English speakers learning Japanese tend to make the same types of mistakes. Don’t worry — it’s not a bad thing! Mistakes are just a part of the process. But knowing these typical traps can help you sound natural much faster.
In this article, I’ll break down 10 common mistakes and how to fix them.
1. Overusing Subjects (I, I, I…)
In English, you need a subject. “I went to the store. I bought milk.”
In Japanese, we skip the subject if it’s obvious from the context.
Awkward: 私は昨日、私は店に行きました。私は牛乳を買いました。
Natural: 昨日、店に行って牛乳を買った。
The Fix: If it’s clear who you’re talking about, just drop the 私は.
2. Particle Confusion (は, が, に, で…)
This is the biggest hurdle. Even N1-level speakers still make particle mistakes. Particles don’t really exist in English, so you have to learn them through feel.
は vs. が:
- 田中さんは医者です (Speaking of Tanaka…)
- 田中さんが医者です (Identifying who is the doctor)
に vs. で:
- 東京に住んでいます (Location of existence)
- 東京で働いています (Location of action)
を vs. が:
- 日本語が好きです (With 好き, 欲しい, できる, 分かる → use が)
- 日本語を勉強しています (Object of action → use を)
The Fix: Don’t aim for perfection. Listen a lot, absorb patterns, and correct as you go.
3. Mixing Politeness Levels
Sometimes English speakers mix casual and polite Japanese in the same sentence.
Awkward: 昨日、映画を見ました。超面白かったっす。
Natural (Casual): 昨日、映画見た。超面白かった。
Natural (Polite): 昨日、映画を見ました。とても面白かったです。
The Fix: Pick one level (polite or casual) based on who you’re talking to, and stick with it.
4. Direct Translations (The “Busy” Trap)
If you translate English phrases word-for-word, it often sounds weird.
“Busy”:
- この店、忙しいね (Incorrect — 忙しい is for people)
- この店、混んでるね (Correct — 混んでる is for crowded places)
“I have a question”:
- 質問を持っています (Incorrect)
- 質問があります (Correct)
“I’m looking forward to it”:
- それを楽しみに見ています (Makes no sense)
- 楽しみにしています (Correct)
The Fix: Don’t memorise word-for-word translations. Learn what people actually say in each situation.
5. Adjective Mistakes (い-adjectives vs な-adjectives)
Mixing up i-adjectives and na-adjectives, or adding な where it doesn’t belong.
Mistake:
- 大きな家 → 大きい家 (い-adjective, no な needed)
- 小さな車 → 小さい車
Note: 大きな and 小さな do exist as special forms (連体詞), but the default is 大きい/小さい.
Tricky ones:
- きれいな人 (な-adjective — even though it ends in い!)
- 美しい人 (い-adjective)
The Fix: Learn which type each adjective is. Words ending in い are usually i-adjectives, but きれい and 嫌い are exceptions.
6. Overusing ～んです
People love adding ～んです to everything because it sounds “Japanese.”
Too much: 昨日、映画を見たんです。面白かったんです。友達と行ったんです。
This sounds like you’re constantly explaining yourself.
Natural: 昨日、映画を見ました。面白かったです。
When to use ～んです:
- Explaining a reason: 遅れてすみません。電車が止まったんです。
- Giving context: 実は、来月日本に行くんです。
- Asking for an explanation: どうしたんですか？
The Fix: Save ～んです for explanations and context. Don’t use it for simple statements.
7. Conjunction Overload (そして, そして…)
Translating “And” every time makes your Japanese sound choppy.
Awkward: 朝起きた。そして朝ごはんを食べた。そして会社に行った。
Natural: 朝起きて、朝ごはんを食べて、会社に行った。
The Fix: Use the te-form to link actions instead of reaching for そして every time.
8. The Give/Receive Maze (あげる vs くれる)
English just uses “give.” Japanese changes the verb based on whose perspective we’re taking.
Mistake: 先生は私にプレゼントをあげました。
Correct: 先生は私にプレゼントをくれました。
Use くれる when someone does something for you (the action comes toward you). Use あげる when you or someone else gives away from you.
The Fix: Remember: if you’re the receiver, it’s くれる.
9. Transitive vs. Intransitive Verbs
English often uses the same word for both (“I opened the door” vs. “The door opened”). Japanese has specific pairs.
Mistake: 電気を消えました (The light turned me off??)
Correct:
- 電気が消えました (The light went out — intransitive)
- 電気を消しました (I turned off the light — transitive)
Common pairs:
- 開く (intransitive) / 開ける (transitive)
- 閉まる (intransitive) / 閉める (transitive)
- 始まる (intransitive) / 始める (transitive)
The Fix: Learn these as pairs. Pay attention to the particle (が = intransitive, を = transitive).
10. Katakana Words with English Pronunciation
Japanese has lots of loanwords, but the pronunciation is Japanised.
Examples:
- McDonald’s → マクドナルド (not “McDonald’s”)
- energy → エネルギー (not “energy”)
- virus → ウイルス (not “virus”)
If you say these with English pronunciation, Japanese people might not understand you.
The Fix: Pronounce katakana words as Japanese words. Forget the original English.
Summary
Making mistakes isn’t embarrassing — it’s how you learn. If you can communicate, that’s a win.
But if you want to level up and sound more natural, keep these 10 points in mind:
- Drop unnecessary subjects
- Get a feel for particles
- Stick to one politeness level
- Avoid direct translations
- Learn which adjectives are い vs な
- Don’t overuse ～んです
- Use te-form instead of そして
- Master あげる/くれる/もらう
- Learn transitive/intransitive pairs
- Pronounce katakana as Japanese
Happy studying!
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- Anime Japanese vs Real Japanese: The Difference
- How Long Does It Take to Learn Japanese?
- Can You Pass JLPT Through Self-Study?
- JLPT N5 Complete Guide
Written by Ayaka Uchida – CEO of A-Digital Works, founder of Nihon GO! World.