{"id":107256,"date":"2024-01-08T19:25:42","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T00:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/make-japanese-friends-online\/"},"modified":"2025-02-26T07:57:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T12:57:27","slug":"make-japanese-friends-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/make-japanese-friends-online\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make Japanese Friends Online in 6 Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are many resources available online to help you learn Japanese, but one of the best ways to learn and practice your language skills is by talking to a native speaker.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you&#8217;re looking for a language exchange partner, a penpal or just an online friend who shares your interests, you&#8217;re in the right place. Read on for six steps to making Japanese friends online so you can learn the language (and possibly form some long-lasting friendships).<br \/>\n[fluentu-toc]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<h2>1. Seek out people with similar interests.\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42777\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/playing-video-game.jpg\" alt=\"playing-video-game\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Finding people with something in common with you will lead to a deeper and longer-lasting relationship than one in which you&#8217;re just using each other for something (like learning a language).<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you enjoy? What are your hobbies?<\/strong> The internet allows you to find a community for basically anything.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you&#8217;re into <strong>social media<\/strong>, you can follow a few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/newsokur\/wiki\/subreddits_jp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Japanese Reddit pages<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/learn-japanese-instagram\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram accounts<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Stay up-to-date on <strong>Japanese news <\/strong>with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/learn-japanese-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">these news sources<\/a> or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/newsokur\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">popular subreddit on current events<\/a> in Japan so\u00a0you can discuss them with your new Japanese friends.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>If you like <strong>playing video games<\/strong>, check out some Japanese streams of games on Twitch like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitch.tv\/tanukininja\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">&#8220;League of Legends&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitch.tv\/yamatonjp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">&#8220;Fortnite.&#8221;<\/a> You can even download the Japanese server of either game and find a few people to play with.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>2. Use a language exchange website or app.\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42744\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/woman-on-laptop-video-call.jpg\" alt=\"woman-on-laptop-video-call\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To meet native Japanese speakers who are interested in doing a language exchange or making new friends, here are some options:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/best-language-exchange-apps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">popular language exchange apps<\/a> include <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hellotalk.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HelloTalk<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandem.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tandem<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/hinative.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">HiNative<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>You can try the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.langmate.jp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Langmate app<\/a><\/strong>, which has the tagline &#8220;Make Japanese Friends&#8221; and aims to connect people from around the world with people in Japan to chat, learn new languages and discover different cultures.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.interpals.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Interpals <\/strong><\/a>is another popular platform with over 6 million users. It aims to help people make new friends, practice languages with native speakers and meet travelers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can also use an online platform like <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.italki.com\/en\/teachers\/japanese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">italki<\/a><\/strong> to find a <strong>private Japanese tutor<\/strong>. If you choose someone in your age range with some shared interests, your tutoring sessions will likely feel more like chatting with a friend than formal lessons.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nervous about interacting with real Japanese speakers? You can try immersing yourself in the language before you give one of these options a shot with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/japanese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a>. <p><strong>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<p><\/p>\r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">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&nbsp;\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/NativeAd-Japanese.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n  <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n<h2>3. Be clear about what you&#8217;re looking for.\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p><lite-youtube videoid=\"XyrZkR7lprQ\"><\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n<p>People join language exchange platforms for a variety of reasons, including a genuine interest in learning a language, to make new friends and even for dating. <strong>Be specific about what you want<\/strong> and you&#8217;re more likely to get it.<\/p>\n<p>Follow these steps to maximize your success:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">1.<strong> Pick a<\/strong> <strong>simple, clear picture<\/strong> that shows your face. No photo or an unclear one raises suspicions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">2. <strong>Briefly introduce yourself.<\/strong> This is your first chance to show off a bit of your personality. It doesn&#8217;t have to be long, but you should give people looking at your profile an idea of who you are and what you&#8217;re interested in.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">3. <strong>Clearly<\/strong> <strong>state your expectations.<\/strong> How and when do you want to exchange? For example, over Skype on Tuesdays between 7 and 9PM Japanese time or by messaging on the weekends.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">4. <strong>Clearly state<\/strong> <strong>what you can offer<\/strong> to an exchange partner. For example, if you have experience teaching English or tutoring, include that!<\/p>\n<p>Here are some more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/japanese-language-exchange\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suggestions for making the most of your language exchange experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Get involved with the online community.\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42746\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/young-woman-on-phone-and-laptop.jpg\" alt=\"young-woman-on-phone-and-laptop\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/p>\n<p>No matter where you end up going, as the adage states, <strong>showing up is half the battle<\/strong>. In his book, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B00IWTWO8C?tag=fluentu-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">&#8220;The Like Switch,&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0a\u00a0former FBI agent breaks down the behavioral psychology behind befriending strangers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The first step is proximity<\/strong> or simply being visible to each other. We can&#8217;t befriend people who we don&#8217;t know exist. In fact, the process is so consistent that he offers a formula:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>proximity + frequency + duration + intensity\/intimacy = connection<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So get involved and create the opportunity for people to approach you. Share some moments if you&#8217;re on HelloTalk or go out and answer some questions if you&#8217;re on HiNative. Respond to a post on Reddit or retweet your idol on Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>Wherever you are and whatever medium you use, your goal is to get your foot in the door and find (or be found by) like-minded people.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Learn how to approach and converse with new people.\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p><lite-youtube videoid=\"grB2adrX__g\"><\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n<p>Making friends online or in person involves approaching new people. Simply saying &#8220;hello&#8221; is bland and easy to ignore, and introductory conversations quickly become boring and mechanical when they&#8217;re repeated too often.<\/p>\n<p>To connect with someone, <strong>you need to stand out in some way<\/strong> so that your potential friends have something engaging to respond to. If you aren&#8217;t a super outgoing person by nature, it&#8217;s worth <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=rTJcpSWtVKI&amp;t=166s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">learning how to make small talk<\/a> so that you can make a good first impression.<\/p>\n<p>The goal of your introductory messages should be to <strong>show your partner that you&#8217;re interested in some unique part of their personality<\/strong>,\u00a0not because they happen to speak Japanese and you want to practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>6. Be open-minded, curious and respectful.<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42759\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/young-woman-texting-in-bed.jpg\" alt=\"young-woman-texting-in-bed\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When you&#8217;re trying to make Japanese friends online, it&#8217;s important to <strong>see them as a whole person<\/strong> rather than just a means to learn the language or prepare for a trip to Japan. Consider what you&#8217;re offering them in the friendship, and always be respectful and considerate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Try to <strong>ask them questions<\/strong> and remain open-minded and curious, rather than making assumptions or believing the stereotypes and generalizations you may have heard about Japanese people. Like any nationality, Japanese people are diverse with different interests, aspirations and personalities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They&#8217;ll probably be excited about the opportunity to practice their English skills with a native skill or connect with someone from across the globe over a shared interest. If they&#8217;re not interested in a friendship, kindly let them go on their way and continue looking for the right match.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>FAQs About Making Japanese Friends Online<\/h2>\n<h3>Where can I find Japanese friends online?<\/h3>\n<p>You can find Japanese friends online through language exchange apps, social media platforms and community forums like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reddit<\/a>. You can also use free websites like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conversationexchange.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Conversation Exchange<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/mylanguageexchange.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">My Language Exchange<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>What apps can I use to make friends with Japanese people?<\/h3>\n<p>You can use apps like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hellotalk.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HelloTalk<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandem.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tandem<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/hinative.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">HiNative<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lingbe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lingbe<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandem.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tandem<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.langmate.jp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Langmate<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.interpals.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Interpals<\/a> to make friends with Japanese people. If you&#8217;re looking for a Japanese penpal, you can try <a href=\"https:\/\/slowly.app\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Slowly<\/a> or Shimagurashi (for <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/shimagurashi-bottle-message\/id1146426914\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">iOS<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=jp.co.meister_brain.mujin&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Android<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>What chatting app do Japanese people use?<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/line.me\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LINE<\/a> is the most widely used messaging app in Japan with over 95 million Japanese users. It also offers voice\/video calls, animated stickers, gaming and more. Other popular apps used for chatting in Japan include <a href=\"https:\/\/zingr.app\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Zingr<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Almost 130 million people live in Japan, so there&#8217;s bound to be someone out there who you&#8217;ll click with.<\/p>\n<p>It might be a bit awkward to intentionally look for friends at first, and you might not have had to put yourself out there in a long time.<\/p>\n<p>But if you follow these suggestions and get involved in the right places, you&#8217;re bound to connect with people and make many Japanese friends online!<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2>And One More Thing\u2026<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\nIf you\u2019re like me and prefer learning Japanese on your own time, from the comfort of your smart device, I\u2019ve got something you\u2019ll love.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nWith <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a>\u2019s Chrome Extension, you can turn any YouTube or Netflix video with subtitles into an interactive language lesson. That means you can <strong>learn Japanese from real-world content<\/strong>, just as native speakers actually use it. \r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nYou can even import your favorite YouTube videos into your FluentU account. If you\u2019re not sure where to start, check out our <strong>curated library of videos<\/strong> that are handpicked for beginners and intermediate learners, as you can see here:\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/Japnaese-5.png\" alt=\"fluentu-Japanese-video-library\" width=\"320\" height=\"569\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU brings native Japanese videos within reach. With <strong>interactive captions<\/strong>, you can hover over any word to see its meaning along with an image, audio pronunciation, and grammatical information.\r\n<\/p><p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-Japanese-video-interactive-subtitles.jpg\" alt=\"learn-Japanese-with-interactive-subtitled-videos\" width=\"600\" height=\"390\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nClick on a word to see more examples where it's used in different contexts. Plus, you can <strong>add new words to your flaschards<\/strong>! For example, if I tap on \u4e88\u7d04, this is what pops up:\r\n<\/p><p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-Japanese-vocab-appointment-booking.jpg\" alt=\"learn-Japanese-vocab-with-interactive-subtitles\" width=\"320\" height=\"569\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nWant to make sure you remember what you've learned? We\u2019ve got you covered. Each video comes with <strong>exercises to review and reinforce key vocab<\/strong>. You\u2019ll get extra practice with tricky words and be reminded when it\u2019s time to review so nothing slips through the cracks.\r\n<\/p><p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-Japanese-vocab-quiz.jpg\" alt=\"fluentu-Japanese-vocab-quiz\" width=\"600\" height=\"390\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nThe best part? FluentU tracks everything you\u2019re learning and uses that to create a <strong>personalized experience just for you<\/strong>. Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download our app from the <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">App Store<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a>.<\/p><p><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many resources available online to help you learn Japanese, but one of the best ways to learn and practice your language skills is by talking to a native&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":616,"featured_media":252568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"How to Make Japanese Friends Online in 6 Steps | FluentU Japanese Blog","description":"To make Japanese friends online, you have to put yourself out there and get involved in the right places. There are many online communities you can tap into such as Reddit, social media platforms and language exchange apps. Check out these 6 steps to making Japanese friends online so you can make lasting connections!"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[545,546,562],"tags":[],"coauthors":[634],"class_list":["post-107256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-japanese","category-resources-japanese","category-speaking-resources-japanese"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/616"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107256"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":250149,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107256\/revisions\/250149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=107256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}