Speaking is one of the most challenging aspects of language learning. While you can go at your own pace with reading and writing, speaking requires you to quickly organize your thoughts and communicate them succinctly. On top of this, most people don’t have a native speaker to practice with.

But fear not! In this article, we’ll cover ways you can improve your Japanese speaking skills on your own. Speaking Japanese takes a lot of work, but with the methods listed below, you’ll be able to start speaking more naturally and have fun while doing so.

Shadowing

Shadowing involves imitating what you hear as closely as possible. To shadow, you need a recording of Japanese speech that you can listen to one sentence at a time. You simply listen carefully and then practice speaking along with the recording, doing your best to match every aspect of the original — the pauses between words, the intonation, everything. It helps you master pronunciation, the rhythm of the language, and new expressions.

With a seemingly endless number of TV shows, podcasts, and videos in Japanese, it’s never been easier to practice shadowing. Simply find content that you enjoy and imitate what you hear.

I recommend replaying the same line over and over until you can say it naturally. I also recommend finding a particular voice that you like and trying to emulate it. It can be more difficult than you think to repeat what actors say in a TV show, but you’ll get the hang of it with practice.

Shadowing is even easier to do on Satori Reader, an app that provides Japanese stories. Unlike a TV show, you can actually see and read the words while listening to voice actors narrate the stories. There’s a play button at the start of every sentence, and pressing the arrow keys on your keyboard goes back or forward by three seconds, so it’s easy to replay sentences that you want to practice saying aloud.

Singing Songs

Singing songs overlaps with shadowing since you imitate native speech. Nonetheless, what sets singing apart is it forces you to speak loudly and clearly. Rather than mumbling words to yourself, singing requires you to say every word emphatically.

If you live in Japan, you can practice singing at karaoke places. But if you live outside of Japan, you can use Spotify.

Spotify generates lyrics of songs with AI, helping you sing along. However, because the lyrics are generated with AI, sometimes the lyrics can be inaccurate. For instance, the wrong kanji character might be used since multiple kanji characters could have the same reading.

You can also find karaoke videos in Japanese on YouTube. I recommend the カラオケ歌っちゃ王 YouTube channel. It has thousands of karaoke videos with lyrics for you to follow along. Here are a few songs that I like on this channel:

• アカシア by BUMP OF CHICKEN
• SOUVENIR by BUMP OF CHICKEN
• ミックスナッツ by Official髭男dism
• ハルカ by YOASOBI
• シルエット by KANA-BOOM

Language Exchange / Tutoring

Language exchange is a great way to improve your Japanese speaking skills and make new friends. In a language exchange, you find a partner who speaks your target language and wants to practice your native language. Typically you talk for 30 minutes in one language, then 30 minutes in the other language so that you each have a chance to practice.

You may also consider private Japanese tutors, since this way you can receive personalized guidance tailored to your learning pace and goals. A tutor can help you focus on specific areas like grammar, pronunciation, or writing, and provide immediate feedback to correct mistakes. This one-on-one attention often leads to faster progress and increased confidence, especially if you’re preparing for exams like the JLPT or aiming for real-world conversational fluency.

Conversing with a partner provides other benefits in addition to speaking practice. For instance, language exchange partners also motivate you because the more you study, the better conversations you’ll have.

Language exchange sessions require preparation, though. You might run out of topics to talk about, so make sure you prepare questions ahead of time.

In addition, you should stick to speaking in Japanese as much as possible. It’s easy to rely on your native language to explain more complex thoughts, especially when your partner can speak your native language as well. If you don’t know a word or have trouble communicating your thoughts, do your best to communicate with the Japanese you already know.

Speaking To Yourself

Whether you’re washing the dishes, cleaning your room, or mowing the lawn, take advantage of the time to practice speaking Japanese to yourself. Although this might seem harder to do since you don’t have someone to talk with, here are two suggestions:

• Describe what you’re doing in Japanese. For instance, if you’re reorganizing your desk, put your Japanese vocabulary to the test by naming all your items in Japanese.
• Imagine someone spontaneously asks you, “How was your weekend?” You can go on and on about the weather, what you did, and how you felt. Try to extend your answer as much as possible.

Conclusion

Speaking a foreign language comes with many challenges, but it can be loads of fun using the strategies in this article. The key is to never give up and aim for improvement, not perfection.

As mentioned before, Satori Reader is an excellent resource for those who want to improve their speaking skills by shadowing. Satori Reader enables you to read and listen to stories, making it perfect for shadowing practice. It’s the ultimate tool for your language learning journey. Learn more by clicking the button below.