If you are just learning Japanese or maybe even are an intermediate speaker, making a professional phone call (a call to a business or company) can be a little bit intimidating. This article contains a few tips you can use, as well as some Japanese words and phrases that should help you out.

The difficulties

Speaking on the phone adds additional communication barriers. First of all you can’t see the persons face and gestures. This means you have to have a greater understanding of the language. It is also possible that you could get a bad connection or have  times when the phone cuts out. That is difficult enough in your own language, but more so in a second language.

But probably the biggest difficulty to speaking on the phone in Japanese has to do with the use of Keigo. For those who don’t know, keigo is an honorific form of Japanese and actually has a completely different set of words. It is the common method used in any kind of professional setting.

Lastly, you will be dealing with your own nervousness. Worrying that you might misunderstand or not be able to speak adds additional stress that can make your mind go blank. I have experienced this many times.

Make Japanese phone calls with ease

1. Don’t be afraid

If you are nervous you will have difficulty speaking. Just remember it is okay to make mistakes. If they don’t understand what you mean, then just explain it a different way (even more practice). It can be scary, but the more you do it the easier it gets.

Each phone call you make is a chance to practice. Don’t pass it up. It can be easy to ask a friend to make the phone call for you, but it will be much more helpful for you if you try and do it yourself. Once you realize you can do it, you will gain a lot of confidence.

2. Getting past keigo

There are actually two ways around this. The first is to practice and become familiar with using keigo. If you plan to live in Japan for a an extended time this is a good idea.

The second is much more simple. Just ask them kindly to not use keigo. Also, don’t feel bad about asking them to repeat or slow down. It is very common for support to speak very fast because they are basically saying the same things to each customer. Just keep asking them to slow down.

3. Speak slow and clear

When speaking on the phone silence can be a bit scary, and you may feel that you need to reply immediately. Take your time and think about exactly what you want to say. It is better to speak slowly and concise with good pronunciation and make sure they can easily understand.

It is also very helpful to plan out exactly what you need to accomplish before you make the phone call. Even to the point of planning out the phrases you want say. The more your prepare the better things will go.

Give it a try

If the opportunity presents itself, give it a try. The more you do it the easier it gets.

When I was working in Tokyo as an admissions counselor, I occasionally had to speak to parents who only spoke Japanese.  At first I was a bit intimidated and asked my co-workers to make the calls for me. Eventually though, I decided that I would only get better if I did it myself. What I found, was that it was not nearly as difficult as I thought.

If you are learning Japanese there is a good chance that you are into anime or manga. At least this seemed to be the case when I studied in Japan, and also when I worked as an admissions counselor at a Japanese University. The great thing is that Japanese anime and manga can be used to supplement your Japanese studies. And thanks to the Japan foundation, there is a free source. anime-manga.jp

It looks like the site is still in the works, but already has an expressions module, which includes the expressions, the grammar, and pronunciation.

There is also a word quiz module with a beginner, intermediate, advanced, and phrase section. If each section contains it’s own words then there are a total of 1,700 Japanese words to study altogether, plus a number of Japanese phrases.

It looks like they will also be adding an expressions by scene module and a kanji module in the near future. So as long as they keep ading to the site, this will become a great tool for you to study Japanese.

Check it out and don’t forget to leave a comment here with your impressions of the site.

anime-manga

One of the main focus of Japanese Words has always been about learning new Japanese words. In the beginning you need to know a certain number of words to communicate in Japanese and as you get to a more advanced level you will need to more words to express more complex ideas and feelings.

Today I stumbled across a site that has a number of common Japanese words such as numbers, colors, common Japanese phrases, animals, and other Japanese vocabulary. They also have sound.

You can check out the Japanese page here. In case you are studying another language as well, you can find other languages here.

Good luck and let me know what you think!

So far we have covered tools for memorizing Japanese words and phrases, learning and reading kana and kanji, and of a great dictionary. Today we are going to talk about a program I used to use quite a bit when I first started working in Tokyo, JapanesePod101.

When I first started using JapanesePod101 is was basically a podcast, and a pretty good one. It had interesting (sometimes odd) conversations in Japanese, with explanations of the meaning and culture in English. It was very helpful for both hearing spoken Japanese and learning a lot of new words. I had a long commute so it worked perfect to help fill the time and keep me learning Japanese.

Since then, JapanesePod101 has expanded into a much more complete Japanese learning suite. There is still a free podcast, but if you choose the premium membership you also get an audio dictionary, a kanji dictionary, a grammar section, video lessons, transcripts for all the lessons, and a scheduler to make sure you stay on track with your goals.

The JapanesePod101 is a great podcast for practicing your Japanese listening skills. It has gotten even better as a full Japanese learning suite. You can check it out at the link below:

JapanesePod101

The last two tools I have written about (Remembering the Kanji and Reviewing the Kanji) have all been about learning the kanji. When learning kanji it’s important to not lose focus of why we are studying in the first place, “to read Japanese”. And it just so happens, that this next tool is a cool website called Read the Kanji.

Read The Kanji gives you Japanese words in Kanji or kana (depending on what you are studying) and  asks you to type in the correct reading. It automatically converts to hiragana so you don’t even have to worry about having Japanese input set up on your computer. The words are also used in sentences so you will learn even more words, usage, and some grammar along the way as well. The site keeps track of your progress and shows you new words and kanji once you have mastered the ones you’ve already seen. It also tracks how well you know the different readings of each character.

The website is great for seeing new sentences and learning new Japanese words and Kanji, but there is actually something about it I like even more, it’s addictive. The feeling of always wanting to do “just one more” means that you will spend ample time learning Japanese. I recommend that you head over to the page right now and check it out. You can find it at the below link:

Read the Kanji

In the last couple of days we have covered Anki, an easy to use flash card program that will help you learn Japanese words and kanji quicker. We also discussed Denshi Jisho, a great Japanese dictionary. Today we will discuss two tools for reading and learning Japanese online (let’s face it, we spend a lot of time on here). Firefox is a browser and RIkaichan is an add on that will give you the meaning and reading for any word you mouse over. Rather than write a long post, I have listed links to two other posts describing both Firefox and Rikaichan in detail. There are also instructions for installation.

Using Firefox to Learn Japanese

Reading Japanese Words with Rikaichan

Download them and try them out. Rikaichan is an amazing tool that everyone learning Japanese should have at hand!

When it comes to learning Japanese there is a lot to memorize. You need to memorize words, phrases, and three alphabets (hiragana, katakana, and Kanji). Kanji alone has over 2000 characters. So finding the most efficient method to memorize Japanese should be high on our list. That’s where Anki comes in. But before we go into Anki, lets discuss one of the big problems with regular flash cards.

The Problem with Regular Memorization

When I first started learning Japanese many years ago I spent a lot of time reviewing. I had a stack of flash cards and lists of Japanese words and phrases in my notebook. I would continually go over them to make sure that I knew them well. The problem was that I wasted a lot of time because I was spending time reviewing cards I already knew. It was the only sure way to make sure I really knew them. In turn, that wasted time could have been spent studying cards I didn’t know as well to help me learn faster.

Over the years a lot of research has been done on learning and memorization. What they found is that there is a optimum time to review so you remember longer. That optimum time is right before you will forget.  The difficulty with regular flash cards or remembering words out of a notebook is that is impossible to know when you will forget a card/word and when you should review it.

Learning Japanese Words Faster by Using an SRS

Luckily, we have computers now. We may not be able to keep track of how well we know an item, but a computer can. A number of SRS (spaced repetition learning system) programs have been created using algorithms that track your progress and show you the cards you need to see. This helps you speed up your memorization by making your study time more efficient. You spend more time learning the facts you don’t know as well. You also see the cards at the most optimum time.

So Why Anki?

The main reason I prefer Anki over some of the other SRS programs is because it was designed from the start to be used for learning Japanese. For instance, if you add a new word in kanji, Anki will automatically fill in the answer section with a hiragana reading. This reduces the time you spend making cards and lets you spend more time learning them.

In addition, Anki gives you a lot of other options.  You can:

• Create an online account which allows you to study anywhere ( I use this on my cell phone) and sync your progress with your main computer
• Created multiple decks for different subjects
• Create multiple tags in a deck or add priorities
• Choose the how long each study session is
• Choose how many new cards you see each day
• Add pictures and audio
• Download premade lists (though I generally recommend you create your own)
• Download plugins to add additional features
• Choose to hide cards completely once you have learned them well
• Easily navigate using Anki’s clean, simple interface

So now that you have an idea of what Anki is and what it can do for you. Go and get it! You can find it at the link below:

Anki

Here is part 9 of using Japanese Adjectives in Sentences. Hopefully you have learned a lot of new Japanese words, a bit of Japanese grammar, and have a better understanding of how to use different adjectives. You can find all of the previous adjectives posts at the bottom of the list.

81    昨日、不思議な夢を見ました。
きのう、ふしぎなゆめをみました。
Last night, I saw a mysterious dream.

82    彼は真面目な顔で話し始めた。
かれはまじめなかおではなしはじめた。
He began to talk with a serious face.

83    彼女は離れて暮らす母親の事が心配そうです。
かのじょははなれてくらすははおやのことがしんぱいそうです。
He looks worried about his mother who lives separately from him.
＊Adjective + そう（な）＝looks (adjective)

84    前の会社は、楽な仕事ばかりで物足りなかった。
まえのかいしゃは、らくなしごとばかりでものたりなかった。
I was not satisfied with all the easy work at my previous company.

85    今日の夕飯に必要な材料を買いに行く。
きょうのゆうはんにひつようなざいりょうをかいにいく。
I’m going shopping for the ingredients I need for today’s dinner.

86    駅で変な人に声をかけられた。
えきでへんなひとにこえをかけられた。
A strange person spoke to me at the (train) station.

87    危険な場所で遊んでいる子供たちに注意をした。
きけんなばしょであそんでいるこどもたちにちゅういをした。
I warned the children who were playing in the dangerous place.

88    私は正直な性格なので、嘘がつけません。
わたしはしょうじきなせいかくなので、うそがつけません。
I have a honest personality, so I can’t tell a lie.

More Japanese Adjectives Posts

• Japanese Adjectives Word List
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 1
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 2
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 3
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 4
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 5
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 6
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 7
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 8

Part 8 of Using Japanese adjectives in sentences. This page contains only “NA” adjectives. After this there is only one more post to go. 頑張って！  As always please leave comments if you have questions. Previous adjective lists can be found at the bottom of this post.

71    誕生日に家族から素敵なプレゼントをもらった。
たんじょうびにかぞくからすてきなプレゼントをもらった。
I got a lovely present from my family on my birthday.

72    ピアノの上手な人に憧れる。
ピアノのじょうずなひとにあこがれる。
I long for a person who can play piano well.

73    下手な言い訳なら、しない方がいい。
へたないいわけなら、しないほうがいい。
It’s better not to  use a bad (unskilled) excuse.

74    好きな食べ物は何ですか？
すきなたべものはなんですか？
What kind of food do you like?

75    何か嫌いな食べ物はありますか？
なにかきらいなたべものはありますか？
Is there any food that you don’t like (hate)?

76    簡単な日本語の単語はほとんど全部覚えました。
かんたんなにほんごのたんごはほとんどぜんぶおぼえました。
I remembered almost all the easy words in Japanese.

77    大変な仕事を任されてしまった。
たいへんなしごとをまかされてしまった。
The hard work has been left up to me.

78    自分にとって一番大切な事はなんだろう。
じぶんにとっていちばんたいせつなことはなんだろう。
I wonder what’s the most important thing to me.

79    それは無理な話だ。
それはむりなはなしだ。
That’s an impossible matter.

80    ケーキは私の大好きなスイーツです。
ケーキは私の大好きなスイーツです。
Cakes are my favorite desserts.
* スイーツ＝sweets (desserts or something sweet)

More Japanese Adjectives Posts

• Japanese Adjectives Word List
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 1
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 2
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 3
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 4
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 5
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 6
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 7

Part 7 of Using Japanese adjectives in sentences. In this one we start getting into the “NA” adjectives.  As always please leave comments if you have questions. Previous adjective lists can be found at the bottom of this post.

61    青い目をした美しい人に出会った。
あおいめをしたうつくしいひとにであった。
I encountered a beautiful person with blue eyes.

62    結婚式には白いネクタイをします。
けっこんしきにはしろいネクタイをします。
Wear a white necktie for weddings.

63    お葬式には黒いネクタイをします。
おそうしきにはくろいネクタイをします。
Wear a black necktie for funerals.

[な形容詞]

64    先週、姉が元気な男の子を生みました。
せんしゅう、あねがげんきなおとこのこをうみました。
My sister gave birth to an energetic baby boy last week.

65    友達のお姉さんはとても奇麗な人だ。
ともだちのおねえさんはとてもきれいなひとだ。
My friend’s sister is very pretty.

66    もう少し静かな場所へ行こう。
もうすこししずかなばしょへいこう。
Let’s go to somewhere little more quiet.

67    世界的に有名な歌手になるのが夢です。
せかいてきにゆうめいなになるのがゆめです。
My dream is to be a world famous singer.

68    便利な世の中になったものだ。
べんりなよのなかになったものだ。
This world has become convenient.

69    うちの近所にはコンビニが無くて不便だ。
うちのきんじょにはコンビニがなくてふべんだ。
It is inconvenient not to have a convenience store around my house.

70    その店員さんは親切な対応をしてくれた。
そのてんいんさんはしんせつなたいおうをしてくれた。
The clark gave me kind assistance.

More Japanese Adjectives Posts

• Japanese Adjectives Word List
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 1
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 2
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 3
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 4
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 5
• Japanese Adjectives in Sentences Part 6