{"id":107130,"date":"2024-01-10T18:32:48","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T23:32:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/chat-to-learn-japanese\/"},"modified":"2025-02-26T23:22:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T04:22:59","slug":"chat-to-learn-japanese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/chat-to-learn-japanese\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Best Japanese Chat Apps to Practice Your Conversation Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"

Technology and the internet have generally become accepted as excellent learning tools, with tons of quality apps that can connect you with language partners all over the world. These programs are sometimes known as “chat to learn” or “chat2learn” apps\u00a0and they can be used to message actual people in Japanese.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve rounded up some of the best resources that harness the power of chatting with real people to help you jump on that \u4e0a\u624b (\u3058\u3087\u3046\u305a) \u2014 skillful train ASAP.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

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1. HelloTalk<\/a>\"HelloTalk\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

With its slick and modern interface, HelloTalk is super easy to set up (just sign in with Facebook and provide basic personal info).<\/p>\n

The platform has handy “Translate” and “Correction” buttons<\/strong> that you can use during your chats to ensure that you and your partner are really learning and improving through your conversations.<\/p>\n

HelloTalk also has a social-network-like newsfeed,<\/strong> where people post news, thoughts and language tools.<\/p>\n

The app has an \u201cunacceptable behavior\u201d section that lists the things you can’t do, but no clear vetting process of their users. So if you’re uncomfortable with a conversation you’re having, your best option is to block the person and report them.<\/p>\n

2. Tandem<\/a>\"Tandem\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

Tandem is similar to HelloTalk but without the social media aspect.<\/p>\n

On the plus side, everyone’s profile is vetted before they’re allowed to join:<\/strong> you fill an application with three simple questions (your interests, your ideal partners, your goals). You can “skip the line” and become a member directly by paying a subscription fee.<\/p>\n

A cool feature is that if you get stuck filling in your profile, Tandem has some great prompts that’ll help you get started!<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, for possible discussion topics to display on your profile, it offers up “I can help you kickstart… (your personal project)” or “I want to learn… (onomatopoeia in Japanese).” Use these prompts to help you find someone who has the same interests as you and to make your learning goals clear.<\/p>\n

For a fee, you can also have a personal tutor on the app.<\/p>\n

3. italki<\/a>\"Italki\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

Italki is an easy-to-use app with a simple interface that can help you with both finding a (paid) teacher or a (free) language partner.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finding a partner is pretty easy since users tend to spend a lot of time on their bios to make sure they’re funny and original.<\/p>\n

And on the off-chance that you can’t find a good person to chat with, you can schedule a lesson instead (for a small fee).<\/p>\n

As a bonus, italki has a handy feature: The app syncs with your calendar<\/strong> directly to make sure you don’t miss an upcoming lesson.<\/p>\n

4. Lext Talk<\/a> (iOS Only)\"Lext<\/a><\/h2>\n

LextTalk has a fun and unique feature sure to get you hooked: It hosts chat rooms with specific themes<\/strong>\u00a0where you can easily meet friends with similar interests.<\/p>\n

You don’t have to browse through a gazillion profiles to find somebody who wants to talk about the coolest tech innovations in Japan or the best okonomiyaki<\/em> recipes<\/a>\u2014just find the right chat room and meet some fellow Japanese comfort-food lovers!<\/p>\n

Another useful feature is the integrated map which lets you easily find a user from a specific city.<\/strong> This means you can hear the local accent of a city you plan to visit, or master \u95a2\u897f\u5f01 (\u304b\u3093\u3055\u3044 \u3079\u3093)\u00a0\u2014 Kansai dialect.<\/p>\n

5. Langmate\u00a0\u2014 Chat with Japanese<\/a>\"\"<\/h2>\n

The interface is a little less slick than some of the other apps we’ve discussed, but Langmate does its job well.<\/p>\n

It essentially matches you to conversation partners<\/strong> that have things in common with you.<\/p>\n

The app is Japanese<\/strong> so it has a large number of Japanese users to choose from. Of course, that also means that the English version of the app is sometimes a little confusing. But hey, there’s no better way to get on those kanji than to see them in use, right?<\/p>\n

How Should You Prepare for Chatting to Learn Japanese?<\/h2>\n

Before you embark on your chatting and learning journey, we recommend that you learn how to read at least hiragana and katakana<\/a>\u00a0(kanji can come later) and that you install a Japanese keyboard on your phone<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We also recommend that you don’t go in as an absolute beginner.<\/strong> The chatting partners you find will be happy to help, but they’re usually just regular people, not teachers.<\/p>\n

Do some learning on your own first, complete some beginner’s classes<\/a>, learn with videos or do both. Several programs offer language learning videos, including FluentU<\/a> which pairs Japanese media clips with learning tools.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n \"FluentU\r\n

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