essay japanese name

Unconventional language hacking tips from Benny the Irish polyglot; travelling the world to learn languages to fluency and beyond!

Looking for something? Use the search field below.

Home » Articles » How to Write in Japanese — A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Writing

Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. ?

written by Caitlin Sacasas

Language: Japanese

Reading time: 13 minutes

Published: Apr 2, 2021

Updated: Oct 18, 2021

How to Write in Japanese — A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Writing

Does the Japanese writing system intimidate you?

For most people, this seems like the hardest part of learning Japanese. How to write in Japanese is a bit more complex than some other languages. But there are ways to make it easier so you can master it!

Here at Fluent in 3 Months , we encourage actually speaking over intensive studying, reading, and listening. But writing is an active form of learning too, and crucial for Japanese. Japanese culture is deeply ingrained in its writing systems. If you can’t read or write it, you’ll struggle as you go along in your studies.

Some of the best Japanese textbooks expect you to master these writing systems… fast . For instance, the popular college textbook Genki , published by the Japan Times, expects you to master the basics in as little as a week. After that, they start to phase out the romanized versions of the word.

It’s also easy to mispronounce words when they’re romanized into English instead of the original writing system. If you have any experience learning how to write in Korean , then you know that romanization can vary and the way it reads isn’t often how it’s spoken.

Despite having three writing systems, there are benefits to it. Kanji, the “most difficult,” actually makes memorizing vocabulary easier!

So, learning to write in Japanese will go a long way in your language studies and help you to speak Japanese fast .

Why Does Japanese Have Three Writing Systems? A Brief Explainer

Japanese has three writing systems: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. The first two are collectively called kana and are the basics of writing in Japanese.

Writing Kana

If you think about English, we have two writing systems — print and cursive. Both print and cursive write out the same letters, but they look “sharp” and “curvy.” The same is true for kana. Hiragana is “curvy” and katakana is “sharp,” but they both represent the same Japanese alphabet (which is actually called a syllabary). They both represent sounds, or syllables, rather than single letters (except for vowels and “n”, hiragana ん or katakana ン). Hiragana and katakana serve two different purposes.

Hiragana is the most common, and the first taught to Japanese children. If this is all you learn, you would be understood (although you’d come across child-like). Hiragana is used for grammar functions, like changing conjugation or marking the subject of a sentence. Because of this, hiragana helps break up a sentence when combined with kanji. It makes it easier to tell where a word begins and ends, especially since Japanese doesn’t use spaces. It’s also used for furigana, which are small hiragana written next to kanji to help with the reading. You see furigana often in manga , Japanese comics, for younger audiences who haven’t yet learned to read all the kanji. (Or learners like us!)

Katakana serves to mark foreign words. When words from other languages are imported into Japanese, they’re often written in Japanese as close as possible to the original word. (Like how you can romanize Japanese into English, called romaji). For example, パン ( pan ) comes from Spanish, and means “bread.” Or from English, “smartphone” is スマートフォン ( suma-tofon ) or shortened, slang form スマホ ( sumaho ). Katakana can also be used to stylistically write a Japanese name, to write your own foreign name in Japanese, or to add emphasis to a word when writing.

Writing Kanji

Then there’s kanji. Kanji was imported from Chinese, and each character means a word, instead of a syllable or letter. 犬, read inu , means “dog.” And 食, read ta or shoku , means “food” or “to eat.” They combine with hiragana or other kanji to complete their meaning and define how you pronounce them.

So if you wanted to say “I’m eating,” you would say 食べます ( tabemasu ), where -bemasu completes the verb and puts it in grammatical tense using hiragana. If you wanted to say “Japanese food,” it would be 日本食 ( nipponshoku ), where it’s connected to other kanji.

If you didn’t have these three forms, it would make reading Japanese very difficult. The sentences would run together and it would be confusing. Like in this famous Japanese tongue twister: にわにはにわにわとりがいる, or romanized niwa ni wa niwa niwatori ga iru . But in kanji, it looks like 庭には二羽鶏がいる. The meaning? “There are chickens in the garden.” Thanks to the different writing systems, we know that the first niwa means garden, the second ni wa are the grammatical particles, the third niwa is to say there are at least two, and niwatori is “chickens.”

Japanese Pronunciation

Japanese has fewer sounds than English, and except for “r,” most of them are in the English language. So you should find most of the sounds easy to pick up!

Japanese has the same 5 vowels, but only 16 consonants. For the most part, all syllables consist of only a vowel, or a consonant plus a vowel. But there is the single “n,” and “sh,” “ts,” and “ch” sounds, as well as consonant + -ya/-yu/-yo sounds. I’ll explain this more in a minute.

Although Japanese has the same 5 vowel sounds, they only have one sound . Unlike English, there is no “long A” and “short A” sound. This makes it easy when reading kana because the sound never changes . So, once you learn how to write kana, you will always know how to pronounce it.

Here’s how the 5 vowels sound in Japanese:

• あ / ア: “ah” as in “latte”
• い / イ: “ee” as in “bee”
• う / ウ: “oo” as in “tooth”
• え / エ: “eh” as in “echo”
• お / オ: “oh” as in “open”

Even when combined with consonants, the sound of the vowel stays the same. Look at these examples:

• か / カ: “kah” as in “copy”
• ち / チ: “chi” as in “cheap”
• む / ム: “mu” as in “move”
• せ / セ: “se” as in “set”
• の / ノ: “no” as in “note”

Take a look at the entire syllabary chart:

Based on learning how to pronounce the vowels, can you pronounce the rest of the syllables? The hardest ones will be the R-row of sounds, “tsu,” “fu,” and “n.”

For “r” it sounds between an “r” and an “l” sound in English. Almost like the Spanish, actually. First, try saying “la, la, la.” Your tongue should push off of the back of your teeth to make this sound. Now say “rah, rah, rah.” Notice how your tongue pulls back to touch your back teeth. Now, say “dah, dah, dah.” That placement of your tongue to make the “d” sound is actually where you make the Japanese “r” sound. You gently push off of this spot on the roof of your mouth as you pull back your tongue like an English “r.”

“Tsu” blends together “t” and “s” in a way we don’t quite have in English. You push off the “t” sound, and should almost sound like the “s” is drawn out. The sound “fu” is so soft, and like a breath of air coming out. Think like a sigh, “phew.” It doesn’t sound like “who,” but a soft “f.” As for our lone consonant, “n” can sound like “n” or “m,” depending on the word.

Special Japanese Character Readings and How to Write Them

There are a few Japanese characters that combine with others to create more sounds. You’ll often see dakuten , which are double accent marks above the character on the right side ( ﾞ), and handakuten , which is a small circle on the right side ( ﾟ).

Here’s how dakuten affect the characters:

And handakuten are only used with the H-row characters, changing it from “h” to “p.” So か ( ka ) becomes が ( ga ), and ひ ( hi ) becomes either び ( bi ) or ぴ ( pi ).

A sokuon adds a small っ between two characters to double the consonant that follows it and make a “stop” in the word. In the saying いらっしゃいませ ( irasshaimase , “Welcome!”), the “rahs-shai” has a slight glottal pause where the “tsu” emphasizes the double “s.”

One of the special readings that tend to be mispronounced are the yoon characters. These characters add a small “y” row character to the other rows to blend the sounds together. These look like ちゃ ( cha ), きょ ( kyo ), and しゅ ( shu ). They’re added to the “i” column of kana characters.

An example of a common mispronunciation is “Tokyo.” It’s often said “Toh-key-yo,” but it’s actually only two syllables: “Toh-kyo.” The k and y are blended; there is no “ee” sound in the middle.

How to Read, Write, and Pronounce Kanji Characters

Here’s where things get tricky. Kanji, since it represents a whole word or idea, and combines with hiragana… It almost always has more than one way to read and pronounce it. And when it comes to writing them, they have a lot more to them.

Let’s start by breaking down the kanji a bit, shall we?

Most kanji consist of radicals, the basic elements or building blocks. For instance, 日 (“sun” or “day”) is a radical. So is 言 (“words” or “to say”) and 心 (“heart”). So when we see the kanji 曜, we see that “day” has been squished in this complex kanji. This kanji means “day of the week.” It’s in every weekday’s name: 月曜日 ( getsuyoubi , “Monday”), 火曜日 ( kayoubi , “Tuesday”), 水曜日 ( suiyoubi , “Wednesday”), etc.

When the kanji for “words” is mixed into another kanji, it usually has something to do with conversation or language. 日本語 ( nihongo ) is the word for “Japanese” and the final kanji 語 includes 言. And as for 心, it’s often in kanji related to expressing emotions and feelings, like 怒る ( okoru , “angry”) and 思う ( omou , “to think”).

In this way, some kanji make a lot of sense when we break them down like this. A good example is 妹 ( imouto ), the kanji for “little sister.” It’s made up of two radicals: 女, “woman,” and 未, “not yet.” She’s “not yet a woman,” because she’s your kid sister.

So why learn radicals? Because radicals make it easier to memorize, read, and write the kanji. By learning radicals, you can break the kanji down using mnemonics (like “not yet a woman” to remember imouto ). If you know each “part,” you’ll remember how to write it. 妹 has 7 strokes to it, but only 2 radicals. So instead of memorizing tons of tiny lines, memorize the parts.

As for pronouncing them, this is largely a memorization game. But here’s a pro-tip. Each kanji has “common” readings — often only one or two. Memorize how to read the kanji with common words that use them, and you’ll know how to read that kanji more often than not.

Japanese Writing: Stroke Order

So, I mentioned stroke order with kanji. But what is that? Stroke order is the proper sequence you use to write Japanese characters.

The rule of stroke order is you go from top to bottom, left to right.

This can still be confusing with some complex kanji, but again, radicals play a part here. You would break down each radical top left-most stroke to bottom right stroke, then move on to the next radical. A helpful resource is Jisho.org , which shows you how to properly write all the characters. Check out how to write the kanji for “kanji” as a perfect example of breaking down radicals.

When it comes to kana, stroke order still matters. Even though they’re simpler, proper stroke order makes your characters easier to read. And some characters rely on stroke order to tell them apart. Take シ and ツ:

[Shi and Tsu example]

If you didn’t use proper stroke order, these two katakana characters would look the same!

How to Memorize Japanese Kanji and Kana

When it comes to Japanese writing, practice makes perfect. Practice writing your sentences down in Japanese, every day. Practice filling in the kana syllabary chart for hiragana and katakana, until there are no blank boxes and you’ve got them all right.

Create mnemonics for both kanji and kana. Heisig’s method is one of the best ways to memorize how to write kanji with mnemonics. Using spaced repetition helps too, like Anki. Then you’re regularly seeing each character, and you can input your mnemonics into the note of the card so you have it as a reminder.

Another great way to practice is to write out words you already know. If you know mizu means “water,” then learn the kanji 水 and write it with the kanji every time from here on out. If you know the phrase おはようございます means “good morning,” practice writing in in kana every morning. That phrase alone gives you practice with 9 characters and two with dakuten! And try looking up loan words to practice katakana.

Tools to Help You with Japanese Writing

There are some fantastic resources out there to help you practice writing in Japanese. Here are a few to help you learn it fast:

• JapanesePod101 : Yes, JapanesePod101 is a podcast. But they often feature YouTube videos and have helpful PDFs that teach you kanji and kana! Plus, you’ll pick up all kinds of helpful cultural insights and grammar tips.
• LingQ : LingQ is chock full of reading material in Japanese, giving you plenty of exposure to kana, new kanji, and words. It uses spaced repetition to help you review.
• Skritter : Skritter is one of the best apps for Japanese writing. You can practice writing kanji on the app, and review them periodically so you don’t forget. It’s an incredible resource to keep up with your Japanese writing practice on the go.
• Scripts : From the creator of Drops, this app was designed specifically for learning languages with a different script from your own.

How to Type in Japanese

It’s actually quite simple to type in Japanese! On a PC, you can go to “Language Settings” and click “Add a preferred language.” Download Japanese — 日本語 — and make sure to move it below English. (Otherwise, it will change your laptop’s language to Japanese… Which can be an effective study tool , though!)

To start typing in Japanese, you would press the Windows key + space. Your keyboard will now be set to Japanese! You can type the romanized script, and it will show you the suggestions for kanji and kana. To easily change back and forth between Japanese and English, use the alt key + “~” key.

For Mac, you can go to “System Preferences”, then “Keyboard” and then click the “+” button to add and set Japanese. To toggle between languages, use the command key and space bar.

For mobile devices, it’s very similar. You’ll go to your settings, then language and input settings. Add the Japanese keyboard, and then you’ll be able to toggle back and forth when your typing from the keyboard!

Japanese Writing Isn’t Scary!

Japanese writing isn’t that bad. It does take practice, but it’s fun to write! It’s a beautiful script. So, don’t believe the old ideology that “three different writing systems will take thousands of hours to learn!” A different writing system shouldn’t scare you off. Each writing system has a purpose and makes sense once you start learning. They build on each other, so learning it gets easier as you go. Realistically, you could read a Japanese newspaper after only about two months of consistent studying and practice with kanji!

Caitlin Sacasas

Content Writer, Fluent in 3 Months

Caitlin is a copywriter, content strategist, and language learner. Besides languages, her passions are fitness, books, and Star Wars. Connect with her: Twitter | LinkedIn

Speaks: English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish

Have a 15-minute conversation in your new language after 90 days

Japanese Writing Practice: Ultimate List of Resources for Every Level

Japanese writing can be one of the scariest aspects of learning Japanese! And there’s no shortcut to success – you simply have to get your Japanese writing practice in . Luckily there are no shortage of tools to help you with this!

Whether you are a beginner looking to practise your Japanese handwriting, or an advanced student in need of Japanese essay writing practice, there are lots of free and cheap resources out there at every level.

Here’s my roundup of the best websites, apps, printables and other tools for Japanese writing practice.

Japanese writing practice apps

Free websites for japanese writing practice online.

Easy Japanese writing practice for beginners

Japanese hiragana and katakana writing practice.

If you are new to learning Japanese, you’ll want to get your hiragana and katakana down pat before you move on to anything else.

Spending time on your hiragana and katakana writing practice not only helps you memorise the characters, it will also improve your handwriting and help you become accustomed to correct stroke order, which will be a massive benefit when you move on to learning kanji !

There are loads of free Japanese katakana and hiragana writing practice sheets online for you to download and print at home. Here’s a selection:

Free Japanese hiragana and katakana writing practice sheets pdf workbook

This free workbook from JapanesePod101 introduces all the hiragana and katakana characters and has spaces for you to trace, and then copy them out. The workbook also contains flashcards to practise your recognition. Note: you need to create a free account to access the workbook.

Japanese hiragana writing practice sheets

An alternative source to print out hiragana practice sheets, with grid lines to help your handwriting.

Japanese katakana writing practice sheets

An alternative source to print out katakana practice sheets, with grid lines to help your handwriting.

Free BLANK Japanese writing practice sheets

If you just want blank Japanese graph paper to practise writing out your characters, I have created my own in various sizes/formats for you to download and print!

Kakikata print maker

An awesome website (designed for Japanese parents/teachers to use with their children) where you can design and print your own worksheets with kana or kanji characters of your choice, in various formats. You can even choose to add stroke order! Useful if you want to practise a particular word or set of characters.

Japanese Tools: create your own kana practice sheets

Here is another useful site where you can create your own Japanese practice writing sheets with the characters of your choice, printed with a gradual fade to trace/copy.

Japanese kanji writing practice

If you are studying kanji from a textbook or course and you just need blank kanji graph paper to practise writing on, you can print that out here .

If you are looking for pre-printed kanji worksheets with kanji to copy out, the best resource I have found is this one:

This amazing website lets you download and print kanji writing practice worksheets for kanji sets according to JLPT level, Japanese school grade level, Wanikani level, Kanji Garden app level, or frequency. It’s totally free and so useful!

Easy Japanese sentence writing practice

Once you know your kana and a few kanji, you might start to think about writing out some Japanese sentences.

JapanesePod101 writing practice worksheets 

JapanesePod101 has a selection of free Japanese writing practice sheets, available as pdfs that you can download and print yourself. They currently have 16+ free writing practice workbooks on beginner-friendly topics such as daily routine or ordering food. This is a good way to get used to writing out simple Japanese sentences at the beginner level. 

However, I wouldn’t recommend them for complete beginners because they use kanji – so you should be familiar with some kanji and the basic rules of stroke order before you use them.

As soon as you are able to form Japanese sentences on your own, I recommend you start a Japanese journal and/or sharing your sentences with others using the resources in the intermediate/advanced section below!

When you are learning to write in Japanese, I recommend writing them out by hand as much as possible because it helps you learn by muscle memory and helps you develop neat handwriting! However, it’s also useful to have a great writing practice app or two on your phone so you can study on the go.

There are lots of great apps out there to practise writing Japanese characters. Here are some recommendations:

Skritter is an app for learning Japanese (and Chinese) writing and vocabulary. You can use Skritter to learn kana and kanji from scratch, or simply to review what you’ve learned. It uses handwriting recognition and a spaced repetition system (SRS) to help you learn effectively.

Under the ‘test’ settings section you can choose to focus on writing only, or add in flashcards for reading and definition too.

It works well alongside other courses and textbooks to practise your characters. They have pre-made flashcard decks from various textbooks which is great when you get on to drilling vocabulary.

As with Skritter, you can either use this app to learn kana and kanji as a complete beginner, or just to practise writing the characters you already know. In fact, it’s probably the best app I’ve found if you just want a simple flashcard-style writing practice app with handwriting recognition. It’s a little clunkier to use but once you’ve got it set up, it’s easy. If you already know the kana and you just want to practise, choose ‘Yes, but I need more practice’ during the set-up stage.

The Scripts app from the makers of Drops teaches you kana and kanji (and also has the option to learn other languages’ scripts, such as hangul or hanzi, if you’re doing the polyglot thing). You learn by tracing the characters with your finger on the screen.

It’s a good option if you are learning to write the Japanese characters from scratch. However, I could not see an option to skip the ‘learning’ stage and just review, so if you’ve already mastered your kana it won’t be for you.

Learn Japanese! 

This is a very simple and easy to use app to learn how to write hiragana and katakana. However, you only learn 5 characters at a time and I couldn’t see a way to skip to review only, so again, great for complete beginners but not if you just want to practise.

Intermediate and advanced Japanese writing practice

At the intermediate and advanced levels, you are well beyond copying out characters/sentences on worksheets, and you will be creating your own compositions in Japanese. In fact, I highly recommend doing this as soon as you are able to! 

One popular method to get your Japanese writing practice is to keep a daily diary or journal in Japanese . You can try to incorporate new grammar and vocabulary you’ve learned, or simply write whatever comes into your head just to get used to writing in Japanese.

Even jotting down a few private sentences in your own notebook will be beneficial. But if you want to step it up a notch, use one of the websites/apps below to share your writing with other learners and native speakers and receive feedback.

If you’ve been studying languages for a while you might be mourning the loss of Lang8, a site where you could post journal entries in your target language online and get feedback from native speakers. Here are a couple of Lang 8 alternatives I’ve found:

LangCorrect

LangCorrect is a site where you can practise your Japanese writing online by writing daily journal entries and getting corrections from native speakers. It’s fairly active with the Japanese learning community, and you can usually expect to get a few comments/corrections within a few hours (don’t forget to take the time difference into account!). They also have journal prompts in case you’re feeling the writer’s block. It’s free to use.

Journaly is a similar site I’ve heard, about although I haven’t used it and I have the impression its user base is smaller than LangCorrect. It’s free to use and there is also a paid version which has a few extra benefits, such as bumping up your posts to get more attention.

This is a free website offered by Dickinson College. Its main purpose is for connecting language exchange partners, but they also have a feature where you can post writing samples to receive corrections from native speakers.

r/WriteStreakJP

This subreddit is a forum to practise writing in Japanese. It’s for anyone at any level who wants to practise their Japanese writing. The idea is that you write something every day to build up a ‘streak’ and build the habit of writing in Japanese regularly.

You can write whatever you feel like; many people write diary-like entries about their day, or share random thoughts, or write about something new they’ve learned etc. There are native Japanese speaking mods who drop by to correct mistakes.

There are a lot more learners than native speakers on the forum, though, so unfortunately you’re not guaranteed feedback. But it’s still a great place to practise writing (and reading!) Japanese.

HelloTalk is a language exchange app where you can connect with Japanese native speakers, chat via text, voice or video call and receive feedback on your Japanese. In addition to connecting with people directly, you can also create ‘moments’ (write posts such as sharing journal entries, or pictures of your day) and ask general questions, and receive comments/feedback from other users.

Be warned, recently I hear a lot of users complaining that people use the messaging function like a dating app – but you may have better success using the ‘moments’ function or messaging people yourself first.

Another language exchange app where you can exchange text messages with a Japanese-speaking partner and receive corrections.

HiNative  

On HiNative you can ask questions about language usage and get feedback from native speakers. You can write your questions either in Japanese or English. This question/answer service is free. Premium paid members can also post diary entries to get feedback.

More resources for Japanese writing practice

Here’s a mixture of other useful tools and resources I’ve found for Japanese writing practice that don’t fit neatly into the above categories! This section contains a mixture of free and paid resources.

Japanese water calligraphy practice kits (paid)

Why not go old-school and practise your Japanese characters with a real calligraphy brush! In Japan, students often practise their calligraphy with these nifty ‘magic’ kits, where you paint with water on the special water-activated paper, which fades away after a few minutes so you can reuse it time and time again. This is a fun way to refine your Japanese handwriting while reviewing the characters!

Printable Japanese journals with writing prompts (paid) 

I found this printable Japanese journaling/writing practice kit on Etsy. It contains dozens of writing prompts at the beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, so you’ve got no excuse not to jot down a few sentences in Japanese every day! Check out the other great resources by the same author.

Japanese planner templates (free)

If you want to take daily notes or plan your day/week in Japanese, this site has loads of free Japanese planner templates to print out.

Japanese writing practice notebooks (paid)

The paper used in Japan for school compositions/essay writing practice is called genkouyoushi . There are lots of genkouyoushi notebooks with cute cover designs available on Amazon.

Free printable genkouyoushi (Japanese composition paper)

Alternatively, you can print out your own genkouyoushi-style blank writing sheets here for free.

Japanese sentence/usage databases

These databases are useful tools that I often use when writing in Japanese to check how words are used. You can search for a Japanese word and see it in context of many authentic, native Japanese sentences, to get an idea of correct and natural usage. You can also use them for sentence mining , if that’s your thing.

• Reverso – my favourite. Need to create a free account to see all sentences.
• Natsume – see how often a word is used, and which particles and other words usually follow it
• Sentence search with audio

How to Write Japanese Essays book (paid)

If you are studying Japanese to a very high level, for example to enter a Japanese university or company, you will need Japanese essay writing practice. The book How to Write Japanese Essays comes highly recommended and will train you to write in the formal academic style that is taught in Japan.

Japanese writing practice roundup

Which tools and resources do you use for Japanese writing practice? If you know any I’ve missed out, please share in the comments!

See these related posts for more useful resources to learn Japanese:

• Japanese Writing Paper: FREE Printable Blank Japanese Writing Sheets
• FREE Websites for Japanese Reading Practice (At Every Level)
• 10+ Effective Ways to Get Japanese Speaking Practice (Even if You Study By Yourself!)
• Where to get Your Japanese Listening Practice: The Epic List of Resources!
• The Ultimate List of Japanese Podcasts for Listening Practice (Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced)
• Best YouTube Channels to Learn Japanese {20+ Japanese YouTubers!}

Rebecca Shiraishi-Miles

Rebecca is the founder of Team Japanese. She spent two years teaching English in Ehime, Japan. Now back in the UK, she spends her time blogging, self-studying Japanese and wrangling a very genki toddler.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

I accept the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Why Do Japanese Say Last Name First? Japanese Names 101

Years ago, I remember researching some Japanese celebrities online, and I’d often find their name written two different ways. Basically, their first and last name would be switched around. It confused me. What could explain the inconsistency?

Japanese custom is to put the family name first, as in China and Korea. This is called “Eastern name order.” When Japanese names are written in English, they are usually flipped into the Western order, but this is slowly changing.

Below, I’ll explain why Japanese names are written “backwards,” and the changing views on how they should be written in English. I’ll also share some practical tips about when first and last names are each used in Japan!

Why Are Japanese Names “Backwards”?

The first thing to realize here is that “backwards” is a relative term. In the U.S., we refer to “first name” and “last name”—but these are just terms based on the order we use.

The more general terms are “given name” (what we call “first name”) and “family name” or “surname” (what we call “last name”).

Japan is not the only country that puts the family name first. Many Asian countries, including Korea, China, Taiwan, Cambodia, and Vietnam also put the surname or family name first.

In fact, putting the family name first is often referred to as “Eastern name order,” since it is more common in East Asia. (Interestingly, Hungary also uses Eastern name order, along with parts of India.)

The original reasons for name order are based on grammar. The given name and surname are kind of like a pairing of noun and adjective. So different languages have treated them differently. ( source )

Related Question:

• Do Japanese surnames come first or last? Japanese surnames come first when written in Japanese. When written in English, the convention has long been to write Japanese surnames last. However, this convention may be changing in recent years.

Writing Japanese Names in English

Unlike Chinese and Korean names, Japanese names are often switched into the Western order when written in English.

The history behind why Japanese name order is flipped in English goes back to Japan’s “westernization” efforts back in the Meiji Era that started in 1868. ( source )

But in recent years, there has been a push to change this. The Japanese government has taken some steps to enforce the original Japanese name order when Japanese names are written in English.

The Japanese government now wants Japanese names to be treated like Chinese names when written in English: The original order (surname first) should be preserved.

The magazine The Economist has gone ahead and adopted this change since January 2020. But it seems like many other big publications have been slow to follow suit.

Scholarly works about Japan are one of the few places where the original Japanese name order has been commonly used in English for decades.

When Do You Call Someone By Their First Name in Japan?

In Japan, given names (“first names”) are used less than in the West. Given names are mostly used for children, casual settings with close friends, and when speaking to someone younger than you.

When referring to someone you’re not very close to, you often use their family name followed by “-san” (さん). It’s kind of like saying “Mr. ______” or “Ms. ______.” (You don’t use “san” when saying your own name.)

In very formal situations, you could use their family name with “-sama” (様) instead. This is the more polite version of “-san,” typically used for business, politicians, and when staff is speaking to customers.

When speaking to someone senior to you, it’s common to use their title instead of any name. We sometimes do this in America, too, calling our parents “mom” or “dad.” But in Japan, they also call teachers “sensei” (先生), for example.

When the given name is used, you will sometimes hear “-chan” (ちゃん) or “-kun” (君) at the end. Usually, “-chan” is for girls and “-kun” is for boys. (But there are exceptions to these rules.)

Many Japanese nicknames also use the suffix “-chan.” Sometimes it will be the person’s full given name + chan (e.g., Tarō-chan ). Other times, it will be a shortened version of their given name + chan (e.g., Ta-chan ).

Generally, those shortened nicknames with “-chan” are the most informal.

What Does It Mean to Call Someone By Their First Name in Japan?

So, is it a “big deal” to use someone’s first name in Japan? It depends on the context.

This post from Gaijin Pot tells a story of a foreigner named John Smith working his first day as a teacher in Japan. John gets confused when he is called “John,” “Smith-san,” and “John-sensei” in different settings.

In some cases, calling someone by their first name could be disrespectful in Japan. In general, it’s safest to only refer to Japanese adults by first name when you’re asked to.

There are various examples you can cite in Japanese media where someone is shocked to be called by their first name—even when it’s a close relationship.

But in some cases, using first names is a matter of practicality. If you’re working with a team where multiple people have the surname Sato, they can’t all be called “Sato-san.” It would get confusing! So they may use first names.

There are also neighborhoods or schools where many people have the same last name, so first names are used.

Some workplaces that do international work and use English may also have more use of first names. It’s kind of an extension of using English and interacting with foreigners in the work.

Gender and age are also factors. Women seem to be a bit more comfortable going by their first names than men. But it may still be appropriate to be more formal and stick to a last name basis with older women.

Another big factor is that it may be an exception they’re making for you as a foreigner. So let’s talk about that now…

How Are Foreigners Addressed in Japan?

If you’re a foreigner, Japanese people will understand you’re not fully accustomed to how they use names. They won’t expect you to follow all their conventions—and they may not treat you the same as other Japanese, either.

Many Japanese people will cater to how you use names in your own country. So if you’re American, they may address you by your first name, as they know that’s common in the U.S. You may also hear “-san” added to your first name.

This is actually a point of frustration for some foreigners working in Japan.

Some foreigners come to feel upset that they’re introduced by first name, while all their Japanese co-workers are introduced with their last name + san. It can make you feel singled out, or like you’re not taken as seriously.

Japanese people may explain that they’re using your first name because they want to be friendly . But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should use their first name back.

Long-term, you will become accustomed to the various ways that Japanese people use names. Luckily, as a foreigner, you will not expected to understand it all from your first days in the country.

Do Foreigners in Japan Say Their Last Name First?

Some foreigners living in Japan may adapt their name to the Japanese name order (“last name first”) when introducing themselves. But most people in Japan write and say foreign names with the order that is customary in the country the name comes from.

So if your name is American, typically your name will be written in Japan in the “first-name last-name” order that you grew up with.

Foreign names are also typically written in the katakana script in Japanese. So, for example, “John Smith” is typically written as “ジョン・スミス” ( John Smith ).

Or sometimes, your name will even be written in English in an otherwise Japanese sentence. For example: Johnさんは元気ですか？ (“How are you, John?”)

Welcome to Kakimashou

Practice writing Japanese on your screen. Let's write!

Learning to write in Japanese takes a lot of practice, but this website will take care of a lot of the legwork for you. You can stop wasting paper and looking up stroke-order diagrams and just focus on learning.

Begin Tutorial

Send Feedback

Support this Website

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

StoryLearning

Learn A Language Through Stories

How To Write In Japanese – A Beginner’s Guide

Do you want to learn how to write in Japanese , but feel confused or intimidated by the script?

This post will break it all down for you, in a step-by-step guide to reading and writing skills this beautiful language.

I remember when I first started learning Japanese and how daunting the writing system seemed. I even wondered whether I could get away without learning the script altogether and just sticking with romaji (writing Japanese with the roman letters).

I’m glad I didn’t.

If you’re serious about learning Japanese, you have to get to grips with the script sooner or later. If you don’t, you won’t be able to read or write anything useful, and that’s no way to learn a language.

The good news is that it isn’t as hard as you think. And I’ve teamed up with my friend Luca Toma (who’s also a Japanese coach ) to bring you this comprehensive guide to reading and writing Japanese.

By the way, if you want to learn Japanese fast (including how to write in Japanese) and have fun while doing it, my top recommendation is  Japanese Uncovered  which teaches you through StoryLearning®. 

With  Japanese Uncovered  you’ll use my unique StoryLearning® method to learn Japanese naturally through story… not rules. It’s as fun as it is effective.

If you’re ready to get started,  click here for a 7-day FREE trial.

If you have a friend who’s learning how to write in Japanese, you might like to share it with them. Now, let’s get stuck in…

Table of Contents

One Language, Two Systems, Three Scripts

If you are a complete beginner, Japanese writing may appear just like Chinese.

But if you look at it more carefully you'll notice that it doesn’t just contain complex Chinese characters… there are lots of simpler ones too.

Take a look.

それでも、 日本人 の 食生活 も 急速 に 変化 してきています 。 ハンバーグ や カレーライス は 子供に人気 がありますし 、都会 では 、 イタリア 料理、東南 アジア 料理、多国籍料理 などを 出 す エスニック 料理店 がどんどん 増 えています 。

Nevertheless, the eating habits of Japanese people are also rapid ly chang ing . Hamburgers and curry rice are popular with children . In cities , ethnic   restaurants serv ing Italian cuisine , Southeast Asian cuisine and multi-national cuisine keep increas ing more and more .

(Source: “Japan: Then and Now”, 2001, p. 62-63)

As you can see from this sample, within one Japanese text there are actually three different scripts intertwined. We’ve colour coded them to help you tell them apart.

(What’s really interesting is the different types of words – parts of speech – represented by each colour – it tells you a lot about what you use each of the three scripts for.)

Can you see the contrast between complex characters (orange) and simpler ones (blue and green)?

The complex characters are called kanji (漢字 lit. Chinese characters) and were borrowed from Chinese. They are what’s called a ‘logographic system' in which each symbol corresponds to a block of meaning (食 ‘to eat', 南 ‘south', 国 ‘country').

Each kanji also has its own pronunciation, which has to be learnt – you can’t “read” an unknown kanji like you could an unknown word in English.

Luckily, the other two sets of characters are simpler!

Those in blue above are called hiragana and those in green are called katakana . Katakana and hiragana are both examples of ‘syllabic systems', and unlike the kanji , each character corresponds to single sound. For example, そ= so, れ= re; イ= i, タ = ta.

Hiragana and katakana are a godsend for learners because the Japanese pronunciation isn’t a problem. If you see it, you can say it!

So, at this point, you’re probably wondering:

“What’s the point of using three different types of script? How could that have come about?”

In fact, all these scripts have a very specific role to play in a piece of Japanese writing, and you’ll find that they all work together in harmony in representing the Japanese language in a written form.

So let’s check them out in more detail.

First up, the two syllabic systems: hiragana and katakana (known collectively as kana ).

The ‘Kana' – One Symbol, One Sound

Both hiragana and katakana have a fixed number of symbols: 46 characters in each, to be precise.

Each of these corresponds to a combination of the 5 Japanese vowels (a, i, u, e o) and the 9 consonants (k, s, t, n, h, m, y, r, w).

(Source: Wikipedia Commons )

Hiragana  (the blue characters in our sample text) are recognizable for their roundish shape and you’ll find them being used for three functions in Japanese writing:

1. Particles (used to indicate the grammatical function of a word)

は     wa     topic marker

が     ga      subject marker

を     wo      direct object marker

2. To change the meaning of verbs, adverbs or adjectives, which generally have a root written in kanji. (“Inflectional endings”)

急速 に     kyuusoku ni        rapid ly

増 えています       fu ete imasu     are increas ing

3. Native Japanese words not covered by the other two scripts

それでも     soredemo     nevertheless

どんどん     dondon     more and more

Katakana  (the green characters in our sample text) are recognisable for their straight lines and sharp corners. They are generally reserved for:

1. Loanwords from other languages. See what you can spot!

ハンバーグ     hanbaagu     hamburger

カレーライス     karee raisu     curry rice

エスニック     esunikku     ethnic

2. Transcribing foreign names

イタリア     itaria     Italy

アジア     ajia     Asia

They are also used for emphasis (the equivalent of italics or underlining in English), and for scientific terms (plants, animals, minerals, etc.).

So where did hiragana and katakana come from?

In fact, they were both derived from kanji which had a particular pronunciation; Hiragana took from the Chinese cursive script  (安 an →あ a), whereas katakana developed from single components of the regular Chinese script (阿 a →ア a ).

So that covers the origins the two kana scripts in Japanese, and how we use them.

Now let’s get on to the fun stuff… kanji !

The Kanji – One Symbol, One Meaning

Kanji  – the most formidable hurdle for learners of Japanese!

We said earlier that kanji is a logographic system, in which each symbol corresponds to a “block of meaning”.

食     eating

生     life, birth

活     vivid, lively

“Block of meaning” is the best phrase, because one kanji is not necessarily a “word” on its own.

You might have to combine one kanji with another in order to make an actual word, and also to express more complex concepts:

生 + 活   =   生活     lifestyle

食 + 生活   =  食生活     eating habits

If that sounds complicated, remember that you see the same principle in other languages.

Think about the word “telephone” in English – you can break it down into two main components derived from Greek:

“tele” (far)  +  “phone” (sound)  = telephone

Neither of them are words in their own right.

So there are lots and lots of kanji , but in order to make more sense of them we can start by categorising them.

There are several categories of kanji , starting with the “pictographs” (象形文字 shōkei moji), which look like the objects they represent:

(Source: Wikipedia Commons )

In fact, there aren’t too many of these pictographs.

Around 90% of the kanji in fact come from six other categories, in which several basic elements (called “radicals”) are combined to form new concepts.

For example:

人 (“man” as a radical)   +   木 (tree)    =  休 (to rest)

These are known as 形声文字 keisei moji or “radical-phonetic compounds”.

You can think of these characters as being made up of two parts:

• A radical that tells you what category of word it is: animals, plants, metals, etc.)
• A second component that completes the character and give it its pronunciation (a sort of Japanese approximation from Chinese).

So that’s the story behind the kanji , but what are they used for in Japanese writing?

Typically, they are used to represent concrete concepts.

When you look at a piece of Japanese writing, you’ll see kanji being used for nouns, and in the stem of verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

Here are some of them from our sample text at the start of the article:

日本人     Japanese people 多国籍料理     multinational cuisine 東南     Southeast

Now, here’s the big question!

Once you’ve learnt to read or write a kanji , how do you pronounce it?

If you took the character from the original Chinese, it would usually only have one pronunciation.

However, by the time these characters leave China and reach Japan, they usually have two or sometimes even more pronunciations.

How or why does this happen?

Let's look at an example.

To say “mountain”, the Chinese use the pictograph 山 which depicts a mountain with three peaks. The pronunciation of this character in Chinese is shān (in the first tone).

Now, in Japanese the word for “mountain” is yama .

So in this case, the Japanese decided to borrow the character山from Chinese, but to pronounce it differently: yama .

However, this isn’t the end of the story!

The Japanese did decide to borrow the pronunciation from the original Chinese, but only to use it when that character is used in compound words.

So, in this case, when the character 山 is part of a compound word, it is pronounced as san/zan – clearly an approximation to the original Chinese pronunciation.

Here’s the kanji on its own:

山は…      Yama wa …     The mountain….

And here’s the kanji when it appears in compound words:

火山は…     Ka zan wa     The volcano…

富士山は…     Fuji san wa …     Mount Fuji….

To recap, every kanji has at least two pronunciations.

The first one (the so-called訓読み kun'yomi or “meaning reading”) has an original Japanese pronunciation, and is used with one kanji on it’s own.

The second one (called音読み  on'yomi or “sound-based reading”) is used in compound words, and comes from the original Chinese.

Makes sense, right? 😉

In Japan, there’s an official number of kanji that are classified for “daily use” (常用漢字 joy ō kanji ) by the Japanese Ministry of Education – currently 2,136.

(Although remember that the number of actual words that you can form using these characters is much higher.)

So now… if you wanted to actually learn all these kanji , how should you go about it?

To answer this question, Luca’s going to give us an insight into how he did it.  

How I Learnt Kanji

I started to learn kanji more than 10 years ago at a time when you couldn't find all the great resources that are available nowadays. I only had paper kanji dictionary and simple lists from my textbook.

What I did have, however, was the memory of a fantastic teacher.

I studied Chinese for two years in college, and this teacher taught us characters in two helpful ways:

• He would analyse them in terms of their radicals and other components
• He kept us motivated and interested in the process by using fascinating stories based on etymology (the origin of the characters)

Once I’d learnt to recognise the 214 radicals which make up all characters – the building blocks of Chinese characters – it was then much easier to go on and learn the characters and the words themselves.

It’s back to the earlier analogy of dividing the word “telephone” into tele and phone .

But here’s the thing – knowing the characters alone isn’t enough. There are too many, and they’re all very similar to one another.

If you want to get really good at the language, and really know how to read and how to write in Japanese, you need a higher-order strategy.

The number one strategy that I used to reach a near-native ability in reading and writing in Japanese was to learn the kanji within the context of dialogues or other texts.

I never studied them as individual characters or words.

Now, I could give you a few dozen ninja tricks for how to learn Japanese kanji. But the one secret that blows everything else out of the water and guarantees real success in the long-term, is extensive reading and massive exposure.

This is the foundation of the StoryLearning® method , where you immerse yourself in language through story.

In the meantime, there are a lot of resources both online and offline to learn kanji , each of which is based on a particular method or approach (from flashcards to mnemonic and so on).

The decision of which approach to use can be made easier by understanding the way you learn best.

Do you have a photographic memory or prefer working with images? Do you prefer to listen to audio? Or perhaps you prefer to write things by hands?

You can and should try more than one method, in order to figure out which works best for you.

( Note : You should get a copy of this excellent guide by John Fotheringham, which has all the resources you’ll ever need to learn kanji )

FAQs About How To Write In Japanese

What is the correct way to write in Japanese?

Japanese is made of three written systems; thus, the correct way to write in Japanese is to use hiragana, katakana, and kanji together. Beginners can start with hiragana and add katakana and kanji as they learn more.

What is the ABC's in Japanese?

Japanese is made of 46 characters (compared to English’s 26). They are: あ, い, う, え, お, か, き, く, け, こ, さ, し, す, せ, そ, た, ち, つ, て, と, な, に, ぬ, ね, の, は, ひ, ふ, へ, ほ, ま, み, む, め, も, や, ゆ, よ, ら, り, る, れ, ろ, わ, を, ん

How is Japanese text written?

Japanese text is written in a combination of hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Hiragana are phonetic “letters” used to spell words. Katakana are phonetic characters used specifically for foreign or loan words. Kanji are more complex characters that represent an entire word or idea.

How do you type in Japanese text?

You can type in Japanese by installing a Japanese keyboard/IME (which is short for “input method editor,” indicating that it is a program that can change how you input things into the computer) onto your mobile device or computer.

On Windows, this will be located in Settings > Time and Language > Region and Language > Add a Language, for example. 

Once the IME is installed, using it is generally as simple as clicking on it and selecting “Japanese” instead of English.

Is it worth it to learn to write in Japanese?

Learning to write in Japanese is absolutely worth it! Writing is one of the fastest ways to improve your reading comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary. It also helps you to engage with others more easily when speaking is not an option.

Summary Of How To Write In Japanese

So you’ve made it to the end of this guide on how to write in Japanese!

See – I told you it wasn’t that bad! Let’s recap what we’ve covered.

Ordinary written Japanese employs a mixture of three scripts:

• Kanji, or Chinese characters, of which there are officially 2,136 in daily use (more in practice)
• 2 syllabic alphabets called hiragana and katakana, containing 42 symbols each

In special cases, such as children’s books or simplified materials for language learners, you might find everything written using only hiragana or katakana .

But apart from those materials, everything in Japanese is written by employing the three scripts together. And it’s the kanji which represent the cultural and linguistic challenge in the Japanese language.

If you want to become proficient in the language and know how to write in Japanese you have to learn all three!

Although it seems like a daunting task, remember that there are many people before you who have found themselves right at the beginning of their journey in learning how to write in Japanese.

And every journey begins with a single step.

So what are you waiting for?

The best place to start is to enrol in  Japanese Uncovered . The course includes a series of lessons that teach you hiragana, katakana and kanji. It also includes an exciting Japanese story which comes in different formats (romaji, hiragana, kana and kanji) so you can practice reading Japanese, no matter what level you're at right now.

– – –

It’s been a pleasure for me to work on this article with Luca Toma, and I’ve learnt a lot in the process.

Now he didn’t ask me to write this, but if you’re serious about learning Japanese, you should consider hiring Luca as a coach. The reasons are many, and you can find out more on his website: JapaneseCoaching.it

Do you know anyone learning Japanese? Why not send them this article, or click here to send a tweet .

Language Courses

• Language Blog
• Testimonials
• Meet Our Team
• StoryLearning Reviews
• Media & Press

Which language are you learning?

What is your current level in [language]?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level]   [language] tips…

Where shall I send them?

We will protect your data in accordance with our data policy.

Download this article as a FREE PDF ?

What is your current level in Latin?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Latin tips…

Where shall I send the tips and your PDF?

What is your current level in Norwegian?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Norwegian tips…

Download Your Free StoryLearning® Kit!

Discover the world famous story-based method that 1,023,037 people have used to learn a language quickly…, not interested.

What can we do  better ? If I could make something to help you right now, w hat would it be?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level]  [language] tips…

What is your current level in Swedish?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Swedish tips…

What is your current level in Danish?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Danish tips…

What can we do better? If I could make something to help you right now, w hat would it be?

What is your current level in [language] ?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] [language] tips, PLUS your free StoryLearning Kit…

Download this article as a FREE PDF?

Great! Where shall I send my best online teaching tips and your PDF?

Download this article as a FREE PDF ? 

What is your current level in Arabic?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Arabic tips…

FREE StoryLearning Kit!

Join my email newsletter and get FREE access to your StoryLearning Kit — discover how to learn languages through the power of story!

Download a FREE Story in Japanese!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in Japanese and start learning Japanese quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

What is your current level in Japanese?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Japanese StoryLearning® Pack …

Where shall I send your download link?

Download Your  FREE   Natural Japanese Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Japanese Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Japanese grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural Japanese Grammar Pack …

What is your current level in Portuguese?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural Portuguese Grammar Pack …

What is your current level in German?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural German Grammar Pack …

Train as an Online Language Teacher and Earn from Home

The next cohort of my Certificate of Online Language Teaching will open soon. Join the waiting list, and we’ll notify you as soon as enrolment is open!

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Portuguese tips…

What is your current level in Turkish?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Turkish tips…

What is your current level in French?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the French Vocab Power Pack …

What is your current level in Italian?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Italian Vocab Power Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the German Vocab Power Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Japanese Vocab Power Pack …

Download Your  FREE Japanese Vocab Power Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Japanese Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Japanese words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)

Download Your  FREE German Vocab Power Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my German Vocab Power Pack and learn essential German words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)

Download Your  FREE Italian Vocab Power Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Italian Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Italian words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)

Download Your  FREE French Vocab Power Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my French Vocab Power Pack and learn essential French words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Portuguese StoryLearning® Pack …

What is your current level in Russian?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural Russian Grammar Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Russian StoryLearning® Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Italian StoryLearning® Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural Italian Grammar Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the French StoryLearning® Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural French Grammar Pack …

What is your current level in Spanish?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Spanish Vocab Power Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Natural Spanish Grammar Pack …

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the Spanish StoryLearning® Pack …

Where  shall I send them?

What is your current level in Korean?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Korean tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Russian tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Japanese tips…

What is your current level in Chinese?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Chinese tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Spanish tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Italian tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] French tips…

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] German tips…

Download Your  FREE   Natural Portuguese Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Portuguese Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Portuguese grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Download Your  FREE   Natural Russian Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Russian Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Russian grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Download Your  FREE   Natural German Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural German Grammar Pack and learn to internalise German grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Download Your  FREE   Natural French Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural French Grammar Pack and learn to internalise French grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Download Your  FREE   Natural Italian Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Italian Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Italian grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Download a FREE Story in Portuguese!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in Brazilian Portuguese and start learning Portuguese quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

Download a FREE Story in Russian!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in Russian and start learning Russian quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

Download a FREE Story in German!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in German and start learning German quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

Perfect! You’ve now got access to the German StoryLearning® Pack …

Download a FREE Story in Italian!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in Italian and start learning Italian quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

Download a FREE Story in French!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in French and start learning French quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

Download a FREE Story in Spanish!

Enter your email address below to get a  FREE short story in Spanish and start learning Spanish quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!

FREE Download:

The rules of language learning.

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Rules of Language Learning and discover 25 “rules” to learn a new language quickly and naturally through stories.

Download Your  FREE Spanish Vocab Power Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Spanish Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Spanish words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)

Download Your  FREE   Natural Spanish Grammar Pack

Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Spanish Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Spanish grammar quickly and naturally through stories.

Free Step-By-Step Guide:

How to generate a full-time income from home with your English… even with ZERO previous teaching experience.

What is your current level in Thai?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Thai tips…

What is your current level in Cantonese?

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] Cantonese tips…

Steal My Method?

I’ve written some simple emails explaining the techniques I’ve used to learn 8 languages…

I want to be skipped!

I’m the lead capture, man!

Join 84,574 other language learners getting StoryLearning tips by email…

“After I started to use your ideas, I learn better, for longer, with more passion. Thanks for the life-change!” – Dallas Nesbit

Perfect! You’ve now got access to my most effective [level] [language] tips…

Find The Perfect Language Course For You!

Looking for world-class training material to help you make a breakthrough in your language learning?

Click ‘start now’ and complete this short survey to find the perfect course for you!

Do you like the idea of learning through story?

Do you want…?

Japanese Writing for Beginners

Understanding Kanji, Hirgana and Katakana Scripts

• History & Culture
• Essential Japanese Vocabulary
• Japanese Grammar
• B.A., Kwansei Gakuin University

Writing might be one of the most difficult, but also fun, parts of learning Japanese. The Japanese don't use an alphabet. Instead, there are three types of scripts in Japanese: kanji, hiragana and katakana. The combination of all three is used for writing.

Roughly speaking, kanji represents blocks of meaning (nouns, stems of adjectives and verbs). Kanji was brought over from China around 500 C.E. and thus are based on the style of written Chinese characters at that time. The pronunciation of kanji became a mixture of Japanese readings and Chinese readings. Some words are pronounced like the original Chinese reading.

For those more familiar with Japanese, you might realize that kanji characters do not sound like their modern-day Chinese counterparts. This is because kanji pronunciation is not based on modern-day Chinese language, but the ancient Chinese spoken around 500 C.E. 

In terms of pronouncing kanji, ththere are two different methods: on-reading and kun-reading. On-reading (On-yomi) is the Chinese reading of a kanji character. It is based on the sound of the kanji character as pronounced by the Chinese at the time the character was introduced, and also from the area it was imported. Kun-reading (Kun-yomi) is the native Japanese reading associated with the meaning of the word. For a clearer distinction and an explanation of how to decide between on-reading and kun-reading, read what is On-reading and Kun-reading?

Learning kanji can be intimidating as there are thousands of unique characters. Start building your vocabulary by learning the top 100 most common kanji characters used in Japanese newspapers. Being able to recognize frequently used characters in newspapers is a good introduction to practical words used every day. 

The other two scripts, hiragana and katakana, are both kana systems in Japanese. Kana system is a syllabic phonetic system similar to the alphabet. For both scripts, each character typically corresponds with one syllable. This is unlike kanji script, in which one character can be pronounced with more than one syllable. 

Hiragana characters are used to express the grammatical relationship between words. Thus, hiragana is used as sentence  particles  and to inflect adjectives and verbs. Hiragana is also used to convey native Japanese words that do not have a kanji counterpart, or it is used as a simplified version of a complex kanji character. In order to emphasize style and tone in literature, hiragana can take the place of kanji in order to convey a more casual tone. Additionally, hiragana is used as a pronunciation guide to kanji characters. This reading aid system is called furigana.

There are 46 characters in hiragana syllabary, consisting of 5 singular vowels, 40 consonant-vowel unions and 1 singular consonant.

The curvy script of hiragana comes from the cursive style of Chinese calligraphy popular at the time when hiragana was first introduced to Japan. At first, hiragana was looked down upon by educated elites in Japan who continued to used only kanji. Consequently, hiragana first became popular in Japan among women as women were not granted the high levels of education available to men. Because of this history, hiragana is also referred to as onnade, or "women's writing". 

For tips on how to properly write hiragana, follow these stroke-by-stroke guides . 

Like hiragana, katakana is a form of Japanese syllabary. Developed in 800 C.E. during the Heian period, katakana consists of 48 characters including 5 nucleus vowels, 42 core syllabograms and 1 coda consonant.

Katakana is used transliterate foreign names, the names of foreign places and loan words of foreign origin. While kanji are borrowed words from ancient Chinese, katakana is used to transliterate modern-day Chinese words. This Japanese script is also used for onomatopoeia, the technical scientific name of animals and plants. Like italics or boldface in Western languages, katakana is used to create emphasis in a sentence. 

In literature, katakana script can replace kanji or hiragana in order to emphasize a character's accent. For instance, if a foreigner or, like in manga, a robot is speaking in Japanese, their speech is often written in katakana.

Now that you know what katakana is used for, you can learn how to write katakana script with these numbered stroke guides .

General Tips

If you want to learn Japanese writing, start with hiragana and katakana. Once you are comfortable with those two scripts, then you can begin to learn kanji. Hiragana and katakana are simpler than kanji, and have only 46 characters each. It is possible to write an entire Japanese sentence in hiragana. Many children's books are written in hiragana only, and Japanese children start to read and write in hiragana before making an attempt to learn some of the two thousand kanji commonly used.

Like most Asian languages, Japanese can be written vertically or horizontally. Read more about when one should write vertically versus horizontally . 

• Japanese for Beginners
• Japanese Lessons: Grammar, Vocabulary, Culture
• How to write hiragana: ya, yu, yo - や、ゆ、よ
• How to write hiragana: wa, wo, n - わ、を、ん
• How to write hiragana: ta, chi, tsu, te, to - た、ち、つ、て、と
• How to write hiragana: ma, mi, mu, me, mo - ま、み、む、め、も
• Hiragana Lessons - Stroke Guide to は、ひ、ふ、へ、ほ (Ha, Hi, Fu, He, Ho)
• How to write hiragana: ra, ri, ru, re, ro - ら、り、る、れ、ろ
• Hiragana Lessons - Stroke Guide to な、に、ぬ、ね、の (Na, Ni, Nu, Ne, No)
• Making the Right Strokes for さ, し, す, せ, そ (Sa, Shi, Su, Se, So)
• Simple Japanese Phrases
• Useful Japanese Expressions
• Top 3 English to Japanese Dictionaries
• Learn the Days of the Week in Japanese on YouTube
• The Meaning of '-N Desu' in Japanese
• Telling Time in Japanese

• Students Testimonials
• Our Awards and Recognitions
• Japanese Teachers
• Small Group Classes
• Private Japanese Tutor
• Online Japanese Course
• Japanese Business Courses
• Beginner Group Class
• Intermediate Group Class
• MOE Japanese O level Tuition
• Corporate Training
• Japanese for Beginners
• Elementary & Intermediate
• Japanese Business
• Adult Japanese Courses
• Online Japanese Course: Boost Your Language Skills
• Jurong Campus
• Japanese Placement Test
• Online Payment and Fees
• Japanese Placement Test _ old version
• Search for:

Mastering The Art Of Japanese Essay Writing: A How-To Guide

Essay writing in Japanese can be both challenging and rewarding. Whether you’re a student striving for academic excellence or an enthusiast looking to express yourself fluently in Japanese, honing your essay-writing skills is crucial. From crafting compelling arguments to mastering the intricacies of grammar and style, there are several strategies you can employ to improve your Japanese essay writing. In this guide, we’ll explore some effective techniques to help you elevate your writing to the next level.

1. Expand your vocabulary

Building a strong vocabulary is fundamental to effective essay writing in any language, including Japanese. Make a habit of learning new words regularly and incorporating them into your writing. Utilise flashcards, language learning apps, and reading extensively to expose yourself to a wide range of vocabulary. Additionally, pay attention to kanji and their various readings, as they can significantly enhance your writing proficiency.

2. Practice writing regularly

Like any skill, Japanese essay writing requires consistent practice to improve. Set aside dedicated time each day to write essays on different topics. Start with simple subjects and gradually increase the complexity as you gain confidence. Don’t shy away from seeking feedback from native speakers or instructors to identify areas for improvement.

3. Focus on grammar and syntax

Paying attention to grammar and syntax is essential for producing coherent and polished essays. Review grammar rules regularly and practise applying them in your writing. Take note of common mistakes and strive to avoid them in your essays. Additionally, analyse well-written Japanese essays to observe how native speakers construct sentences and convey their ideas effectively.

4. Develop strong arguments

Whether you’re writing an opinion piece or an analytical essay, developing strong arguments is crucial. Take the time to brainstorm and organise your thoughts before writing. Clearly outline your main points and provide supporting evidence to strengthen your arguments. Consider using rhetorical devices and persuasive language to engage your readers and make your essay more compelling.

5. Read Japanese literature

Reading Japanese literature is not only enjoyable but also beneficial for improving your essay-writing skills. Expose yourself to a variety of literary works, including novels, essays, and articles, to familiarise yourself with different writing styles and techniques. Pay attention to how authors structure their essays, develop characters, and evoke emotions through language.

6. Edit and revise

Effective editing and revision are essential steps in the essay writing process. After completing a draft, take a break and then revisit your essay with fresh eyes. Look for grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, and inconsistencies in your writing. Consider seeking feedback from peers or mentors to gain valuable insights into areas for improvement. Revise your essay multiple times until you’re satisfied with the final result.

7. Immerse yourself in the language

Immersing yourself in the Japanese language and culture can significantly enhance your essay-writing skills. Watch popular Japanese TV shows , listen to Japanese music, and engage in conversations with native speakers whenever possible. Immerse yourself in authentic Japanese content to absorb idiomatic expressions, colloquialisms, and cultural nuances that will enrich your writing.

In conclusion, improving your Japanese essay writing skills requires dedication, practice, and a willingness to learn. By expanding your vocabulary, practising regularly, focusing on grammar and syntax, developing strong arguments, reading Japanese literature, editing, and revising your work, and immersing yourself in the language, you can make significant strides in your writing proficiency. Remember that mastery takes time and effort, so be patient with yourself and celebrate your progress along the way.

For further guidance and resources on Japanese language learning, consider exploring Japanese Explorer’s comprehensive Japanese classes. With our expert instruction and tailored curriculum, you can learn Japanese with ease and accelerate your journey toward fluency and proficiency in Japanese essay writing.

So, what are you waiting for? Enrol in a Japanese lesson in Singapore with us today!

Does Listening To J-Pop Help You Pick Up Japanese Faster?

Appreciating japanese poetry: haiku & tanka's beauty.

Comments are closed.

Japanese Explorer is a Japanese language school in Singapore that offers quality, affordable, and top-class Japanese language courses which cater to every age, level, or learning preference.

Course Structure

• Intermediate

CONTACT INFO

• Japanese Explorer 137 Cecil Street #07-04, Cecil building Singapore 069537
• Tel: +65 97258311
• WhatsApp: +65 87970995
• [email protected]
• www.japaneseexplorer.com.sg

LATEST NEWS

• How to Set Realistic Japanese Language Learning Goals August 20, 2024
• The Profound Influence of Chinese on the Japanese Language August 14, 2024
• How to Create a Japanese Study Plan That Works for You July 16, 2024
• The Best Japanese Language Podcasts to Listen to In 2024 July 9, 2024

2017_2021 © Copyright, Japanese Explorer. All Rights Reserved. User Sitemap

Stay connected:

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

9 Japanese Writing Exercises for Creative Language Practice

Writing is one of the most important skills you can learn in Japanese.

It involves creating your own sentences with all the Japanese words and grammar you’ve learned so far.

So how can you practice your writing skills in a way that’s fun, stimulating and rewarding ?

The best answer I’ve found so far is doing unique Japanese writing exercises, especially if you do so in a journal specifically for that purpose.

Read on for my nine favorite Japanese writing practice activities !

1. The New Character Challenge

2. the daily journal entry challenge, 3. the character count challenge, 4. the show and tell challenge, 5. the letter challenge, 6. the review challenge, 7. the recipe challenge, 8. the diary challenge, 9. the memory challenge, why use a journal for japanese writing exercises, how to practice japanese handwriting, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Chances are that you have a reasonably concrete study schedule set in place by now. (If not, start here !) That means you should be learning new characters—or at least seeing them pop up in your study materials—quite frequently.

What better way is there to reinforce your character studies than to practice using them?

Try keeping a record of this week’s (or this month’s) new characters. These could be hiragana, katakana or kanji, depending on your current level.

Then, use each new character at least once , in context, in your Japanese notebook or journal. The more you use them, the better!

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Try FluentU for FREE!

Write a journal entry every day for a week .

This could be about anything. Something you did that day, something you learned in Japanese class, something you want to do in the future, a conversation you had with a friend… the possibilities are endless!

Even if things are pretty routine and dull during the week, keep track of what you do, think, feel, see or even dream.

Then, knuckle down and write seven entries in seven days. Try writing at the same time every day to get into the habit of doing it.

If you’re feeling up to an extra challenge, try to keep this going for an additional week, for a whole month or indefinitely.

Set yourself a character minimum for your journal entry for that day.

Decide how many characters you’re going to write. This will vary depending on your current Japanese skill level and your quantity of available time.

Start with 100 (yes! It’s supposed to be a challenge). If you plan on writing in mostly hiragana and katakana , increase your character count a little. One kanji character is sometimes equal to two or even three kana letters.

Then, increase your character minimum the next time to 200, then 250, then 300… You get the picture. You’ll get to know your own limits as you go.

This challenge is extremely difficult for some—particularly anyone who would say they’re shy or a perfectionist. You’ve got to show your journal (or at least an entry or two) to your Japanese friends for proofreading and checking.

Try not to be shy! Find a native or fluent Japanese speaker who would be willing to read your writing. Their feedback will help you figure out and improve on any mistakes you’ve made.

Not only will your reader point you in the right direction with things you’re struggling with, but they’ll most likely be very impressed with your effort and praise you on your strengths, too!

If you don’t have any Japanese friends or acquaintances, you can check out some online platforms where you’ll likely find some people who would be more than happy to check for you.

You can also use italki to find a Japanese tutor and ask them to go through your writing and offer constructive criticism .

Maybe you’re all on board to try the above challenges, but there’s one little problem—you have no clue what to write!

If that’s the case, this challenge (and the next ones) will help give you more guidance and spark your creativity.

In the letter challenge, the idea is to try writing a heartfelt letter in Japanese to one of your friends (or family members, if applicable). This could be a great way to practice using Japanese honorifics .

You can also practice writing formal letters (perhaps to practice for applying to Japanese-speaking jobs) and using keigo , the most polite form of Japanese.

Or, you can simply write a casual letter to a friend who can speak Japanese. It’ll be motivating knowing that they’ll be able to read it when you’re done.

Think about a recent book , manga , movie  or anime you’ve watched recently, then write about what you thought of it .

If you choose to write about something from your home country, bear in mind your review might be one of just a few in Japanese—perhaps even the very first!

Do you write a personal blog? Reviews are great blogging content. You might end up with a huge Japanese following!

Need more things to review? Treat yourself to a one-time   Kawaii Box , or sign up for a monthly subscription. You’ll get ten adorable Japanese items in each box, ranging from yummy little snacks to toys and pencil cases, which gives you ample things to write about.

This Japanese writing exercise will give you the chance to practice descriptive adjectives . You should aim to use a good number of these in your writing—try setting a personal goal before you start.

It’s always nice when your Japanese studies can link you with delicious food .

So, choose your favorite dish—it’s totally fine to pick one native to your own country. Now, in your Japanese notebook, describe the flavors and ingredients of the dish . Talk about any customs surrounding it or seasonal consumption, if applicable.

Write out a recipe for how to prepare your dish in Japanese. It can be as complicated or as simple as you like, depending on the dish and your language level.

This is a great way to practice using imperatives and the ～てください / ～でください form.

This is a good challenge to combine with the daily writing challenge in #2. Write a simple diary entry of your day or an event you recently went to. 

The diary challenge is especially good if you’re an intermediate level learner and you’re doing something exciting that week that you can write about, such as going on vacation.

However, there’s no problem with choosing a fairly normal event (going to school, work, etc.). Those are things you probably talk about often, anyway, which means you’ll get good practice with useful vocabulary and common grammar points .

In fact, this is a great way to get grammar practice or review in: You can practice tenses, adjectives, prepositions and anything else you learned recently.

Up for a chance to test yourself?

Open two blank pages of your notebook, preferably side by side. On the left page, write a journal entry by yourself, with no assistance —no using a dictionary and no asking for help. If you’re writing kanji, don’t check the shape or stroke order!

When you’ve finished, check it yourself or with a friend. Then, on the right-hand page, rewrite it neatly with any corrections. Essentially, the left page is your “draft” piece, and the right page is your “final” piece.

In this format, it will be easier to see where there’s room for improvement. Beyond meaning and usage, pay special attention to any mistakes you’ve made in the shape or size of the characters.

This exercise will get you used to writing from memory and will also improve your writing confidence . If you do this practice more than once (which you should!), you’ll eventually be able to see a clear line of your progress.

First of all, the best way to improve your writing is by writing. A lot.

Keeping a journal gives you a designated place to store your writing . You don’t have to hunt for spare paper or take up precious space in your actual learning notebook.

Any notebook can be a writing journal, but a high quality one with lots of pages will work especially well. I recommend buying something you’d be proud to show off to people, so you can get native speaker feedback on your work.

Having a specific notebook can also help you get into the habit of doing Japanese writing exercises every day . Practicing your writing often will improve your writing speed, as well as your grammar and  vocabulary , too.

What’s more, a writing journal is a wonderful tool for tracking language learning progress . By keeping a notebook and writing in it consistently, you’ll be able to actually see improvement in your writing skills as time goes on.

Eventually, your journal will also become a resource for you to reference . Have you forgotten some old kanji? Do you need to brush up on a certain grammar concept? No worries. You just have to flip back and have a look at previous entries.

So, once you have your ideal notebook, you should:

• Decide how much time you’re going to dedicate to journal-writing. Start with 30 minutes a week, and expand on it later.
• Decide on a topic, or a certain type of writing. Use any or all of the ideas above for guidance!
• Keep it simple at the beginning. Use grammar and vocabulary you know well—perhaps fill the first page with a self-introduction. Build up your confidence.
• Keep at it! Practice using hiragana and katakana, then work yourself up to kanji. Start covering more complex topics as well.

Whatever you do, just keep writing !

Writing in a physical journal, as suggested, is a great way to improve your Japanese handwriting.

It can especially help you learn kanji and stroke order , if you’re at that level, but you can also use kanji apps to get more guided practice in.

You can do further Japanese writing exercises right on your device (using your finger, mouse or digital pen) with the guided lessons on Kakimashou . You can also use a physical resource such as this writing practice book , which includes how-to information and grid sheets for you to practice hiragana, katakana and kanji.

Even if you don’t want to use something so specific, just writing in your notebook often will help you refine your Japanese handwriting abilities. You can check over previous entries for places you can improve, or have your native reviewer give you some feedback and tips.

Either way, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the characters and you’ll remember them better when you need them in other situations.

So what are you waiting for?

Try out the above nine challenges to really bring your Japanese writing practice to its best possible level—but remember that you can make them your own as well. Allow yourself to be inspired.

Have fun, and good luck!

If you love learning Japanese with authentic materials, then I should also tell you more about FluentU .

FluentU 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 as you'll see below:

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 gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You'll have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Related posts:

Enter your e-mail address to get your free pdf.

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe

Learn Japanese

Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese

Effective writing practice

The main advantage of writing things out is you have a lot more time and resources to compose your thoughts as opposed to the rapid exchange of interactive conversations. In addition, writing things by hand gives you muscle memory as an additional memory aid.

The most important thing to remember with your own writing as well as all other aspects of language acquisition is to quickly get corrections in order to avoid falling into bad habits. In addition, it’s vitally important that you actually implement the corrections yourself and not just throw aside a piece of paper with corrections on it.

In the past, it’s been fairly difficult to find Japanese speakers to correct your writing. Fortunately, there is now a social networking site built exclusively for this purpose with an excellent community: Lang-8 .

I won’t go into much detail of how to use the site since they have their own video for the purpose right on the front page.

Writing topics

In general, I would consider writing to be the last portion of the four parts of language acquisition: listening, speaking, reading, writing. That’s because writing itself can be considered to be an art that goes much beyond the practical necessities of communicating in a foreign language. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t jump in to writing fairly early in the learning process. The important thing is to set realistic goals and distinguish between simple writing and composition.

Therefore, I would suggest writing about topics that are conversation-like. For example, contacting a friend in order to ask how he/she is doing is not only great writing practice but also becomes an opportunity to perfect your speaking skills as well. As a general guideline, at least in the beginning, I would write about things that could likely come up in a conversation. Combine that with actually talking about it with your conversation partner for a powerful learning combination.

Below are just a sample of possible writing topics. The Complete Guide to Japanese also has writing suggestions at the end of each chapter.

• What I did last summer.
• What I do on most days.
• Why I want to learn Japanese.
• What I want to do if/when I go to Japan.
• Interesting people I know and why they’re interesting.

Japanese Writing Lab #1: Basic self-introduction

In a recent post I announced I would be starting a new program on my blog called “Japanese Writing Lab” that aims to motivate people to practice writing in Japanese, provides feedback on their writing, and allows them to see posts of other Japanese learners. This article represents the first writing assignment of that program.

For this assignment, I’d like to focus on a very common, but important topic: self-introduction, known as 自己紹介 (jiko shoukai) in Japanese.

Self-introductions can range widely from formal to casual, and from very short (name only) to much longer. This time, I’d like everyone to focus on writing a basic self-introduction whose main purpose is to actually introduce yourself to me and others in the group. So while it is a writing exercise, it actually serves an important purpose as well. Try to keep it brief (a few sentences is fine) and stick more to written language as opposed to spoken language. For example, you would avoid using things like “あの。。。” which you might say if you actually spoke a self-introduction.

For those who are comfortable writing a self-introduction in Japanese, you can go ahead and get started. If you have written one recently, I suggest you try to write one again from scratch without referring to it unless you really get stuck.

Once you finish this writing assignment please post it via one of the two following methods:

• For those who have a blog (WordPress or anywhere else is fine): post it on your blog, and post a comment on this article including a link to your post. I also suggest adding a link on your post back to this article, so people who find your post can follow it to read other people’s submissions.
• For those who don’t have a blog: simply post it as a comment to this article with the text you’ve written. [Note: creating a blog is pretty easy and free on many sites, so if you have a few minutes I’d just consider just trying to create a blog]

I’ll be reading through the submitted assignments and will try to make constructive comments. I highly recommend for everyone submitting to read other people’s submissions.

For those who are not too familiar with how to write self-introductions in Japanese, here is a general template to help you get started (taken from this Japanese website). If you want to do your own research on how to write a self-introduction, that is fine as well. Feel free to omit any of the below categories, for example if you don’t want to discuss where you live.

Keep in mind that for a self-introduction in Japanese, it is usually best to use at minimum basic polite language, like ~です and ~ます, since you aren’t likely to be on very familiar terms with those you are speaking to.

General template for  basic self-introduction

僕（私) の名前は [your name here] です。

• Place where you live (住所)

住所は[place where you live]というところです。

• Hobbies (趣味)

趣味は [one or more of your hobbies]です。

仕事は「your current job」をしています。

• Positive ending

[try to think of something positive to close with]

My submission

For each assignment I will give my submission as well, to help give you ideas. Feel free to send me questions or comments about my submission.

For this assignment I’ll keep things pretty simple and mostly follow the template I gave above, but in future assignments I’ll start using more advanced language and get more creative.

僕の名前はlocksleyuです。

住所はオレゴン州のポートランドですが、先週までは南フロリダに住んでいました。

趣味は色々ありますが、最近は日本の小説を読んだりチェスをやったりしています。

仕事はソフトウェア開発をしています。

このクラスで日本語の文章力を向上できたらいいと思います。

よろしくお願いします。

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

22 thoughts on “ Japanese Writing Lab #1: Basic self-introduction ”

Hi – I put together a WordPress site today so I could participate in this, and also to encourage me to write in Japanese.

Here’s my basic self introduction article: https://bokunojapanese.wordpress.com/2016/05/30/japanese-writing-lab-1-basic-self-introduction/

I tried once yesterday and once just now to post here and I am not seeing anything getting through. Are these comments moderated? Is there some other issue? I’m sick of retyping my introduction 🙁

The comments are moderated (that is the default setting of WordPress) but I check very often and approve pretty much all comments except for Spam. For some reason I didn’t see any of your comments from yesterday, only two from today.

I’ll read your other comment and respond now.

OK, this blog doesn’t seem to accept Japanese characters as comments (I just tried a third time).

I’m sorry that you are experiencing trouble. I’ll try to do my best help you out so we can get this solved (:

I have used Japanese before in comments. Let’s test now:

こんにちは [<- can you read this?] What happens when you try to write Japanese characters? Can you please make a post like this with some Japanese and some English so I can see what it looks like? Also, what browser/OS are you using? Can you try a variation of either? I am using Safari/Mac OS.

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I’m reading that. The last three comments I have made that have included either all Japanese characters or a mix of Japanese and English have just…vanished. Like, I click “post” and the page refreshes but I don’t see my comment or even a “Your comment is pending” notification. I’m on Chrome on Mac OS, everything’s reasonably up to date.

Here’s a comment with English and hiragana only: こんにちは Thanks for helping me debug and sorry to be leaving so many comments on the blog ;_;

Here’s a comment with English, hiragana and kanji: こんいちは 漢字は難しいですが、大切です。

Everything looks great now, I can see all the characters fine (: I’m guessing that was just some temporary issue with WordPress.

You can go ahead and try to put your self-introduction now. Just make a backup copy in case it gets deleted again.

You’re not going to believe this, but it STILL isn’t posting. I was avoiding making a new blog because I thought it would be “more work” but now I’m thinking that would be simpler after all.

Thats so weird, I wonder why. Maybe if you make a longer comment it doesn’t like it?

I agree it will probably be easier at this point to create your own blog, and that will have other benefits for you in the future.

But if you still want to try and troubleshoot the original issue I can help…

The good news is that WordPress makes it really easy to set up a new blog these days. I guess in retrospect I should have done that to begin with. Thanks for your help trying to debug this issue! https://nihongonoheya.wordpress.com/2016/06/02/first-blog-post/

Great, glad you were able to make a blog so easily! Will check out your blog later today when I get more time.

Hi, I have been reading several of your articles with great interest. The first that lead me to you was your comments on ‘Hibana’ by Naoki Matayoshi. A friend of mine in Japan is reading this book and I was curious about its content. Your translation is amazing. To introduce myself I set up a site, above link, however it doesn’t really seem to be a blog as such, so I may need to change that later. Anyway it’s accepted the script ok so you should be able to read it. I hope to join in here to improve my Japanese. Thanks for your time, Sylvia

Thanks very much for the comment and feedback!

Also, I’m glad you are interested in joining my program. I checked out your site, but like you said it seems like it isn’t exactly a blog, so I am not sure if I will be able to comment. Without that, it will be hard for me to correct your writings (I found a few errors I wanted to point out).

If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind trying to create a blog on WordPress.com? It should be pretty easy and it’s free.

Hi, Thank you for your reply. I think I’ve sorted it OK. See link below, I’ve never done a blog before so this is new to me! https://kafuka97.wordpress.com/

I just copied what I wrote before, no changes. Many thanks, Sylvia

PS: I do have a website which I have sent a link to.

Hello! My name is Jheanelle, I just found your website today and I think I’ve already looked through have of it. Its amazing. I’m interested in doing the assignments but I don’t have a blog so I’ll post it in the comments section.

ジェネルと言います。今日本に住んで仕事にしています。私は英語の先生です。 色々な趣味があります。例えば、寝たり、韓国の番組を見たり、本を読んだりするのが好きです。 日本語もっと上手になりたいそしてこのブログを見つけて嬉しくなった

どうぞよろしくお願いします

Hello Jheanelle. I’m sorry for the late reply but your message was showing up in Spam on my blog for some reason.

Thanks for the submission. Right now I am sort of taking a break from the writing labs since I didn’t get too much response from my readers, but I will consider restarting them again at some point. There is a few others however I posted (up to #3 or #4, I think).

I hope your Japanese studies are going well.

One minor comment, in your sentence “今日本に住んで仕事にしています” I think maybe you could have said: “今日本で仕事をしています” or “今日本に住んでで仕事もしています”

These might sound a little better.

One more thing, I recommend watching Japanese dramas instead of Korean if you want to improve faster (:

Hello locksleyu, I just posted my self-introduction here: https://soreymikleo1421.wordpress.com/2021/05/21/japanese-writing-lab-1-basic-self-introduction/ Thank you in advance!

Thanks! I just posted a few comments.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser.

• KU Libraries
• Subject & Course Guides
• Resource Guide for Japanese Language Students

Resource Guide for Japanese Language Students: Essays

• Short Stories
• Translated Foreign Literature
• Japanese and English
• Comics with Furigana
• Comics with no Furigana
• Picture Books
• Online Reading Materials
• Apps, Sites, Extensions, and Podcasts
• For Listening Practice: Read Aloud Picture Books
• For Listening Practice: Children's Literature
• For Listening Practice: Young Adults
• Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)
• Japanese Research & Bibliographic Methods for Undergraduates
• Japan Studies This link opens in a new window
• Guidebooks for Academic and Business Writing

About This Page

This page introduces the variety of essays written by popular contemporary authors. Unless noted, all are in Japanese.

The author, さくらももこ, is known for writing a comic titled 『 ちびまる子ちゃん 』. The comic is based on her own childhood experiences and depicts the everyday life of a girl with a nickname of Chibi Maruko-chan. The author has been constantly writing casual and humorous essays, often recollecting her childhood memories. We have both the『 ちびまる子ちゃん 』 comic series and other essays by the author. 

To see a sample text in a new tab, please  click on the cover image or the title .

中島らも(1952-2004) started his career as a copyrigher but changed his path to become a prolific writer, publishing novels, essays, drama scripts and rakugo stories. He became popular with his "twisted sense of humour."  He is also active in the music industry when he formed his own band. He received the 13th Eiji Yoshikawa New Author Prize with his 『今夜、すべてのバーで』 and Mystery Writers of Japan Aaward with 『 ガダラの豚 』.

東海林（しょうじ）さだお

東海林さだお(1937-) is a well-known cartoonist, but he is also famous for his essays on food. His writing style is light and humorous and tends to pay particular attention toward regular food, such as bananas, miso soup, and eggd in udon noodles, rather than talk about gourmet meals. (added 5/2/2014)

Collection of Essays: 天声人語 = Vox Populi, Vox Deli (Bilingual)

A collection of essays which appear on the front page of Asahi Shinbun . Each essay is approx. 600 words. KU has collections published around 2000. Seach KU Online catalog with call number AC145 .T46 for more details. 

To see a sample text, please click on the cover image or the title .

Other Essays

Online Essay

• 村上さんのところ "Mr. Murakami's Place" -- Haruki Murakami's Advice Column Part of Haruki Murakami's official site. He answers questions sent to this site. He will also take questions in English. Questions will be accepted until Jan. 31, 2015.

Search from KU Collection

If you are looking for essays in Japanese available at KU, use this search box. If you know the author, search by last name, then first name, such as "Sakura, Momoko." Make sure to select "Author" in the search field option.:

• << Previous: Level 4
• Next: Short Stories >>
• Last Updated: Feb 1, 2024 11:08 AM
• URL: https://guides.lib.ku.edu/c.php?g=95189

Get the Reddit app

Welcome to r/LearnJapanese, *the* hub on Reddit for learners of the Japanese Language.

Writing Essays in Japanese

So, as a teacher in Japan, I've now been tasked with teaching a few students how to write essays in Japanese for their high school entrance exams. The problem? I have no experience writing Japanese essays. I can speak Japanese in daily life - and especially in regards to school vocabulary - but I've never had to write an essay in Japanese.

Does anyone know a good place to find tricks and tips to teach aspiring students on how to make writing easier, or better yet, an online website where you can practice writing Japanese essays and get feedback?

I'm aware there may be little to no support for my particular situation, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

Thanks in advance!

By continuing, you agree to our User Agreement and acknowledge that you understand the Privacy Policy .

Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app

You’ve set up two-factor authentication for this account.

Enter a 6-digit backup code

Create your username and password.

Reddit is anonymous, so your username is what you’ll go by here. Choose wisely—because once you get a name, you can’t change it.

Reset your password

Enter your email address or username and we’ll send you a link to reset your password

Check your inbox

An email with a link to reset your password was sent to the email address associated with your account

Choose a Reddit account to continue

• Draw it in the drawing area
• Type the name in the text area
• Look for it in the list
• Notice that 漢 is made of several components: 氵 艹 口 夫
• Draw any of these components (one at a time) in the drawing area, and select it when you see it
• Alternatively, look for a component in the list. 氵 艹 口 each have three strokes; 夫 has four strokes
• If you know the meanings of the components, type any of them in the text area: water (氵), grass (艹), mouth (口) or husband (夫)
• Keep adding components until you can see your kanji in the list of matches that appears near the top.
• Draw a component in the center of the area, as large as you can
• Try to draw the component as it appears in the kanji you're looking up
• Don't worry about stroke order or number of strokes
• Don't draw more than one component at a time

The Kanshudo complete guide to writing Japanese

Kanshudo's guide to writing Japanese

• First let's see what components 鬱 contains. It is pretty complicated! It has several: 缶, 林 (or 木 on either side), 冖, a complex piece 鬯 which in itself could be made up of other elements, and finally 彡.
• So, let's start with rule 5 to help us figure out the order of components to draw: symmetry first (缶), then the 木 on either side, then another symmetrical component 冖, then the left side 鬯 and 彡. None of these are 'containing' components, so we can just draw each one by one. This is already looking more straightforward!
• Let's take 缶. This is mostly straightforward: we start with rule 2 which shows us we start at the top left with our little diagonal stroke. Rule 1 then tells us to do the two horizontals, followed by the vertical. Now things get tricky: in fact the bottom of this component is only two strokes, a 'shelf' and another vertical.
• Next we draw our two trees. Rule 1 tells that we do our horizontal first, followed by the vertical. Rule two tells us to do the left diagonal followed by the right diagonal.
• Next we have 冖: there are actually two challenges here - we draw the left side vertical first, and then the horizontal and the right vertical as a combined element.
• Next we go to 鬯. This is actually a radical (standard component) in Chinese, which uses a longer radical list than Japanese. However, in Japanese it is extremely uncommon. Stroke order is fairly standard, though, if you remember to apply rule 3 several times, as that shows you how to decide what orde to do the strokes in the brush.
• And 彡 is a nice easy one to finish: rule 1 tells us we draw our strokes top to bottom, and each stroke starts at the top.

• There are many analyses of Chinese character strokes. One sensible reference point is the Unicode specification, which defines a 'block' of characters representing strokes. Currently 36 strokes are included, but if you examine the list you will see several which are extremely similar - for example, Unicode defines a separate character for a short diagonal stroke depending on whether it goes from left to right or right to left. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stroke_(CJKV_character) .
• For more on Japanese calligraphy, start with Wikipedia's article on the different scripts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive_script_(East_Asia) .
• See here for an example of fonts that produce cursive Japanese.
• One great tool is Mojizo , a system for recognizing cursive kanji from images. Kanshudo's own component builder ( how to guide ) is a way to find kanji quickly based on any components you recognize, and it includes our own AI tool for recognizing hand-drawn components.

Your Step-by-Step Jikoshoukai Guide Learn the basics, practice, and create an advanced Japanese self-introduction

October 11, 2016 • words written by Mami Suzuki and Michael Richey • Art by Aya Francisco

Viewing under The Tofugu JET Program Guide

When you start learning Japanese or are visiting Japan for the first time , there are few words to learn right away:

Once you've mastered those three, you need to learn your jikoshoukai.

Jikoshoukai 自己紹介 （ じこしょうかい ） is the Japanese word for "self-introduction." In theory, this is similar to how you would introduce yourself in your own culture. Say hello, say your name, tell a little about yourself. But in practice, there are cultural differences and set procedures you should stick to. You only get one first impression, so it's important to learn how to do it right.

We'll start by teaching you the basic Japanese self-introduction, then cultural subtleties, and finally a ton of extra grammar and vocabulary you can use to talk about yourself with your new Japanese friends.

Jikoshoukai Vocabulary

Writing your jikoshoukai, 1. first name and family name, 2. occupation, 3. don't talk about yourself too much, 4. bowing vs. handshake, 5. holding your hands behind your back, 6. don't bow while talking, business cards, "nice to meet you", "please be kind to me", where you are from, your school, where you live, hobbies and proficiencies, plans for the future, only the beginning, how to jikoshoukai.

Going to Japan, but don't know Japanese? Don't worry. You can jikoshoukai. The Japanese self-intro has a standard order and set phrases, so even beginners can meet and greet in Japanese.

• How do you do?

The set phrase hajimemashite 初めまして （ はじ　　　　 ） either comes from the verb hajimeru 始める （ はじ　　 ） , which means "to start," or it's a shortened form of 初めて （ はじ　　 ） お 目 （ め ） にかかりまして. Though etymologists aren't sure of the word's true origin, hajimemashite implies beginning or doing something for the first time . Most people think of it as saying "How do you do?" or "Nice to meet you."

• 私 （ わたし ） は [name] と 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。
• My name is [name].

The breakdown of this sentence is easier than it looks. It has three parts:

• 私 （ わたし ） は - The first word 私 means "I" or "me." It's followed by the particle は which indicates the topic of the sentence. In this case, 私 is the topic.
• [name] - Your name.
• と 申します （ もう　　　 ） - One meaning of the verb 申す is "to be called." It's paired with the particle と and conjugated to 申します。 This is a polite phrase, so it's safe to use in almost any situation.

When you put them all together, you get something along the lines of "I am called [name]" or "My name is [name]."

• よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します。
• Please be kind to me.

The final piece of the puzzle is よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します. It doesn't translate well to English, which is why we wrote a whole article about it . In a self-intro situation, it means something like "Please be kind to me." It's often translated as "Nice to meet you." This isn't technically correct, though it carries a similar feeling.

Now that you've got the basic building blocks down, it's time to put it together. At its simplest, the jikoshoukai sequence is:

• はじめまして。 私 （ わたし ） は (name) と 申 （ もう ） します。よろしくお 願 （ ねが ） いします。
• How do you do? My name is (name). Please be kind to me.

See? Not so hard. When you're getting ready to meet Japanese people for the first time, write this out and practice until it flows. If you're a beginner at Japanese , you don't need any more than this.

Jikoshoukai Etiquette

It's great to know the words to say when introducing yourself in Japanese, but how you say those words will make or break your jikoshoukai.

There are cultural differences to be aware of. They're subtle, so if you miss them it probably won't be counted against you. But paying attention to details like these can give you an extra social edge when you first meet a new Japanese friend.

In English, people usually introduce themselves by their first names or full names. When you give your full name, the first name comes first and the family name afterward.

In Japanese, people usually introduce themselves by their family names or full names. When they introduce their full name, the family name comes first and the first name comes second.

Revealing one or two of your strengths is fine, but listing all your amazing abilities will annoy others and make you seem over-confident.

In English, when you asked what you do for work, you give a brief summary of your job, or the name of your profession.

In Japan, it's common to answer only, " 会社員 （ かいしゃいん ） です。" (I'm an office worker./I work for a company./I'm a salaryman.)

However, if you introduce yourself to someone in a business setting, mention your company in your self-intro. For example:

• Tofuguのコウイチと 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。
• I'm Koichi from Tofugu.

This concept goes along with our next point…

Japanese people sometimes say lightly self-deprecating things as a form of humility, but it's usually followed by something positive (or the positivity is implied). For example:

• 至らない点が多いかもしれませんが、頑張りますので、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します
• I might have many flaws, but I'll do my best so please be kind to me.

You don't have to say anything like this (in fact, we advise you don't), but the point is this: Japanese people usually keep their strengths on the down-low.

So try not to show off too much. Revealing one or two of your strengths is fine, but listing all your amazing abilities will annoy others and make you seem over-confident.

In the West, if you're meeting someone one-on-one, you shake hands.

In Japan, don't move in for the handshake, especially if your status is the same or lower than the person you're meeting. In Japan, handshakes are for equals, so if you try to shake hands with the Emperor, it would be considered rude. Bow instead, and do so at the beginning and end of your jikoshoukai.

In Japan, holding your hands behind your back signals importance, so it may make you look full of yourself. Put your hands in front of you (the left hand on top of the right), or put your hands beside you.

This is a no-no from our Japanese bowing guide . Do your bowing after giving your self-introduction. Make sure to finish saying "yoroshiku onegaishimasu" and then bow.

Business cards in Japan are called meishi 名刺 （ めいし ） , and are an important part of Japanese culture. Even outside of the business world, Japanese people sometimes have personal meishi made (meishi means "name card" after all).

We covered meishi etiquette in our article about Japanese work customs , but here are the rules again in a jikoshoukai context.

Orient your card toward the recipient. Give and receive meishi with two hands.

Put meishi in a carrying case: You can buy business card carrying cases online or at any department store in Japan. If you don't have a case, you can carefully put the meishi in your purse or wallet after you've received it. Just don't put it in your pocket.

Use two hands: Orient your card toward the recipient when presenting. Hold the top edge with both hands. When they offer their card, accept it with two hands. Try not to cover any words with your fingers either. Some Japanese people are taught that a meishi is the "face" of the person giving it, so you don't want to cover theirs or your own.

When you and your new friend offer each other meishi at the same time: Present your card with your right hand, while simultaneously receiving theirs with your left.

Read meishi you receive: Read the person's name and title on the card before you put it away. Make sure to show interest in what they do. Act at least a little bit impressed with their job title.

When exchanging meishi in a group, give to the most senior person first: Start by giving your business card to the shachou, then fukushachou, and so on down the chain of command .

Treat meishi with respect: Use common sense and treat meishi like you would a gift. Don't toss or write on them.

Expanding the Basic Jikoshoukai

Maybe you've been doing your Japanese self-intro for years, repeating the same three set phrases over and over. Maybe you've read this guide before and have the basics down pat. You're ready to level up!

Below are example sentences you can mix into your standard jikoshoukai to give it more flavor, and make your self-intro a memorable one.

Earlier we learned how to use はじめまして (nice to meet you, how do you do). Here's a few ways to add to this set phrase.

• こんにちは。はじめまして。
• Hello. Nice to meet you.
• みなさん、はじめまして。
• Nice to meet you, everyone.
• みなさん、こんにちは。はじめまして。
• Hello everyone. Nice to meet you.

For a formal situation, you should say both your first and last names. In a casual situation, it's common to say only your family name for Japanese people.

If you're an English teacher on something like the JET Program , your school might want you to give your first name when you introduce yourself to the students. Ask your supervisor what's appropriate for the situation.

Below are several ways to introduce your name, organized by politeness in ascending order.

• 私 （ わたし ） の 名前 （ なまえ ） はマイケルですが、みんなにはマイクって 呼ばれて （ よ　　　 ） います。
• My name is Michael, but most people call me Mike.
• I'm Michael.

Very Formal:

• マイケルと 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。

Very Formal/Business:

• Tofuguのマイケルと 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。
• I'm Michael from Tofugu.

When you end your jikoshoukai, you'll use a phrase that means "Please be kind to me" or "Remember me favorably." But once you've got a handle on the standard " yoroshiku onegaishimasu ," you can move on to more casual or more formal variations. Below we've organized them by politeness level in ascending order.

Polite/Business:

• どうぞ、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します。
• よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 致します （ いた　　　 ） 。

Very Polite/Business:

• どうぞ、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 致します （ いた　　　 ） 。

Formal/Business:

• よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 申し上げます （ もう　あ　　　 ） 。
• どうぞ、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 申し上げます （ もう　あ　　　 ） 。

Custom Jikoshoukai Modification

From here we get into the fun stuff. After expanding on the initial three pieces of the Japanese self-introduction, you can start adding information about yourself, short sentences that explain where you're from, what you like to do, and so on.

These jikoshoukai modifications will help people get to know you faster when you first introduce yourself. This is especially important as you start to make more Japanese friends, go on dates, or have job interviews.

Telling where you're from is always a good addition to a self-intro. Even if you don't use it during the initial jikoshoukai, your new Japanese friend will probably ask you anyway, so memorizing a few of these phrases is extra useful.

Two quick vocabulary usage notes: First, the word shusshin 出身 （ しゅっしん ） mean's "person's origin," and refers more to the place you were born or grew up than where you currently live. It's often used for specific places like a city, state, or prefecture, rather than a country. For example, Mami was born in Osaka, and now lives in Canada. But she spent most of her life in Nara, so she says " 奈良県 （ ならけん ） の 出身 （ しゅっしん ） です。" or " 出身 （ しゅっしん ） は 奈良県 （ ならけん ） です。"

Second, the verb mairu 参る （ まいる ） is a more humble form of kuru 来る （ く　 ） or iku 行く （ い　 ） . So when 参る （ まい　 ） is used to talk about where you came from in "アメリカから 参りました （ まい　　　 ） ," it's much more humble, so use it in appropriate situations.

• アメリカの 出身 （ しゅっしん ） です。
• I'm from America.
• アメリカから 来ました （ き　　　 ） 。
• アメリカから 参りました （ まい　　　　 ） 。
• オレゴン 州 （ しゅう ） のポートランドから 来ました （ き　　　 ） 。 生まれ （ う　　 ） も 育ち （ そだ　 ） もポートランドです。
• I'm from Portland, Oregon. Born and raised.
• 生まれ （ う　　 ） は 大阪 （ おおさか ） ですが、 育ち （ そだ　 ） は 東京 （ とうきょう ） です。
• I was born in Osaka, but grew up in Tokyo.
• 育ち （ そだ　 ） はニューヨークです。
• I grew up in New York.
• 田舎 （ いなか ） で 育ちました （ そだ　　　　 ） 。
• I grew up in the countryside.
• 生まれ （ う　　 ） は 東京 （ とうきょう ） ですが、 十歳 （ じゅうさい ） の 時 （ とき ） に 大阪 （ おおさか ） に 引っ越しました （ ひ　こ　　　　 ） 。そして、 大学 （ だいがく ） に 入る （ はい　 ） 時 （ とき ） に、 名古屋 （ なごや ） に 引っ越して （ ひ　こ　　 ） 来ました （ き　　　 ） 。
• I was born in Tokyo, but moved to Osaka when I was ten, and lived there until I entered university, which is when I came to Nagoya.
• 小さい （ ちい　　 ） 時 （ とき ） 、 家族 （ かぞく ） が 何度も （ なんど　 ） 引っ越した （ ひ　こ　　 ） ので、 私 （ わたし ） には 育った （ そだ　　 ） 場所 （ ばしょ ） というのはないんです。
• My family moved a lot when I was little, so I'm not really from anywhere.

School, from elementary up through university , is a big part of Japanese life. Be prepared to have people ask alma mater and what you studied. Or cut them off at the pass by including the information in your jikoshoukai.

• Ⓐ 大学 （ だいがく ） Ⓑ 学部 （ がくぶ ） Ⓒ 科 （ か ） の 出身 （ しゅっしん ） です。
• I graduated from the Ⓒ department of the faculty of Ⓑ of Ⓐ University.
• Ⓐ 大学 （ だいがく ） Ⓑ 学部 （ がくぶ ） Ⓒ 科 （ か ） の 学生 （ がくせい ） です。
• I'm a student of the Ⓒ department of the faculty of Ⓑ of Ⓐ University.
• Ⓐ 大学 （ だいがく ） Ⓑ 学部 （ がくぶ ） Ⓒ 科 （ か ） の 二年生 （ にねんせい ） です。
• I'm a second year student of the Ⓒ department of the faculty of Ⓑ of Ⓐ University.
• オレゴン 大学 （ だいがく ） で、 二年間 （ にねんかん ） 東 （ ひがし ） アジアの 歴史 （ れきし ） を 専攻 （ せんこう ） していました。
• I studied East Asian history at Oregon university for two years.

Occupation is a common conversation topic when meeting someone new. If you're doing business in Japan (or want to), you'd better learn at least one of these phrases.

A quick grammar usage note: some of these jikoshoukai example sentences use the continuous state conjugation of suru する （ ） which is shiteimasu しています （ ） . If you want to get extra polite with any of these sentences, swap out しています with shiteorimasu しております （ ） . One easy switch and you're ready to tell CEOs and presidents about your work situation.

• Tofuguで 編集長 （ へんしゅうちょう ） を しています 。
• I'm the chief editor of Tofugu.
• トヨタで 営業 （ えいぎょう ） を 担当 （ たんとう ） しています 。
• I'm working in sales at Toyota.
• 会計課 （ かいけいか ） に 配属 （ はいぞく ） になりました、 佐藤 （ さとう ） です。
• I'm Satou , assigned to the accounts department.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 会社員 （ かいしゃいん ） です。
• I'm an office worker.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 英語 （ えいご ） の 教師 （ きょうし ） です。
• I'm an English teacher.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 英語 （ えいご ） を 教えています （ おし　　　　　 ） 。
• I teach English.
• 私 （ わたし ） はこの 学校 （ がっこう ） で 英語 （ えいご ） を 教えます （ おし　　　 ） 。
• I'm going to teach English at this school.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 東 （ ひがし ） フグ 小学校 （ しょうがっこう ） で 働いて （ はたら　　 ） います。
• I'm working at East Fugu Elementary School.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 東 （ ひがし ） フグ 小学校 （ しょうがっこう ） に 勤めて （ つと　　 ） います。
• I'm working for East Fugu Elementary School.

"You live around here?" is a common question no matter the culture. Be ready to answer questions about your living situation with these sentences.

• 東京 （ とうきょう ） に 住んで （ す　　 ） います。
• I live in Tokyo.
• 東京 （ とうきょう ） 駅 （ えき ） の 近く （ ちか　 ） に 住んで （ す　　 ） います。
• I live near Tokyo station.
• 東京 （ とうきょう ） 駅 （ えき ） の 近く （ ちか　 ） のマンションに 住んで （ す　　 ） います。
• I live in an apartment near Tokyo station.

Hobbies are super important part of life in Japan. Japanese junior high and high school students take school club activities seriously ( sometimes more than academics ) and this passion often continues into adult life. If you have a hobby, that is your "thing." Even if you don't think of your interests as "hobbies," describe them as such anyway. It will help people understand you better . Alternatively, you can say what you like and don't like.

• 趣味 （ しゅみ ） は[____]です。
• My hobby is [____].
• 趣味 （ しゅみ ） は[____]することです。
• My hobby is to do [____]
• [____]が 趣味 （ しゅみ ） です。
• [____]することが 趣味 （ しゅみ ） です。
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]が 好き （ す　 ） です。
• I like [____]
• [____]も 好き （ す　 ） です。
• I also like [____]
• [____]は 好き （ す　 ） ではありません。
• I don't like [____]
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]することが 好き （ す　 ） です。
• I like to do [____]
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]が 得意 （ とくい ） です。
• I'm good at [____].
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]することが 得意 （ とくい ） です。
• I'm good at doing [____].
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]が 苦手 （ にがて ） です。
• I'm not good at/I don't like [____](noun)
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]することが 苦手 （ にがて ） です。
• I'm not good at doing [____].

What do you want to be when you grow up? What new skills are you trying to develop? What are you going to eat for lunch tomorrow? Answer these questions and more with the example sentences below.

Grammar usage note: the noun tsumori つもり （ ） is used to tell what you plan to do. It's most commonly used in situations where you've already made up your mind. It's definite. Don't use it for instances where you're kind of maybe thinking about something, but you're not sure yet.

• [____]ようと 考えて （ かんが　　 ） います。
• I'm thinking about doing [____].
• [____]したいと 思って （ おも　　 ） います。
• I'd like to do [____].
• [____]つもりです。
• 私 （ わたし ） の 目標 （ もくひょう ） は[____]です。
• My object is [____].
• [____]に 挑戦 （ ちょうせん ） したいと 思って （ おも　　 ） います。
• I'd like to challenge [____].

Now you know what it takes to put together a stellar jikoshoukai in Japanese. Put the pieces together, mind the cultural differences, and practice till its second nature.

With a solid self-intro on your side, you're poised to start your relationships right. Just don't forget your business cards.

Stack Exchange Network

Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

How do you refer to Japanese people with the same last name in English writing?

For context, I'm writing an essay in English on a Japanese movie about a particular family that goes by the name of Sasaki. In the movie, the characters are mostly referred to by their family name. The husband in particular is exclusively referred to as Sasaki, though he does in fact have a given name, Ryûhei.

Firstly, my question is, how do you generally refer to Japanese people when writing in English? Do you use just their family name, just their given name, or both?

Second, if you use just their family name, is it appropriate to use both names to distinguish between members of the same family? If so, is it okay to shorten their distinguishable names to just their given name after referring to them by their full name at least once? For example, the first time I refer to the husband I might say "Ryûhei Sasaki", but each time afterwards is it okay for me to simply refer to him as "Ryûhei"?

• 3 "how do you generally refer to Japanese people when writing in English " <-- それって英語の質問じゃないんですかね・・・ –  chocolate ♦ Commented Dec 4, 2017 at 2:18
• The issue is not a language one, but the difference between movie dialog and describing the scenario in writing. If you were writing your essay in Japanese (without the visual/audible cues), how would you tell the difference between family members? –  user3169 Commented Dec 4, 2017 at 7:06
• ^ 質問者は "when writing in English " って書いているのに、"How I would tell the difference between family members if I were writing my essay in Japanese " を回答に書いちゃっても構いませんかね・・参考になるでしょうか。。 –  chocolate ♦ Commented Dec 4, 2017 at 15:25

I think the answer to your question depends almost entirely on the English context in which you're writing. If it's an essay for a class then clarity should probably take precedence over anything else. If you're submitting an article to a journal, then there is likely a style guide that you should reference. What's "appropriate" is going to vary based on the expectations of your audience.

To more directly answer your questions, though:

I tend to refer to characters in the same way as the text in which they appear. If the text calls them largely uses "Sasaki," then I'll generally use "Sasaki." As in your case, when there are multiple characters with the same last name, you'll need to distinguish between them by using their first name. I'd probably introduce them using their full name (to inform the reader that they're part of the family) and afterwards use their only first name. Writing "Ryuhei Sasaki" every time is just adding unnecessary words to your text.

I answered this in part in #1, but absolutely! Think about how grating it'd be to read a paragraph on the husband and wife's relationship in which you read "Sasaki" fifteen times. At that point it isn't giving the reader any useful information.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged names ..

• Featured on Meta
• Bringing clarity to status tag usage on meta sites
• Announcing a change to the data-dump process

Hot Network Questions

• Functor composition rule necessary?
• Issues with Python in Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
• Word for a collection of awards, such as an Olympic athlete’s earned medals
• Seinfeldisms in O.R
• All four children have England birth index page changes
• Coding exercise to represent an integer as words using python
• Why does my shifter say the wrong gear?
• Making a battery power supply for a portable Raspberry Pi computer
• Why is the !? annotation so rare?
• What is happening when a TV satellite stops broadcasting during an "eclipse"?
• How to frame certain cells with tabular?
• Why do race cars accelerate faster than jets?
• How can I Align an existing Object to the 3D Viewport's XY Plane?
• Why is Namibia killing game animals for food rather than allowing more big game hunting?
• How do I get GUI wokring for Ubuntu linux, How do I go about " searching your distribtion's package database for the file missing"?
• 70s-80s animation with an island of robots
• In 1982 Admiral Grace Hopper said "I still haven't found out why helicopter rotors go the way they do". If she were here today, how might one answer?
• Lore reasons for being faithless
• What is a "hard-boiled turtle-slapper"?
• How much easier/harder would it be to colonize space if humans found a method of giving ourselves bodies that could survive in almost anything?
• Does an airplane fly less or more efficiently after an mid-flight engine failure?
• Explain how π – 1 + 50 + ⅔ × 1000 is PLONK
• Should you refactor when there are no tests?
• What is this 3 terminal white + grey surface mount device?

How to Say “My Name is,” in Japanese and More!

When you’re learning Japanese and starting to make new friends, or visiting Japan for travel, school, or business, there will be many occasions where you need to introduce yourself. Introducing yourself is always important in starting a good relationship with someone: friends, peers, students, co-workers, neighbors, etc.

Hence, it’s important to learn things like how to say “My name is,” in Japanese, as well as other ways of introducing yourself in Japanese phrases.

There are some tips to keep in mind when it comes to introducing yourself in Japan, from a cultural perspective. For example, you should usually use a formal and polite style of Japanese when you introduce yourself, and it’s better not to talk about yourself too much or give too many personal details right away.

Ready to learn how to introduce yourself and learn Japanese with us? Here’s our list of practical phrases and tips for introducing yourself in Japanese words.

P.S., you can find more information on how to introduce yourself in Japanese business on our site!

Table of Contents

• Identifying Yourself
• Stating Your Name
• Stating Your Age
• Stating Where You’re From
• Placing Yourself in Society
• Sharing Personal Details
• Conclusion: How JapanesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Japanese

1. Identifying Yourself

1- Greeting

The first thing you do when meeting someone, before introducing yourself, is offer them a greeting. There’s also a greeting word the Japanese use to close an introduction, which we’ll familiarize you with below. These can also be good ways of how to introduce yourself in Japanese interviews.

Romanization: Hajimemashite. English Translation: Nice to meet you.

When you first meet someone, Hajimemashite , or “Nice to meet you” in Japanese, is the first word of greeting. Hajimemashite means to start knowing someone new or to start a new relationship with someone. Essentially, it’s a good way to introduce yourself in Japanese.

This term is formal and can be used for any occasion. For a very official occasion, there’s another way to say “Nice to meet you,” more politely and with respect: お会いできて光栄です。( O-ai dekite kōei desu. ). Keep in mind that this may be a good phrase for how to introduce yourself in Japanese email.

• はじめまして。私はマリコです。 Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Mariko desu. Nice to meet you. I am Mariko.

Note: Watashi wa meaning in Japanese is “(as for) me.”

2. よろしくお願いします。

Romanization: Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. English Translation: Please treat me well.

This is used at the end of an introduction, after you’ve finished introducing yourself. It actually has many meanings, but in this case, it means “Please treat me well,” or “Please be nice/kind to me.” This may sound awkward in English, but it’s an important greeting phrase in Japan to show your gratitude and humbleness, especially in hoping to have a good relationship with that person. In a casual situation, you can just say Yoroshiku as a shortened version.

• 今日からここで働きます鈴木です。よろしくお願いします。 Kyō kara koko de hatarakimasu Suzuki desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. I am Suzuki and I start work here today. Please be good to me.

When you greet and introduce yourself for the first time, most of the time you should bow and shake hands.

2. Stating Your Name

Learning how to say your name is an essential aspect of Japanese introductions, especially when it comes to how to introduce yourself in Japanese for interview. Following Hajimemashite , it’s very common to state your name to start your introduction in Japanese. There are a few ways to say your name in Japanese.

Romanization: Watashi wa Yumi desu. English Translation: I am Yumi.

This is the most common phrase to tell someone your name.

• Watashi = I
• wa = am / is / are
• desu = This is a Japanese 述語 ( Jutsugo ) or predicate in a polite style, which is added to the end of a sentence.

2- 私はユミと言いいます。

Romanization: Watashi wa Yumi to iimasu. English Translation: I am called Yumi .

This is another typical way to say your name in Japanese. It literally means “I am said to be Yumi.”

• iimasu = This is a conjugated form of 言う ( iu ) which means “to say.”
• To = This is a Japanese postpositional particle which means “as” in this case.

This phrase sounds a bit more formal. In order to say it even more politely for an official occasion, you can say mōshimasu instead of iimasu , which is the respectful form ( Keigo 敬語 ) of “say” in Japanese.

3- 私の名前はユミです。

Romanization: Watashi no namae wa Yumi desu. English Translation: My name is Yumi.

When you’re asked “What is your name?”, you can answer with this phrase.

• namae = name
• Watashi no namae = my name

4- ユーミンと呼んでください。

Romanization: Yūmin to yonde kudasai. English Translation: Please call me Yūmin .

If you have a nickname or あだ名 ( adana ) which is different from your real name, you can use this phrase after introducing your actual name.

• yonde = This is a conjugation of 呼ぶ ( yobu ) which means “to call.”
• kudasai = This is a Japanese Jutsugo (述語) or predicate in a polite style which means “please (call me)” in this case.

3. Stating Your Age

It’s not very common to state your age to a person you meet for the first time, especially if you’re an adult woman. In some situations, however, you’re expected to introduce your age or when you were born. On such occasions, here are some expressions for how to state your age.

1- 私は16歳です。

Romanization: Watashi wa 16-sai desu. English Translation: I am 16 years old.

• sai is “year(s) old.”
• For Japanese numbers, please visit here for more details.
• “Twenty” is ni-jū as a Japanese number, but it’s read as はたち ( hatachi ) only when it’s expressed as an age.

2- 私は今年25歳になります。

Romanization: Watashi wa kotoshi 25-sai ni narimasu. English Translation: I become 25 years old this year.

• kotoshi is “this year.”
• ni is a Japanese particle which is usually used to indicate destination or direction. In this case, it indicates the result of change.
• narimasu is a conjugated form of なる ( naru ) which means “to become.”

3- 私は1990年生まれです。

Romanization: Watashi wa 1990-nen umare desu. English Translation: I was born in 1990.

You can also express your age by stating the year of your birth. This phrase is a common answer when you’re asked when you were born, in situations such as confirming your legal age when you buy cigarettes or alcohol (the legal age for these is twenty in Japan).

• nen is “year.”
• umare is “was born” in noun form.
• For example, “1990” in Japanese numbers is read “one-thousand nine-hundred ninety” in Japanese, which is sen kyū-hyaku kyū-jū .

4. Stating Where You’re From

When thinking about how to introduce yourself in a Japanese job interview, in particular, you should learn how to talk about where you’re from. Different regions have different features. It’s common to state where you’re from in your introduction in Japan. When you find that someone is from the same city or region of your city, it makes it easier to familiarize yourselves with each other.

1- 私は東京出身です。

Romanization: Watashi wa Tōkyō shusshin desu. English Translation: I am from Tokyo.

• shusshin is a noun word which means “come from” or “a place of one’s origin.”
• If you’re a foreign person in Japan, state your country.

2- 私はカナダ人です。

Romanization: Watashi wa Canada-jin desu. English Translation: I am Canadian.

• You can also state your nationality or ethnicity instead of the country you’re from.
• jin denotes nationality when it’s attached to the name of a country.

3- 私は大阪に住んでいます。

Romanization: Watashi wa Ōsaka ni sunde imasu. English Translation: I live in Osaka.

• You can also mention where you reside now.
• Sunde imasu is a conjugated form of 住む ( sumu ) which means “(I am) living.”

5. Placing Yourself in Society

1- Stating Your School and Major [for Students]

1. 私は東京大学に通っています。.

Romanization: Watashi wa Tōkyō Daigaku ni kayotte imasu. English Translation: I go to Tokyo University.

• daigaku is “university.”
• kayotte imasu is a conjugated form of 通う ( kayō ) which means “(I am) going” when talking about a place where you constantly and repeatedly go.
• Vocabulary related to school : – 大学 ( Daigaku ) — University – 短期大学 ( Tanki daigaku ) — Junior college – 専門学校 (Senmon gakkō) — Vocational school / Technical school – 高校 ( Kōkō ) — High school – 中学校 ( Chūgakkō ) — Middle high school – 小学校 ( Shōgakkō ) — Elementary school

2. 私は経済学を学んでいます。

Romanization: Watashi wa keizaigaku o manande imasu. English Translation: I study economics.

• keizai is “economics” and gaku denotes a subject.
• Vocabulary related to subjects: – 経営 ( Keiei ) — Business management – 法律 ( Hōritsu ) — Law – 生物 ( Seibutsu ) — Biology – 国際関係 ( Kokusai kankei ) — International relations – 情報技術 ( Jōhō gijutsu ) — Information technology – 金融 ( Kinyū ) — Finance – 芸術 ( Geijutsu ) — Art – 心理学 ( Shinrigaku ) — Psychology

2- Stating Your Profession [for Workers]

1. 私は看護師です。.

Romanization: Watashi wa kangoshi desu. English Translation: I am a nurse.

• Put the word for your occupation where the underlined word is in the example.
• Vocabulary related to occupation: – 看護師 ( Kangoshi ) — Nurse – コンピュータープログラマー ( Konpyūtā puroguramā ) — Computer programmer – 医者 ( Isha ) — Doctor – 先生 ( Sensei ) — Teacher – 販売員 ( Hanbaiin ) — Shop staff – 会計士 ( Kaikeishi ) — Accountant – スポーツインストラクター ( Supōtsu insutorakutā ) — Sports instructor – 美容師 ( Biyōshi ) — Hairdresser

2. 私は銀行で働いています。

Romanization: Watashi wa ginkō de hataraite imasu. English Translation: I work at a bank.

This is another phrase used to mention where you work.

• de means “at.”
• hataraite imasu is a conjugated form of 働く ( hataraku ) which means “(I am) working.”
• Vocabulary related to where you work: – 銀行 ( Ginkō ) — Bank – 会社 ( Kaisha ) — Company [general term] – 貿易会社 ( Bōekigaisha ) — Trading company – 広告会社 ( Kōkokugaisha ) — Advertising company – 建築事務所 ( Kenchiku jimusho ) — Architectural firm – アパレル会社 ( Aparerugaisha ) — Apparel/clothing company – 病院 ( Byōin ) — Hospital – レストラン ( Resutoran ) — Restaurant – デパート ( Depāto ) — Department store

In Japan, people often introduce themselves by saying which company they work for, but it’s also nice to explain what you do for work as a profession.

6. Sharing Personal Details

1- information about your family and pets.

Here’s some information on how to introduce yourself and your family in Japanese! After all, family is a universal topic and one that’s so important.

1. 私は5人家族です。

Romanization: Watashi wa go-nin kazoku desu. English Translation: I have a family of five members.

It’s common to say how many members are in your family. Put the number of members in your family in place of the underlined go (“five”) in the example sentence.

• nin is a counter word used to count people, which means “person,” and it’s attached after a number.
• kazoku means “family.”

2. 私は姉と弟がいます。

Romanization: Watashi wa ane to otōto ga imasu. English Translation: I have a big sister and a younger brother.

You can also introduce how many brothers and sisters you have. For more details about family, please visit Family in Japan.

• ane means “older sister.”
• otōto means “younger brother.”
• imasu is a conjugated form of いる ( iru ) which means “there is/are” in a polite style.

3. 私は犬を飼っています。

Romanization: Watashi wa inu o katte imasu. English Translation: I have a dog.

• inu means “dog.”
• o indicates an object.
• katte imasu is a conjugated form of 飼う ( kau ) which means “(I am) keeping and raising (animals).”
• Vocabulary related to pets: – 犬 ( Inu ) — Dog – ハムスター ( Hamusutā ) — Hamster – 小鳥 ( Kotori ) — Small bird(s) – ヘビ ( Hebi ) — Snake – うさぎ ( Usagi ) — Rabbit – ねこ ( Neko ) — Cat

2- Describing Hobbies

1. 私の趣味は登山です。.

Romanization: Watashi no shumi wa tozan desu. English Translation: My hobby is climbing mountains.

It’s always nice to introduce what you like to do in your free time in order to let people know more about you. It’s common to share information about your hobbies in Japan, unless it’s too personal (such as political or religious activities).

• Watashi no means “my.”
• shumi means “hobby.”
• Vocabulary related to hobbies: – 登山 ( Tozan ) — Climbing mountains – 映画鑑賞 ( Eiga kanshō ) — Watching movies – 写真 ( Shashin ) — Photography – 旅行 ( Ryokō ) — Traveling – マンガ ( Manga ) — Comics – スキー ( Skī ) — Ski – サーフィン ( Sāfin ) — Surfing

2. 私はサッカーが得意です。

Romanization: Watashi wa sakkā ga tokui desu. English Translation: I am good at soccer.

You can also introduce what is you’re good at. Insert a suitable vocabulary word in the underlined part of the example sentence.

• tokui is a noun that means “being good at.”
• Vocabulary related to things you’re good at: – スポーツ ( Supōtsu ) — Sports – プログラミング ( Puroguramingu ) — Programming – デザイン ( Dezain ) — Designing – 歌うこと ( Utau koto ) — Singing – 料理 ( Ryōri ) — Cooking – 楽器の演奏 ( Gakki no ensō ) — Playing instruments – ゲーム ( Gēmu ) — Game

3- Describing Your Favorite Foods

1. 私はラーメンが好きです。.

Romanization: Watashi wa rāmen ga suki desu. English Translation: I like ramen.

Food is always an easy topic to talk about and can expand any conversation. Insert a suitable vocabulary word in the underlined part of the example sentence.

• suki means “like.”
• ga indicates an object.
• Vocabulary related to food: – 日本食 ( Nihonshoku ) — Japanese cuisine – 中華料理 ( Chūka ryōri ) — Chinese cuisine – 韓国料理 ( Kankoku ryōri ) — Korean cuisine – イタリア料理 ( Itaria ryōri ) — Italian cuisine – フランス料理 ( Furansu ryōri ) — French cuisine – メキシコ料理 ( Mekishiko ryōri ) — Mexican cuisine – 焼肉 ( Yakiniku ) — Japanese BBQ – カツ丼 ( Katsudon ) — Pork cutlet bowl – お好み焼き ( Okonomiyaki ) — Japanese pancake – 果物 ( Kudamono ) — Fruits – 甘いもの ( Amai mono ) — Sweets

4- Describing Your SNS (Social Network Service)

1. 私はインスタグラムを使っています。.

Romanization: Watashi wa Insutaguramu o tsukatte imasu. English Translation: I use Instagram.

When introducing yourself during a casual occasion, such as when you’re trying to make new friends, you can make mention of your SNS to connect with them.

• tsukatte imasu is a conjugated form of tsukau (使う) which means “(I am) using.”
• Insert the name of an SNS, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., in the underlined part of the example sentence.

This is a great way of introducing yourself to a Japanese friend!

2. 私のユーザー名はsakura123です。

Romanization: Watashi no yūzāmei wa sakura123 desu. English Translation: My username is sakura123.

If you’re introducing yourself to a friend in Japanese and want them to search for your SNS account and add you as a friend, this phrase is useful.

• yūzā is a Japanese version of how to say “user.”
• mei is “name.”
• Insert the name of your account in the underlined part of the example sentence.

3. 私はブログを書いています

Romanization: Watashi wa burogu o kaite imasu. English Translation: I write a blog.

• kaite imasu is a conjugated form of 書く ( kaku ) which means “(I am) writing.”

7. Conclusion: How JapanesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Japanese

I hope this article on introducing yourself in Japanese is helpful and that it makes your communication with Japanese people more enjoyable! Hopefully you can now see that knowing how to introduce yourself in Japanese language learning is essential.

Which of these Japanese greetings did you find most useful? Why not practice introducing yourself in Japanese by writing out a self-introductory paragraph in Japanese in the comments? We’d love to hear from you!

If you’d like to learn more Japanese, you’ll find more useful content on JapanesePod101.com . We provide a variety of free lessons for you to improve your Japanese language skills. For example, 10 Lines You Need for Introducing Yourself is useful for practicing your Japanese introduction with audio.

We also have a YouTube channel: JapanesePod101 . It’s always fun to learn Japanese language by watching videos and listening to actual Japanese pronunciation. And don’t forget to check out our free vocabulary lists and more blog posts like this one to help you gain insight into Japanese culture and the language!

Know that your determination will pay off, and we’ll be here for each step of your language-learning journey with support and useful tools !

Or sign up using Facebook

Got an account? Sign in here

How To Say ‘Thank you’ in Japanese

How to Say Hello in Japanese: Practical Japanese Greetings

How to Say I Love You in Japanese – Romantic Word List

All About the Japanese National Anthem : Kimigayo 君が代

100+ Useful Japanese Classroom Phrases & Vocabulary

50+ Restaurants Phrases for Eating Out in Japan

How to celebrate april fools’ day in japanese.

• Forum Spotlight
• Everyday Kanji
• Explore Japan
• Scheduled Maintenance
• Benkyō Blog
• Max in Shanghai
• Nathan's Notebook
• Samurai Theologian
• Japanese Holidays
• Japanese Dictionary
• Japanese Food
• Japanese Language
• Japanese slang
• Japanese Translation
• Kanji Mnemonics
• Kanji Scrabble
• Kanji Curiosity
• Advanced Japanese
• Japanese Alphabet
• Japanese Grammar
• Japanese Lessons
• Japanese Online
• Japanese Phrases
• Japanese Podcasts
• Japanese Words
• Tips & Techniques
• Learn Japanese
• Getting Started Living in Japan
• Media Coverage
• Motoko's Blog
• Feature Spotlight
• Speak Japanese
• Success Stories
• Teaching Japanese
• Team JapanesePod101
• Travel Japan
• Uncategorized
• Word of the Day
• Immigration, Visas
• Tokyo Intern

Copyright © 2024 Innovative Language Learning. All rights reserved. JapanesePod101.com Privacy Policy | Terms of Use . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Presentations made painless

• Get Premium

108 Japanese Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Japan is a country rich in history and tradition, with a unique culture that has captivated people from around the world. If you are studying Japanese culture or simply have an interest in learning more about it, here are 108 essay topic ideas and examples to help you explore this fascinating subject.

• The history of samurai culture
• Traditional Japanese tea ceremonies
• The significance of cherry blossoms in Japanese culture
• Shintoism and its influence on Japanese society
• The art of calligraphy in Japan
• The role of geishas in Japanese culture
• Japanese martial arts: karate, judo, and kendo
• The evolution of sushi and its cultural significance
• The tradition of hanami (cherry blossom viewing)
• The importance of family in Japanese culture
• The influence of Buddhism on Japanese culture
• Traditional Japanese architecture: temples and shrines
• The concept of wabi-sabi in Japanese aesthetics
• The history and significance of kabuki theater
• Japanese festivals: Matsuri and Obon
• The art of bonsai cultivation
• The role of kimono in Japanese fashion
• The tradition of sumo wrestling
• Japanese folklore and mythology
• The history of sake brewing in Japan
• The cultural significance of Mount Fuji
• Japanese traditional music: gagaku and shamisen
• The art of origami and its cultural importance
• The history of ukiyo-e woodblock prints
• Japanese traditional dance: Noh and Kabuki
• The influence of manga and anime on Japanese culture
• The history of Japanese cinema
• The art of ikebana flower arranging
• The significance of torii gates in Shinto shrines
• The tradition of onsen (hot springs) in Japan
• The cultural impact of haiku poetry
• Traditional Japanese puppet theater: Bunraku
• The origins of Japanese kanji characters
• The history of Japanese tattooing
• The importance of rice in Japanese cuisine
• The art of traditional Japanese pottery: kintsugi
• The role of the tea house in Japanese culture
• The significance of the Japanese flag
• The cultural impact of cherry blossom festivals
• The art of Japanese sword-making: katana
• The history of Japanese gardens
• The tradition of hanafuda card games
• The influence of Confucianism on Japanese culture
• The role of the emperor in Japanese society
• The significance of the geisha district in Kyoto
• Japanese traditional puppetry: kugutsu
• The art of Japanese paper folding: kirigami
• The history of Japanese sake breweries
• The cultural impact of cherry blossom viewing parties
• The tradition of Japanese flower arranging: ikebana
• The role of tea houses in Japanese society
• The significance of Japanese calligraphy
• The influence of Zen Buddhism on Japanese culture
• The art of traditional Japanese ceramics: raku
• The history of Japanese woodblock printing
• The tradition of Japanese kite festivals
• The cultural impact of Japanese puppet theater
• The significance of the Japanese tea ceremony
• The role of sumo wrestling in Japanese society
• The art of traditional Japanese puppetry: bunraku
• The history of Japanese traditional music
• The cultural impact of Japanese tea houses
• The significance of cherry blossom festivals in Japan
• The role of geisha in Japanese society
• The art of Japanese paper folding: origami
• The history of traditional Japanese pottery
• The tradition of Japanese hot springs: onsen
• The cultural impact of Japanese tattooing
• The significance of Japanese sword-making
• The role of rice in Japanese cuisine
• The art of traditional Japanese ceramics
• The history of Japanese woodblock prints
• The tradition of Japanese kite flying
• The cultural impact of Japanese cherry blossom viewing
• The significance of Japanese tea ceremonies
• The role of sumo wrestlers in Japanese society
• The art of traditional Japanese puppetry
• The history of Japanese traditional dance
• The tradition of Japanese flower arranging
• The role of geisha in Japanese culture
• The art of Japanese paper folding
• The tradition of Japanese hot springs
• The cultural impact of Japanese tattoo art
• The role of rice in Japanese society
• The cultural impact of cherry blossom viewing

In conclusion, Japanese culture is a rich and diverse subject that offers endless opportunities for exploration and study. Whether you are interested in traditional arts and crafts, religious practices, or culinary traditions, there is something for everyone to discover in the fascinating world of Japanese culture. So pick a topic that piques your interest and start delving into the vibrant and captivating world of Japan.

Want to research companies faster?

Instantly access industry insights

Let PitchGrade do this for me

Leverage powerful AI research capabilities

We will create your text and designs for you. Sit back and relax while we do the work.

Explore More Content

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service

© 2024 Pitchgrade