japanese essay about my hobby

Podcast 20: How to talk about your hobbies in Japanese

• Post author By admin
• Post date July 14, 2018
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A great way to practice your Japanese speaking skills and to get to know people in Japan is to talk about free time and hobbies. In a casual setting you may be asked what you do in your free time by Japanese people. So this lesson will teach you the basics of how to ask and answer questions about hobbies. But first of all, listen to the audio podcast which goes through all the points in this lesson. You can also listen to the audio drills which include just the Japanese dialogs without English to practice your listening and speaking skills.

Main Podcast

Japanese dialogues.

Here are four example dialogs from the podcast that give you various examples on how to hold a conversation in natural Japanese about hobbies and free time.

Hobbies Dialog 1

Hobbies Dialog 2

Hobbies Dialog 3

Hobbies Dialog 4

Sentences patterns to talk about your hobby in Japanese

Let’s start off with some simple and casual examples of how to talk about hobbies in Japanese.

If you want to say it more politely you would say:

Another way to describe what you like doing in your free time is this:

Your hobby + SUKI DESU which means you like doing something. 

More phrases to ask about people’s hobbies in Japanese

Here are some extra phrases you can use to ask someone what their hobby is.

Another useful pattern you can use to talk about your hobbies is this:

趣味は + NOUN + を + VERB   + ことです。

SHUMI WA +NOUN   + O +VERB   + KOTO DESU.

My hobby is doing something

趣味は本を読むことです – Hon o yomu koto desu –  My hobby is reading books.

Hon is “book” and yomu is the verb “to read”. If you put KOTO after the verb it’s a little like an -ING verb in English. So 本を読む means “to read books” but 本を読むこと is a little like “reading books”.

Here are some more examples:

趣味は映画を見ることです。 My hobby is watching movies.

Shumi wa eiga o miru koto desu.

趣味は音楽を聴くことです。 My hobby is listening to music.

Shumi wa ongaku o kiku koto desu

趣味は料理をすることです。 My hobby is cooking.

Shumi wa ryōri o suru koto desu

趣味はスキューバダイビングをすることです。 My hobby is scuba diving.

Shumi wa sukuuba daibingu wo suru koto desu.

趣味は絵を描くことです 。 My hobby is painting pictures.

Shumi wa e o kaku koto desu.

Instead of 趣味は映画を見ることです you can say 映画を見ることが好きです  I like watching movies.

So for example:

音楽を聴くことが好きです。 I like listening to music.

Ongaku o kiku koto ga suki desu.

料理をすることが好きです。 I like cooking.

Ryōri o suru koto ga suki desu.

スキューバダイビングをすることが好きです。 I like scuba diving.

Sukuuba daibingu o suru koto ga suki desu.

絵を描くことが好きです。 I like painting pictures.

E o kaku koto ga suki desu.

So this means when talking about hobbies you have two options, one being a noun phrase and the other using a verb linked to the hobby, for example:

This is a list of some very traditional Japanese hobbies:

生け花 Ikebana Traditional Japanese flower arranging

書道 Shodō Japanese calligraphy

茶道 Sadō The tea ceremony

弓道 Kyūdō Japanese archery

Sports are usually written in Katakana:

ジョギング Jogingu Jogging

テニス Tenisu Tennis

サッカー Sakkaa Football (Soccer)

ハイキング Haikingu Haikingu

Other hobbies written in Katakana include the following:

ヨガ Yoga Yoga

ダンス Dansu Dancing

カラオケ Karaoke Karaoke

スマホゲーム Sumaho geemu Playing games on your smartphone.

ビデオゲーム Bideo geemu Video games

ドライブ Doraibu Going for a drive

Japanese martial arts are written with Kanji:

柔道 Jūdō Judo

合気道 Aikidō Aikido

空手 Karate Karate

Here are some other hobbies that are written using Kanji:

水泳 Suiei Swimming

山登り Yamanobori Mountain climbing

音楽 Ongaku Music

映画鑑賞 Eigakanshō Watching movies

買い物 Kaimono Shopping

魚釣り Sakana tsuri Fishing

園芸 Engei Gardening

一人旅 Hitori tabi Solo trip / Traveling by yourself

Here is a list of some of the most popular pastimes in Japan now:

1 写真 Shashin Photography

2 自転車 Jitensha Cycling

3 読書 Dokusho Reading books

4 ランニング Ranningu Running

5 英会話 Eikaiwa Studying English conversation

6 ヨガ Yoga Yoga

7 登山 Tōzan Mountain climbing

8 株・FX取引 Kabu / FX torihiki Day trading / Buying and selling stocks

9 瞑想 Meisō Meditation

10 筋トレ Kintore Weight lifting

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✓Download: Main Podcast | Japanese Dialogues | PDF Lesson Notes

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Japanese Writing Lab #4: Hobbies

This is the 4nd assignment of a program I am running to help myself and others improve Japanese writing skill. For details, see  this  post. Also see  this  post for a list of all assignments.

This time the topic will be “趣味”, which is “hobby” or “hobbies”. Feel free to write about a single hobby you enjoy, or more than one. If there aren’t any interesting hobbies you are doing lately, you can use one you’ve had in the in past, or something you want to do in the future. Recommended length is a few sentences to a few paragraphs.

If you are having any difficulty thinking of what or how to write it, feel free to check out my submission below for ideas. Remember this isn’t a contest, it’s more about each of us improving our respective writing abilities. If you don’t know much Kanji but still want to participate, it’s OK to use just Hiragana with some Katakana here and there if you know it. Beginners can even use Romaji, as long as you promise to learn Hiragana soon (:

Once you finish this writing assignment, please post it via one of the two following methods:

• For those who have a blog (WordPress or anywhere else is fine): post it on your blog, and post a comment on this article including a link to your post. I also suggest adding a link on your post back to this article, so people who find your post can follow it to read other people’s submissions.
• For those who don’t have a blog: simply post it as a comment to this article with the text you’ve written. [Note: creating a blog is pretty easy and free on many sites, so if you have a few minutes I’d just consider just trying to create a blog on somewhere like WordPress. Several people have already done this in order to participate in this program.]

Also, I will be tagging every one of these assignments with the tag “ japanese_writing_lab “. I’d recommend you do the same for your entries, so others can easy read through all them.

I’ll be reading all the entries received and commenting, and other users are welcome to do the same.

My submission

僕は困るほど多趣味です。つまり、毎日どの趣味をすればいいか迷うほど多いんです。

４歳の息子がいますけど、何かをやる時はなるべく息子と一緒にやりたいです。それで最近、「レゴ」のブロックでしょっちゅう遊んでいます。

小さいころから僕はレゴが大好きで、その頃から買ってもらったたくさんの部品はまだ持っています。しかし、レゴ社は幸運にもすごく売れてて新しいセットをどんどん出してるので、たまには新セットも買って遊んだりしています。

セットには必ず説明書がついていて、最初はそこに書いてある組み立ての説明に従ってブロックをくっつけて完成させてみます。それはそれでいいんですけど、やっぱりレゴのメリットというか魅力というのは、完成したモデルをバラバラにして、自己流に新しくデザインを作っていろんな物語を演じることです。

こう言うのはちょっとマーケティング臭いかもしれませんが、レゴが「想像力を育む」玩具だと僕は信じています。研究の結果によると、こういう「ごっこ遊び」は育っていく上で成長するための肝心な要素らしいです。

ブロック自体の他にも、レゴの映画を観たりそのサントラを聞いたり、Youtubeで「ニンジャゴー」の動画もみちろん見てます。考えてみると、レゴがすさまじい勢いで我々の生活に浸透してきてるかもしれませんね。

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5 thoughts on “ Japanese Writing Lab #4: Hobbies ”

Hi – here’s my response to this assignment:

https://bokunojapanese.wordpress.com/2016/06/27/japanese-writing-lab-4-hobbies/

I may possibly need to skip the next assignment as I am taking a JLPT (N4) exam at the end of this week. Plus my country (Scotland/ UK) is currently imploding and that’s really distracting me from my studies 😉

Sure, no rush just do the assignment at your own pace. Looks like the 5th one is getting a little delayed by me anyway.

Good luck with the JLPT!

Hi, Hobby assignment done. Japanese Writing Lab #4 – Hobbies Still catching up, have to use the dictionary a lot as I am unfamiliar with a lot of the words I want to use. Gave it a try anyway, Sylvia

https://kafuka97.wordpress.com/

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72 Hobbies in Japanese and How to Discuss Them 

What do you like to do in your spare time? Are you a sports enthusiast, a creative crafty soul or someone with a wide range of interests?

Whatever you’re into, this blog post will help you learn how to talk about hobbies in Japanese. From essential sentence structures to key vocabulary, we’ll teach you how to talk about all your creative pursuits. 

Common Hobbies in Japanese

Sports and outdoor hobbies, creative and crafty hobbies, other hobbies, how to talk about hobbies in japanese, sentence structures for discussing hobbies, using こと and の to discuss hobbies, how to talk about more than one hobby, how to ask about someone else’s hobbies, vocabulary for discussing hobbies .

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

The Japanese word for “hobby” is 趣味   (shumi). Here are some popular hobbies and how to say them in Japanese. 

Here’s everything you need to know about how to talk about your hobbies:

In Japanese, you can express your hobbies using two primary sentence structures:

趣味は + [Hobby] です。 (Shumi wa [Hobby] desu.)  — [Hobby] is my hobby.

This structure directly connects the word 趣味 (shumi) to the specific hobby using the particle は (wa).

[Hobby] をするのが趣味です。 ([Hobby] o suru no ga shumi desu.)  — I enjoy doing [hobby]. 

This structure emphasizes the action of doing the hobby by using the verb-noun form をする (o suru), followed by the particle のが (no ga), which links the action to the noun 趣味 (shumi).

In Japanese, both こと (koto) and の (no) are commonly used to discuss hobbies, but they are employed in slightly different contexts.

こと is often used to express abstract actions or activities. It transforms a verb into a noun, indicating that the activity described by the verb is a general concept or idea. Here are some examples: 

音楽を聴くことが好きです。 (Ongaku o kiku koto ga suki desu.)  — I like listening to music.

読書することが趣味です。 (Dokusho suru koto ga shumi desu.) — Reading is my hobby.

When discussing hobbies, の links the noun representing the activity with the rest of the sentence. It’s particularly useful when the hobby is a concrete noun. Here’s how to use it: 

野球の観戦が趣味です。 (Yakyū no kansen ga shumi desu.) — Watching baseball is my hobby.

料理の本を読むのが好きです。 (Ryōri no hon o yomu no ga suki desu.) — I like reading cookbooks.

As a general rule, こと is applied to verbs while の is used for nouns.

To talk about multiple hobbies, you can simply list them using the conjunction “と” (to), meaning “and.” For example:

趣味は読書とサッカーとピアノです。 (Shumi wa dokusho to sakkā to piano desu.) — My hobbies are reading, soccer and playing the piano.

You can also use the たり (tari) form to express a list of activities or hobbies. Here’s how you can apply this structure to your sentence:

趣味は本を読んだり、走ったり、音楽を聞いたりすることです。 (Shumi wa hon o yondari, hashitta ri, ongaku o kiitari suru koto desu.) — My hobbies include things like reading books, running and listening to music.

This form provides a sense of variety, indicating that these activities are just a few examples of the speaker’s hobbies. 

To inquire about someone else’s hobbies, you can use the following phrases:

趣味は何ですか？ (Shumi wa nan desu ka?) — What is your hobby?

暇な時は何をするの？ (Hima na toki wa nani o suru no?) — What do you do in your free time?

何か趣味はありますか？ (Nani ka shumi wa arimasu ka?) — Do you have any hobbies?

Finally, here are some useful vocabulary words related to discussing hobbies:

• 上手 (jouzu) — skillful, good at
• 得意 (tokui) — specialty, something one is good at
• 好き (suki) — like, enjoy
• 楽しい (tanoshii) —fun, enjoyable
• 興味がある (kyōmi ga aru) — have an interest in
• よくする (yoku suru) — do often, practice frequently
• 続けている (tsuzuketeiru) — have been doing (for a while)

To see this vocabulary used in action, you could check out the language learning program FluentU.

Whether your idea of a nice pastime is heading out into the great wild outdoors or hunkering down in your crafts corner, you now know how to talk about all your hobbies in Japanese. 

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Language of Interests: How to Say “What Are Your Hobbies” in Japanese

Table of Contents

Have you ever tried to strike up a conversation with someone about hobbies in Japanese, but struggled to express yourself? Understanding the language of interests is essential for effective communication and cultural exchange. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of discussing hobbies in Japanese, providing useful phrases, vocabulary, and conversation techniques.

Key Takeaways:

• Knowing how to ask and talk about hobbies in Japanese is vital for effective communication and cultural exchange.
• Accurate translation of hobbies is crucial for clear and understandable communication.
• Essential Japanese phrases related to hobbies include expressions to ask about someone’s hobbies and share your own.
• Engaging in discussions about hobbies in Japanese requires common conversation techniques, such as expressing preferences, asking follow-up questions, and sharing personal experiences.
• Expanding your Japanese hobby vocabulary and practicing conversations are key to improving your language skills and cultural understanding.

Translating Hobbies in Japanese

When it comes to talking about hobbies in Japanese, accurately translating them is crucial for effective communication. While some hobbies may have Japanese equivalents, others may not. In such cases, it’s important to find the closest translation possible to convey your meaning.

Here are some common hobbies and their Japanese translations:

Translating Hobbies in Japanese: Tips

Here are some tips to keep in mind when translating hobbies in Japanese:

• Research the closest possible translation for your hobby to convey your meaning effectively.
• Be mindful of cultural nuances and connotations associated with your hobby in Japanese. Some hobbies may have different cultural implications in Japan than they do in your home country.
• If you’re not sure about the translation of your hobby, consider providing a brief description or explanation to clarify your meaning.

Japanese Phrases for Hobbies

If you’re looking to engage in conversations with Japanese speakers about hobbies, it’s essential to have a solid grasp of the language used to talk about interests. Here are some commonly used Japanese phrases related to hobbies:

With these phrases, you’ll be able to express yourself and understand others when it comes to discussing hobbies in Japanese. Remember to practice these phrases and use them in context for effective communication.

Discussing Hobbies in Japanese

Engaging in discussions about hobbies is a great way to connect with others and learn more about their interests. When conversing in Japanese about hobbies, there are a few techniques that can help keep the conversation flowing smoothly:

• Express preferences: When discussing hobbies, it’s important to express your preferences clearly. Use phrases like “一番好きな趣味は何ですか？” (What is your favorite hobby?) to get the conversation started.
• Ask follow-up questions: Show interest in the other person’s hobbies by asking follow-up questions. Use phrases like “それについてもっと話してください” (Please tell me more about that).
• Share personal experiences: Don’t be afraid to share your own experiences about your hobbies. Use phrases like “私もその趣味をしています” (I also enjoy that hobby).

Remember to listen actively to the other person and respond appropriately. This helps create a natural and engaging conversation about hobbies in Japanese.

Japanese Hobby Vocabulary

Expanding your hobby vocabulary in Japanese can greatly enhance your ability to engage in enjoyable conversations about interests. Here is a comprehensive list of Japanese vocabulary related to hobbies:

In addition to these specific terms, it’s also important to know verbs and adjectives related to hobbies. Here are a few:

• Enjoy – 楽しむ (tanoshimu)
• Practice – 練習する (renshuu suru)
• Relaxing – リラックスする (rirakkusu suru)
• Challenging – 挑戦的な (chousenteki na)
• Inspiring – インスピレーションを与える (insupireeshon wo ataeru)

Japanese Hobby Dialogue

Here is an example dialogue that can help you understand how to engage in a conversation about hobbies.

In this example, you greet your conversation partner and ask about their hobbies. They mention that they like to listen to music. You show interest by asking what type of music they like and who their favorite composers are. The conversation flows naturally, and you even make plans to attend a concert together in the future!

Japanese Hobby Terminology

If you’re planning to engage in hobby-related conversations in Japanese, it’s helpful to be familiar with some specialized terms you may encounter. Here are a few key ones to get you started:

Using these terms can help you communicate more effectively and engage in more in-depth conversations about your hobbies in Japanese.

Japanese Hobby Language Phrases

If you want to enhance your Japanese hobby conversation skills, mastering commonly used phrases is essential. By using the phrases listed below, you will sound more natural and fluent when discussing hobbies in Japanese.

Using Japanese Honorifics

When discussing hobbies with someone older or in a higher position, it is important to use appropriate Japanese honorifics. Below are some examples:

Japanese Hobby Conversation Vocabulary

Whether you are looking to expand your vocabulary for hobby-related conversations or are simply interested in learning new Japanese words, the following vocabulary list will come in handy:

• 趣味は何ですか？(Shumi wa nan desu ka?) – What are your hobbies?
• 私は音楽が好きです。(Watashi wa ongaku ga suki desu.) – I like music.
• あなたはスポーツをしますか？(Anata wa supootsu wo shimasu ka?) – Do you play sports?
• 私は読書が好きです。(Watashi wa dokusho ga suki desu.) – I like reading.

Use these vocabulary words and phrases to enhance your hobby-related conversations and impress your Japanese speaking counterparts.

Japanese Hobby Communication Tips

Effective communication is critical when discussing hobbies in Japanese. Here are some tips to help improve your hobby-related conversations:

• Listen actively: Focus on understanding what your conversation partner is saying. Pay attention to nonverbal cues, such as body language and facial expressions.
• Show interest: Demonstrate genuine curiosity about your partner’s hobbies. Ask questions and express appreciation for their interests.
• Use appropriate body language: Show respect by maintaining appropriate eye contact and posture. Avoid standing too close or touching your partner without their consent.
• Speak clearly: Enunciate your words and speak at an appropriate pace. Avoid using slang or jargon that your partner may not understand.
• Avoid interrupting: Allow your partner to finish speaking before responding. Ask for clarification if necessary.
• Express opinions respectfully: Share your own opinions and experiences, but avoid being overly critical or dismissive of your partner’s perspectives.
• Use open-ended questions: Ask questions that encourage detailed responses rather than simple “yes” or “no” answers. This can lead to more in-depth conversations.
• Seek recommendations: Ask for advice or recommendations related to your partner’s hobbies. This shows that you value their expertise and opinions.

By following these tips, you can engage in meaningful, respectful conversations about hobbies in Japanese.

Japanese Hobby Conversation Techniques

When engaging in hobby-related conversations in Japanese, there are various techniques you can use to enhance the quality and depth of the conversation. Here are some techniques to consider:

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Avoid asking closed-ended questions that only require a yes or no answer. Instead, ask open-ended questions that encourage the other person to share more information about their hobbies and interests. For example, instead of asking “Do you like music?” try “What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?”

Express Opinions

Don’t be afraid to express your opinions about hobbies and interests. Sharing your thoughts and feelings about a particular hobby can lead to a more engaging and lively conversation. However, be mindful of how you express your opinions. Diplomacy is a key aspect of Japanese communication.

Ask for Recommendations

Asking for recommendations is an effective way to show your interest in the other person’s hobbies and interests. This can also lead to discovering new things that you might enjoy. Ask for recommendations on books, movies, music, or activities related to their hobbies.

Share Personal Experiences

Sharing personal experiences related to hobbies can help build a deeper connection with the other person. It can also help the conversation flow more naturally and create a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. However, be considerate of cultural differences and social norms.

Listen Actively

Active listening is crucial in any conversation, especially when discussing hobbies and interests. Pay attention to the other person’s words, tone, and body language. Show genuine interest and ask follow-up questions when appropriate. This helps demonstrate that you are engaged and interested in the conversation.

Be Respectful

Respect is an important cultural value in Japan. When discussing hobbies and interests, be mindful of the other person’s opinions, beliefs, and values. Avoid making assumptions or judgments based on their preferences. Instead, show respect for their individuality and uniqueness.

Japanese Hobby Cultural Considerations

When engaging in conversations about hobbies in Japanese, it’s essential to keep certain cultural considerations in mind to ensure respectful and appropriate interactions. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

By being aware of these cultural considerations, you can ensure that your hobby-related conversations in Japanese are respectful and enjoyable for all parties involved.

Japanese Hobby Conversation Dos and Don’ts

If you’re planning to engage in hobby-related conversations with Japanese individuals, it’s essential to keep in mind certain cultural norms and language usage. Here are some dos and don’ts to help ensure respectful and enjoyable interactions:

• Do: Show enthusiasm to learn about the other person’s hobbies and interests.
• Do: Use polite language and honorifics, such as “san” after the person’s name.
• Do: Use appropriate body language, such as nodding and maintaining eye contact.
• Do: Respect the other person’s opinions and preferences, even if they differ from your own.
• Do: Ask if it’s okay to exchange contact information if you’d like to continue the conversation later.
• Don’t: Assume that everyone shares the same hobbies and interests.
• Don’t: Interrupt the other person while speaking.
• Don’t: Share inappropriate or offensive comments or jokes.
• Don’t: Criticize the other person’s hobby or interest.
• Don’t: Immediately discuss business or personal matters, as it’s important to build rapport first.

By keeping these dos and don’ts in mind, you’ll be able to engage in enjoyable and respectful conversations about hobbies in Japanese.

Enhancing Your Japanese Hobby Vocabulary

Expanding your Japanese hobby vocabulary can greatly enhance your ability to engage in meaningful conversations about interests. Here are some tips and resources to help you continue your language journey:

Online Platforms

There are several online platforms that can help you improve your Japanese language skills and expand your hobby vocabulary. Language exchange websites such as iTalki and HelloTalk can connect you with Japanese speakers who are interested in language exchange. You can also find Japanese language learning communities on social media platforms such as Facebook and Reddit.

There are many books available that can help you improve your Japanese language skills and expand your vocabulary. Look for books that are specifically designed for learning Japanese vocabulary related to hobbies and interests. “Japanese Vocabulary for English Speakers” by Hiroko Storm is a good one to start with.

Language Learning Tools

Language learning tools such as Duolingo and Rosetta Stone can also help you expand your Japanese hobby vocabulary. These tools use interactive exercises and games to help you learn new words and phrases. There are also several apps available that are specifically designed for learning Japanese vocabulary such as Japanese Vocabulary by NihonShock and JALUP.

By utilizing these resources, you can continue to build your Japanese hobby vocabulary and improve your language skills, ultimately leading to more meaningful and engaging conversations about interests.

Practicing Conversations About Hobbies in Japanese

Practicing conversations about hobbies in Japanese is crucial to build fluency and confidence in using the language in real-life situations. Here are some tips to help you get started:

• Find a language partner: Look for someone who is also interested in practicing Japanese and discussing hobbies. You can find language partners through language exchange programs, online language communities, or among your friends.
• Join a language exchange program: There are many language exchange programs available where you can meet native speakers and practice your Japanese. These programs often provide structured conversation topics and language learning materials.
• Utilize online language communities: Join Japanese language forums, social media groups or language learning apps. You can find fellow learners and native speakers to practice with and receive feedback on your language skills.
• Set small and achievable language goals: Start with simple phrases and gradually increase the complexity of your conversations. This way, you can feel a sense of achievement while improving your language skills at the same time.
• Use authentic Japanese materials: Incorporate hobbies-related Japanese materials such as magazines, TV shows or movies in your language practice. This will help you learn new vocabulary and get used to natural Japanese dialogue.

Remember, the key to improving your Japanese language skills is consistent practice and an open-minded attitude towards learning and making mistakes. So don’t be afraid to start practicing conversations about hobbies with others in Japanese today!

Congratulations on making it to the end of this guide on discussing hobbies in Japanese! We hope this article has provided you with a solid foundation and understanding of the language of interests. By learning how to ask about hobbies, translate them accurately, and engage in meaningful conversations, you can open doors to rich cultural exchanges.

Remember, effective communication is essential for building strong relationships, and discussing hobbies can be an excellent way to connect with others. With the variety of phrases, vocabulary, and conversation techniques we’ve provided, you have plenty of tools to confidently engage in conversations about interests in Japanese.

So what’s next? Start practicing! Find a language partner, join an exchange program, or even use online language communities to continue your language learning journey. The more you practice, the smoother and more comfortable your conversations will become. And who knows? You may even make some lifelong connections through shared hobbies!

Q: How do I say “What are your hobbies?” in Japanese?

A: In Japanese, you can say “Shumi wa nan desu ka?” to ask someone about their hobbies.

Q: How do I translate common hobbies into Japanese?

A: Here are some examples of common hobbies and their translations in Japanese: – Reading: Dokusho – Cooking: Ryouri – Playing soccer: Sakka wo suru

Q: What are some useful Japanese phrases for talking about hobbies?

A: Here are some useful Japanese phrases for discussing hobbies: – Watashi no shumi wa ______ desu. (My hobby is ______.) – Anata wa donna shumi ga arimasu ka? (What are your hobbies?) – Kyou wa nani wo shimasu ka? (What are you doing today?)

Q: How can I engage in discussions about hobbies in Japanese?

A: To engage in discussions about hobbies in Japanese, you can: – Express preferences: Watashi wa ______ ga suki desu. (I like ______.) – Ask follow-up questions: Sore wa dou shite ga suki desu ka? (Why do you like it?) – Share personal experiences: Watashi mo ______ wo shite imasu. (I also do ______.)

Q: What are some Japanese hobby vocabulary words?

A: Here are some Japanese hobby vocabulary words: – Music: Ongaku – Painting: E wo kaku – Gardening: Engei

Q: Can you provide an example dialogue about hobbies in Japanese?

A: Sure! Here’s an example dialogue: Person A: Anata wa donna shumi ga arimasu ka? (What are your hobbies?) Person B: Watashi no shumi wa tennis desu. (My hobby is tennis.) Person A: Nihon de douyatte bikkuri shimasu ka? (How do you play it in Japan?) Person B: Nihon no tenisu wa tanoshii desu yo! (Playing tennis in Japan is fun!)

Q: What are some specialized Japanese hobby terminology?

A: Some specialized Japanese hobby terminology includes: – Photography: Shashin – Fishing: Tsuri – Knitting: Amimono

Q: What are essential Japanese hobby language phrases?

A: Essential Japanese hobby language phrases include: – Watashi wa ______ ga suki desu. (I like ______.) – Anata wa ______ wo shimasu ka? (Do you do ______?) – Kono shumi wa ______ to iimasu. (This hobby is called ______.)

Q: What is the Japanese vocabulary for hobby-related conversations?

A: Japanese vocabulary for hobby-related conversations includes nouns, verbs, and adjectives related to various hobbies. For example: – Noun: Gakki (Musical instrument) – Verb: Undou suru (To exercise) – Adjective: Hayai (Fast)

Q: What are some communication tips for discussing hobbies in Japanese?

A: Some communication tips for discussing hobbies in Japanese are: – Practice active listening: Kikinagara kotaeru (Answer while listening). – Use appropriate body language: Shisatsu no houhou (How to show interest). – Show genuine interest: Jitsu ni kyoumi wo hyougen suru (Express genuine interest).

Q: What are some Japanese hobby conversation techniques?

A: Japanese hobby conversation techniques include: – Asking open-ended questions: Doushite ______ ga suki desu ka? (Why do you like ______?) – Expressing opinions: Watashi wa ______ wa ______ ga suki desu. (I like ______ because ______.) – Seeking recommendations: ______ no tame ni nani wo osusume shite kuremasu ka? (What do you recommend for ______?)

Q: What cultural considerations should I be aware of when discussing hobbies in Japanese?

A: Some cultural considerations to keep in mind when discussing hobbies in Japanese are: – Respect for personal space: Kojin no kukan ni taisuru kyougi (Respect for personal space). – Politeness and humility: Reigi to shitsuteki seishin (Politeness and modesty). – Avoiding direct disagreements: Chokusetsu na iitai wo shidai ni jikan (Give time for direct disagreements).

Q: What are the dos and don’ts for hobby-related conversations in Japanese?

A: The dos and don’ts for hobby-related conversations in Japanese are: – Do be respectful and polite: Reigi to aite wo kansha suru (Respect and appreciate your conversation partner). – Don’t make assumptions or stereotypes: Kakushu ya stereo ni motanai you ni suru (Avoid assumptions and stereotypes). – Do listen actively and ask follow-up questions: Kikinagara toiawaseru (Ask questions while listening).

Q: How can I enhance my Japanese hobby vocabulary?

A: You can enhance your Japanese hobby vocabulary by: – Using online platforms: Onrain purattofomu no shiyou (Utilize online platforms). – Reading books and materials: Hon ya shiryou wo dokushin suru (Read books and materials). – Utilizing language learning tools: Kotoba gakushuu tool wo benri ni tsukau (Make use of language learning tools).

Q: How can I practice conversations about hobbies in Japanese?

A: You can practice conversations about hobbies in Japanese by: – Finding language partners: Gengo pasuna wo mitsukeru (Find language partners). – Joining language exchange programs: Gengo kouryuu puroguramu ni sansei suru (Participate in language exchange programs). – Utilizing online language communities: Onrain gengo komyunitei wo riyou suru (Make use of online language communities).

About The Author

Hector Badosa

Hector Badosa is a passionate author and a dedicated hobbyist on a quest for all things fun and leisurely. With a penchant for adventure and a love for exploring diverse hobbies, Hector brings a unique blend of expertise and excitement to his contributions on HobbiesBlog.com .His articles are a delightful mix of hobbyist wisdom, personal anecdotes, and a touch of humor that aims to inspire readers to embrace the joy of hobbies and leisure pursuits. Hector's mission is to ignite the spark of curiosity and encourage fellow adventurers to find their own bliss in the world of hobbies. From Art & Music to Reading & Writing , uncover passions that enrich life. Discover Sports & Fitness , ignite creativity with Crafts, Games & DIY , and appreciate Collectibles & Antiques . Embark on culinary adventures, embrace Culinary Arts , and venture outdoors with Outdoor Activities . Dive into Tech & Digital realms, and satisfy wanderlust through Travel & Exploration . Connect with us for a journey of inspiration with Hobbies Blog .

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Your Step-by-Step Jikoshoukai Guide Learn the basics, practice, and create an advanced Japanese self-introduction

October 11, 2016 • words written by Mami Suzuki and Michael Richey • Art by Aya Francisco

Viewing under The Tofugu JET Program Guide

When you start learning Japanese or are visiting Japan for the first time , there are few words to learn right away:

Once you've mastered those three, you need to learn your jikoshoukai.

Jikoshoukai 自己紹介 （ じこしょうかい ） is the Japanese word for "self-introduction." In theory, this is similar to how you would introduce yourself in your own culture. Say hello, say your name, tell a little about yourself. But in practice, there are cultural differences and set procedures you should stick to. You only get one first impression, so it's important to learn how to do it right.

We'll start by teaching you the basic Japanese self-introduction, then cultural subtleties, and finally a ton of extra grammar and vocabulary you can use to talk about yourself with your new Japanese friends.

Jikoshoukai Vocabulary

Writing your jikoshoukai, 1. first name and family name, 2. occupation, 3. don't talk about yourself too much, 4. bowing vs. handshake, 5. holding your hands behind your back, 6. don't bow while talking, business cards, "nice to meet you", "please be kind to me", where you are from, your school, where you live, hobbies and proficiencies, plans for the future, only the beginning, how to jikoshoukai.

Going to Japan, but don't know Japanese? Don't worry. You can jikoshoukai. The Japanese self-intro has a standard order and set phrases, so even beginners can meet and greet in Japanese.

• How do you do?

The set phrase hajimemashite 初めまして （ はじ　　　　 ） either comes from the verb hajimeru 始める （ はじ　　 ） , which means "to start," or it's a shortened form of 初めて （ はじ　　 ） お 目 （ め ） にかかりまして. Though etymologists aren't sure of the word's true origin, hajimemashite implies beginning or doing something for the first time . Most people think of it as saying "How do you do?" or "Nice to meet you."

• 私 （ わたし ） は [name] と 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。
• My name is [name].

The breakdown of this sentence is easier than it looks. It has three parts:

• 私 （ わたし ） は - The first word 私 means "I" or "me." It's followed by the particle は which indicates the topic of the sentence. In this case, 私 is the topic.
• [name] - Your name.
• と 申します （ もう　　　 ） - One meaning of the verb 申す is "to be called." It's paired with the particle と and conjugated to 申します。 This is a polite phrase, so it's safe to use in almost any situation.

When you put them all together, you get something along the lines of "I am called [name]" or "My name is [name]."

• よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します。
• Please be kind to me.

The final piece of the puzzle is よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します. It doesn't translate well to English, which is why we wrote a whole article about it . In a self-intro situation, it means something like "Please be kind to me." It's often translated as "Nice to meet you." This isn't technically correct, though it carries a similar feeling.

Now that you've got the basic building blocks down, it's time to put it together. At its simplest, the jikoshoukai sequence is:

• はじめまして。 私 （ わたし ） は (name) と 申 （ もう ） します。よろしくお 願 （ ねが ） いします。
• How do you do? My name is (name). Please be kind to me.

See? Not so hard. When you're getting ready to meet Japanese people for the first time, write this out and practice until it flows. If you're a beginner at Japanese , you don't need any more than this.

Jikoshoukai Etiquette

It's great to know the words to say when introducing yourself in Japanese, but how you say those words will make or break your jikoshoukai.

There are cultural differences to be aware of. They're subtle, so if you miss them it probably won't be counted against you. But paying attention to details like these can give you an extra social edge when you first meet a new Japanese friend.

In English, people usually introduce themselves by their first names or full names. When you give your full name, the first name comes first and the family name afterward.

In Japanese, people usually introduce themselves by their family names or full names. When they introduce their full name, the family name comes first and the first name comes second.

Revealing one or two of your strengths is fine, but listing all your amazing abilities will annoy others and make you seem over-confident.

In English, when you asked what you do for work, you give a brief summary of your job, or the name of your profession.

In Japan, it's common to answer only, " 会社員 （ かいしゃいん ） です。" (I'm an office worker./I work for a company./I'm a salaryman.)

However, if you introduce yourself to someone in a business setting, mention your company in your self-intro. For example:

• Tofuguのコウイチと 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。
• I'm Koichi from Tofugu.

This concept goes along with our next point…

Japanese people sometimes say lightly self-deprecating things as a form of humility, but it's usually followed by something positive (or the positivity is implied). For example:

• 至らない点が多いかもしれませんが、頑張りますので、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します
• I might have many flaws, but I'll do my best so please be kind to me.

You don't have to say anything like this (in fact, we advise you don't), but the point is this: Japanese people usually keep their strengths on the down-low.

So try not to show off too much. Revealing one or two of your strengths is fine, but listing all your amazing abilities will annoy others and make you seem over-confident.

In the West, if you're meeting someone one-on-one, you shake hands.

In Japan, don't move in for the handshake, especially if your status is the same or lower than the person you're meeting. In Japan, handshakes are for equals, so if you try to shake hands with the Emperor, it would be considered rude. Bow instead, and do so at the beginning and end of your jikoshoukai.

In Japan, holding your hands behind your back signals importance, so it may make you look full of yourself. Put your hands in front of you (the left hand on top of the right), or put your hands beside you.

This is a no-no from our Japanese bowing guide . Do your bowing after giving your self-introduction. Make sure to finish saying "yoroshiku onegaishimasu" and then bow.

Business cards in Japan are called meishi 名刺 （ めいし ） , and are an important part of Japanese culture. Even outside of the business world, Japanese people sometimes have personal meishi made (meishi means "name card" after all).

We covered meishi etiquette in our article about Japanese work customs , but here are the rules again in a jikoshoukai context.

Orient your card toward the recipient. Give and receive meishi with two hands.

Put meishi in a carrying case: You can buy business card carrying cases online or at any department store in Japan. If you don't have a case, you can carefully put the meishi in your purse or wallet after you've received it. Just don't put it in your pocket.

Use two hands: Orient your card toward the recipient when presenting. Hold the top edge with both hands. When they offer their card, accept it with two hands. Try not to cover any words with your fingers either. Some Japanese people are taught that a meishi is the "face" of the person giving it, so you don't want to cover theirs or your own.

When you and your new friend offer each other meishi at the same time: Present your card with your right hand, while simultaneously receiving theirs with your left.

Read meishi you receive: Read the person's name and title on the card before you put it away. Make sure to show interest in what they do. Act at least a little bit impressed with their job title.

When exchanging meishi in a group, give to the most senior person first: Start by giving your business card to the shachou, then fukushachou, and so on down the chain of command .

Treat meishi with respect: Use common sense and treat meishi like you would a gift. Don't toss or write on them.

Expanding the Basic Jikoshoukai

Maybe you've been doing your Japanese self-intro for years, repeating the same three set phrases over and over. Maybe you've read this guide before and have the basics down pat. You're ready to level up!

Below are example sentences you can mix into your standard jikoshoukai to give it more flavor, and make your self-intro a memorable one.

Earlier we learned how to use はじめまして (nice to meet you, how do you do). Here's a few ways to add to this set phrase.

• こんにちは。はじめまして。
• Hello. Nice to meet you.
• みなさん、はじめまして。
• Nice to meet you, everyone.
• みなさん、こんにちは。はじめまして。
• Hello everyone. Nice to meet you.

For a formal situation, you should say both your first and last names. In a casual situation, it's common to say only your family name for Japanese people.

If you're an English teacher on something like the JET Program , your school might want you to give your first name when you introduce yourself to the students. Ask your supervisor what's appropriate for the situation.

Below are several ways to introduce your name, organized by politeness in ascending order.

• 私 （ わたし ） の 名前 （ なまえ ） はマイケルですが、みんなにはマイクって 呼ばれて （ よ　　　 ） います。
• My name is Michael, but most people call me Mike.
• I'm Michael.

Very Formal:

• マイケルと 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。

Very Formal/Business:

• Tofuguのマイケルと 申します （ もう　　　 ） 。
• I'm Michael from Tofugu.

When you end your jikoshoukai, you'll use a phrase that means "Please be kind to me" or "Remember me favorably." But once you've got a handle on the standard " yoroshiku onegaishimasu ," you can move on to more casual or more formal variations. Below we've organized them by politeness level in ascending order.

Polite/Business:

• どうぞ、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） します。
• よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 致します （ いた　　　 ） 。

Very Polite/Business:

• どうぞ、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 致します （ いた　　　 ） 。

Formal/Business:

• よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 申し上げます （ もう　あ　　　 ） 。
• どうぞ、よろしくお 願い （ ねが　 ） 申し上げます （ もう　あ　　　 ） 。

Custom Jikoshoukai Modification

From here we get into the fun stuff. After expanding on the initial three pieces of the Japanese self-introduction, you can start adding information about yourself, short sentences that explain where you're from, what you like to do, and so on.

These jikoshoukai modifications will help people get to know you faster when you first introduce yourself. This is especially important as you start to make more Japanese friends, go on dates, or have job interviews.

Telling where you're from is always a good addition to a self-intro. Even if you don't use it during the initial jikoshoukai, your new Japanese friend will probably ask you anyway, so memorizing a few of these phrases is extra useful.

Two quick vocabulary usage notes: First, the word shusshin 出身 （ しゅっしん ） mean's "person's origin," and refers more to the place you were born or grew up than where you currently live. It's often used for specific places like a city, state, or prefecture, rather than a country. For example, Mami was born in Osaka, and now lives in Canada. But she spent most of her life in Nara, so she says " 奈良県 （ ならけん ） の 出身 （ しゅっしん ） です。" or " 出身 （ しゅっしん ） は 奈良県 （ ならけん ） です。"

Second, the verb mairu 参る （ まいる ） is a more humble form of kuru 来る （ く　 ） or iku 行く （ い　 ） . So when 参る （ まい　 ） is used to talk about where you came from in "アメリカから 参りました （ まい　　　 ） ," it's much more humble, so use it in appropriate situations.

• アメリカの 出身 （ しゅっしん ） です。
• I'm from America.
• アメリカから 来ました （ き　　　 ） 。
• アメリカから 参りました （ まい　　　　 ） 。
• オレゴン 州 （ しゅう ） のポートランドから 来ました （ き　　　 ） 。 生まれ （ う　　 ） も 育ち （ そだ　 ） もポートランドです。
• I'm from Portland, Oregon. Born and raised.
• 生まれ （ う　　 ） は 大阪 （ おおさか ） ですが、 育ち （ そだ　 ） は 東京 （ とうきょう ） です。
• I was born in Osaka, but grew up in Tokyo.
• 育ち （ そだ　 ） はニューヨークです。
• I grew up in New York.
• 田舎 （ いなか ） で 育ちました （ そだ　　　　 ） 。
• I grew up in the countryside.
• 生まれ （ う　　 ） は 東京 （ とうきょう ） ですが、 十歳 （ じゅうさい ） の 時 （ とき ） に 大阪 （ おおさか ） に 引っ越しました （ ひ　こ　　　　 ） 。そして、 大学 （ だいがく ） に 入る （ はい　 ） 時 （ とき ） に、 名古屋 （ なごや ） に 引っ越して （ ひ　こ　　 ） 来ました （ き　　　 ） 。
• I was born in Tokyo, but moved to Osaka when I was ten, and lived there until I entered university, which is when I came to Nagoya.
• 小さい （ ちい　　 ） 時 （ とき ） 、 家族 （ かぞく ） が 何度も （ なんど　 ） 引っ越した （ ひ　こ　　 ） ので、 私 （ わたし ） には 育った （ そだ　　 ） 場所 （ ばしょ ） というのはないんです。
• My family moved a lot when I was little, so I'm not really from anywhere.

School, from elementary up through university , is a big part of Japanese life. Be prepared to have people ask alma mater and what you studied. Or cut them off at the pass by including the information in your jikoshoukai.

• Ⓐ 大学 （ だいがく ） Ⓑ 学部 （ がくぶ ） Ⓒ 科 （ か ） の 出身 （ しゅっしん ） です。
• I graduated from the Ⓒ department of the faculty of Ⓑ of Ⓐ University.
• Ⓐ 大学 （ だいがく ） Ⓑ 学部 （ がくぶ ） Ⓒ 科 （ か ） の 学生 （ がくせい ） です。
• I'm a student of the Ⓒ department of the faculty of Ⓑ of Ⓐ University.
• Ⓐ 大学 （ だいがく ） Ⓑ 学部 （ がくぶ ） Ⓒ 科 （ か ） の 二年生 （ にねんせい ） です。
• I'm a second year student of the Ⓒ department of the faculty of Ⓑ of Ⓐ University.
• オレゴン 大学 （ だいがく ） で、 二年間 （ にねんかん ） 東 （ ひがし ） アジアの 歴史 （ れきし ） を 専攻 （ せんこう ） していました。
• I studied East Asian history at Oregon university for two years.

Occupation is a common conversation topic when meeting someone new. If you're doing business in Japan (or want to), you'd better learn at least one of these phrases.

A quick grammar usage note: some of these jikoshoukai example sentences use the continuous state conjugation of suru する （ ） which is shiteimasu しています （ ） . If you want to get extra polite with any of these sentences, swap out しています with shiteorimasu しております （ ） . One easy switch and you're ready to tell CEOs and presidents about your work situation.

• Tofuguで 編集長 （ へんしゅうちょう ） を しています 。
• I'm the chief editor of Tofugu.
• トヨタで 営業 （ えいぎょう ） を 担当 （ たんとう ） しています 。
• I'm working in sales at Toyota.
• 会計課 （ かいけいか ） に 配属 （ はいぞく ） になりました、 佐藤 （ さとう ） です。
• I'm Satou , assigned to the accounts department.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 会社員 （ かいしゃいん ） です。
• I'm an office worker.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 英語 （ えいご ） の 教師 （ きょうし ） です。
• I'm an English teacher.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 英語 （ えいご ） を 教えています （ おし　　　　　 ） 。
• I teach English.
• 私 （ わたし ） はこの 学校 （ がっこう ） で 英語 （ えいご ） を 教えます （ おし　　　 ） 。
• I'm going to teach English at this school.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 東 （ ひがし ） フグ 小学校 （ しょうがっこう ） で 働いて （ はたら　　 ） います。
• I'm working at East Fugu Elementary School.
• 私 （ わたし ） は 東 （ ひがし ） フグ 小学校 （ しょうがっこう ） に 勤めて （ つと　　 ） います。
• I'm working for East Fugu Elementary School.

"You live around here?" is a common question no matter the culture. Be ready to answer questions about your living situation with these sentences.

• 東京 （ とうきょう ） に 住んで （ す　　 ） います。
• I live in Tokyo.
• 東京 （ とうきょう ） 駅 （ えき ） の 近く （ ちか　 ） に 住んで （ す　　 ） います。
• I live near Tokyo station.
• 東京 （ とうきょう ） 駅 （ えき ） の 近く （ ちか　 ） のマンションに 住んで （ す　　 ） います。
• I live in an apartment near Tokyo station.

Hobbies are super important part of life in Japan. Japanese junior high and high school students take school club activities seriously ( sometimes more than academics ) and this passion often continues into adult life. If you have a hobby, that is your "thing." Even if you don't think of your interests as "hobbies," describe them as such anyway. It will help people understand you better . Alternatively, you can say what you like and don't like.

• 趣味 （ しゅみ ） は[____]です。
• My hobby is [____].
• 趣味 （ しゅみ ） は[____]することです。
• My hobby is to do [____]
• [____]が 趣味 （ しゅみ ） です。
• [____]することが 趣味 （ しゅみ ） です。
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]が 好き （ す　 ） です。
• I like [____]
• [____]も 好き （ す　 ） です。
• I also like [____]
• [____]は 好き （ す　 ） ではありません。
• I don't like [____]
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]することが 好き （ す　 ） です。
• I like to do [____]
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]が 得意 （ とくい ） です。
• I'm good at [____].
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]することが 得意 （ とくい ） です。
• I'm good at doing [____].
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]が 苦手 （ にがて ） です。
• I'm not good at/I don't like [____](noun)
• 私 （ わたし ） は[____]することが 苦手 （ にがて ） です。
• I'm not good at doing [____].

What do you want to be when you grow up? What new skills are you trying to develop? What are you going to eat for lunch tomorrow? Answer these questions and more with the example sentences below.

Grammar usage note: the noun tsumori つもり （ ） is used to tell what you plan to do. It's most commonly used in situations where you've already made up your mind. It's definite. Don't use it for instances where you're kind of maybe thinking about something, but you're not sure yet.

• [____]ようと 考えて （ かんが　　 ） います。
• I'm thinking about doing [____].
• [____]したいと 思って （ おも　　 ） います。
• I'd like to do [____].
• [____]つもりです。
• 私 （ わたし ） の 目標 （ もくひょう ） は[____]です。
• My object is [____].
• [____]に 挑戦 （ ちょうせん ） したいと 思って （ おも　　 ） います。
• I'd like to challenge [____].

Now you know what it takes to put together a stellar jikoshoukai in Japanese. Put the pieces together, mind the cultural differences, and practice till its second nature.

With a solid self-intro on your side, you're poised to start your relationships right. Just don't forget your business cards.

• Vocabulary Building Method
• Question Sentences
• List of all patterns
• Expressions by Scene

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How to Talk About Your Hobbies in Japanese

Learning a new language is not just about mastering grammar and vocabulary; it’s also about diving into the culture and expressing yourself. Today, we’re going to explore how to talk about your hobbies in Japanese. So, let’s get started and make your Japanese learning journey a bit more fun!

• 1 Starting the Conversation: “What’s Your Hobby?”
• 2 Expressing Your Interests: “I Like…”
• 3 Getting Specific: “My Favorite is…”
• 4 Sharing Experience: “I’ve Been Doing…”

Starting the Conversation: “What’s Your Hobby?”

When you’re meeting someone for the first time or trying to know them better, asking about hobbies is a great icebreaker. Let’s learn how to initiate this conversation in Japanese.

趣味は何ですか？ しゅみはなんですか？ Shumi wa nan desu ka? What is your hobby?

・趣味 /しゅみ /shumi/ hobby

Expressing Your Interests: “I Like…”

Once the conversation about hobbies starts, you’ll want to express your interests. Here’s how you can say what you like to do in your free time.

私は読書が好きです。 わたしはどくしょがすきです。 Watashi wa dokusho ga suki desu. I like reading.

・読書 /どくしょ /dokusho/ reading

音楽を聴くのが好きです。 おんがくをきくのがすきです。 Ongaku o kiku no ga suki desu. I like listening to music.

Getting Specific: “My Favorite is…”

You can talk about your favorites if you want to be more specific about your hobbies. This adds depth to the conversation.

私のお気に入りはジャズです。 わたしのおきにいりはじゃずです。 Watashi no okiniiri wa jazu desu. My favorite is jazz.

・お気に入り /おきにいり /okiniiri/ favorite

Sharing Experience: “I’ve Been Doing…”

Talking about how long you’ve been engaged in your hobby can make the conversation more engaging. Let’s learn how to express this.

私は5年間ピアノを弾いています。 わたしはごねんかんぴあのをひいています。 Watashi wa go-nenkan piano wo hiiteimasu. I’ve been playing the piano for 5 years.

・年間 /ねんかん /nenkan/ years

We hope this guide helps you talk about your hobbies and interests in Japanese more fluently. Remember, practice makes perfect. So, go ahead and strike up a conversation about your hobbies the next time you meet someone. Happy learning!

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Hobbies in Japanese: Guide for Daily Conversation

Learn essential words and phrases used to talk about your hobbies in japanese., i want to learn....

Learning to discuss your hobbies in Japanese is one of those things that you can use on a daily basis as you meet and talk with new people. Sharing or discussing your hobbies can be a great way to start or continue a conversation or to simply get to know a person better.

In this guide, we provide you with the sentence structure , useful phrases and vocabulary you need to talk about your hobbies in Japanese.

How to talk about hobbies in Japanese

What is ‘hobby’ in japanese.

The Japanese word for ‘hobby’ is shumi (しゅみ・趣味). There are two ways to tell about your hobbies using basic sentence patterns. You can initiate your conversation by using these phrases to state your interest.

Let’s have a look at these two sentence patterns to discuss hobbies.

Pattern 1: Shumi wa [ hobby ] desu . 趣味は〜です

(“My hobby is __ .”)

This sentence pattern is the basic noun sentence pattern, which is probably the very first sentence a Japanese language learner encounters. It has the following format:

[noun A] wa [noun B] desu .　([noun A] は [noun B] です。)

This translates to mean, “A is B,” which is how you describe noun A. If you know how to say the particular word for your hobby, you are all set.

Below is a table of some common words for hobbies, which you can apply to the [noun B] part and get started on forming sentences.

List of hobbies in Japanese

By plugging in the name of a particular hobby into the sentence pattern “Shumi wa [ hobby ] desu,” you can easily create sentences like the ones below:

• My hobby is reading. Shumi wa dokusho desu . 趣味は 読書です。
• My hobby is cooking. Shumi wa ryōri desu . 趣味は 料理です。

Are you finding this quite easy?

When you simply wish to mention your hobbies, this sentence pattern is all you need. But if you want to specify the action in the activity, you need to know another sentence pattern.

Let’s say that your hobby is sports, and you wish to talk about watching sports or playing sports. In order to do this, you need to include verbs to provide more details. Let’s look at the next pattern.

Pattern 2: Shumi wa [ hobby ] o [ verb ] koto desu . 趣味は〜を〜ことです

(“My hobby is [verb + noun].”)

Using the pattern ‘verb (the dictionary form) + koto (こと),’ you can change the verb to fit the sentence pattern that we have already learned. We can sort of transform the verb into a noun by adding ‘koto’ (こと).

If you know the verbs ‘miru’ (みる), which means ‘to see’ or ‘to watch,’ and ‘suru’ (する), which means ‘to do’ or ‘to play,’ you can add depth to your sentence. Let’s look at the following sentences using verbs to express more detail:

• My hobby is watching sports. Shumi wa spōtsu o miru koto desu. 趣味はスポーツをみることです。
• My hobby is playing sports. Shumi wa spōtsu o suru koto desu. 趣味はスポーツをすることです。
• My hobby is movies. Shumi wa eiga desu. 趣味は映画です。
• My hobby is watching movies. Shumi wa eiga o miru koto desu . 趣味は映画をみることです。
• My hobby is making movies. Shumi wa eiga o tsukuru koto desu . (tsukuru = ’to make’) 趣味は映画をつくることです。

Knowing how to change the verb as we’ve done here by adding koto (こと) is very useful to know since we can also apply this to another sentence pattern to express interest. We will be looking at that pattern in the ‘expressing your interest’ section later on.

Ready to take your Japanese hobby to the next level?

If your hobby is learning Japanese, Busuu can help you improve and make steady progress.

Our user-friendly courses break language learning down into easy, bite-sized steps so you can stay motivated and keep learning. You can even get feedback from the native Japanese speakers in our online community.

How to say multiple hobbies in Japanese

To talk about multiple hobbies, we can list the hobbies in noun form and connect them by using the conjunction ‘to’ (と), which means ‘and.’

For example, let’s say you want to say that your hobbies are traveling and cooking. Using the vocabulary from the above table, you can easily form your sentence:

My hobbies are traveling and cooking.

Shumi wa ryokō to ryōri desu.

趣味は旅行と料理です。

How easy is that! Now you might want to know more vocabulary to express your hobbies. Here are some words to express a variety of activities related to sports, arts and common outdoor activities.

Words for hobbies, sports, art and outdoors activities

Useful vocabulary for expressing your interests

There are some words that are worth remembering for expressing your interests or talking about your hobbies. Let’s look at three patterns.

Pattern 1: ~ ga suki desu 　〜が好きです

‘Suki’ means ‘to like’ or ‘to adore something.’ In Japanese this word is an adjective, though in English it is a verb.To form a sentence with “I like…,” you can use this sentence pattern:

I like tennis.

Tenisu ga suki desu.

Here we can use the word ‘koto’ as we learned earlier to specify the action in the activity, as you can see in the examples below.

• I like playing sports. Spōtsu o suru koto ga suki desu. スポーツをすることがすきです。
• I like watching movies. Eiga o miru koto ga suki desu . 映画をみることがすきです。

If you like a certain activity and do not want to mention it as a hobby in a formal way, you can simply use this sentence pattern.

Pattern 2: ~ ga tokui desu 〜が得意です

When you wish to tell about a skill you have, you can use this pattern. This word ‘tokui’ (とくい・得意) is mostly used to express your own ability, as in the example below:

I am good at swimming.

Watashi wa suiei ga tokui desu.

Pattern 3: ~ ga jōzu desu. 〜が上手です

When you wish to mention someone’s skill as a compliment, you can use the word ‘jōzu’ (上手・じょうず). Simply mention the person you would like to compliment and the skill you admire as follows:

Mr.Tanaka is good at singing.

Tanaka san wa uta ga jōzu desu.

田中さんは歌が上手です。

Interesting and unique Japanese hobbies

Besides the kinds of hobbies you might be used to, there are many interesting hobbies that are unique to Japan. Let’s now learn about some Japanese traditional activities that are still practiced by many people in Japan as well as other countries. This will give you deeper insight into Japanese culture, which is helpful as you learn to speak Japanese.

Shodō is Japanese calligraphy. It may be a meditation-like activity with an art element in it. You will need a calligraphy brush, a special ink stick called a sumi (墨・すみ), a suzuri (硯・すずり) stone to grind the ink stick, and some traditional washi (和紙・わし) paper.

If you pick shodō as your hobby, it can help you with your Japanese writing skills as well. It’s an activity that provides not only enjoyment but also improves your language skills! Shodō is also part of the school curriculum in Japan, meaning Japanese kids are given the opportunity to practice calligraphy at school.

Kyūdō is Japanese archery. In Japan there are many high schools and universities that have a kyūdō team or club as an extracurricular activity. The students practice or perform kyūdō in traditional Japanese hakama (袴・はかま) costumes. It is a sport that requires deep focus.

Sadō is a Japanese tea ceremony. It is said that sadō was established during the Muromachi (室町・むろまち) period, which goes back to the 14th to 16th centuries.

The Japanese tea ceremony consists of preparing, serving and drinking tea in a ritualized way, typically in a traditional tea room with a tatami (畳・たたみ) floor. The tea ceremony is believed to be a way of creating a bond between the participants, the guests and the host, and also a way to cultivate inner peace and the awareness of well-being and inner harmony.

Kadō is a traditional Japanese flower arrangement, and it is also called ‘ ikebana ’ (生け花). The word ‘ka’ of Kadō means flower and ‘ikebana’ literally means ‘living flower.’

The Japanese style of flower arrangement tends to look more minimalistic compared to Western styles, as Japanese value the natural line of branches of a flower rather than the symmetry preferred in Western flower arrangements.

You may have noticed that so far all the activities mentioned, shodō, kyūdō, sadō , and kadō , end with the word ‘ dō. ’ This word means ‘path’ or ‘way,’ with a connotation of philosophy or doctrine.

Famous martial arts such as aikidō (合気道・あいきどう), kendō (剣道・けんどう) and judō (柔道・じゅうどう) all contain the word dō . All of these activities have an element of mental, spiritual and personal growth achieved by mastering the respective activities.

Since bonsai is well known in many countries, you have probably not only heard of the word ‘bonsai’ but also seen a photo of a miniature bonsai tree.

Bonsai trees will be a good fit in your home or office and appreciated by many. It’s not just because of how lovely they look, but also because it takes time and patience to achieve and maintain that beauty. Bonsai can be a great hobby to pursue in the long term.

Wrapping up

We have covered some key phrases for stating your hobbies in Japanese as well as useful sentences to express your interests. We’ve also looked at lists of vocabulary for hobbies.

By now, you are ready to try talking about your hobbies in Japanese. As a reminder, here are the key phrases:

Shumi wa [ hobby ] desu. (My hobby is _ __ .) 趣味は〜です。

Shumi wa [ hobby ] o suru koto desu. (My hobby is verb + noun.) 趣味は〜をすることです。

By practising our list of words and key phrases, you’ll be able to improve your communication skills in Japanese . Learning a new language and sharing your interests with new people can be such an enjoyable experience. And it’s a great way to start conversations with the people you meet, which will give you even more practice in daily Japanese conversation .

Eager to improve your Japanese skills?

Why not take a free Japanese lesson with Busuu and learn the grammar and vocabulary you need to have real conversations?

Level up with courses crafted by language experts, and get support and feedback from an active community of language learners and native Japanese speakers.

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Japanese Talk

Don't just study Japanese, use it!

How to Talk About Hobbies in Japanese

Talking about hobbies is a great way to get to know someone when you first meet them! It’s also a good way to use and learn a lot of new verbs and interests in Japanese.

Talking about Hobbies in Japanese

“What’s your hobby?” / “What are your hobbies?”

趣味（しゅみ）は何（なに）？                 [Casual] 趣味（しゅみ）は何（なん）ですか？     [Polite]

(しゅみは)  [noun] だ。              [Casual] (しゅみは) [noun] です。          [Polite]

Note: You see lots of articles online saying 「わたしのしゅみは___です」, but this is a very “textbook” answer and sounds very wooden in Japanese. If someone has asked you what your hobby is, you don’t have to say 「わたしの」 because it’s already been established that you’re talking about you!

This is the same with 「しゅみは」. If someone directly asks you 「しゅみはなんですか？」then you don’t need to repeat 「しゅみは」 because you both already know that’s what you’re talking about.

Common Hobbies (Nouns)

Let’s say you’ve just met someone for the first time. You want to be polite with them so you will probably use the more polite「です」.

A: しゅみはなんですか？

B: えっと。。。かいものですね。

But if you’ve met someone a few times and the two of you use casual language with one other the conversation will probably go along the lines of:

B: しゅみ？ギターだね。

When you want to talk about a hobby which is a verb

Common hobbies (verbs).

走る（はしる）- running 歩く（あるく）OR 散歩（さんぽ）する – walking 友達に会う（ともだちにあう）- meeting friends 写真を撮る（しゃしんをとる）- taking photos 音楽を弾く（おんがくをひく）- playing music (an instrument) 旅行をする（りょこうをする）- travelling ネットにのる – surfing the net 外食する（がいしょくする）- to eat out テレビ・映画（えいが）を見る – to watch TV/movies 本（ほん）・マンガを読む（よむ）- to read books/manga 絵を描く（えをかく）- to draw/paint pictures 料理する（りょうりする）- to cook food (can also just say りょうり without する) 衣装を作る（いしょうをつくる）- to make costumes コスプレする – to cosplay

If you want to say “I watch anime” you can’t just say 「アニメをみます」… well you can… but it just means “I watch anime”. It doesn’t sound natural and doesn’t flow given the context. So if someone asks you 「しゅみはなんですか？」 and you want to say “my hobby is watching anime”, you need to turn the verb into a noun and add です or だ to finish the sentence . (All sentences that finish in a noun end with です or だ!)

Verb plain form + こと* = turns a verb into a noun (a nominalizer) + です。

（しゅみは）アニメをみる こと です。- (My hobby is) watching anime. （しゅみは）ほんをよむ こと です。- (My hobby is) reading books. （しゅみは）りょうりをする こと です。- (My hobby is) cooking. （しゅみは）衣装（いしょう）を作る（つくる） こと です。- (My hobby is) making costumes.

*こと kind of means “the thing or event surrounding the verb”. As you can see, it doesn’t directly translate into English.

You can take this one step further and say “I like watching anime”. Again, you need to turn the verb into a noun, but in a slightly different way.

Verb plain form + の* = turn s a verb into a noun (nominalizer) + が好き（すき）です 。

アニメをみる の がすきです。I like watching anime. ほんをよむ の がすきです。I like reading books. りょうりをする の がすきです。I like cooking. いしょうをつくる の がすきです。I like making costumes.

* の means “this specific verb”, again it doesn’t directly translate but does turn the verb into a noun.

You can say 「アニメをみる ことがすきです 」 but that sounds very wooden and unnatural.

However, の cannot be used with です or だ! So you CANNOT say 「アニメを みるのです 」X

You can, of course, say what you like rather than your hobbies. So…

アニメがすきです。- I like anime. ほんがすきです。- I like books. りょうりがすきです。- I like cooking. コスプレがすきです。- I like cosplay.

(Remember to only use の with a verb! ) Also notice how I didn’t use the examples for “costumes”. If you just said 「いしょうがすきです」it would mean “I like costumes” not “I like making costumes”.

When you want to talk about more than 1 hobby

So let’s say you want to tell someone that you like watching anime, reading manga and walking. You would use the following grammar structure:

Verb (た form) たり、 Verb たり している。  = I do [verb], and [verb], (and other things).

( Click here if you don’t know what た form is or how to make it .)

The normal form of the above grammar is たり、たりする, but because a hobby is something you do  consistently   you should turn the する into continuous form, which is している (casual) or しています (polite).

This grammar for also implies that you do/did other things besides what you’re telling the listener. But you don’t want to list off every single thing, which is why you’ll only mention 2-3 things.

B: （しゅみは）アニメをみ たり 、マンガをよん だり 、さんぽし たりしています 。

You can even combine the grammar to say something like “ I like watching anime and reading manga”

あにめをみ たり 、マンガをよん だり する のがすきです 。

You can also ask someone (or be asked): ひまなとき、何（なに）をしますか？  – what do you do in your spare time? 休日（きゅうじつ）は何をしますか？ – what do you do on your days off?

This is probably a lot more natural than asking “what is your hobby” and will more likely get a response like the above.

The above grammar can also be used to talk about what you did recently: 週末（しゅうまつ）は何（なに）をしましたか？ – what did you do this weekend?

To which you can reply: えいがみ たり 、かいものし たりしました 。 – I saw a movie, went shopping (and did other things).

Notice how する is not in continuous form, but past tense? It’s because that’s what you did on the weekend.

I hope that helps you talk about your hobbies and understand others! Let me know what your hobbies are, or if you have any questions, or if I missed anything!

じゃ、みんなさん、しゅみはなんですか？

Related post, why it’s important to speak japanese early on, how i learn japanese, how to learn japanese: the ultimate beginners guide.

How To Talk About Hobbies In Japanese? 50+ Basic Vocabulary

• , October 28, 2022

Want to enhance your Japanese conversational skills and level up your small talk with the local people in Japan as a traveler ? Then you should learn how to talk about hobbies in Japanese!

Asking about someone’s hobbies is a great way to start small talk and get to know a person better. It’s likely that Japanese people will ask you what you do in your free time after you introduce yourself in a casual conversation.

When you’re asked those kinds of questions, it’s a perfect opportunity to leave a good impression on Japanese people and express yourself and your lifestyle in the best way. Who knows, maybe you have some common hobbies with a Japanese person and you will turn out to be great friends!

So, if you’re learning Japanese before you set off to Japan, you should definitely add hobbies to your Japanese vocabulary! In this blog post, you’ll find a comprehensive vocabulary list for hobbies in Japanese, traditional Japanese hobbies, plus many other useful Japanese phrases .

Page Contents:

Why should you learn hobbies in japanese, unique traditional japanese hobbies, japanese vocabulary list for hobbies, how to talk about hobbies in japanese, learn japanese with ling app.

Hobbies, such as watching movies, and reading books, have a big place in our lives. They even give clues about our lifestyles. Also, people tend to have better relationships with people they have many things in common.

So, I see hobbies as a mediator between people. They enjoy talking about their hobbies and they end up doing these activities together.

That’s why you should be able to talk about your hobbies and favorite things in Japanese as well.

By learning about traditional pastime activities in Japan, you can properly experience Japanese culture and I’m sure you’ll find these authentic activities interesting.

生け花 (Ikebana) – Traditional Japanese Flower Arranging

生け花 (ikebana) literally means “living flower.” Basically, it is a flower-arranging activity but it is actually more than that. People who practice ikebana feel closer to nature. It provides a kind of spiritual well-being like meditation. If you are interested in aesthetics, decoration, and colors you should try ikebana.

書道 (Shodō) – Japanese Calligraphy

Another meditation-like Japanese pastime activity is Shodo. To practice this beautiful Japanese calligraphy art, you’ll need a brush, ink stick, ink stone, and special mulberry paper. This activity can help you with your Japanese writing skills as a result.

弓道 (Kyūdō) – Japanese Archery

Kyudo is known as Japanese archery. It’s practiced in a kimono, hakama, and tabi. (You can check out this blog post to learn about clothes in Japanese!) You need to be active and dedicated, to practice kyudo successfully since it is a sport that requires deep focus.

マンガ (Manga) – Japanese Comic Books

Manga, also known as Japanese comic books, has been around since the middle of the last century, but it has only become a facet of Japanese culture in the last couple of decades. Since manga covers every genre, people of all ages and from all backgrounds read the comics.

Also, popular manga series are often adapted into anime (アニメ), also known as Japanese cartoons, for those who are more into watching than reading.

Here is a comprehensive list of Japanese words used to express common hobbies.

These are the most commonly used phrases to ask about someone’s hobby and answer it in Japanese.

• 趣味は + noun+ だ。(casual)

Or if you want to sound polite:

• 趣味は + noun + です。(polite)

If someone directly asks you “しゅみはなんですか” you don’t have to repeat 趣味は (し ゅ み は) while answering since you both already know you’re talking about hobbies. For example:

Japanese Phrases To Ask Someone’s Hobbies

Talk about what you like to do with 好きです.

You can also talk about your hobbies by describing what you like doing in your free time. To form an “I like…” sentence in Japanese, you should use the phrase 好きです.

Your hobby + 好きです

If you want to learn more Japanese and practice what you’ve learned in this blog post, why don’t you try Ling App ?

If you want to learn Japanese , among the 60+ languages offered in the app, the Ling App is here for you!

The Ling app provides a wealth of Japanese vocabulary that you can learn at your own pace. Just grab your iOS or Android device right now and head to Google  Play Store  or Apple  App Store  to download it. Mini-games, puzzles, and AI chatbots to practice Japanese speaking skills are just a few of the interactive activities to help you learn Japanese easily.

Plus, don’t forget to visit our  Japanese blog  weekly to learn more about the Japanese language and culture!

Most Japanese learners use Ling to improve their language skills, so why not join them? Download the Ling App , and get ready to speak Japanese soon!

Until next time, じゃあまたね!

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How to Introduce Yourself in Japanese! Jikoshoukai (自己紹介)

Are you going to live in Japan? Better prepare yourself with a Japanese self-introduction – a jikoshoukai. Early in your Japanese study, this language knowledge will help you establish yourself among Japanese friends and colleagues. 

In various contexts in Japan (such as school, work, parties, etc.) you will need to introduce yourself. What should you say? How do condense everything about yourself into just one or two minutes?

Do not be afraid, we will introduce step by step the way to give a successful Japanese jikoshoukai!

Coto Academy is a Japanese language school located in Tokyo and Yokohama . With its small class sizes and flexible course schedule , we ensure the students find their community here in Japan and learn practical and useful daily-life Japanese by focusing on conversational practice.

Introducing Yourself (Jikoshoukai) in Japanese

• How to Start a Self-Introduction Session

Where are you from?

Why do you study japanese, why are you in japan, interests and hobbies, the final step: yoroshiku, starting a self-introduction session in japanese.

Begin with a greeting and state your name. Whether you prepare to introduce yourself to a curious crowd of classmates or to one person, make sure to say hello first! Depending on the time of the day, you may say ohayou gozaimasu, konnichiwa, konbanwa. Do you know the difference? Or you can simply state “hajimemashite” – “nice to meet you.”

You can politely say your name with the to-be verb “desu”, or the verb “to say” (言います). In a more formal context, such as an interview, you should use a more formal structure. Note that Japanese people are used to giving their family name first and their given name second.

Casual: 私の名前はボンド・ジェームズ です。 Watashi nonamae ha bondo jieemuzu desu. My name is James bond. Polite: ボンド・ジェームズです。 Bondo, jieemuzu desu. I am James Bond. Polite: ボンド・ジェームズと言います。 Bondo, jieemuzu to iimasu. My name is James Bond. Formal: ボンド・ジェームズと申します。 Bondo, jieemuzu to moushimasu. I am James Bond.

Being a foreigner in Japan is always stimulating the imagination of Japanese. Whether you are from Spain, Germany or Australia, they will more likely give some exotic origins and be surprised to hear the truth. So the next step of your jikoshoukai is to introduce your country and eventually your city! Tips: if you are American and wish to precise your state, you will have to use shuu (州, しゅう).

イギリス（のロンドン）から来ました。 Igirisu (no rondon) kara kimashita. I came from London, England.

アメリカのカリフォルニア州から来ました。 Amerika no karifuorunia shuu kara kimashita. I came from California, in America.

You can also tell where you are from with the word for origins (出身, しゅっしん) or an even easier way would be to give your nationality by adding jin (人, じん) after a country’s name.

マドリッド出身です。 Madoriddo shusshin desu. I am from Madrid. パリ出身です。 Pari shusshin desu. I am from Paris. ドイツ人です。 Doetsu jin desu. I am German. インドネシア人です。 Indoneshia jin desu. I am Indonesian.

Obviously, this is the hot point of your introduction. Not only will Japanese be flattered, but they will be eager to know why you are studying their language. If you are confident enough, you can speak about for how long you have studied Japanese, how, where etc. .

日本の文化に興味があるから、日本語を勉強しています。 Nihon no bunka ni kyoumi ga aru kara, nihongo wo benkyou shite imasu. I am interested in the Japanese culture, that is why I study Japanese.

You could have closed earlier. But giving more details is the recipe for a good jikoshoukai, after which you will proudly answer the crowd’s questions. Many reasons might have led you to come to live in Kawagoe or in Sapporo. Whether you are in Japan for a short stay out of pure curiosity or for a longer commitment, you should say…

日本語を勉強するために日本に来ました。 Nihongo wo benkyou suru tame ni nihon ni kimashita. I came to Japan to study Japanese.

Whether you are a student or working, the “occupation” has an important place in Japanese culture. The Japanese you are introducing yourself to will not be surprised to hear you stating what you are doing. Students can say that they are studying at University or in a school or state that they are (university or not) students.

大学/学校で勉強しています。 Daigaku /gakkou de benkyou shite imasu.

（大）学生です。 (dai) gakusei desu.

If you are working, the following examples should help you prepare your introduction:

私の仕事は先生です。 Watashi no shigoto ha sensei desu. I work as a teacher.

英語の先生です。 Eigo no sensei desu. I am an English teacher.

スペイン語の先生をしています。 Supeingo no sensei wo shite imasu. I work as a Spanish teacher.

Depending on your level, you can always try to give a more rich jikoshoukai explaining in more details what you are studying or exactly doing at your workplace.

This part would be smart in a friendly context. If  you are meeting new people, it is always enjoyable to share your passions in Japanese. You can speak about your hobbies and what you like in various ways but the two easiest ones are the expression to like (好き, suki) and the word hobby (趣味, shumi).

料理好きです。 Ryouri suki desu. I like cooking.

趣味はスポーツです。 Shumi ha supottsu desu. My hobby is sport.

趣味は漫画を読むことです。 Shumi ha manga wo yomu koto desu. My hobby is to read manga.

We have spoken before of the wonders of the Japanese yoroshiku onegaishimasu an expression difficult to translate in other languages. A jikoushokai usually ends with this phrase, meaning in such context, that you look forward to the relationship with your new friends.

Casual: よろしく！ Yoroshiku! Nice to meet you!

Formal: 今後もどうぞよろしくお願い致します。 Kongo mo douzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu I look forward to our relationship from now on.

Polite: どうぞよろしくお願いします。 Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu. I look forward to our relationship.

Proper etiquette is very important for Japanese culture. When introducing yourself, make sure that your manner is professional and appropriate. Japanese people usually do not shake hands in professional settings, so usually it is best to just bow instead. People usually bow once at the beginning and once at the end of their jikoshoukai. For casual interactions, handshakes are sometimes OK. Make sure to “read the air” of the situation to see if it it appropriate. In many professional settings, it is best to keep your hands at your sides while you are talking. And avoid crossing your arms if possible!

Now You Can Introduce Yourself in Japanese!

Now, you are ready for your very first jikoshoukai! Always remember that a self-introduction with a group of friends or with your new boss will be different. You can be casual with people of your age, but should always be formal in a business environment. Be even more prepared to give a strong and polite self-introduction for a job interview !

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Hobbies in Japanese

How do you tell people what you like to do in Japanese? In this free audio lesson you’ll learn how to say “I like” in Japanese. Whether it’s singing, basketball, night clubbing or going to the movies, you’ll learn how to speak about hobbies in Japanese , and things you enjoy.

Talking about shared interests is a great way to establish common ground. Being able to talk about yourself and ask about others in Japanese will help you make friends - and make the conversation more interesting!

Resources for further reading: Want to know how long it takes to learn Japanese? Improve your pronunciation of Japanese words

Pronunciation of hobbies in Japanese

Practice your pronunciation with rocket record.

Rocket Record lets you perfect your Japanese pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!

わたし　の　しゅみ　は

Watashi no shumi wa…

My hobby is...

あなたは、何をするのが一番好きですか

あなた　は　なに　を　するのが　いちばん　すきです　か

Anata wa nani o surunoga ichiban sukidesu ka?

What do you like doing best?

Hima na jikan

The free time

私は [...] のファンです

わたし　は [...] の　ファン　です

Watashi wa [...] no fan desu.

I'm a fan of…

あなたの趣味は何ですか

あなた　の　しゅみ　は　なん　です　か

Anata no shumi wa nan desu ka?

What are your hobbies?

あなたは暇な時、何をしますか

あなた　は　ひま　な　とき　なに　を　します　か

Anata wa hima na toki, nani o shimasu ka?

What do you do in your free time?

So, tell me what do you like to do?

私は歌うことが好きです

わたし　は　うたう　こと　が　すき　です

Watashi wa utau koto ga suki desu.

I like singing.

私は料理をするのが好きです

わたし　は　りょうり　を　する　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa ryōri o suru no ga suki desu.

I like cooking.

私はサッカーをするのが好きです

わたし　は　サッカー　を　する　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa sakkā o suru no ga suki desu.

I like playing football.

私はバスケットボールをするのが好きです

わたし　は　バスケット　ボール　を　する　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa basuketto bōru o suru no ga suki desu.

I like playing basketball.

私は音楽を聴くのが好きです

わたし　は　おんがく　を　きく　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa ongaku o kiku no ga suki desu.

I like listening to music.

わたし　は　どくしょ　が　すき　です

Watashi wa dokusho ga suki desu.

I like reading.

私は走ることが好きです

わたし　は　はしる　こと　が　すき　です

Watashi wa hashiru koto ga suki desu.

I like running.

わたし　は　すいえい　が　すき　です

Watashi wa suiei ga suki desu.

I like swimming.

わたし　は　つり　が　すき　です

Watashi wa tsuri ga suki desu.

I like fishing.

私は映画を観るのが好きです

わたし　は　えいが　を　みる　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa eiga o miru no ga suki desu.

I like watching movies.

私はネットにのるのが好きです

わたし　は　ネット　に　のる　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa netto ni noru no ga suki desu.

I like surfing the net.

私は楽器を弾くのが好きです

わたし　は　がっき　を　ひく　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa gakki o hiku no ga suki desu.

I like playing music.

私は旅行をするのが好きです

わたし　は　りょこう　を　する　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa ryokō o suru no ga suki desu.

I like traveling.

私は友達に会うのが好きです

わたし　は　ともだち　に　あう　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa tomodachi ni au no ga suki desu.

I like meeting friends.

私は写真を撮るのが好きです

わたし　は　しゃしん　を　とる　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa shashin o toru no ga suki desu.

I like taking photographs.

Here are some more useful expressions…

私はスキーをするのが好きです

わたし　は　スキー　を　する　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa sukī o suru no ga suki desu.

I like skiing.

私はスキューバダイビングをするのが好きです

わたし　は　スキューバ　ダイビング　を　する　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa sukyūba daibingu o suru no ga suki desu.

I like scuba diving.

わたし　は　にわ　しごと　が　すき　です

Watashi wa niwa shigoto ga suki desu.

I like gardening.

私はリラックスすることが好きです

わたし　は　リラックス　する　こと　が　すき　です

Watashi wa rirakkusu suru koto ga suki desu.

I like to relax.

私は踊ることが好きです

わたし　は　おどる　こと　が　すき　です

Watashi wa odoru koto ga suki desu.

I like dancing.

私は歩くことが好きです

わたし　は　あるく　こと　が　すき　です

Watashi wa aruku koto ga suki desu.

I like walking.

私は劇場に行くのが好きです

わたし　は　げきじょう　に　いく　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa gekijyō ni iku no ga suki desu.

I like going to the theater.

私は映画館に行くのが好きです

わたし　は　えいがかん　に　いく　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa eigakan ni iku no ga suki desu.

I like going to the cinema.

私は外食するのが好きです

わたし　は　がいしょく　する　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa gaishoku suru no ga suki desu.

I like eating out.

私はクラブに行くのが好きです

わたし　は　クラブ　に　いく　の　が　すき　です

Watashi wa kurabu ni iku no ga suki desu.

I like night clubbing.

That’s it for this lesson. I hope you had fun.

Here are a few recommended Japanese lessons to try next!

• Fitting out an apartment in Japan? Know how to pronounce your household appliances in Japanese .
• Know your alphabet in Japanese .
• Learn the colors in Japanese .

Sayaka Matsuura: Rocket Japanese

Make It Stick With Rocket Reinforcement

Reinforce your learning from this lesson with the Rocket Reinforcement activities!

What's Your Hobby?

Many people feel that small talk in their second language is hard. So be prepared! Get ready for "commonly asked questions" like, しゅみは何ですか。

Lesson Objectives

• Learn some old Japanese customs for “matchmaking” and learn how to talk about your hobbies and things you enjoy using を + VERB + ことです.
• Learn how to ask others about their hobbies in casual and formal set-up.
• Learn how to express your good and weak points in Japanese.

Let’s start!

Track your progress and get immediate access to hundreds of Japanese lessons, quizzes and tools to help you learn Japanese quickly.

Lesson 63 - What's your hobby?

The Japanese word for hobby is  shumi . There are many, many different hobbies we could list here, but for now, we'll just list the basics. Some typical Japanese hobbies could be  karate, judou, kendou, akidou, kyuudou , and  yabusame , which are all martial arts,  shodou  (calligraphy),  ikebana  (flower arranging),  bonsai  (caring for small trees),  KARAOKE  (singing),  origami  (paper folding), and card games such as  iroha KARUTA, hanafuda,  and  hyakunin isshu .

Since we're just trying to learn a lot of new vocabulary here, let's launch into a conversation and go from there. Here we will talk to Hisashi and Jiro about their hobbies.

Hisashi:  Jiro-san no shumi wa nan desu ka? Jiro:  PURAMODERU o tsukurimasu. Ryouri o shimasu. Hisashi-san wa? Hisashi:  Mushi to kitte o atsumemasu. KONPYUUTA GEEMU o shimasu. Jiro:  Donna mushi o atsumemasu ka? Hisashi:  Chouchou o atsumemasu. Donna PURAMODERU o tsukurimasu ka? Jiro:  Hikouki ya densha ya kuruma ya fune nado o tsukurimasu. Omoshiroi desu. PURAMODERU o rokunenkan tsukutte imasu. Hisashi:  Sou desu ka? Manga o yomimasu ka? Jiro:  Manga wa anmari yomimasen. Demo dokusho ga suki desu. Hon dake yomimasu. Hisashi:  Boku wa manga ga daisuki desu. Jiro-san no hon o motte ikimasu ka? Jiro:  Hai. Misemasu. Hisashi:  Hima na hi ni nani o shimasu ka? Jiro:  Boku wa inu to issho ni sanpo ni ikimasu. Hisashi:  PETTO o katte imasu ka? Jiro:  Hai. Inu no namae wa PUUKI desu. Hisashi:  Kawaii desu ne. Inu ga hoshii desu. Jiro:  Tokidoki kaimono o sukoshi shimasu. Hisashi:  Boku mo. Hima na hi ni SUTEREO o kikimasu. Jiro:  Ongaku ga suki desu ka? Hisashi:  Hai! Senshuu KONSAATO ni ikimashita. Subarashikatta desu. Jiro:  Sou desu ka? Omoshiroi desu! Hisashi:  Raigetsu KONSAATO ga arimasu. Issho ni ikimashou ka? Jiro:  Hai! Ikimashou!

Alright, let's see what these two boys said. Hisashi begins by asking, "What is your hobby?" Jiro replies, "I make plastic models. I cook. You?"  PURAMODERU  is plastic models and  tsukurimasu  is to make. Hisashi says, "I collect insects and stamps. I play video games."  Mushi  is insects,  kitte  is stamps,  atsumemasu  is to collect, and  KONPYUUTA GEEMU  is computer games. Jiro asks what kind of insects he collects. Hisashi replies he collects butterflies and asks what kind of plastic models Jiro makes.  Chouchou  is butterfly. Jiro replies, "I make airplanes, trains, cars, boats, as well as other things. It is interesting. I've been making plastic models for six years."  Nado  is sort of like saying et cetera, and  nenkan  is the counter for how many years you do something. Just for interest, the counter for years is  nen , the counter for months is  kagetsu , and the counter for weeks is  shuukan . Hisashi then asks if he reads comic books. Jiro replies, "I don't read many comics. But I like reading. I only read books."  Anmari  is not many or not much (only used with a negative verb),  dokusho  is reading, and  dake  is only. (Note that it replaces a particle, while  nado  doesn't) Hisashi replies, "I like comic books a lot. Will you bring your books?"  Mochimasu  means to have or hold, but when used with  ikimasu , it becomes to bring. Jiro replies that he will show him. Hisashi then asks, "What do you do on free days?"  Hima  is free time, and is a qualitative noun. Jiro replies that he takes a walk with his dog.  Sanpo  is walk. Hisashi then asks, "You have a pet?"  Katte imasu  means to have, as in a pet. Jiro replies, "Yes. My dog's name is Pookie." Hisashi replies that is cute and he wants a dog. Jiro then says, "Sometimes I do a little shopping."  Sukoshi  means a little or a bit. Hisashi replies, "Me too. On free days, I listen to my stereo." Jiro asks if he likes music and Hisashi replies, "Yes! Last week I went to a concert. It was wonderful."  KONSAATO  means concert and  subarashii  means wonderful or marvelous. Jiro then says, "Is that so? Interesting!" Hisashi says, "Next month there is a concert. Shall we go together?" Jiro replies, "Yea! Let's go!"

Vocabulary Review 趣味  Shumi - hobby 空手、受動、剣道、あきどう、弓道、流鏑馬  Karate, judou, kendou, akidou, kyuudou, yabusame - martial arts 書道  Shodou - calligraphy 生け花  Ikebana - flower arranging 盆栽  Bonsai - caring for small trees カラオケ  KARAOKE - singing with music 折り紙  Origami - paper folding 伊呂波カルタ、花札、百人一首  irohaKARUTA, hanafuda, hyakunin isshu - card games プラモデル  PURAMODERU - plastic models 作ります  Tsukurimasu - to make 虫  Mushi - insects (i.e. éˆ´è™«   Suzumushi - bell cricket) 切手  Kitte - stamps 集めます  Atsumemasu - to collect コンピュータゲーム  KONPYUUTA GEEMU - computer games 町長  Chouchou - butterfly など  Nado - et cetera 年間  -Nenkan - counter for how many years å¹´  -Nen - counter for years ヶ月  -Kagetsu - counter for months 週間  -Shuukan - counter for weeks あんまり  Anmari - not many/not much 読書  Dokusho - reading だけ  Dake - only 持ちます  Mochimasu - to have/hold 持って来ます  Motte kimasu - to bring 持って行きます  Motte ikimasu - to take 暇  Hima - free time 散歩  Sanpo - a walk 飼っています  Katte imasu - to have a pet 少し  Sukoshi - a little/a bit コンサート  KONSAATO - concert すばらしい  Subarashii - wonderful/marvelous

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