Japan CatNatural Japanese, not textbook Japanese
Textbooks teach polite です／ます Japanese that is correct but stiff. Real conversation shifts register with the person you are talking to — and changes again in Osaka or Fukuoka. Japan Cat's cards are labelled so you know exactly when to use what.
Three registers you need
| Register | Used with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Casual (タメ口) | Friends, family, people younger than you | これ、めっちゃおいしいね。 |
| Standard polite (です・ます) | People you don't know well, shop staff | これ、とてもおいしいですね。 |
| Business / keigo (敬語) | Customers, managers, formal situations | 大変おいしくいただきました。 |
In the Japan Cat deck, 190 cards are casual, 638 standard and 253 business, so you can practise the register you actually need.
Dialects you will hear
- Kansai-ben (Osaka, Kyoto): 50 cards — basics, everyday conversation and sentence endings like 〜やん and 〜へん. Kansai phrases
- Tokyo / Kanto speech: 16 cards of contractions and casual endings.
- Hakata-ben (Fukuoka): 16 cards, including 〜けん and 〜と？.
Spoken Japanese shortcuts
Native speakers contract constantly: 〜ている becomes 〜てる, 〜てしまう becomes 〜ちゃう, なければ becomes なきゃ. The deck has a topic just for these, plus young people's slang, internet language and aizuchi — the little reactions like へえ and なるほど that make you sound fluent.
Frequently asked questions
FAQWhy does my Japanese sound like a textbook?
Textbooks teach polite です／ます forms and full grammar. Native speakers use casual forms with friends, contract words (〜てる, 〜ちゃう) and use reactions like なるほど. Practising those in conversation is what makes you sound natural.
Should I learn keigo or casual Japanese first?
Start with standard polite Japanese, which is safe with everyone, then add casual forms for friends and keigo for work. Japan Cat labels every card so you know which is which.
Download Japan Cat
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