Speaking and pronunciation
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Speaking and pronunciation · Page 11
Culture and etiquetteVisiting a Japanese Home: Etiquette and Phrases
A home visit is the one situation where every step has a set phrase and the host is quietly hoping you know it. This guide walks through the visit in order, with the lines you say and the lines you will hear back.
16 min read
Culture and etiquetteHow to Give and Receive Compliments in Japanese
A compliment in Japanese is a small negotiation. The giver keeps it light and specific, the receiver plays it down, and both walk away pleased. Here is how each side sounds, and where the traps are.
15 min read
Speaking practiceJapanese Roleplay Practice With AI: 25 Scenarios to Try With a Tutor
Free chat with an AI tutor is pleasant but shapeless. A roleplay gives you a situation, a politeness level, and a reason to finish the sentence, which is what real conversation demands.
8 min read
Business JapaneseBusiness Japanese Practice With AI: Meetings, Phone Calls, and Keigo Roleplays
Most professionals know more keigo than they can use. Roleplaying a phone call or a meeting update with an AI tutor closes that gap, because the phrases arrive under mild pressure, the way they will at work.
9 min read
SpeakingFear of Speaking Japanese: How to Overcome Speaking Anxiety Step by Step
Speaking anxiety is not a sign that you have studied too little. It usually means you have never practised speaking in conditions that were safe enough to fail in, and that is fixable in a few weeks.
9 min read
Speaking12 Common Japanese Speaking Mistakes Learners Make (and How to Fix Them)
Most Japanese learners make the same dozen speaking mistakes, and nearly all of them are habits rather than gaps in knowledge. Here are the twelve that appear most often and the fix for each.
9 min read
SpeakingPolite vs Casual Japanese: How to Switch Without Sounding Awkward
Polite and casual Japanese express the same facts but manage a different relationship. Switching well is about context as much as conjugation.
4 min read
Speaking practiceJapanese Aizuchi: Listening Responses That Make Conversation Flow
Good Japanese conversation is not silent while one person speaks. Aizuchi show attention, emotion, and understanding without stealing the turn.
4 min read
SpeakingJapanese Filler Words: How to Pause and Sound More Natural
A useful filler does not hide weak Japanese. It holds your turn while you plan and replaces the long silence where a conversation often breaks down.
4 min read
Speaking practiceJapanese Small Talk: Natural Questions and Responses for Beginners
Small talk is not a vocabulary test. It is a short exchange of attention: notice something shared, ask lightly, react, and offer a little about yourself.
4 min read
PronunciationJapanese Pronunciation Guide: Vowels, Rhythm, R, and Long Sounds
Clear Japanese pronunciation depends less on a perfect accent than on five stable vowels and accurate timing: every beat must get the space it deserves.
4 min read
SpeakingJapanese Self-Introduction (Jikoshoukai): Script, Phrases, and Examples
A self-introduction is the first thing anyone says in Japanese, and the one you will repeat hundreds of times. Here is how to get it right.
6 min readPractical guides
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