When learning Japanese, it is one thing to know words and be able to form sentences. It is another thing,
however to be able to converse in a culturally correct way. A good conversation requires good listening
as well as good speaking, and many cultures have certain traditions or common ways that to hold a
conversation. It is important for language learners to at least be aware of these.

Japanese Culture and Conversation

One important concept in Japanese culture that can be good to know when learning Japanese is the
practice called “Aizuchi wo Utsu”.

The word Aizuchi is made up of the kanji for togetherness and the kanji for hammer. “Utsu” means to hit.
The name implies the act of hammering together in harmony.

This idea is very important to conversational Japanese. While one person is speaking, the other person is
expected to respectfully show interest. In the West, this is often done with body language, nodding, or eye
contact. A person might even occasionally say something to show interest in the conversation. “You don’t
say?” or “How about that!” are common ways to do this in English.

Good conversation in Japanese requires this in all its forms, and the spoken aspect is used even more in
Japanese than in English. Without it the speaker might feel discouraged from talking too much. Believe
it or not, a big part of making good conversation in Japanese is speaking while listening. For people
from the United States or other countries in the West, some of these interjections can sound almost like
interruptions! However, when talking in Japanese, they are encouragements and an integral part of good
listening skills.

As a speaker just learning Japanese, it may be hard at first to ignore the “aizuchi” and keep talking
when the listener suddenly pipes in with “Ehhhh, honto desuka?” or “Ohhh really?” In fact, some native
Japanese listeners may just grunt, or vocalize short words at frequent intervals. Other people may spend
their whole time listening nodding their heads and saying “Hai, hai” or “Yes, yes” constantly. This can
be disconcerting for Americans who may be more used to a listener who is silent or only occasionally
vocalizes when listening.

If a Japanese learner having a conversation stays completely silent the whole time, it can sometimes
seem to imply that the listener disagrees, is bored, or maybe even that he or she is upset. When speaking
in person, a nod or smile can be enough to encourage the speaker to go on and reassure him or her that
you are listening.

When speaking on the telephone, however, it’s very important to say something to show the speaker that
you are listening and engaged in what he or she is saying.

Useful Japanese Expressions

“So desune” which is similar to saying “That’s right”

The question form of that is “So desuka?” meaning “Is that right?” and can also be used.

“Naru hodo” is comparable to “I see” in English, and a very polite way to show interest.

“Honto-ni” or “Honto desuka?” meaning “Really?” or “Is that true?” is also a must-know phrase in
Japanese.

Listeners can also say “Hai” or “Mm, Mm” while listening.

The common interjection “Ehhh” can also be used to express a variety of emotions to match what the
speaker is saying from a calm “Yeah, yeah” to a very surprised “Oh my!”

This “Aizuchi wo Utsu” style of listening is one aspect of Japanese linguistic culture that students of any
level should try to understand.

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