30+ Experts have compiled this list of Best Japanese Courses, Tutorials, Training, Classes, and Certifications available online for 2020. The list includes both paid and free resources to help you learn Japanese. 6 Best Japanese Language Courses, Classes, Certification & Training Online 2020 UPDATED 1. This app contains a tutorial to teach you the rules, and lets you play nine-by-nine games to start. Once you know how to play, SmartGo Player ($3) is the best app to build your skills.
- Best Mac App To Learn Japanese For Beginners
- Best Mac App To Learn Japanese Language
- Best Mac App To Learn Japanese Lessons
- Best Mac App To Learn Japanese Kanji
- Apps For Mac
- Best Free Mac Apps
If you’re looking for structure or can’t grasp meaning from context, Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese is the answer to your prayers. This app is packed with logically organized lessons, beautifully clear explanations, and conjugation tables. There are even some exercises for the first chapters on basic grammar. Kanji alive is a resource for learning kanji, dedicated to helping you open the door to the fascinating characters that form the written Japanese language.All of the content in the application was created and reviewed with painstaking attention to detail by experienced Japanese instructors in order to help you best study, practice and retain kanji.
I had made—yet another—social blunder.
Our conversation had started normally enough.
My friend greeted me with a “Hey, Niko! What’s up?”
This is where the normality stopped, and everything went downhill as I offered a stiff, “I’m doing fine, thank you. How are you?”
I watched in horror as my friend stiffened, then tried to brush away the awkwardness I had created with a quick, “I’m good.”
This was a line pulled straight from my “Survival Phrases in Japanese” travel book, which sounded way too formal and made it seem like I was putting distance between my friend and I.
Japanese learners might find themselves unwittingly making the same social gaffe during a conversation.
We might get tongue-tied, or overwhelmed while searching for the correct grammar or phrase to make ourselves sound less like a textbook.
But this is no reason to shy away from a conversation!
By following the five steps below, you can ease your way into conversation, and save yourself some embarrassment by knowing how to talk, listen and respond like a human being.
To reinforce your learning, we highly recommend that you seek a language exchange partner or a professional Japanese tutor who you can try out these tricks on. Then you’ll get feedback on your usage of conversational Japanese! The professional tutor is perhaps the better option, because that person will be totally dedicated to listening, picking up on mistakes and properly teaching you the correct way to do things.
If that sounds interesting, stop by Verbling after reading up on the following conversational Japanese tricks. You’ll be able to search through hundreds of professional tutors and find the perfect one to chat with you online.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
1. Drop Pronouns
The English language loves pronouns. Our sentences are filled with I, me, you, their, and any other form of address we can squeeze in.
Just the opposite can be said for Japanese; often times, pronouns are omitted altogether if the subject can be inferred. In other words, if the subject is clearly yourself or the person you’re talking to, then it’s more natural-sounding if you drop pronouns like “I” or “you.” Mac email account.
お腹が空いたよ!お昼にしようね。(おなかが すいたよ!おひるに しようね。)
I’m so hungry! Let’s have lunch.
(Literally: Stomach is empty! Do lunch, okay?)
I’m so hungry! Let’s have lunch.
(Literally: Stomach is empty! Do lunch, okay?)
お店に行くの?コーヒー買って来てくれない?(おみせに いくの?こーひー かってきてくれない?)
Are you going to the store? Can you get me a coffee?
(Literally: Store going to? Can please buy coffee for me?)
Are you going to the store? Can you get me a coffee?
(Literally: Store going to? Can please buy coffee for me?)
Note how there aren’t any pronouns (like 私/わたし – I, me) in the example above. Although you should avoid overusing pronouns to sound more natural, there will be times where you might feel confused about who or what someone’s referring to. This actually happens a lot in conversation, so feel free to ask for clarification:
A: 朝ご飯を食べましたか?(あさごはんをたべましたか?)
B:私ですか?(わたしですか?)
A: ええ。
B:私ですか?(わたしですか?)
A: ええ。
A: Did (you) eat breakfast?
B: Me?
A: Yeah.
B: Me?
A: Yeah.
A: 厳し過ぎるよ。(きびしすぎるよ。)
B: 先生のこと?(せんせいのこと?)
A: ううん、校長。(ううん、こうちょう。)
B: 先生のこと?(せんせいのこと?)
A: ううん、校長。(ううん、こうちょう。)
A: (He/She’s) too strict.
B: You mean (our) teacher?
A: No, the principal.
B: You mean (our) teacher?
A: No, the principal.
2. Interrupt Everyone
The second way to sound more natural in a conversation is to forget what you’ve been taught about how rude interrupting someone can be.
Interjecting an “Uh-huh,” or gasped, “No way!” ensures that you’re appearing attentive and interested in what someone has to say—even if they’re recapping that episode of Sailor Moon. Word-for-word. Again.
A typical conversation might go like:
イタリアンレストランで食事をしてから[うん]映画を見たの。いい人だから[うん]、日曜日にコーヒーでも飲みに行かないって誘ったの[いいね]。
(イタリアンレストランで しょくじをしてから「うん」えいがをみたの。いいひとだから「うん」、にちようびに こーひーでも のみにいかないって さそったの「いいね」。)
We had dinner, and then we caught a movie [uh-huh]. He’s a nice guy [uh-huh] so I invited him for coffee on Sunday [sounds great].
You get the point.
The “art of interruption” is called 相槌 (あいづち – giving responses). When you don’t use aizuchi while conversing, the other party will think you’re disinterested in what they have to say. If you’re constantly being asked, “Are you listening to me?” in a conversation (despite your polite nodding and eye contact), then make sure you give aizuchi a try. Mastering aizuchi will guarantee you have a smoother, more fluent-sounding conversation!
Some more quick, aizuchi-likeinterjections that you can use areいいね (it’s good), でしょう (isn’t it?), あのね (you know), 気の毒 (きのどく – what a pity) and 信じられない (しんじられない – unbelievable).
いいね
On Facebook, いいね is used to say, “like!”
Depending on your tone, pronunciation and the situation, いいね can have multiple connotations. If you say it with enthusiasm and cheer, いいねsounds like, “That’s great!” If you were to sigh いいね instead, the meaning would sound more like, “It must be great…”
A: 彼が「また、電話してもいい?」って言ったの。(かれが「また、でんわしてもいい?」っていったの。)
B:いいね!
B:いいね!
A: He said, “Can I call you again?”
B: That’s great, isn’t it!
B: That’s great, isn’t it!
A: さとみちゃんは私の携帯を借りておきながら、家に忘れて来ちゃったのよ!おまけに… (さともちゃんは わたしのけいたいをかりておきながら、うちにわすれてきちゃったのよ!おまけに…)
B:いいねぇ…
B:いいねぇ…
A: Satomi borrowed my cell phone and then left it at home! On top of that…
B: That’s nice…
B: That’s nice…
A: 彼女、また海外に行ってるの?この間ヨーロッパへ行ったばかりじゃない。(かのじょ、またかいがいに いってるの?このあいだ よーろっぱへ いったばかりじゃない。)
B: うん。いいねえ…
B: うん。いいねえ…
A: She’s traveling overseas again? She just got back from Europe, didn’t she?
B: Yeah. It must be nice (to be her).
B: Yeah. It must be nice (to be her).
でしょう ・ だよね
でしょう and だよね are ways to show agreement. This sounds like, “I know, right?” or, “Isn’t it?” A more masculine for of でしょう is だろう.
A: 映画は本当に感動的だった。(えいがは ほんとうに かんどうてきだった。)
B:でしょう!私もそう思う。(でしょう!わたしも そうおもう。)
B:でしょう!私もそう思う。(でしょう!わたしも そうおもう。)
A: That film was really moving.
B: Wasn’t it? I think so too!
B: Wasn’t it? I think so too!
A: これはなかなかいい曲だよね。(これは なかなか いいきょくだよね。)
B:だよね!
B:だよね!
A: This is a pretty good song, isn’t it?
B: Heck yeah, it is!
B: Heck yeah, it is!
あのね
あのね is a way to start off a sentence. It’s similar to the English phrase, “You know.” Depending on your tone, あのね could serve as a small reminder or afterthought: “You know, now that I think about it, he was kind of rude.” Or if you’re getting angry, “You know — you’re way too ungrateful!”
あのね、ゆうきさんって かわいくない?
Say, don’t you think Yuuki is cute?
Say, don’t you think Yuuki is cute?
あのねえ、結構大変だよ。(あのねえ、けっこう たいへんだよ。)
I’m telling you, it’s not that easy.
I’m telling you, it’s not that easy.
あのね、このケーキ試してみて。(あのね、このけーき ためしてみて。)
Hey, try this cake.
Hey, try this cake.
あのね...金のアイフォンを買いたかったんだけどね...(あのね...きんのあいふぉんをかいたかったんだけどね...)
You know… I wanted to buy the gold iPhone…
You know… I wanted to buy the gold iPhone…
気の毒(きのどく)
気の毒 (きのどく) means “that’s a pity,” and just like in English, this phrase can have different connotations depending on the tone you use. “What a pity,” “that’s too bad,” and “what a shame,” can all sound empathetic with a sincere tone in English, but can also be used sarcastically or with little sympathy—just like 気の毒 in Japanese.
気の毒ですね。(きのどくですね。)
That’s a pity.
That’s a pity.
それは本当に気の毒ですよ。(それはほんとうに きのどくですよ。)
I’m really sorry to hear that.
I’m really sorry to hear that.
You can also use 気の毒 in an informal context as a way to say, “Too bad,” or “Tough luck.”
A: 携帯がトイレに落ちた!(けいたいが といれに おちた!)
B: はっ!お気の毒にね!(はっ!おきのどくにね!)
B: はっ!お気の毒にね!(はっ!おきのどくにね!)
A: My phone fell into the toilet!
B: Ha! Sucks to be you!
B: Ha! Sucks to be you!
信じられない(しんじられない)
信じられない (しんじられない – unbelievable) is a way to express that something is beyond belief or comprehension. You can use it to express your astonishment like exclaiming, “Oh my gosh!” or even say something is too unbelievable to be true (think: the very idea of it!).
そんなの信じられない!(そんなの しんじられない!)
No way / Get out!
No way / Get out!
しん君から今聞いたこと、信じられないんだけど!(しんくんから いま きいたこと、しんじられないんだけど!)
You won’t believe what Shin just told me!
You won’t believe what Shin just told me!
信じられないよ!君は私にダイエットしろって言ったのに、それが今じゃ自分はガンガン食べるってわけか!(しんじられないよ!きみはわたしに だいえっとしろっていったのに、それがいまじゃ じぶんは がんがん たべるってわけか!)
I can’t believe you! You told me to diet, and now you’re the one pigging out?
I can’t believe you! You told me to diet, and now you’re the one pigging out?
Use these interjections, and your speech with automatically sound more smooth and natural in conversation.
3. Keep it Casual with Conversational Sentence Patterns
So far, we’ve covered what not to do in a conversation (overuse pronouns and be a passive listener). Now it’s time to stop talking like a walking textbook and use real Japanese sentences and expressions.
The Backwards Sentence
A lot of Japanese textbooks will introduce their readers to the basic sentence pattern of “subject + object + verb” to construct sentences like, “私はコーヒーを飲みました(わたしはこーひーをのみました – I drank coffee).”
This kind of structure is very useful and still exists in conversational Japanese, but it’s used less outside of formal contexts. Many conversational sentences will seem “backwards” when compared to the “subject + object + verb” structure, so instead of これは何ですか(これはなんですか – (literally) this is what?) you’ll probably hear a friend say, 何これ(なにこれ – what’s this?).
There are two really convenient situations where this particular sentence structure is used:
1. To clarify a sentence, or add something as an afterthought (which is very helpful when subjects and pronouns are dropped):
行ったこと [が] ありますか?パリに。(いったこと [が] ありますか?ぱりに。)
Have you been before? To Paris.
Have you been before? To Paris.
2. To combine two sentences:
それは何(それはなに – that is what?)becomes 何それ(なにそれ – what’s that?). How to open apps from unidentified developers mac mojave ca.
Replace Words with Onomatopoeia
If you take away anything from this post, let it be onomatopoeia!
Japanese onomatopoeia are a language-learner’s secret weapon to sounding like a native speaker in a conversation. Onomatopoeia are words that are used to represent sounds (the onomatopoeia of a bird chirping is tweet tweet). Not only is onomatopoeia used to replace adjectives and emphasis verbs in daily conversation, but it’s super easy to remember.
Even if you don’t use it, you should know some common onomatopoeia like ぺこぺこ (the sound of your stomach growling), わくわく (the sound of being excited) or ニコニコ (にこにこ – the imagined sound of someone smiling broadly).
A friend or family member is likely to say お腹がぺこぺこ (おなかがぺこぺこ – My stomach’s growling) once in a while instead of お腹が空いた (おなかがすいた – I’m hungry).
Omitting Sounds
In every language we tend to slur or shorten sounds in conversation. In Japanese, the “r” sound (ら、り、る、れ、ろ)often gets reduced to the ん sound. You’ve probably already heard this in dramas, movies, and even podcasts. An example of this is when 分からない (わからない – I don’t know) changes into 分かんない (わかんない):
何のことだかさっぱりわかんないよ。(なんのことだか さっぱりわかんないよ。)
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Another common example is してる (doing), which turns into してん:
何してんの?(なにしてんの?)
What are you up to?
What are you up to?
まだ勉強してんの?(まだ べんきょうしてんの?)
Are you still studying?
Are you still studying?
Think of this like abbreviating the words “going to” and “want to,” into “gonna” and “wanna.” It’s best not to use this speech pattern in a formal context, but it’s useful to know—especially if you need to search for a word or phrase in a dictionary.
4. Speak Like a Girl or Guy
As you learn conversational Japanese, you’ll notice that females and males tend to use distinct speech patterns. Depending where you are, female speakers will often use a polite form of a word (even in casual situations) while male speakers use plain forms of words more often. Sentence-ending particles are also used differently between genders.
You don’t have to be a specific gender to use feminine or masculine manners of speech, but it’s important to be aware of the slight differences as it will help you better understand your friends, and help you recognize any nuances in your own speech.
でしょう vs. だろう
In this case, でしょう and だろう are both used when you’re presuming something:
ひろくんの部屋は汚いでしょう。(ひろくんのへやは きたないでしょう。)(f)
ひろくんの部屋は汚いだろう。(ひろくんのへやは きたないだろう。) (m)
Hiro’s room is probably messy.
ひろくんの部屋は汚いだろう。(ひろくんのへやは きたないだろう。) (m)
Hiro’s room is probably messy.
ゆきちゃんは風邪引いたそうで、今夜来ないでしょう。(ゆきちゃんは かぜ ひいたそうで、こんや こないでしょう。) (f)
ゆきちゃんは体調悪いそうで、今夜来ないだろう。(ゆきちゃんは たいちょう わるいそうで、こんや こないだろう。) (m)
I heard Yuki’s sick, so she probably won’t come tonight.
ゆきちゃんは体調悪いそうで、今夜来ないだろう。(ゆきちゃんは たいちょう わるいそうで、こんや こないだろう。) (m)
I heard Yuki’s sick, so she probably won’t come tonight.
As you saw earlier, you can also use でしょう and だろうto show agreement:
A: このケーキは美味しいよ!(このけーきはおいしいよ!)(f)
B:でしょう?
B:でしょう?
A: This cake is delicious!
B: Isn’t it?
B: Isn’t it?
A: 美味い、このケーキ! (うまい、このけーき!)(m)
B: だろう?
B: だろう?
A: This cake is delicious!
B: I know right?
B: I know right?
Since でしょう is more formal sounding, it’s considered more feminine if it’s used in casual conversation. In formal situations, however, it’s gender-neutral and can take the place of でしょうか:
この色はいかがでしょうか?(このいろは いかがでしょうか?)
How about this color?
How about this color?
三時でどうでしょうか?(さんじで どうでしょうか?)
How does three o’clock sound?
How does three o’clock sound?
Best Mac App To Learn Japanese For Beginners
ね vs. な
The particles ね and its masculine counterpart な, serve many purposes. Their main uses are to seek agreement from the listener (as in “right?” or “isn’t it?”), to make a statement or request sound softer, or to get someone’s attention (like “hey”).
The particle ね can be used by both genders. It does have a gentle ring to it, so it’ll make your speech sound softer (thus, it’ll sounds more feminine at times). How do i unistall and app on my mac. If you’re asking for a favor, or making a request then go ahead and use ね:
ここで待っててね。(ここで まっててね。)
Please wait here.
Please wait here.
トムくんによろしくね。(とくむんに よろしくね。)
Say hello to Tom for me.
Say hello to Tom for me.
Amongst friends, guys may use な and だろう in place of ね:
今日は暑いね。(きょうはあついね。)(f)
今日、暑いな。(きょう、あついな。)(m)
今日、暑いだろう。(きょう、あついだろう。)(m)
It’s hot today (isn’t it).
今日、暑いな。(きょう、あついな。)(m)
今日、暑いだろう。(きょう、あついだろう。)(m)
It’s hot today (isn’t it).
そうだね!
That’s right!
That’s right!
そうだな! (m)
That’s right!
That’s right!
The “の” misconception
The particle の serves many purposes. Aside from being a possessive particle, の can be placed at the end of a sentence to create a question or to give an explanation. It’s a common misconception that when の is placed at the end of a sentence, it sounds feminine. It can at times, but males use this sentence structure often enough! The particle の is gender-neutral when you are asking a question and expecting an explanation. For example:
A: 買うの?それ。(かうの?それ。)
B: かわいいでしょう?
B: かわいいでしょう?
A: You’re buying that?
B: It’s cute, isn’t it? (I’m buying it because it’s cute.)
B: It’s cute, isn’t it? (I’m buying it because it’s cute.)
Best Mac App To Learn Japanese Language
A: 食べるの?(たべるの?)
B: 朝ご飯を食べなかったの。(あさごはんを たべなかったの。)
B: 朝ご飯を食べなかったの。(あさごはんを たべなかったの。)
A: You’re eating?
B: I didn’t have breakfast. (I’m eating because I didn’t have breakfast,)
B: I didn’t have breakfast. (I’m eating because I didn’t have breakfast,)
The particle の becomes more feminine when it’s used to ask/answer questions that don’t call for explanation, or when making a statement:
このかばんは高かったの。(このかばんは たっかたの。) (f)
This purse was expensive.
This purse was expensive.
It can also be feminine when you combine の with other sentence-ending particles:
彼は悔しいのね?(かれは くやしいのね。)(f)
He’s pretty annoying, isn’t he?
He’s pretty annoying, isn’t he?
そうなのよ!(f)
You said it!
You said it!
5. Learn to Embrace Slang
Best Mac App To Learn Japanese Lessons
Personally, I tend to shy away from the term “slang.” I hear “slang” and think “street terms,” or “language-I-should-only-use-with-really-close-friends.”
Unfortunately, doing this can be detrimental if you’re trying to make “really close friends.” This is because using formal speech can distance yourself from close colleagues, friends, and even host families. If someone is trying to have an intimate or friendly conversation with you, then replying to them in a formal manner can sound impersonal. You can use the following two dialogues as an example:
A: Hey, what’s up?
B:I’m very well, thank you. And yourself?
B:I’m very well, thank you. And yourself?
vs.
A: Hey, what’s up?
B:Nothing much. Dvd writer app mac. You?
B:Nothing much. Dvd writer app mac. You?
It’s the same in emails or text messages. What message would you expect from a friend:
Would you like to get lunch with me at noon?
vs.
Best Mac App To Learn Japanese Kanji
Wanna grab a bite later?
Which conversation sounds more friendly and intimate? In other words, which conversation makes the speaker sound more fluent?
The point is that by adopting speech habits, using conversational speech patterns and natural interjections, and embracing a few conversational (slangy) terms, we can make ourselves sound much more friendly and natural in a conversation.
Remember, your friends, family and that vendor down the street will all forgive you if you make a few mistakes during a conversation. The most important thing is to talk, keep talking, and talk some more!
習うより慣れろだよ。 (ならうより なれろ だよ。) Practice is the best teacher!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing…
If you love learning authentic Japanese lessons like this one, then I should also tell you about FluentU.
FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, commercials, news, and inspiring talks and turns them into Japanese learning experiences.It naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You’ll learn real Japanese as it’s spoken in real life.
FluentU has a broad range of contemporary videos—like music videos, dramas, TV shows, and TV commercials:
Apps For Mac
FluentU makes these native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.
All definitions have multiple examples, and they’re written for Japanese learners like you. Tap to add words you’d like to review to a vocab list.
And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.
The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and it suggests content and examples based on your vocabulary. You’ll have a 100% personalized experience.
The FluentU app is now available for iPhone and Android, and it’s also available as a website that you can use with your computer or tablet.
Best Free Mac Apps
If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn Japanese with real-world videos.