Show HN: I made an app to learn Japanese by speaking it
by newtechwiz | 2025-09-07 22:13:32+00:00
TLDR; I went to a konbini in Japan, did not like the awkward feeling of checking out when they asked me questions, and made this app that got me speaking and understanding basic Japanese in under 2 hours.

Hello HN, I wanted to share a personal story of mine that caused the creation of this app. I have been attempting to learn Japanese for a long time, trying out duolingo, wankani, over 10-15 books including the classic Genki books, but haven't really gotten anywhere other than recognizing a few basic kanji here and there during my first trip to Japan. I then took another trip (this time solo!) to Japan around 3 months later because I really loved the culture and country, and the same problems had arisen. I had no idea how to speak or really understand when people were speaking to me in Japanese, whether it be in sushi restaurants, cafe's or the konbini.

I arrived April 2nd and was slated to be in Japan the entire month, and my first interaction on the same day was awkward enough for me to go back to my hotel room and figure out a solution. I knew I couldn't pull out the genki books and start rigorously studying them all of a sudden as there was no time-- I needed something and I needed it fast. Being a coder, I kept brainstorming and thats when it hit me-- I had been making something earlier for practicing technical interviews, where it simulated the interview and you talked to it ( an AI ) in realtime. If it worked for interviews, why not language learning? I quickly coded up a simulation of the same konbini interaction, and instructed the AI to be the clerk, and I would be the customer buying items. So I asked the AI everything I had doubts about-- what to say when I place items on the counter (ijo desu!) , how to say when I wanted something ( <item> o onegaishimasu ) and even the number of items I wanted ( hitotsu, futatsu ).

At first, this simulation proved to be quite difficult, just as difficult as I experienced in real life. But with practice and more practice, trying out different scenarios and situations, I quickly started recognizing patterns, patterns that were so abstract and hard to learn with all these textbooks I had. Things like desu, ka, wo, all clicked extremely quickly for me in a way that hadn't before. Very soon, I started getting more confident and wanted to try different scenarios such as how to order from a menu. It got to a point where I was talking to the owner of a yakkiniku, but could only understand and speak very very basic Japanese, as all I practiced were simulations.

As a result, I quickly understood the power of this method. That's why I have started creating this app now. Not only am I including scenarios like ordering at a konbini because they are very practical and extremely fun to do, but I am including actual grammar and vocabulary now. No longer shall learning Japanese be some tedious abstract chore with memorizing thousands of anki cards, but something that you can absorb much quicker by utilizing modern tools.

I have already begun to understand many grammar particles and am now expanding to incorporate all the N5 verbs and vocabulary into this app that way I will be able to pass it. This is my personal journey of learning Japanese and I am glad I get to share it with all of you. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me or email me at konnichiwa@talkmochi.com