What I Learned While Trying to Speak Japanese in Two Months (My Experience with Japan Language Factory)

For a long time, I believed that learning Japanese meant staying quiet until I was “ready.” I carried that assumption without really questioning it. In my mind, there was a proper sequence I was supposed to follow: vocabulary first, then grammar, then writing systems, and only after all of that, speaking.

Japanese made this belief feel even more justified. The language felt socially delicate. Politeness mattered. Context mattered. I was constantly worried about saying the wrong thing without realizing it. So I stayed cautious. I studied. And I waited.

The question never fully went away, though. Could someone really start speaking Japanese in a short amount of time? I didn’t believe it. Everything I had heard suggested the opposite. Japanese was supposed to be slow and grammar-heavy, something you studied for years before real conversation was even possible.

At the time, I was experimenting with a conversation-focused program called Japan Language Factory, but I was still skeptical. I assumed speaking would still come later, once everything else felt solid.

Eventually, I had to admit that maybe the problem wasn’t the language itself. Maybe it was the way I was approaching it.

Why Studying Japanese Didn’t Make Me Comfortable Speaking

My early experience with Japanese was very traditional. I spent a lot of time memorizing vocabulary and trying to understand grammar rules well enough to avoid mistakes. On paper, it felt productive. I could recognize sentence patterns and explain why something was technically correct.

But when it came time to speak, that knowledge didn’t translate.

Simple interactions like introducing myself or ordering food felt stressful. I hesitated constantly and worried about sounding unnatural or choosing the wrong phrasing. The more I focused on not making mistakes, the harder it became to say anything at all.

At some point, it became clear that I didn’t lack information. What I lacked was the comfort of actually using the language.

Questioning How Japanese Is Usually Taught

What bothered me most was how disconnected this felt from how language works in real life. Native speakers don’t learn their language by studying grammar rules or writing systems first. They learn to speak through daily interaction, and reading and writing come later.

Even politeness, which is often presented as something you need to memorize, isn’t learned through formal instruction. People adjust how they speak based on who they are talking to, where they are, and what the situation calls for. That understanding develops through experience, not explanation.

When Japanese is taught mainly through grammar without real speaking situations, it can start to feel unnecessarily complicated. Looking back, I can see why so many learners study for years and still feel uncomfortable speaking.

Discovering a Speaking-First Perspective

At some point, I started looking for a different way forward. What appealed to me wasn’t a promise of fluency or speed. It was the idea that speaking didn’t have to wait until everything else was finished.

The emphasis was on real-time conversation from the beginning. Writing and kanji weren’t the priority at first. Instead, the focus was on using Japanese in everyday situations and letting accuracy improve through use.

What made the biggest impression on me was the shift in learning order. Speaking first, then refining everything else. It felt closer to how language actually works.

Why Speaking Early Changed Everything for Me

Once I started prioritizing speaking, things changed in a way I hadn’t expected. Conversations were messy. I made mistakes constantly. But they were real conversations.

I stopped trying to mentally edit every sentence before opening my mouth and focused instead on getting my point across. What surprised me was how forgiving real interactions were. Most people responded to effort and clarity far more than perfect grammar.

Especially in Japan, I noticed that trying mattered. Confidence mattered. When I focused less on sounding flawless, conversations felt easier, even when my Japanese was limited.

That’s when it clicked for me. Confidence didn’t come from perfect Japanese. It came from using Japanese.

What “Speaking in Two Months” Actually Meant for Me

Before this experience, I assumed that speaking Japanese in two months meant fluency. That wasn’t realistic. Speaking, at least in this context, meant functional communication.

For me, it looked like small but meaningful things:

• Introducing myself without rehearsing every sentence in my head
• Asking and answering basic questions in everyday situations
• Handling simple interactions at work, in shops, or with people around me
• Keeping a conversation going even when my grammar wasn’t perfect
• Adjusting in real time instead of stopping to translate everything mentally

My grammar and vocabulary were still developing, and mistakes were expected. The goal wasn’t academic mastery or test results. It was usable Japanese.

What mattered most was consistency. Progress came from habits rather than breakthroughs:

• Showing up regularly and staying engaged
• Speaking every day, even when it felt awkward or brief
• Focusing on communication instead of perfection

Once I started thinking about speaking this way, improvement felt more natural. Accuracy improved through use, and confidence followed gradually.

How Does This Compare to Other Ways I Had Tried Learning

Before changing my approach, I had tried language apps. They were convenient and affordable, but mostly passive. I learned vocabulary and sentence patterns, yet still struggled in real conversations. There was no real-time feedback and very little actual speaking.

Traditional classes felt more structured, but also slower. Lessons often began with explanations and written material. Speaking time was limited, and confidence tended to develop late. That approach can work for exams, but it didn’t help me feel comfortable using Japanese day to day.

A conversation-first approach felt fundamentally different. Speaking wasn’t treated as a reward for studying enough. It was treated as the starting point.

Why Confidence Ended Up Matter­ing More Than Perfection

Fear was the biggest thing holding me back. Fear of making mistakes. Fear of sounding unnatural. Fear of choosing the wrong level of politeness.

Once I stopped letting that fear dominate, progress accelerated. Conversations stopped feeling like tests and started feeling like practice. I adapted as I went and learned through experience.

That shift helped me understand why learners who speak earlier often progress faster than those who wait for years.

Is This Approach Right for Everyone?

I don’t think there’s one perfect way to learn Japanese. Different people have different goals and learning styles.

A speaking-first approach may not be ideal for people who enjoy detailed grammar explanations, prefer studying writing systems before speaking, or are focused primarily on exams. Others may simply feel more comfortable learning through textbooks.

At the same time, it felt especially well-suited for people who want to use Japanese in daily life, are preparing to move to Japan or work in Japanese environments, travel, and want to connect more naturally with locals, or feel stuck knowing grammar but freezing in conversation.

For me, the biggest difference wasn’t speed. It was a learning order. Treating speaking as the foundation reduced hesitation almost immediately.

Final Reflection

Looking back, I don’t think I needed years of preparation before opening my mouth. What I really needed was permission to make mistakes and keep going anyway.

Once I started speaking earlier, everything else slowly fell into place. Grammar, reading, and writing didn’t disappear; they just stopped feeling abstract. They made more sense once I had real conversations to connect them to. That shift happened during my time with Japan Language Factory, although the more important change was internal.

Speaking first didn’t make Japanese easy. It made it usable. And that changed how I felt about learning the language.