Japanese on Demand: How AI Turns Any Device into a 4-Skill Language Dojo

Contrary to popular belief, AI has NOT eliminated the need to learn foreign languages. But new AI-powered tools have made it easier than ever to get all the Japanese listening, speaking, reading, and writing practice your human brain needs to get fluent!

So forget the snore-inducing Japanese textbooks, expensive classes, and ineffective apps, and instead use the following ten tips to immerse yourself in Japanese with just a smartphone or computer!

1) Converse with AI chatbots

AI chatbots are an excellent way to practice conversing in Japanese, with the advantage of being available 24/7 at a fraction of the cost of human tutors and without any of the normal stress and performance anxiety. Simply tap the mic icon and start conversing!

Some of the best options include:

• Teacher AI (an AI-powered chatbot specifically designed for language learning)

• Claude.ai

• ChatGPT

💡 Pro Tip: As you go, make sure to train the chatbot on your specific learning goals, interests, correction preferences, etc. For example:

"Please provide immediate corrections as we chat. Write down any mistakes I make and what I should say instead to sound more natural in Japanese."

2) Convert between audio and text with STT & TTS

Most modern AI tools can quickly and accurately convert the spoken word into on-screen text (called "speech-to-text" or "STT" for short). This allows you to practice speaking Japanese aloud and quickly confirm if your pronunciation is accurate or not.

A few good STT tools include:

• Google Docs Voice Typing

• Otter.ai

AI can also convert the written word into audio (called "text-to-speech" or "TTS" for short). This allows you to instantly convert written materials into Japanese listening practice!

Here are some good TTS tools to consider:

• Google Text-to-Speech

• HyperTTS (to create audio for Anki flashcards)

3) Analyze your Japanese pronunciation

Record a self-introduction or imitate a short snippet of native audio, and upload the recording to one of the chatbots mentioned in #1 above. Ask the tool to analyze your speech and provide suggestions on how to improve your:

• pronunciation

• pacing

• pitch accent (高低アクセント)

4) Get transcripts for Japanese podcasts & YouTube videos

YouTube videos and podcasts are excellent sources of Japanese listening practice. But depending on your level, you may struggle to understand what is being said. Fortunately, you can significantly boost your comprehension with AI-created transcripts.

Here are some of the best tools for creating transcripts:

• Sider.ai

• Otter.ai

5) Get your Japanese writing checked for mistakes

Want to improve your Japanese writing skills? Need to check a Japanese email for vocabulary or grammar mistakes before you send it off to a client or pen pal? AI to the rescue! Simply paste in your text and ask the tool to look for mistakes.

💡 Pro Tip: You can also ask AI to suggest improvements, make your sentences more natural, increase or decrease the total length, or even write in the style of a famous Japanese author like Natsume Sōseki (夏目漱石) or Murakami Haruki (村上春樹)!

Here are some suggested grammar checkers and writing assistants:

• LanguageTool

• Claude.ai

• ChatGPT

6) Get summaries of long articles, PDFs, etc.

Reading is one of the best ways to beef up your Japanese vocabulary, conquer kanji, and learn grammar in context. But long articles can take ages to work through, especially when you don't know exactly what is going on.

One solution is to have AI produce short summaries of blog posts, news articles, and PDFs before you read the full version. Simply copy and paste the text (or upload a file), and ask for a short summary in simple Japanese (better) or English.

7) Read or listen to AI-generated short stories

The human brain is hardwired to learn through stories, but Japanese shows and novels can be a bit out of reach for beginners. But worry not! You can ask an AI chatbot to write mini-stories using a specified level of difficulty. You also get to direct things as much as you like, providing input on characters, genres, plot lines, etc.

8) Get AI-generated examples, mnemonics & images

Simply looking up a new Japanese word in the dictionary is NOT going to help you remember it. You first need to:

• See how the word is used in context.

• Confirm if it's used in any common chunks or collocations.

• Attach it to person life experiences and other words you know.

• Create mnemonics to easily recall its meaning, pronunciation, kanji, etc.

AI can help you check ALL of these boxes!

• Ask a chatbot like Claude or ChatGPT to create example sentences based on your interests.

• Ask for a list of common "collocations" (word combinations that frequently occur together).

• Ask for help crafting creative mnemonics that make slippery information easier to encode and recall.

• Ask DALL-E or Google ImageFX to create an image that depicts the object, concept, or mnemonic.

All of these approaches blend immersive learning with cutting-edge technology, helping you engage with the Japanese language in interactive ways. But don't forget that the whole point of learning a language is to connect with people. So think of these AI-powered tools as a means, not an end. Always supplement time on your devices with realtime human-to-human interactions, may it be chatting with a native Japanese speaker at a local sushi restaurant, chatting with a Japanese tutor on italki, texting on HelloTalk, or best of all, traveling around Japan!