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It’s natural to feel nervous when speaking to another person in Japanese or any new language. Your accent is unlikely to be perfect, and you’ll probably stumble over your words more than once. This is a healthy part of the process! The most important thing when learning how to speak Japanese is to do it often. The more you do something, the more confident you’ll feel.
Learning a new language means becoming familiar with four domains: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The first three are easy to do independently, but what about the fourth? Here are some expert tips for you to focus on speaking with confidence alone and with others when learning Japanese.
1. Look for opportunities to speak Japanese in your everyday life
The best way to learn how to speak Japanese confidently is to start speaking. It doesn’t matter to whom or about what topic. Even something as simple as Konnichiwa (“Hello.”) puts Japanese greetings in context and gives you the experience of starting a conversation. The first step is to find an environment you’re comfortable in.
Speak Japanese in your community
Is there a Japanese community in your area? Find out if they hold public events throughout the year. Are there authentic Japanese restaurants in your area? See if anyone there speaks Japanese and would be willing to let you practice with them when you place your order. Learning with others is more social than learning alone, which can keep you engaged, and you may even make friends with the same goals as you.
Practice speaking Japanese at home
Whether you live alone or not, practicing your Japanese at home is easy. The best part is you can choose what aspect of the Japanese language you want to focus on without worrying about another person. You can greet yourself in the mirror, say the ingredients of your meal out loud as you take them out of the pantry, or read out loud just to get used to forming the words. Do you have a pet? You couldn’t ask for a more patient, receptive conversation partner.
Practice your Japanese online
The internet has accessible resources for every language learner. There are like-minded people out there just like you who also want to learn how to speak Japanese confidently. People are often open to sharing what techniques worked for them, suggestions for what to practice first, and may even be willing to speak in Japanese with you in a voice chat if you find a safe space to do so.
You can also find Japanese instructors online. Rosetta Stone’s Live Lessons put you in a live-streamed class with a native speaker. While only the instructor will be using audio and video, you’ll be able to emulate their speech in the privacy of your own space as you learn.
2. Listen to Japanese to improve your pronunciation
To speak well, it’s important to know what the language you’re learning sounds like. Listen to native Japanese speakers every chance you get. This will help not only with pronunciation but also with Japanese words and grammar as you hear the lessons you’re learning in context. You can use education-oriented resources with Japanese audio, or you can take advantage of content that was made to be enjoyed for fun.
Listen to Japanese music
J-pop (Japanese pop) and rock are popular, but you can find Japanese music in almost any genre. You can also read along as you listen by looking up the lyrics, or kashi (歌詞). This pairs perfectly with karaoke, which you can do on your own or with friends once you’re ready to try singing in Japanese. Try searching for these genres in Japanese to find a variety of categories:
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| ジェーポップ（J-POP） | jēpoppu | Japanese pop music |
| ロック | rokku | rock music |
| エレクトロ・ダンス・ミュージック（EDM) | erekutoro-dansu-myūjikku | electronic dance music (EDM) |
| アニメソング（アニソン） | animesongu (anison) | anime song (opening and ending music from Japanese cartoons) |
| ボーカロイド（ボカロ） | bōkaroido (bokaro) | Vocaloid (singing voice synthesizer music) |
Another option is to listen to translations of songs you already know well. Music from Disney movies is perfect for this because they’re easily accessible, dubbed well, and the song lyrics are designed for listeners of all ages. They also make great practice for pronouncing Japanese loanwords.
Listen to Japanese podcasts
Podcasts (poddokyasuto, ポッドキャスト) are a good way to listen to conversational Japanese dialogue in isolation. Without music or visual stimuli, you’re able to focus solely on the audio. If there are guests on the program, you’ll get insight on how to use Japanese honorifics naturally, which is important when you’re talking to people you don’t know well.
For beginners, there are podcasts that focus on Japanese language learning. Major platforms like Spotify and YouTube have a variety for you to pick from.
Listen to Japanese audiobooks
If you want longer, more in-depth content, audiobooks may work for you. In addition to language-focused audiobooks, there are also Japanese language novels available on platforms like Audible. As with music, you may find it useful to pick up a story that you’ve already read in your native language so you can focus on the Japanese itself rather than understanding the plot.
3. Become familiar with Japanese pitch accents
Japanese does not have tones in the same way that Chinese has tones, but an emphasis on certain syllables—or more accurately, morae—is still important. In most cases, you will still be understood even if your accent isn’t quite right, but having an awareness of Japanese pitch accents from the start will help you recognize the differences as you learn new vocabulary.
Think about this in terms of English pronunciation. If you were to pronounce the word “language” as “lan-GUAGE,” it wouldn’t sound right. Learning where to put the emphasis in a word will help you feel more confident speaking, and you will sound more fluent.
Take a look at this list of Japanese homonyms and words that come from a common root to see how pitch accents can change:
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| 雨 | ame | AH-meh | rain |
| 飴 | ame | ah-MEH | candy |
| 家具 | kagu | KAH-goo | furniture |
| 嗅ぐ | kagu | kah-GOO | to smell |
| 箸 | hashi | HAH-shee | chopsticks |
| 橋 | hashi | hah-SHEE | bridge |
| 早い | hayai | hah-YAH-ee | early (adjective) |
| 早く | hayaku | HAH-yah-koo | early (adverb) |
| 何か | nanika | NAH-nee-kah | something |
| 何も | nanimo | nah-NEE-MOH | nothing |
In some Japanese dialects, these pitches will change slightly from standard Japanese (Tokyo region). A common example is the pronunciation of hashi in Kansai dialect (Kyoto-Osaka region), where the stressed syllables are reversed. “Chopsticks” becomes “hah-SHEE” and “bridge” becomes “HAH-shee.”
4. Use speech-to-text technology instead of typing
Why type when you can talk? Voice recognition technologies like the ones included in most smartphone keyboards are a great way to practice speaking Japanese out loud with immediate feedback. The first thing you’ll need to do is add Japanese language input to your keyboard.
Once you have Japanese language input enabled, open up the keyboard on your smartphone and tap the microphone symbol on the edge of the text box. Then start talking in Japanese! It can be a single word in a search engine, a to-do list in a notes app, or a text to a friend. If the voice recognition software doesn’t correctly transcribe your speech right away, try again in a clearer voice.
If you’re having trouble with speech-to-text software understanding you in Japanese, Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent speech recognition engine checks your pronunciation by recording your voice and comparing it to audio recorded by native speakers. You don’t need to change any language settings, and everything is done within the program.
5. Be consistent and find joy in learning something new
Speaking in Japanese daily for one week and then letting it go untouched for another will hinder your progress. Prioritizing speed over quality often means storing the information in short-term memory. Regular practice to reinforce what you learn is essential for long-term memory.
Find topics that make you excited to talk in Japanese! Add Japanese verbs and Japanese nouns to your vocabulary to diversify your conversations and stock up on key phrases to help you use them.
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| ～が好きです。 | ~ ga suki desu. | I like [noun]. |
| ～のが好きです。 | ~ no ga suki desu. | I like [verb]. |
| 趣味は何ですか？ | Shumi wa nan desu ka? | What is your hobby/What are your hobbies? |
| 趣味は__です。 | Shumi wa __ desu. | My hobby is [noun]/My hobbies are [noun and noun]. |
| ～は楽しいです。 | ~ wa tanoshii desu. | [Noun] is fun. |
| ～ましょうか？ | ~ mashō ka? | Shall we [verb stem]? |
Learn how to speak Japanese confidently with Rosetta Stone
When you’re first learning a new language, some things will come easier than others. You may naturally have a good grasp of pronunciation but struggle with the grammar, or you may experience the opposite. Don’t fear mistakes: Take advantage of them and learn from them. Regardless of your strengths, speaking Japanese with confidence starts with building the courage to speak.
Take that first step with us! With Rosetta Stone Tutoring, you can interact directly with a tutor to practice speaking with constructive and personalized feedback.