Practicing Your Japanese

There’s no element of language learning that’s more important than speaking. While listening is what you’ll need to do a lot of when you start, you’ll need to speak a lot (and by a lot, we mean plenty) if you’re really going to build up skills in Japanese.

Practicing your target language by speaking it aloud is a critical activity in your language learning. It’s essential if you want individual vocabulary elements, grammatical structure, and sentence construction to really take root in your mind, so you can access them without having to dig deep into your memory stores.

Practice With Other Speakers

The best practice, of course, is done while interacting with other Japanese speakers. Both native speakers and fellow second language learners will be great to practice with, provided they will speak to you in Japanese (instead of trying to accomodate your lack of skills by shifting to English when they can).

Try to do this whether you’re in Japan or in your home country. There are ways you can practice with fellow speakers. Sure, it might be a better possibility for some than for others, but always try to seek out potential speaking partners in your locale — the practice can help speed up your development immensely.

Language Classes

If you go to a language class, then your classmates and instructors automatically make that a practice-rich environment. Even your classmates with limited skills can be helpful, especially to get you comfortable with using the language. When in a situation like this, take advantage of the teachers, too, speaking to them in the target language as much as you can.

Japanese Embassies

Is there a Japanese embassy somewhere near you? Give them a call. Chances are, they can point you to various helpful resources within the locale, from different Japanese organizations to university foreign language departments to culture clubs to in-house services. There’s a good chance you can meet people to practice with in some of those places.

Take Stock

If you’re going to try to talk to people in Japanese, start by thinking about things you want to talk about. Come up with stories you want to share or things you want to ask to get to know people better. Keep it simple and casual — don’t talk them like lifelong friends since that’s more creepy than fun. You’ll already be struggling with the language, so struggling with conversation topics should be the last thing you want.

When You’re Alone

Not all language learners are lucky enough to find people they can practice Japanese with. Yes, some will need to practice alone — even just to start with. If you’re in this boat, start by reciting Japanese phrases and sentences by yourself. Do them aloud, the same way you would when you’re in an actual conversation.

You can tape a chart of phrases you’ve learned (or want to learn) by a mirror, then recite them, adding gestures, expressions and accents as you see fit. Before reciting a phrase or sentence, though, try to think about the statement first, picturing the meaning in your mind. That should make it more meaningful to you and could help make it easier to recall.

One thing i used to like to do is watch movies in Japanese and parrot some of the actors. Usually, I’d pick one actor and try to parrot as much of his lines as I can in the film. Granted, I had no idea what I was saying 90% of the time, but it did get me used to the pace and accents of spoken Japanese. It definitely helped me in the long run.

Learn To Bow

If you’re an English speaker, chances are you’re used to giving people a nod or a “Hi” when you run into them for any reason whatsoever. In Japan, people bow to do the same thing.

When someone bows to you and you’re not sure why, just bow in return. It’s the polite thing to do. And there will be many situations where people bow in Japan. Instead of saying “Thanks” when someone lets you ahead of them, for instance, you should bow. Rather than say “Hello” when meeting someone, you do the same thing.

Bowing comfortably (i.e. without straining your neck or back) takes some practice, so try doing them at home. You’ll do it a lot if you’re ever in Japan, so you might as well get used to it early. When you bow, make a point of doing it deliberately — don’t rush into it.

Gestures

Try to learn the basic gestures in Japanese, especially those that differ wildly from what we’re used to. Most common of these include:

1. Referring to “I” or “me.” In most cultures, people touch their chests or point to themselves. In Japan, people touch their nose (one finger at the tip of the nose).
2. Calling someone to come to you. In Japan, people do this with their hand extended and palms facing down, moving the fingers out and back towards the gesturer. Yep, it may look they’re trying to tell you to go away, but it’s the other way around.
3. Gesturing goodbye. Japanese say goodbye the same way beauty pageant contestants waive their hand while being cheered.
4. Saying excuse me. Put your hands together right around chin-level and bow slightly, similar to people in prayer. This gesture is done when cutting between two people (especially when they’re speaking) or when making apologies.
5. When you want to say no. Don’t just shake your head — there’s a good chance it won’t communicate. Instead, put one hand in front, palms downwards and thumb pointing to the face. In this position, make short fanning motions; the more emphatic the fanning, the stronger the “no.”

Universal Gestures

For many gestures, you can rely on universal ones. Same with facial expressions and the feelings they convey. In case you suspect misunderstanding, though, open about it. Better be safe than sorry, especially in the early stages of your language training.