A Typical Japanese Conversation

Imagine you are at a train station wanting to go to Shibuya. You have forgotten your watch. You ask a stranger for the time and the time of the next train.

A: すみません。　いま　なんじですか。
B: じゅういちじはんです。
A: すぎのでんしゃ　なにじに　きますか
B: ごふんにきます
A: ありがとう　ございます
B: いいえ

In the above conversation すみません is said to get the strangers attention. Remember すみません can also mean “Thank you” or “I’m sorry” depending on context. In this case it means “Excuse me”.

To ask for the time in Japanese the set phrase なんじですか is used.

なん (what) 　じ (time)　ですか (question particle). いま　means “now”.

If you have studied Japanese numbers you will know that じゅういち is 11. So じゅういちじ　means 11 o’clock. はん means half past. So じゅういちじはんです means “It is 11:30”. です is just the sentence ending particle. Depending on context it can mean “It is”, “They are” and so on.

Let’s have a look at the next line, すぎのでんしゃ　なんじに　きますか. Again this is a time question

すぎ のでんしゃ – means next train. The のis just the possessive particle.

なんじに – What time…

きますか – Come? Here we have the ますform of the plain verb くる, which means “come”. By adding か the sentence becomes a question..

What time does the next train come? – すぎのでんしゃ　なにじに　きますか

Now, for the answer; ごふんにきます. As both the speaker and listener know the subject (the next train) it doesn’t need to be stated in the reply. This is very typical of Japanese. So the answer is something like this – (the train) comes in 5 minutes.

ごふん meaning 5 minutes and the verb きます meaning come.

ごふんにきます　- It comes in 5 minutes

ありがとう　ございます of course means “thank you” and いいえ means “Don’t mention it.”

Here is the conversation in English

A: すみません。　いま　なんじですか。
B: じゅういちじはんです。
A: すぎのでんしゃ　なにじに　きますか
B: ごふんにきます
A: ありがとう　ございます
B: いいえ

A: Excuse me. What time is it?
B: It is 11.30
A: What time does the next train come?
B: In 5 minutes
A: Thank you
B: You’re welcome

Getting Japanese Conversation Practice

If you are in the unfortunate situation where you can’t find a native Japanese speaker to help you with your studies there is one alternative – Japanese TV, particularly dramas. Watching Japanese television dramas is an excellent way to pick up words and learn Japanese conversation dynamics. Japanese converse very differently to westerners. If you watch dramas you can see how Japanese converse in fairly natural every speech. Movies are usually too difficult and the story lines unrealistic. So buy some drama sets on e-bay or get on to youtube and start watching dramas.

Maybe you have the ability to hold short conversations, but know if you were to go to Japan you wouldn’t be able to survive.

I lived in Japan for 10 years and know what is like to be stuck at a medioca level.  It took me a few years but I made progress and broke through the “basic speaker” barrier. Unfortunately most students don’t, never reaching a proficient speaking level of Japanese.

And I can understand way. It takes most students many months or several years just to learn the basics. For most people, progressing to an intermediate level seems either to time consuming or near impossible. Maybe, this is where you are at the moment. And you know what more study isn’t always the best answer. What I have discovered is that to actually engage in a conversation with a native speaker you need to experience the language. Normally, this would require you to live in Japan for some time.

However, I realize that most of you are not in the position to jump on a plane and spend the next year living in Japan. Maybe you are living in Japan, but suffer from the Eikaiwa syndrome, where you are teaching English, living with English native speakers and have little money or time to afford lessons. My wife and I have come up with a solution. An Intermediate Japanese language learning program founded on real life experience. A course that would let you learn the Japanese language as if you were actually in Japan.

Most of my feedback has shown me that students didn’t want to focus on grammar or text books and just the basics of the language. Students wanted to be taught real Japanese that would help them with life in Japan. You won’t have to go through the basics again with our course. We dive straight into real Japanese and explain the culture of the Japanese language.

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• Gives You the confidence to speak Japanese to native speakers
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Learn some Japanese right now! Press play and start learning from this sample Speak Japanese Fleuntly lesson.

If you are serious about moving ahead with your Japanese – and really want to hold conversation with native speakers then Speak Japanese Fluently is what you need.

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Silence is sometimes considered golden. In Japan silence is communication. Speech is often considered unnecessary and sometimes even seems to obstruct harmonious interpersonal relationships. Accepting silence as an alternative to saying what you want to express can be a frustrating ordeal for non-Japanese living in Japan. As it is considered illogical not to express yourself with words it can takes years getting accustomed to the Japanese way of silent communication.

The Japanese are very cautious not to hurt the feelings of others, nor do they wish to cause trouble for others. They tend to surmise other people’s possible reactions before giving opinions or taking some sort of action. This can result in Japanese doing things they don’t want to do. For example, not leaving a job they are unhappy with because they don’t want to cause trouble for their co-workers. Japanese like to achieve mutual understanding by nonverbal cues rather than by blunt or outright questions or heated discussions. It is all about avoiding confrontation and conflict.

Mind to Heart To Communication

To the Japanese, silence in conversation ( if there is such a thing) can often convey a far more profound meaning than just…let’s say…eloquence. Western society would see this non-verbal communication as more of a social problem of the Japanese in general. Japanese traditionalists see this silent communication as a highly prized skill. The Japanese language has many proverbial expressions concerning the effectiveness and wisdom of nonverbal communication. “Ishin-denshin” can be taken to mean “Using cultural telepathy” or “mind to heart communication”. “Haragei” is other meaning “art of the belly”. By the unique technique of “haragei” a person makes the other party understand his real intentions without verbal interaction. This ability is regarded as indispensable to influential figures, particularly in political circles.

Unlike most other nations, Japan is a highly homogeneous society, where nonverbal forms of communication can be easily developed and conveniently used in various situations. As Japanese have traditionally depended on “ishin denshin” for much of their communication they are generally turned off by people who, by their standards, talk excessively. In contrast to the Japanese, Westerners, particularly Americans, are noted for being big talkers, with the result that these two widely differing modes of behavior often clash. And believe me they do clash.

In this internationalized world, more and more Japanese think it urgently necessary to change their tendency to implicitness and silence which can cause misunderstanding in inter-cultural communication. Likewise, it does pay for foreign businessmen and politicians to make a point of letting their Japanese counterparts know that they are aware of the “ishin deshin” method of communicating, and that they want to have a mind-to-heart understanding with them.

In order to speak like a Japanese native you have to learn, at times, not to speak at all. This requires a certain amount of patience and faith. “Ishin Denshin” is something you can really only experience by living with Japanese in Japan. When I lived with my wife’s family there was very little converstion between family members. I found it quite challenging to sit through meals and not talk. It took a long time to feel comfortable in a shared state of silence. So, if you want to speak like a Japanese keep in mind that less said will often resonate more than blurting out what you think or feel.

Japanese verbs are complex requiring a lot of practice and study to understand them in written Japanese and spoken Japanese. Learning verbs is difficult because there are so many conjugations. However, Japanese verbs don’t have forms to indicate gender, number or person (first, second or third person). This is good as a beginner, but as you progress you will need to work out from context what is being spoken about when among native speakers.

I have noticed that a lot of confirmation is involved in Japanese conversations. A speaker will say something a bit ambiguous or vague and the listener will have to ask a few questions to get to the point of what the speaker wants to say. You may find this frustrating and illogical as you progress with Japanese. By culture Japanese like to avoid confrontation and don’t want to cause trouble for people . As a result they are very careful about what they say and how they say things. To westerners it does feel somewhat childish and time wasting, but it is something you have to adapt to. So you must also learn that you need a great deal of patience with not only learning the Japanese language, but with actually speaking to Japanese.

So here are two tips for learning to speak Japanese; start learning verbs and understand that there is an art to Japanese conversation that requires patience and cultural understanding on your part. Also, be aware that the Japanese language is changing and evolving or some might say desintergrating. What you might be learning in a text book may not be useful in Japan. The way young people speak is adding a new aspect to the language. I relate it to a verbal representation of the booming pop cultures of Japan. It is amazing how quickly Japanese come up with new words and expressions. More for you to learn.