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Using podcasts to learn Japanese is effective and FREE! Check out these recommendations for the best podcasts to learn Japanese.
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This post is part of my series on podcasts to learn a new language. Although I’m not currently learning to speak Japanese or listening to Japanese podcasts, I’ve checked out the ones that I see people recommending over and over again. The podcasts below come highly recommended by Japanese learners.
A couple of years ago, my husband and I visited Japan. Although we only planned to be in Tokyo for a few days, we learned some basic Japanese words and phrases before arriving (like any good tourist should do).
After years of studying Spanish, and a few years dabbling in German, I thought learning to speak Japanese would be a disaster. Everything about it seems so different from English and most European languages.
During my studies, I read an article about why Japanese is difficult for non-natives to learn. To my surprise, many language teachers and linguists say that learning to speak Japanese is not as hard as it seems.
(It is widely agreed that learning read Japanese is the really hard part, since there are a variety of characters in written Japanese.)
In technical terms, Japanese has only five vowel sounds and 13 consonant sounds. English has only five vowels, but at least 12 vowel sounds and 24 consonant sounds. Having to learn so few letters and sounds is a real advantage to a beginner Japanese student.
Also a major bonus: Japanese verb conjugation has very strict rules with few exceptions. As in, very few irregular verbs! (Anyone who has tried to learn Spanish knows the struggle of the many irregular verb conjugations!)
So basically, once you know the rules, learning to speak Japanese is just a matter of listening and practicing. And that's why listening to podcasts is an ideal way to learn to speak Japanese.
Japanese podcasts are great for:
- Hearing proper pronunciation of words
- Practicing all-important listening skills
- Learning Japanese on-the-go
The best part about using podcasts to learn Japanese is that you can listen while driving, working out, walking the dog, or cleaning the house.
The Key To Finding a Good Japanese Podcast
When learning Japanese through podcasts, be sure to look for podcasts by native Japanese speakers.
Native speakers are especially important when listening to a Japanese podcast because you want to mimic the sounds and the accent. Learning to put stress/accent on certain syllables is key to speaking proper Japanese.
I also recommend trying out a few of these podcasts, to see which hosts you like best, or which format you like. Learning anything new is always easier if you like the teacher and enjoy the content.
Once you find a show you like, stick with it for a while until you "level up" your Japanese; then start integrating another podcast or YouTube videos.
Are Japanese Podcasts Right for Visual Learners?
I'm a visual learner, and occasionally I do get tripped up when listening to a foreign language podcast.
What I have learned is that I'm more visual when it comes to learning certain concepts, like grammar and set phrases. When it comes to listening to conversation for the sake of improving my listening skills, podcasts are perfect for me.
Everyone has different strengths for learning, but it's likely that even if you're a visual learner, you can benefit from listening to podcasts to learn Japanese.
If you find that you really need to follow along with a transcript or worksheet, most of the podcasts recommended below have some visual option available online. Some of the visual resources are free, others require a free or upgraded account.
5 Podcasts to Start Speaking Japanese
1. Learn Japanese Pod
First of all, how can you not love the cover art for this podcast? It's just adorable.
This podcast has two hosts: a native Japanese speaker and a native English speaker who has learned Japanese.
The topics covered are extremely useful (how to talk on the phone in Japanese, how to apologize), as well as important cultural nuances that might be new to you.
The main podcast episodes are about 30-40 minutes each, and the lessons are explained in English. Japanese phrases and conversations are used as examples.
After you’ve listened to the main (long) episode, you can challenge yourself to listen to just the Japanese dialogue on a separate episode (often just 2 minutes of straight Japanese).
The lessons on this podcast don’t necessarily need to be listened to in order; I recommend starting with whatever episode title seems most interesting to you.
2. JapanesePod101
This podcast covers a range of topics for all levels of Japanese students.
Whether you’re an absolute beginner, or someone who knows the basics of Japanese and wants to start speaking it fluently, there is an episode for you. The more lessons for advanced learners are labeled and easy to identify.
(This is actually the podcast that my husband and I used when we visited Japan a couple of years ago. We started with the Absolute Beginner lessons and listened to them in order, which was perfect for a short, touristy visit.)
Lessons are taught in English with Japanese conversations and pronunciations by a native speaker.
JapansePod101 has dozens of free podcast lessons available in most podcast apps (you may see two different feeds; be sure to select the one with over 70 episodes and that has Absolute Beginner lessons as the oldest episodes).
In addition to the free podcasts, you can gain access to a ton of other Japanese language resources by signing up for a free account on the JapanesePod101 website. (Hint: for just $1, you can get 30 days of Premium access, which is totally worth it!)
3. News in Slow Japanese
This podcast covers a variety of topics in the news (usually in Japan, sometimes just pop culture).
News in Slow Japanese publishes just two new episodes per month, and they are only about 2 minutes long!
The idea behind this strange schedule is to give you time to really dig into each news brief and master the vocabulary and grammar that you hear.
Each episode has two audio options/downloads, plus a written text that you can use to follow along or study.
The first audio is slow and focuses on helping you identify the words phonetically. You can use the text to follow along and pick out important phrases.
The second audio is at the normal speed of a native Japanese speaker, to help train your ear to listening.
The News in Slow Japanese website also has a suggested weekly study schedule to help you make the most of each episode.
Listen to News in Slow Japanese
4. NHK News
If you’re past the absolute beginner level, try this Japanese news podcast. It’s an actual news broadcast from Japan’s public broadcast network.
Each day, the news broadcast is broken up into several short segments (the average length is 4 minutes), and published as separate episodes.
Because it’s a legit news broadcast, it’s very formal, and uses a lot of common vocabulary without a lot of slang.
Tip: Although learning slang in a new language is super fun and interesting, try to keep it to a minimum when you’re just starting to learn Japanese. Do your best to get a handle on the basic grammar and most common words before you start branching out.
Suggestion for Listening to Daily Japanese Podcast
Since NHK publishes new episodes daily, you'll have the opportunity to practice Japanese every day! But let's be honest...sticking to that schedule is tough.
Here are a couple of ways you can trick yourself into listening to a Japanese podcast every day:
- Adjust your podcast settings to auto-download episodes every day (you can make it so only your favorite Japanese podcasts auto-download)
- Set your podcast player to put each new Japanese episode next in your podcast listening queue
- Instead of letting your finished podcast episodes get deleted by your podcast player, make it so that your Japanese podcasts don't automatically disappear, so you can save them to re-listen again later
By adjusting your podcast player settings to do this, you'll be putting your daily Japanese practice on auto-pilot.
I use PocketCasts as my main podcast player, but the player/app you use probably has a setting for auto-downloading specific podcasts, too. Play around with your podcast app (or search for a YouTube video about how to find the settings).
5. Manga Sensei 5min Japanese
It is rare for me to recommend a language learning podcasts that is hosted by non-native speakers, but several people in my online podcast community mentioned this show, so I’m including it.
Although this podcast hasn’t been updated in a while (the last episode was in October 2019), there are over 500 episodes available, most of which are just 5 minutes long.
The Japanese lessons on this podcast are very grammar-heavy, but short enough to not be overwhelming.
You’ll learn a particular concept in a series of episodes, each of which builds on the others in the series, getting progressively more challenging.
I do think that the format of this podcast (the episode length and the building on a particular topic) is unique, so give it a shot. Just remember to include some native speaker podcasts into your rotation, too.
Leaning to speak Japanese takes time, but if you subscribe to these podcasts and listen to them frequently, you can really improve your Japanese quickly.
Have you listened to one of these podcasts? What other podcasts do you use to learn Japanese? Leave a comment with your recommendations.
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