますか。 Do you play games?

B: はい、ゲームをします。 Yes, （I） play games.

In English, this is an acceptable response. In Japanese, it’s seen as repetitive. A better answer would be:

A: ゲームをしますか。 Do you play games?

B: はい、します。 Yes,（I） do.

Notice that the particle ‘を’ is also disappears, because it marks the word ゲーム, which was omitted. I talked more about why Japanese people omit repetitive phrases in chapter 1.

5. Make sure the pitch of your voice falls at the end

In English, it’s natural for people to raise the pitch of their voice at the end of a phrase if it’s in the middle of a sentence. This pitch shift is used to show that you’re continuing the sentence, not ending it.

However, it sounds strange in Japanese.

What happens often is for Japanese learners to carry over their English intonation into Japanese.

Read the following sentence:

あついので(↘)、ビーチにいって(↘)、カクテルをのみました(↘)。

Because it was hot(↗), I went to the beach(↗) and had some cocktails(↘).

In English, the pitch of your voice would normally shift up on the word ‘hot.’ However, this doesn’t sound elegant or correct in Japanese.

To get the Japanese accent and sentence flow sounding natural, it’s necessary to say the sentence aloud, making sure your pitch drops rather than rises.

Repeating after audio - and even recording yourself speaking and listening to the playback - is how you can master Japanese intonation.

Once you master these 5 points, make sure you practice self-talk, repeat after audio sources and record yourself speaking. You’ll sound like a native Japanese speaker in no time!

Have you ever been concerned about whether you’re taking the right Japanese course? Or whether you’re using the right textbook or app? 

How do you know which Japanese course is best for you?

If you’re a complete beginner, this chapter will help you choose a Japanese course that will suit your goals and your learning style, and guarantee you the best chances of success.

If you’re already learning Japanese but are unsatisfied with your progress, this chapter will help you understand why you’re stuck and the type of course that might help you finally make a breakthrough.

Or, if you feel like what you’re studying is helping you to reach your goals, that’s fantastic! This chapter will help you understand why the course you chose is working so well, and guide you to even greater success in the future.

Most Japanese beginners take courses without spending some time to think about what works best for them. I get it - it’s exciting to start learning Japanese as soon as possible!

The thing is, if you spend a bit of time choosing the right course for your needs, you can actually learn a lot faster.

Sadly, the opposite is also true: if you just jump into a course without thinking, it can hold you back.

Many Japanese learners have come to me in desperation after feeling like they wasted their time, money and effort on courses and materials that didn’t help their learning at all. I’ve even had some learners come to me who said they’d wasted about 20 years studying Japanese without being able to use it properly.

If you’re in a similar situation, don’t worry!

This chapter will help you stop wasting any more time, money and effort on things that won’t work for you. You’ll be able to choose the best Japanese course for your goals and learning style, and you’ll finally be able to make progress!

There are 3 types of language courses:

• Group lessons
• 1-on-1 lessons
• Self-study courses

Each has different features and benefits. I’ll show you which one would work best for your goals, and how to choose the best course for you in each category.

Here are 5 things to think about when choosing a course:

1. Which target skills you want to improve
2. What your learning style is
3. Making sure the course content is relevant
4. Time, availability and budget
5. What learning support is offered

Once you understand these core concepts, you can unlock steady progress and growth. You’ll be in charge of your own Japanese learning journey, and it’ll become much smoother, easier and more intentional.

1. Which target skills you want to improve

The core skills of any language are reading, writing, listening and speaking. You need to decide which skill (or skills) to focus on from the very beginning.

If your goal is to be able to speak Japanese, choosing a course focused on reading and writing will only hold you back. If you want to learn kanji at an advanced level, choosing a conversational Japanese course won’t directly help you reach your goal.

It’s vital to make sure you’re getting the right input that will help you reach your goals. I talk more about selecting the right input for you in chapter 4.

If you set your intention and select appropriate input from the very beginning, you’ll avoid falling into the trap of starting a course that will eat your time, effort and money and give you virtually nothing in return.

Decide which skills you want to improve and make sure your current course focuses on those skills.

At this point, the type of course (group, 1-on-1, self-study) doesn’t matter as much as the target skills.

2. What your learning style is

What’s the way of learning that suits you best?

Let’s say you’ve already chosen the skills you want to focus on (see section 1). The next step is to consider how you learn best.

Let’s look over the types of language courses available

1. Group lessons

Some people might do really well in group environments, where lots of ideas are thrown around. Different perspectives are shared and you can change conversation partners often.

But others would struggle in the same environment with peer pressure, limited 1-on-1 time with a teacher, and a one-size-fits-all timeline. You might not get the detailed feedback you need, and your own questions might go unanswered if you run out of time.

2. 1-on-1 lessons

If you prefer listening to a native teacher’s Japanese, have a lot of chances to speak, and have direct, custom feedback, then 1-on-1 lessons are probably your best option. It’s important to find a teacher you’re comfortable with, since you’ll be speaking to them a lot. Otherwise, you might lose motivation.

1-on-1 Japanese lessons are also the most expensive option, and they might not be the best option for learners on a budget. While there might be some flexibility, you’ll also have to fit in with your teacher’s schedule.

3. self-study courses

Self-study courses are perfect for people who prefer to study in their own time. You can enjoy learning at your own pace, and you aren’t limited to a classroom setting - you can study anywhere, anytime!

There are many self-study materials available for learning Japanese. However, you need to make sure that the courses you’re considering focus on your target skills.

For example, if you want to focus on speaking skills, make sure the self-study course:

• Gives crystal clear grammar explanations
• Lets you practice speaking a lot
• Has model answers to let you check your answers and pronunciation
• Has model conversations between native Japanese speakers that teaches you to speak naturally

The best self-study courses also offer flexible private mini lessons to help you check your progress.

If you’re already studying Japanese, make sure your course or materials support your preferred learning style. The more suitable the course, the more confident you’ll become and the faster you’ll progress!

3. Making sure the course content is relevant

Does the material you’re learning support your Japanese language goals? Are you making progress? Are you frustrated or intimidated by the coursework?

There are two points to consider when you’re looking at course contents:

1. Course level and grammar points

The course level shouldn’t be too easy but it shouldn’t be too difficult, either. You should be able to understand and use new expressions with confidence.

Group lessons should help you along your Japanese journey by progressing through the curriculum with baby steps, leaving no one behind.

If you take 1-on-1 lessons, your teacher should understand your current level and guide you to the next by providing what you need to learn and supporting you to reach the next step.

Self-study courses should provide you with options to be able to skip the easier parts and move on to the parts that are appropriate for your level. If you’ve been learning Japanese for a while but are looking for something new, it’s better to avoid courses that force you to start from scratch and work your way through the basics again before reaching your current level - it’ll kill your motivation and waste your time.

2. Lesson topics

It’s important to learn phrases, vocabulary and conversation topics that are actually relevant to your life and situation.

For example, if you’re preparing for a solo trip to Japan, learning vocabulary about your family members won’t be very useful.

Studying relevant lesson topics can be quite difficult to navigate with group lessons. It’s really just a matter of luck whether a lesson topic will be relevant to your life or not, and you’ll have to find creative ways to make each situation suit your goals.

It’s also sometimes an issue with private teachers in 1-on-1 lessons - if they just stick to a textbook, you’ll struggle to immediately apply what you’re learning to your life. Your teacher should be flexible. If your goal is to go sightseeing or to talk to Japanese clients, the lesson topics should suit that goal.

Self-study courses should also empower you to express yourself in relevant, real-life situations. Be careful, though: many textbooks and apps lock you into using stock phrases and unnatural-sounding expressions that you’ll never end up using.

For example, I recently saw a sentence in a textbook that said, “there is a pen on the table.” The grammar point itself might be useful, but I don’t think I’ve ever said that exact sentence in my life in either Japanese or English.

If a course won’t let you express yourself in a way that’s meaningful to you, the grammar you learn will be pointless.

If you need information, I wrote more about this topic in chapter 2.

4. Time, availability and budget

Now it’s time to talk about the more practical side of which type of course best fits into your life and schedule.

Let’s consider each point in detail.

1. Time and availability

Group lessons are usually held on a fixed but regular timetable. This is very good if you have the time, or if you struggle to make time by yourself.

The downside is that if you miss a lesson, it’s up to you to cover the material on your own to catch up, while the rest of the class progresses. Of course, it’s great if your teacher can contact you to help get you back up to speed, but this is beyond the scope of group lessons, and you can’t rely on it.

In my experience as a university lecturer at King’s College, London, and at Sheffield University, I taught very large groups of students. I saw many of them miss classes due to illness or life circumstances. They often struggled to catch up, and those who couldn’t catch up ended up dropping out, even when I did my best to help them. 

Teachers who offer 1-on-1 lessons can usually adjust their schedules to find an appropriate time for you. 

The main problem is when you need to cancel. Same day cancellations are usually charged for a full lesson. Private teachers usually rely on students for their income, so when someone cancels right before a lesson it deprives the teacher of an hour’s wage, since there’s no time to book someone else for that slot.

Good teachers are also in high demand, and they’re often booked weeks or months in advance, which can make changing times or make it challenging to find time for a catch-up lesson.

Self-study courses are normally accessible wherever and whenever you like, and this is perfect for people who have busy lives! You don’t need to worry about missing or cancelling lessons. 

However, the downside is that it’s up to you to make the time and motivate yourself. To help you get over this hurdle, the course should provide content that’s useful and interesting, so you’ll want to access it whenever you have free time.

Online lessons and self-study courses also save travel time, which is great for busy people.

My own private students shifted to online lessons, because with the time they save on travel they can now revise more and progress even faster!

This also allows you to keep up your lessons while you travel. One of my UK-based students is a business leader who had to travel to his company’s head office in Tokyo. He was able to take lessons with me from his hotel room! Another was able to take lessons online during a holiday to Egypt.

Make sure the lesson availability suits your lifestyle and schedule.

2. Budget

Learning a language properly is going to cost at least some money. Unfortunately, free courses and materials will only take you so far and, at a certain point, you’ll need to invest in professional training if you want to reach a decent level of fluency.

I’ve seen many learners who signed up for free course after free course, only to stay stuck at the same level for years.

Whatever your budget, your best bet is to choose a course that you can continue with for as long as possible. 

Yes, it needs to focus on your target skills, support your learning style, teach material that’s relevant to you, and fit your lifestyle. But you also need to be able to invest the time and effort into learning Japanese to get meaningful results.

If a course is so expensive that you can only afford to learn for a few weeks, it’s not going to lead to long-term success in learning Japanese.

The student who has been with me the longest is someone who’s been learning from me for 14 years. He was a complete beginner when he started, but now he speaks Japanese like a native - and without ever having visited Japan at all!

My average students stay with me for 6 to 7 years. This is because, for them, my private lessons tick all the right boxes mentioned in this article.

It might not take you 14 years (or even 6 or 7) to reach your goals or to become a fluent Japanese speaker, but you need to find a course within your budget that will help you reach your long-term goals.

5. Learning support

If you’re already studying Japanese, how motivated are you to continue with your current course? Do you feel like you actually want to study, or is it becoming a chore?

Finding a course with the right level of learning support is very important, because it can mean the difference between dropping out or achieving your Japanese goals.

For example, if you take group lessons, the teacher might send you an email reminder of what you need to prepare for the next lesson. Self-study courses might have a gamified system to keep you motivated and interested.

However, if you don’t enjoy the course and the system isn’t working for you, you’ll be much more likely to drop out.

When you feel like you’re strongly and warmly supported, it’ll be easier to keep going even when life gets busy.

Human connections are very important.

Group and 1-on-1 teachers should be able to identify your needs and provide the appropriate guidance and support. This can be from anything to the pacing of the course, to topics and materials. In this way, you can feel cared for and that support will help you nurture a deep interest in the subject you’re learning.

Self-study courses should also provide a similar level of support for students. This can take the form of an online community with access to a native teacher and other dedicated learners. This way, you can get advice on how to overcome any obstacles you’re facing and to get inspired by other learners’ stories, progress and experiences.

If you feel supported in your Japanese learning journey, you’ll be motivated to stay on course and study more. You won’t want to stop learning!

These are my tips for how to choose the best Japanese course for you. I hope you found them useful, and that they’ll help you choose an appropriate course and accelerate your Japanese progress.

If you’re interested in speaking Japanese naturally and confidently, I invite you to try my Master Speaking Japanese online course. It’s designed to help you speak smoothly and confidently in as little as 4 weeks! There’s an online community of dedicated learners and you’ll get monthly live events with direct access to me to get all your questions answered. You’ll also get access to an optional 1-on-1 mini lesson. A monthly subscription is about the cost of a sandwich a week, which is a fraction of the cost of a single private lesson.

Which is best when it comes to a Japanese course: free or paid?

Free offers ae often enticing - who doesn’t love a free sample of gourmet chocolate at the supermarket or department store?

However, things are a little different when it comes to your Japanese learning journey.

Learning Japanese isn’t a one-off event like eating chocolate. It’s a process that you commit to, and it might be something you pursue for years or even decades.

I’ll say this straight up: free courses and materials are fine as long as they improve your Japanese and the target skills (like reading, writing, listening, and speaking) you actually want to improve.

On the other hand, if you’re not learning grammar, vocabulary and phrases that are relevant to your life, your goals, or the skills you’re trying to improve, then the free option isn’t worth your time.

I’ll give you a short breakdown to help you decide which option is right for you, and to help you avoid wasting your time, money and effort on options that might not work.

These ideas are taken from my 20 years of experience teaching Japanese, as well as from my own experience of learning English.

Here’s what I’ll cover in this article to help you decide between free vs paid Japanese courses:

1. Free courses can be great in certain situations
2. Paid courses can be great in certain situations
3. It’s the quality of the course that matters more than the price

Once you’ve read this article, you’ll be much better prepared to make an informed choice about a Japanese course that will help you make steady progress towards your goals.

I’ve included a checklist later in the article to help you evaluate whether a course is a good fit for you or not.

1. Free courses can be great in certain situations

Free Japanese courses can help you get a taste for the language before making a decision to invest your time, money and effort into it.

It’s easy to get started and it’s a great way to see if you actually want to learn the language properly.

However, there are some downsides to free courses.

Free courses are often one-size-fits-all, meaning that they’re not tailored to your goals or learning style.

They might not teach you how to improve your speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills in a way that most benefits you. They’re also very unlikely to teach you phrases and expressions directly relevant to your life situation and goals.

There’s also a psychological element to free things: if something is free, it’s rarely seen as being valuable. 

For example, researchers at the University of Texas discovered that mobile apps promoted for free were adopted at a much slower rate than paid apps.

In the context of a Japanese course, this means that a much higher proportion of students tend to give up earlier if they study a free course.

Free courses are easy to start but they’re also easy to stop.

This is something to keep in mind if you want to study Japanese long-term and achieve any level of fluency.

2. Paid courses can be great in certain situations

If you know that you want to commit to learning Japanese long-term, a paid course is probably the best option for you.

It’s important to choose a paid course that will support your goals. If you want to focus on being able to speak, an intensive kanji course won’t be helpful to you. A course focused on speaking like the Master Speaking Japanese course would be perfect.

Likewise, if you want to focus on writing, a course with a strong audio component won’t be helpful.

With a paid Japanese course, you’ll find many more options that can suit or be customised to your level, goals and situation.

Just as a free course is easy to start and often too easy to give up, a paid course can be more difficult to start but it usually motivates you to study longer.

For example, the average student at the Arai Academy of Japanese Studies stays on for about 5 or 6 years due to the high level of support they receive and the progress they make towards their goals. I even have one student who is in his 14th year of study with me!

You don’t have to commit to studying for a decade right now. 

But, if you’re going to commit to learning Japanese and you don’t want to give up, investing in a course that will support your dream is the way to go.

3. It’s the quality of the course that matters more than the price

 Whether you choose a free or a paid Japanese course, your priority should be finding one that will actually help you achieve your goals. It should improve the target skills you want to work on.

Use this checklist to make sure the course you’re thinking about is a good fit for you:

 Will the course improve your target skills? (speaking, listening, reading or writing)

• Do the topics and expressions covered in the course match your needs?
• Can you make progress step-by-step or are there big jumps in difficulty level that might trip you up?
• Does the course offer you plenty of opportunities to practice your target skills?
• If it’s a paid course, can you afford to keep paying long-term?
• Can you contact the teacher who designed the course?
• Can you get support from the teacher who designed the course?

 Answering these questions are vital to figuring out whether a free or a paid course will work best for you. 

If you want to dive more deeply into what types of courses might work best for you and your learning style, I include more information on this topic in chapter 7.

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 guide 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 chapter 4, 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：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.

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.

How do you know which Japanese teacher is right for you?

If you’re looking for your first Japanese teacher, or if you’ve tried a few teachers but feel like you’re just not making progress, this article is for you.

When I first became a Japanese teacher at a university in the UK back in 2006, the only other Japanese teachers I knew were my colleagues at the faculty. Fast forward 20 years and the teaching landscape has changed dramatically.

There are so many teachers to choose from!

Demand for Japanese teachers increased from about 2015, when many tourists and expats started posting about their experiences in Japan. Japanese is now one of the most popular languages to learn.

Nowadays there are thousands and thousands of teachers, both online and in person, as well as hundreds of courses and apps. There’s never been a better time to learn Japanese!

If you’re not sure about what the best way to learn Japanese is for you, check out my article on How To Choose The Best Japanese Course For You.

But if you already know you want lessons, how do you choose the best Japanese teacher for you?

It’s not like a mixed bag of sweets where you can easily just pick another one - it takes time, effort and money to try different Japanese teachers. There’s booking, communicating, being on time, payment, materials and potential travel costs.

I can imagine how difficult it is for you to choose the right one.

If you want to find the best teacher for you, and to make your Japanese learning journey as smooth and effective as possible, these 5 tips will give you the tools you need to make the right decision:

1. Make sure the teacher offers personalised content
2. Find teachers who have a flexible approach
3. Make sure the teacher understands your cultural & language background
4. Find teachers who offer strong learning support
5. Find a teacher with the right times and availability for you

My students often say, “I’m so lucky I found you!” That’s how I want you to feel when you find the right teacher for you - like you’ve found a hidden gem.

1. Make sure the teacher offers personalised content

In order to get the best results, a teacher should be able to design a course just for you. It’s better to avoid teachers who stick to certain textbooks. Second language acquisition is not one-size-fits all. Everyone is different and everyone learns differently.

In the best case, a prospective  teacher will:

Step 1: Ask for your goals, skills, situation, interests and available time

Step 2: Check your current level and knowledge

Step 3: Design a course that matches your current level and goals

Through this process, they’ll show you how to reach your goals and keep you motivated, so you can stop stressing and look forward to faster progress.

For example, I was approached by Kumiko Ohta, the founder of Sake Sommelier Academy, to design a course for international students of her ‘Master of Sake’ course.

The requirements were:

• Complete beginner level
• 45-minute lessons
• 3 to 5 lessons in total
• Focused on daily conversation and understanding instructions
• Specialised vocabulary for tools in a sake brewery

Courses for Microsoft Excel can be as short as this, but it’s difficult to cram a language course into such a short time frame!

However, I was able to succeed by asking about the activities and types of conversations students would be participating in, and focused on the most important situations and the most useful expressions. This allowed me to arrange practical, relevant content in order from easiest to most difficult.

The result was that students found the Japanese lessons helpful and enjoyed communicating with staff in the brewery!

Ask your prospective teachers if they’re happy to design a course just for you. If they say yes, it’s a good sign to give them a try.

2. Find teachers who have a flexible approach

If you find a teacher who can design a course just for you, the next step is to check to see if you can change the process or content whenever you need.

Life happens. Sometimes you can get busy unexpectedly and the pace of the course can be too fast. Or you might want to learn for a specific event that comes up suddenly.

You should feel comfortable asking. It’s even better if a teacher can react to your struggles, changing situations and goals without being prompted.

For example, one of my students is an art dealer specialising in Japanese art. She originally requested a course to prepare her for a business trip to Tokyo, and she wanted to be able to say big numbers at an auction. Prices seem even bigger in Japanese yen than they would be in most other currencies, so it was very important for her situation.

Once she mastered numbers, she wanted to improve her conversational skills so she could communicate better with her Japanese clients. After that, I suggested learning how to describe the condition of a print, which she found very useful.

Each time the course changed, we focused on specific words and grammar points that were relevant and useful to her life.

If a teacher can identify and understand your needs, you’ll feel supported and encouraged to learn more and more!

While apps like Duolingo are quite fun, especially with the way they’ve gamified their content, they don’t allow for personalisation. Sure, you can skip ahead, but the content is set in stone, and if it’s not relevant to your situation, there’s nothing you can do but go through it and hope for better in future units.

You also don’t really know which teachers (if any) designed the course, so you can’t contact them for learning support.

I designed the Master Speaking Japanese course to allow students to choose their own vocabulary, so the content is always fresh and relevant to each individual learner

3. Make sure the teacher understands your cultural & language background

Everyone makes mistakes when they learn a new language. But why do certain mistakes happen again and again?

Often these mistakes are tied to speech patterns and word orders inherited from a learner’s primary language.

If your teacher understands your cultural and language background, they’ll be able to give you appropriate explanations and feedback that will help you avoid and move past these mistakes.

You’ll be able to shift from your own cultural mentality and learn how native Japanese speakers think and express themselves, which will make your Japanese sound natural and fluent.

A phrase I use a lot is “Mind = Expressions.”

I normally use it to talk about how learners can learn better by understanding the cultural mindset behind the Japanese expressions they’re studying, but I think it also applies to Japanese teachers.

If a teacher can understand your way of thinking and cultural perceptions in your country, they’ll be able to help you bridge the gap between your own culture and the Japanese mentality, which will have a huge impact on your Japanese!

It’s crucial to receive clear feedback. If you do, you’ll progress steadily and you’ll be thrilled with your improvement.

Read chapter 1 if you want to read more about how “Mind = Expressions.”

4. Find teachers who offer strong learning support

Your teacher should be approachable whenever you need support. Teacher support is essential for language learning.

Check if your teacher:

1. Provides support for how to study between lessons (not just giving homework)
2. Organises events to meet other students or native Japanese speakers

Of course, homework can be useful, but if you feel stuck or if a method isn’t working, you should be able to ask for support.

A teacher should be able to provide support for your specific needs so you can continue to progress, no matter what happens in your personal life.

Why should your teacher organise events?

It’s one thing talking to a Japanese teacher who is patient, who understands what you’re trying to say, and who will give you supportive feedback. It’s another to test your skills in a ‘real life’ setting with other learners or native Japanese speakers!

It’s a great opportunity to test your progress, to meet other learners, to get inspiration, and to stay motivated.

Last year, I invited my students and Japanese friends and teachers to celebrate my birthday. One of my students who has been learning with me for the last 13 years said to me that he studied all the way home (a 2 hour trip) because he was so motivated after meeting my other students and some native speakers.

Check to see if your teacher organises events that will let you meet with native speakers and other learners! You’ll enjoy learning Japanese a lot more and your progress will become unstoppable.

Many apps and courses rarely show which teachers (if any) designed the course, so you can’t contact them for learning support. With the Master Speaking Japanese course, I designed the course and appear in the video lessons and speaking practice sections.

The Master Speaking Japanese course also includes optional 15-Minute Mini Speaking Lessons, which gives you access to a qualified, experienced native Japanese teacher whenever you feel the need. Arai Academy teachers understand the course, so there’s consistency in their approach and they’ll understand exactly where you are and what you might need help with.

5. Find a teacher with the right times and availability for you

If you’ve found a Japanese teacher who can do all of the above, congratulations! Your progress speed will dramatically increase and you’ll enjoy learning a lot. 

But there is a downside to these amazing teachers: they’re usually in high demand and it’s hard to find a booking!

So, make sure to book well in advance if possible so you can secure your time slot.

This goes both ways: if you’re too busy for a typical 1 hour weekly lesson at the same time and day and for the same duration every week, it’s better to request shorter lessons. That way, you can still have a chance at securing regular lessons to keep moving towards your goals.

I have a student who takes a 30-minute lesson every Friday morning before work. He’s been successfully learning with me for more than 8 years!

The Master Speaking Japanese course lets you study in your own time. You can access the course content 24/7 without the need to book a lesson. If you feel stuck or really want some personalised help, the optional 15-minute mini lessons are a great way to boost your progress.

These 5 tips will help you choose the best Japanese teacher for you, so you can have the best possible outcome. I hope this helps you, and that it leads to you reaching your goals quickly and with greater confidence!