Perfect Japanese Isn't Necessary: It's Okay to Make Mistakes

Haitai! I'm Yuki sensei!

Have you ever wanted to speak Japanese, but felt too afraid of making mistakes?

You may know the grammar.

You may know a lot of vocabulary.

You may even understand what someone is saying.

But when it's your turn to speak, you suddenly think:

"What if I say it wrong?"

"What if they don't understand me?"

"Maybe my Japanese isn't good enough yet."

If you have ever felt this way, I want to tell you something:

You don't need perfect Japanese to communicate.

In fact, making mistakes is a very important part of learning a language.

And I say this not only as a Japanese teacher, but also as a language learner myself.

I am also learning languages

I live in an area where many people from Brazil and Peru live.

There are Brazilian supermarkets, Peruvian restaurants, and many other places where you can experience different cultures without leaving your neighborhood.

I love this atmosphere.

And because of this environment, I recently started studying Portuguese and Spanish as a hobby.

I'm not studying for an exam.

I don't have a specific certificate that I want to get.

I simply want to take advantage of the environment around me and gradually add more languages that I can actually use.

So I study a little vocabulary and grammar, and then I try to use what I've learned in real life.

And there is one important rule I give myself:

When I go to a Brazilian supermarket or a Peruvian restaurant, I try not to use Japanese or English.

Instead, I try to communicate using only the Portuguese or Spanish I know.

Honestly, it can be nerve-racking!

But it has also taught me something very important about learning a language.

"I like guaraná juice."

One of my favorite things at the Brazilian supermarket is guaraná juice.

I also sometimes cook Mexican food at home, so I go there to buy ingredients such as tortillas.

Before going to the supermarket, I might look up a few words or phrases that I think I will need.

For example:

Suco de guaraná — guaraná juice

Eu gosto de... — I like...

So I can say:

Eu gosto de suco de guaraná. "I like guaraná juice."

If I want to ask whether they have tortillas, I can say:

Você tem tortillas? "Do you have tortillas?"

Is my Portuguese perfect?

Absolutely not!

But most of the time, people understand what I'm trying to say.

And something wonderful happens.

The shop assistant sometimes speaks to me using both Portuguese and Japanese, switching between the two languages to help me.

For example, he says something like:

"As tortilhas estão ali."

And then:

"Tortillas... あっちにあります。"

This is incredibly helpful.

Thanks to him, I learned a new Portuguese word for "over there."

I didn't learn it from a textbook.

I learned it because I needed it in a real conversation.

And because I used it in a real situation, I don't think I'm going to forget it anytime soon.

When I don't understand, someone helps me

I'm a little more comfortable with Spanish than Portuguese, so I can communicate more specifically when I go to Peruvian restaurants.

One day, I wanted to ask about the portion size of a dish.

I tried to ask:

¿Es esta una porción grande de comida? "Is this a large portion?"

I wanted to say:

"If it's a large portion, I don't need that much."

But my Spanish wasn't good enough to express exactly what I wanted to say.

So I tried to explain it with the words I knew.

Something like:

"Poco está bien, pero grande no es bueno." "Small is okay, but big is not good."

Not exactly beautiful Spanish!

But somehow, the waiter understood what I meant.

Then he said something to me.

I couldn't catch it.

I remember feeling a little nervous.

"Oh no... What did he say?"

I tried to listen again, but I still couldn't understand.

Then, a woman sitting nearby, who seemed to be Peruvian, helped me.

She said:

"Dice que comida para llevar. 持ち帰りできるよ！" "He says you can take the food home!"

Suddenly, everything made sense.

Of course!

I could order the dish I wanted, eat what I could, and take the rest home.

I was so happy.

Later, I learned that the waiter may have said something like:

"Se ofrece comida para llevar."

And that's how I learned that "comida para llevar" can be used to mean takeout or food to go.

Again, I didn't memorize this phrase from a textbook.

I learned it because I actually needed it.

This is what language learning really feels like

Every time I try to speak Portuguese or Spanish in these situations, I get nervous.

I make mistakes.

Sometimes I don't understand what people say.

Sometimes I have to use simple words and gestures to explain what I mean.

And sometimes I probably sound very strange!

But almost every time, someone helps me.

And every time I have one of these experiences, I learn something new.

This experience has also changed the way I think about my own students.

As a Japanese teacher, I often tell my students not to be afraid of making mistakes.

But now that I'm on the other side of the experience, I understand that advice even more deeply.

Speaking a language is not a test.

You don't have to produce a perfect sentence.

You don't need perfect grammar.

You don't need to know every word.

What matters most is being able to communicate what you want to say.

Sometimes, you only know three or four words.

That's okay.

Put them together.

Use your hands.

Point at something.

Try another word.

Ask the other person for help.

And keep going.

Japanese people make mistakes too

We sometimes forget that making mistakes isn't something that only language learners do.

Japanese people make mistakes when speaking Japanese, too.

We forget words.

We use the wrong expression.

We say something and immediately realize:

"Wait... that's not what I meant!"

We sometimes misunderstand each other.

Communication doesn't require perfection.

It requires two people who are willing to try to understand each other.

That's why I don't want my students to wait until their Japanese is "good enough" before they start speaking.

Start speaking now.

Make mistakes now.

Learn from those mistakes.

And try again.

You might be surprised by how many people are willing to help you.

Just like the people I've met while learning Portuguese and Spanish, there are many people who will listen, wait, repeat themselves, use simpler words, or even teach you a new expression.

And those moments can become some of the most memorable parts of learning a language.

You don't need perfect Japanese

If you are currently learning Japanese and thinking:

"My Japanese isn't good enough."

I'd like you to change that thought to:

"I don't know everything yet, but I can try."

Maybe you make a grammar mistake.

Maybe you use the wrong word.

Maybe you forget how to say something.

That's okay.

Your goal isn't to speak perfect Japanese.

Your goal is to connect with another person.

And sometimes, the imperfect Japanese you speak today will become the Japanese you never forget tomorrow.

So the next time you have an opportunity to speak Japanese, don't wait for the perfect sentence.

Just try.

Even if it's not perfect, say it.

Someone might understand you.

Someone might correct you.

Someone might teach you a new word.

And you might learn something that you could never have learned from a textbook.

That's the beauty of learning a language.

And I know this because I'm experiencing it myself.

You don't need perfect Japanese to communicate.

You just need the courage to try. At Yuki Sensei’s Japanese Lessons, I believe that learning Japanese shouldn’t feel like something you simply “have to study.” We want you to enjoy speaking Japanese and feel, “Japanese is fun!”

If you want to learn Japanese but don’t know where to start, you’re always welcome. Let’s find a learning style that works best for you and your goals.

I look forward to seeing you in our next lesson!