So, I’ve been studying Japanese for a month now, and I haven’t really talked to anyone who speaks Japanese out of fear. Today I was playing a game online, and as my username is Kazuma, a native Japanese speaker wrote in Japanese asking if I knew Japanese.
Out of what I suppose was shock excitement, I typed 日本語少しです
They asked if I was Japanese and I wrote 私はイギリスジンです.
And then he wrote a sentence full of kanji and words I didn’t know and I thought it was a statement and I just said はじめまして, to which he replied 何? (which I knew meant what) and asked another question
Eventually he told me in English they had no idea what I was saying and I felt soooo embarrassed with myself and I had to stop, I wanted to curl up into a ball I literally typed out a whole paragraph saying I was so sorry for butchering his language and that I hope I didn’t sound rude.
Thankfully they were really chill about it and found it a bit funny too hahah. They said I typed well but that I dodged what was a question, oops! and I managed to convey to them that I was British which was something at least! ^^;
I don’t know how to feel, I feel embarrassed and relieved at the same time, I guess I’m just really glad that they were okay with my awful Japanese!
I think that your trying to speak so early on is brave and amazing. There are going to be tons of opportunities to make a fool of yourself (I am in the fool-making part of my learning to speak too) so embrace the discomfort and shame and feel proud of yourself for trying.
Echoing Roxcell. Huge respect for you for putting yourself out there and trying! With that kind of attitude, you’ll go far in your learning. You should feel proud
I agree with Roxell, you gotta start somewhere! Just giving it a crack is so beneficial, and more than anything I’m sure they were happy to see someone learning Japanese and giving it their best
Well done for trying as thats the hardest part. I have tried speaking loads of times, either in italki lessons or when I have been in Japan, usually with alcohol giving me extra courage, and I still make a fool of myself and get loads wrong as Im still learning. But the good thing is that the more vocab and grammar you learn, the more you understand and you see it by trying. So well done for giving it a shot!
Also remember the stereotype of us “Westerners” is that all we know is English and that we demand everyone else speak in English. This can actually be a good thing for us Japanese learners. I find that Japanese I meet are so nervous to talk to me because they think I’m expecting them to speak in English and they are afraid that I will make fun of their English that is not native sounding. When I start trying to speak Japanese their expression is priceless! It’s a mixture of relief that they don’t have to speak English, restrained humor at my poor Japanese, and respect that out of all the languages/cultures that I could have chosen I picked Japanese. That in itself usually kicks off some relatively simple topics of conversation.
The corollary to that is when I meet a Japanese person that speaks English really well. I usually stick with English as it’s easier. However, when I challenge myself and try speaking Japanese, usually they are impressed and are nice enough to reply back in Japanese. Usually, if their English is that good, they have been thru the same struggles and are happy to return the favor to people learning their language. Enjoy!
I literally typed out a whole paragraph saying I was so sorry for butchering his language and that I hope I didn’t sound rude.
