Keeping a Japanese Diary: How to Start and Get It Corrected
Keeping a Japanese diary (日記, nikki) works because it makes you use the words and grammar you already know, about your own life, every day. Start with just three sentences: what you did, one detail, and how you felt. Write in plain form or polite form and stick to it, look up only what you really need, and get your entries corrected once or twice a week so the same mistakes don’t settle in.
A simple template
| Sentence | Example |
|---|---|
| What you did | 今日は友達と映画を見た。 Today I watched a film with a friend. |
| One detail | 映画館はとても混んでいた。 The cinema was very crowded. |
| How you felt | でも、すごく面白かった。 But it was really fun. |
| Tomorrow (optional) | 明日は早く起きたい。 I want to get up early tomorrow. |
Plain form or polite form?
Diaries are usually written in plain form (だ / た), because you’re writing for yourself. If you’re a beginner and only know です and ます, that’s fine too; just don’t mix the two in one entry. Writing in plain form is also good practice for the verb forms you need for the JLPT and casual conversation. See casual vs polite Japanese and verb conjugation basics.
Tips that keep you going
- Same time every day, for example before bed. Five minutes is enough.
- Reuse new words from lessons or reading in that day’s entry.
- Handwrite sometimes if you’re learning kanji; type when you want speed. See how to type in Japanese.
- Don’t translate from English. If you can’t say it simply, say something simpler.
- Read old entries after a month. Spotting your own mistakes is progress.
Getting corrections
A diary without feedback can repeat the same errors for months. Ask a tutor to correct a few entries a week and to explain why, not just rewrite them. Keep a list of the corrections you get most often, such as particles or verb endings, and practise them out loud. See Japanese essay correction and how to improve your Japanese writing.
How Hanabuddies can help
Send your diary entries to a native tutor before your lesson, and they’ll correct them, explain the main fixes and use your own sentences for speaking practice. It’s a simple routine that suits busy adults and students preparing for the JLPT.