If you’re like me and mostly want to speak Japanese, not read or write it, this post is for you. Everything here is written in romaji (the Romanized version of Japanese). If you’re interested in learning hiragana, katakana, or kanji, I recommend using other resources, or even asking ChatGPT for a custom plan.
(Feel free to check out the r/languagelearning and r/LearnJapanese subreddits for extra resources or recommendations).
🔰 I don’t have any certificates, just a learner sharing what I know, so if I get something wrong, feel free to double-check or correct me!
💬 I’m still learning Japanese too, (on my journey from bronze to grandmaster), I document everything in my weekly language progress logs.
Every week I post a page with:
- A short speaking video or update
- My test assessment
- Notes and improvements
- What rank I’m at (from Bronze to Grandmaster)
👉 Check out the Language Progress Glossary Here
🧱 Basic Japanese Sentence Structure: SOV
Japanese follows a Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) sentence order. That means the verb comes at the end, which can feel backward compared to English, where the verb comes earlier (SVO = Subject–Verb–Object).
🔹 General Format:
Subject + [particle] + Object + Verb
You’ll also see this pattern when using adjectives or describing something:
Subject + [particle] + Description + desu
🤔 Grammar Struggles Are Normal
To be honest, my brain doesn’t naturally latch onto labels like “verb” or “noun.” If you’re like me, don’t worry. I’m still gradually training myself to recognize whether a word is a verb, adjective, etc. for some reason my brain just don’t look at words with labels like this. Not that I care about grammar labels, but because it helps with understanding sentence structure and learning faster.
📚 Basic Japanese Sentence Examples
These are formal/polite sentences using -masu and desu endings:
- Sushi wo tabemasu
= I eat sushi - Hon wa akai desu
= The book is red - Ramen ga suki desu
= I like ramen - Kuruma ga arimasu
= There is a car - Kyou wa atsui desu
= Today is hot
In informal speech, many of these can be shortened or have particles dropped. For example:
- Tabeta = I ate / I ate it
- Suki = I like it / It’s likable
- Atsui = It’s hot
💬 Japanese Often Uses Very Short Sentences
Because Japanese is so contextual, it’s common to answer or speak using one-word or ultra-short sentences, especially in casual settings. These are often complete thoughts, even if they look incomplete from an English point of view.
🔹 Common Short Sentences:
- Hai – Yes
- Iie – No
- Daijoubu – I’m okay / It’s fine
- Yabai – Oh no! / Whoa! / Sick! (depends on context)
- Mabushi – It’s bright
- Samui – It’s cold
- Nemui – I’m sleepy
- Hontou? – Really?
- Uso! – No way! / That’s a lie!
Even “Andy desu” can be a full sentence:
- Andy desu – I’m Andy
🙈 Pronouns Are Often Dropped – Not Just “I”
One of the most interesting things about Japanese is how much it relies on context, not direct words. Not only is “watashi” (I) often dropped, but even other pronouns like “he,” “she,” “you,” or “they” are usually left out of the sentence, especially in natural conversation.
This is not the case in Anime, so be careful, more on the pronouns on a later page.
This isn’t just a language thing, it’s also tied to Japanese culture, where it’s considered more polite to avoid pointing people out directly.
So instead of saying:
- Kare wa iku – He will go
A native speaker might just say:
- Iku – (He/I/She/They) will go (based on context)
Or even the name of the person + iku (especially changing the main topic)
It’s not vague to them, the listener can usually tell who’s being referred to just from the situation.
Textbooks tend to include pronouns for clarity, but in real conversation, native speakers usually skip them unless they need to be specific or emphasize.
⚠️ Cultural Note: Avoiding Directness
In Japanese culture, it’s often seen as rude or uncomfortable to single someone out too directly. That’s why:
- Pointing at someone is considered impolite
- Using someone’s name or “you” too often can feel too direct
- People prefer softer expressions, indirect references, and implication over confrontation
That’s why Japanese uses a lot of context-based conversation and why tone, gesture, and group awareness play a huge role, native speakers usually skip them unless they need to be specific or emphasize.
🧪 Practice Tip: Use ChatGPT
If you want to get better at sentence-building, you can ask ChatGPT to:
- Create practice sentences
- Quiz you on building short and long responses
- Help you get used to omitting pronouns or particles when appropriate
🧠 Summary
- Japanese sentences are usually SOV (Subject–Object–Verb)
- Verbs often go at the end
- In casual speech, pronouns and particles are dropped a lot
- One-word replies or sentences are totally normal in Japanese
- Start with formal forms like desu and -masu, and slowly explore casual forms
🧱 Why I Learn This Way
While I continue learning Japanese and other languages, I also make money online through beermoney apps. It’s not much, but it helps me feel like I’m turning my free time into something more productive and fun.
👇 Check out my glossaries below
💸 Beermoney Glossary:
Curious how much money you can realistically make online from surveys, games, ads, and small tasks? Check out my Beermoney Glossary page, where I break down every app and site I’ve tried with videos, payment proof, and my personal experiences. I always recommend doing beermoney while watching shows, anime, gaming, or handling small tasks around the house.
👉 Beermoney reviews
📈 Monthly Earnings Tracker:
Want to see exactly what I cashed out every month? My Monthly Earnings Tracker has screenshots of my app cashouts, plus updates on my trading and investment accounts, all in one place, month by month.
👉 Monthly earnings
🌍 Language Learning Glossary:
Curious what languages I’m learning? Check out my Language Learning Glossary for weekly progress updates. I post short speaking videos, track my progress, share my personal study notes, and break down the rank criteria I follow.
👉 Language progress