Guide • Learning path
Your native language shapes your Japanese. Use it.
I assumed Japanese was equally hard for everyone. Then I watched my Korean coworkers fly through grammar patterns while I was still stuck on particles. I could order coffee, but they could read menus.
Your first language changes the path. The trick is to lean on your strengths and spend extra time on the gaps.
TL;DR: Use your native language advantage, then spend extra time on the skill it does not cover.
What to do today: Pick one strength and one gap. Build a tiny drill for each.
If you are multilingual or somewhere in between
Many people do not fit neatly into one bucket. If you speak several languages or your background is Southeast Asian, your advantages are mixed. The same idea still works. Lean on what feels easy and target the one thing that keeps blocking you in real life.
If you read Chinese or Korean
You already have a head start. Kanji will look familiar, and a lot of Sino-Japanese vocabulary will feel less alien. Korean speakers also share word order and particle logic, which makes Japanese grammar feel more natural.
You can often read signs faster than you can say them. Examples I see every week: 受付 (uketsuke), 出口 (deguchi), and 薬局 (yakkyoku).
Short phrases help you turn those signs into real requests.
Where is the reception?
uketsuke wa doko desu ka? 受付はどこですか？
Useful at clinics or city offices when you are not sure where to line up.
Payment is at the exit.
oshiharai wa deguchi desu. お支払いは出口です。
A common store sign. If you can read it, you can act on it.
Where is the pharmacy?
yakkyoku wa doko desu ka? 薬局はどこですか？
Use this when a clinic sends you to pick up medicine.
Focus more time here:
- Listening and speaking. It is easy to lean on reading. Do not let it become your only skill.
- Particles in real sentences. The logic is similar, but the usage is different.
- Sound details. Pay attention to vowel length and rhythm, not just meaning.
I used a short drill that forces me to speak, even when I would rather read.
Could you repeat that?
mou ichido onegaishimasu. もう一度お願いします。
Useful at counters or clinics when you catch the context but miss the words.
Please speak slowly.
yukkuri hanashite kudasai. ゆっくり話してください。
A simple request that buys you time without switching to English.
Is this OK?
kore de ii desu ka? これでいいですか？
Great for paperwork, forms, or anything you are filling out on the fly.
Me: mou ichido onegaishimasu. (もう一度お願いします。)
Staff: yukkuri hanashimasu ne. (ゆっくり話しますね。)
If you speak English or another Indo-European language
You get a different set of advantages. Japanese has a lot of English loanwords. Pronunciation is also manageable because there are no tones and the sound system is small.
Loanwords are everywhere. ホテル (hoteru), タクシー (takushii), and コンビニ (konbini) show up in daily life and give you fast wins.
Turn those loanwords into usable questions right away.
Where is the hotel?
hoteru wa doko desu ka? ホテルはどこですか？
A good first travel question. You will hear it and use it.
I want to go by taxi.
takushii de ikitai desu. タクシーで行きたいです。
Helps when you are tired or late and do not want to explain a route.
Is there a convenience store nearby?
konbini wa chikaku ni arimasu ka? コンビニは近くにありますか？
This is a realistic first week question.
Focus more time here:
- Scripts. Hiragana and katakana are non negotiable, and kanji takes steady work.
- Word order and particles. You will need explicit practice to make it feel natural.
- Politeness levels. You have to switch gears by situation.
Loanwords help early on, but particles decide whether a sentence makes sense. I keep a tiny set of phrases that drill the markers.
I want to go to Shibuya.
Shibuya ni ikitai desu. 渋谷に行きたいです。
The particle ni marks destination. Say it out loud so it feels automatic.
This, please.
kore o kudasai. これをください。
The object marker o shows up in almost every real situation.
May I have water?
mizu wa itadakemasuka? 水はいただけますか？
The topic marker wa is subtle. Using it in a real sentence helps it stick.
Me: Shibuya ni ikitai desu. (渋谷に行きたいです。)
Staff: kono densha de ii desu. (この電車でいいです。)
A simple focus plan for the next month
Pick one strength to lean on and one gap to close. Keep it small so you can repeat it.
- East Asian background: use kanji to read faster, then spend extra time on short speaking drills and listening to announcements at stations or in stores.
- Indo-European background: use loanwords to build quick vocabulary, then commit to a daily kana and particle review.
7 day starter checklist:
- Day 1: pick one situation you will face this week.
- Day 2: learn two phrases for that situation.
- Day 3: say the phrases out loud ten times.
- Day 4: use them once in real life or a role play.
- Day 5: review and add one new phrase.
- Day 6: listen for the same phrases in the wild.
- Day 7: repeat with a new situation.
This kind of focus plan sounds basic, but it keeps you from doing what already feels easy and ignoring what actually blocks you in real life.
Where TabiTalk fits
I use TabiTalk to pressure test weak spots. If I know I can read but freeze when speaking, I run short scenarios out loud. If I know I can speak but miss key words, I use the same scenario to focus on listening.
The quick Scenario drill makes it easy to repeat one line until it feels natural.
Related guides to practise with
Sources
If you want practical scenarios to balance the gaps
TabiTalk lets you rehearse real situations so you can focus on the skill that feels weakest. It is available on iOS and Android.