Explaining How to Do Something in Japanese

Signposts do most of the work

A listener following instructions in a second language, or in their own, needs to know where they are in the sequence. Sequence adverbs give them that for free, and they are the cheapest possible improvement to an explanation. Without them, five sentences are a paragraph; with them, they are five steps.

The core set is small. Mazu for first, tsugi ni for next, sono ato for after that, and saigo ni for finally. Add sore kara for and then, and you can structure any process you are likely to explain.

Say mazu before your first step even in a two-step explanation. It tells the listener that a sequence is starting, which changes how they listen.

Chaining with the te-form

Japanese connects sequential actions with the te-form, and using it well is what makes an explanation sound like an explanation rather than a list. Hiraite, erande, hozon shite kudasai is one flowing instruction. Hiraite kudasai, erande kudasai, hozon shite kudasai is three commands, and it sounds like it.

The rule of thumb is to chain actions that belong to one step and start a new sentence when the step changes. Two or three te-forms in a row is comfortable; five is hard to follow, because the listener has to hold everything open until the final verb tells them what kind of sentence it was.

Branches: what to do if

Real processes have conditions, and conditions are where explanations fall apart. Japanese has several conditionals, and for instructions tara is the most useful because it covers both if and when and attaches easily to any verb.

Put the condition first and the action second, which is the natural Japanese order and matches how the listener will encounter it. Eraa ga detara, mō ichido yatte kudasai, if an error appears, try again. Reversing it forces the listener to hold an action in mind before they know when it applies.

Baai wa, in the case of, is the more formal alternative to tara and fits written procedures and workplace instructions well.

Checking they are still with you

An explanation without checks is a monologue, and the listener will usually not interrupt to say they lost you two steps ago. Build the checks in. Every two or three steps, a short question restores the shared position at almost no cost.

The most useful check is koko made daijōbu desu ka, are you all right up to here, because it locates the problem rather than asking for a general verdict. Wakarimashita ka invites a reflexive yes; koko made asks about a specific point in the sequence.

Pitching the level of detail

The most common failure in an explanation is not language but altitude. Explaining every keystroke to an expert is tedious; explaining in broad strokes to a beginner is useless. Japanese has a clean way to ask: yatta koto arimasu ka, have you done it before, and the answer sets your level.

Once you know, say which level you are pitching at. Kantan ni setsumei shimasu, I will explain briefly, and kuwashiku setsumei shimasu, I will explain in detail, both set expectations and give the listener permission to ask you to change gear.

When they get lost

The repair for a lost listener is not to repeat the same words. Go back to the last step they confirmed, then take the next step more slowly and with different vocabulary. Repeating an explanation verbatim is the single least effective response and is what most people do by reflex.

It also helps to change modality. Showing, pointing, drawing or doing one step yourself while narrating are all faster than another verbal pass, and none of them requires better Japanese.

Doko made wakarimashita ka is the question that saves the most time. It turns a vague failure into a specific restart point.

A worked example, start to finish

The pieces are easier to see assembled. Below is a complete short explanation with all four tools in it: signposts, te-form chaining, one conditional branch, and a check. It takes about forty seconds to say and it is a template you can fill with any process you need to explain.