| Japanese | Native |
|---|---|
| English | Proficient |
| Korean | Just a few words |
“I can speak Japanese fairly well. But when I join a group of Japanese people, I suddenly can’t speak.”
Have you ever had an experience like this?
You have no trouble traveling in Japan.
You can shop in Japanese.
You can have everyday conversations in Japanese.
But when you are talking with several Japanese friends, you suddenly find yourself thinking:
“...What should I say?”
“I was asked a question, but I don’t know how to answer it well.”
I offer lessons for people who have this kind of experience.
In my lessons, we don’t simply have conversations in Japanese.
I ask my students many questions, such as:
“Why do you think so?”
“Why?”
“Which one do you prefer?”
“What would you do if you were in that situation?”
Even students who can speak Japanese quite fluently sometimes stop and say:
“Um...”
“How should I put it?”
But this does not mean that they cannot speak Japanese.
They may simply not be used to explaining their own thoughts in Japanese in a soft and natural way.
That is what we practice together.
We learn how to express our opinions in a gentle, natural way.
We actually practice expressing those opinions.
We practice explaining our reasons clearly.
We look back on past experiences and talk about them.
We practice answering questions accurately.
We think of different ways to express the same idea.
By repeating these kinds of exercises, you can move from being someone who “can speak Japanese” to someone who can “talk about yourself and express your own thoughts in Japanese” when you are part of a group of Japanese people.
That is why questions such as “Why?” and “What makes you think so?” are so important in my lessons.
And during my lessons, I also look for the things that my students are already doing well.
“That was a very natural way to say it!”
“That expression communicated your meaning perfectly!”
“You just explained your own thoughts in Japanese!”
By finding these moments of success together, I hope to gradually help my students develop the confidence to think:
“Maybe I really can speak Japanese!”
That is also why I value my feedback comments so much.
After each lesson, I send my students a message with feedback on what they did well and what they were able to express.
When you find yourself in a group of Japanese people, I want you to move from:
“What should I say...?”
to:
“I’ll give it a try. I want to join the conversation, too!”
Would you like to practice this kind of Japanese with me?
【Qualifications & Experience】
Junior High School and High School Teaching Licenses
Nursery Teacher License
Completed JF Japanese e-Learning “Minato”
Completed “How to Teach Conversation for Japanese Language Teachers”
【Cafetalk Achievements】
★ Ranked 2nd in the Featured Instructor Ranking
★ Ranked 5th in the Repeat Instructor Ranking
★ Winner of the 2026 Cafetalk First-Half Instructor Column Award
***anur