B1 Japanese, Out Loud: Everyday Things to Practice Saying
B1 means everyday, connected Japanese. Practice saying plans, reasons and clinic or ward-office lines out loud, with polite です/ます examples.
「来月、大阪に引っ越す予定です。新しい仕事が始まるので、今週は少し忙しいです。」
Raigetsu, Ōsaka ni hikkosu yotei desu. Atarashii shigoto ga hajimaru node, konshū wa sukoshi isogashii desu.
"I'm moving to Osaka next month. My new job is starting, so I'm a bit busy this week."
A plan, then a reason: that's B1 Japanese, the level Japan's permanent residency guideline refers to. In the guideline revised on October 1, 2026, the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) treats Japanese at B1 or above as a consideration factor (考慮要素, kōryo yōso) for applications filed from April 1, 2027, one of many things weighed case by case. The ISA names no test. Our explainer on the Japan PR language rule covers the details, including who it may not apply to.
B1 isn't advanced Japanese. It's everyday, connected Japanese: plans, reasons, a clinic visit, a bank counter. The JLPT doesn't test speaking, so this post is about saying things, in polite です/ます with romaji and English. This is language practice, not legal advice: for your own application, check with the ISA, a gyōseishoshi (行政書士) or your guarantor or employer.
What B1 sounds like in everyday life
The B1 in the guideline is from 日本語教育の参照枠, the Agency for Cultural Affairs' Reference Framework for Japanese Language Education. A B1 speaker, in the report's terms, is an "independent user" (自立した言語使用者). Honestly, the description reads like a normal week in Japan. Somebody chats about the weather or work and you follow the main points. Your train gets canceled on a trip and you deal with it. You link a few sentences, and you can give a short reason for an opinion or a plan: 「意見や計画の理由、説明を短く述べることができる」.
The detailed speaking lists go further, with examples like describing symptoms to a doctor or handling a problem at a bank. So, in practice, B1 sounds like:
- I can say what I'm planning and why.
- I can tell someone what happened yesterday in a few linked sentences.
- I can tell a doctor what hurts and since when, even with mistakes.
- I can sort out a problem at a bank or post office counter.
- I can ask someone to repeat when they speak too fast.
Put together:
「来月から仕事が忙しくなるので、日本語の勉強は朝にするつもりです。」
Raigetsu kara shigoto ga isogashiku naru node, nihongo no benkyō wa asa ni suru tsumori desu.
"Work gets busier from next month, so I'm planning to study Japanese in the mornings."
| General reference only: our approximate read, not ISA guidance | |
|---|---|
| What the ISA names | B1 or above on 日本語教育の参照枠. No exam is named (ISA guideline, section 2-5-(8)). |
| JLPT's own table | For passers from the December 2025 test on, the JLPT shows a CEFR reference level: N3 with 104 total points or more shows B1, and N2 with 90–111 points shows B1 (JLPT CEFR reference). |
| Our read | If you use the JLPT to gauge yourself, a high N3 or an N2 is roughly the B1 zone. Approximate only. |
| What the JLPT leaves out | The JLPT measures language knowledge, reading and listening. Speaking, writing and interaction aren't included (JLPT FAQ). JFT-Basic only assesses up to A2 (JFT-Basic). |
Talk about your plans
〜つもりです (tsumori desu) is your own intention. 〜予定です (yotei desu) is something already arranged. 〜たいと思っています (-tai to omotte imasu) is a hope, softer and less fixed.
| Japanese | Romaji | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 週末は友だちと鎌倉に行くつもりです。 | Shūmatsu wa tomodachi to Kamakura ni iku tsumori desu. | I'm planning to go to Kamakura with a friend this weekend. | Weekend chat at work |
| 来月、大阪に引っ越す予定です。 | Raigetsu, Ōsaka ni hikkosu yotei desu. | I'm moving to Osaka next month. | A move that's already decided |
| 夏休みに家族と沖縄へ行きたいと思っています。 | Natsuyasumi ni kazoku to Okinawa e ikitai to omotte imasu. | I'm hoping to go to Okinawa with my family over the summer break. | A trip you want but haven't booked |
| 来週は月曜日から水曜日まで出張の予定です。 | Raishū wa getsuyōbi kara suiyōbi made shutchō no yotei desu. | Next week I'm away on a business trip from Monday to Wednesday. | Telling people at work when you're away |
With a verb it's 引っ越す予定です (hikkosu yotei desu); with a noun, add の: 出張の予定です (shutchō no yotei desu).
Give a reason
〜から (kara) is direct and common in conversation. 〜ので (node) sounds softer and more polite, so it suits apologies and requests. 〜ためです (tame desu) is more formal.
| Japanese | Romaji | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 電車が止まっているので、十五分ぐらい遅れそうです。 | Densha ga tomatte iru node, jūgofun gurai okuresō desu. | The trains have stopped, so I'll probably be about fifteen minutes late. | Calling or messaging work |
| 子どもが熱を出したので、今日の約束を来週に変えてもいいですか。 | Kodomo ga netsu o dashita node, kyō no yakusoku o raishū ni kaete mo ii desu ka. | My child came down with a fever, so could we move today's plans to next week? | Changing a plan politely |
| 駅に近いから、このアパートにしました。 | Eki ni chikai kara, kono apāto ni shimashita. | I chose this apartment because it's close to the station. | Explaining a choice in conversation |
| 遅れて申し訳ありません。電車が事故で止まったためです。 | Okurete mōshiwake arimasen. Densha ga jiko de tomatta tame desu. | I'm sorry I'm late. It's because the train stopped due to an accident. | A formal apology at work |
When someone asks どうしてですか (dōshite desu ka, "why?"), give the reason second: 「駅に近いからです。」 (Eki ni chikai kara desu. "Because it's close to the station.")
Want a daily place to practice your Japanese out loud? Start Japanese free on iPhone (App Store) and Android, with five-minute lessons and practice with Gu.
At the clinic
The B1 descriptors include explaining symptoms to a doctor, even with limited accuracy. Say where it hurts and since when.
| Japanese | Romaji | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 頭が痛いです。 | Atama ga itai desu. | I have a headache. | Saying where it hurts (swap 頭 for お腹 onaka "stomach", のど nodo "throat" or 歯 ha "tooth") |
| 昨日の夜から熱があります。 | Kinō no yoru kara netsu ga arimasu. | I've had a fever since last night. | Saying since when |
| のどが痛くて、せきも出ます。 | Nodo ga itakute, seki mo demasu. | My throat hurts, and I have a cough too. | Linking two symptoms |
| 三日前からです。 | Mikka mae kara desu. | For three days now. | Answering いつからですか ("Since when?") |
Safety first: in an emergency in Japan, call 119 and say 「救急です」 (Kyūkyū desu, "It's a medical emergency"), as the Fire and Disaster Management Agency's ambulance guide shows. These lines are language practice, not medical guidance.
At the ward office or bank
Say what you came for, check what to bring, and ask the person to slow down.
| Japanese | Romaji | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 銀行口座を開きたいのですが、どの窓口に行けばいいですか。 | Ginkō kōza o hirakitai no desu ga, dono madoguchi ni ikeba ii desu ka. | I'd like to open a bank account. Which counter should I go to? | Saying what you need |
| すみません、何を持ってくればいいですか。 | Sumimasen, nani o motte kureba ii desu ka. | Excuse me, what should I bring? | Checking before a return visit |
| もう一度お願いします。 | Mō ichido onegai shimasu. | Once more, please. | When you missed something |
| すみません、ゆっくり話していただけますか。 | Sumimasen, yukkuri hanashite itadakemasu ka. | Excuse me, could you speak slowly? | When the explanation is too fast |
The pattern 〜ばいいですか (-ba ii desu ka, "should I…?") works for almost any counter question. What any procedure needs depends on your ward or bank, so ask them.
At work or with neighbors
Small talk, and disagreeing without sounding blunt.
| Japanese | Romaji | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| すみません、資料が少し遅れそうです。金曜日までに出してもいいですか。 | Sumimasen, shiryō ga sukoshi okuresō desu. Kin'yōbi made ni dashite mo ii desu ka. | Sorry, the documents look like they'll be a little late. Is it OK if I hand them in by Friday? | Explaining a delay |
| ちょっと手伝っていただけませんか。 | Chotto tetsudatte itadakemasen ka. | Could you help me for a moment? | Asking for help |
| 最近、朝は寒くなりましたね。 | Saikin, asa wa samuku narimashita ne. | The mornings have gotten cold lately, haven't they? | Chatting with a neighbor |
| 今度の日曜日、近くの公園でお祭りがあるそうですよ。 | Kondo no nichiyōbi, chikaku no kōen de omatsuri ga aru sō desu yo. | I hear there's a festival in the park nearby this Sunday. | Sharing local news |
| なるほど。でも、私は電車のほうがいいと思います。 | Naruhodo. Demo, watashi wa densha no hō ga ii to omoimasu. | I see. But I think the train is better. | Disagreeing with a friend or neighbor |
Starting with なるほど (naruhodo, "I see") before your own view keeps a disagreement friendly with friends and neighbors. With a manager or anyone senior, そうですね (sō desu ne) is the safer opener. Commuting makes good small talk; our guide to Japanese train etiquette gives you more to say.
How to practice these out loud (5 minutes a day)
Pick one section a day:
- Read it first. Go through each line slowly, with its romaji and English, before you say it.
- Say it out loud twice: once slowly, once at a normal pace.
- Change one word and say it again. 週末は友だちと鎌倉に行くつもりです becomes 「週末は友だちと箱根に行くつもりです。」 (Shūmatsu wa tomodachi to Hakone ni iku tsumori desu. "I'm planning to go to Hakone with a friend this weekend.")
- Optional: record yourself with your phone's voice memo app and listen back.
End by saying one true sentence about your own day: 「今日は仕事のあとで、スーパーに行きました。」 (Kyō wa shigoto no ato de, sūpā ni ikimashita. "Today I went to the supermarket after work.")
VoiGu's Japanese course is a structured path in polite です/ます, with five-minute lessons and practice with Gu. Say each line out loud and try it again. It's speaking practice, not an exam, a certificate or a guarantee. For rough classroom-hour estimates, see our how-long-to-learn Japanese tool.
FAQ
Will practicing speaking help with the PR language factor?
No one can promise that. The ISA hasn't said how B1 will be shown, and every application is decided case by case. B1 does describe everyday Japanese, much of it spoken, and the JLPT doesn't test speaking. For the rules, see our Japan PR language rule explainer, and check your own case with the ISA, a gyōseishoshi or your guarantor or employer. It's general information, not legal advice.
Is JLPT N3 enough?
The ISA names no test, so no JLPT level is officially enough. On the JLPT's own reference table, an N3 pass with 104 total points or more shows B1, and 95–103 shows A2. Our read is that a high N3 or an N2 is roughly the B1 zone. That's our approximate read, not ISA guidance. If you missed the December registration, see our JLPT December 2026 Plan B.
Should I use です/ます or casual Japanese?
Use です/ます by default: at clinics, counters, work, and with neighbors you don't know well. Save casual forms for close friends and family.
How do I practice speaking if I live alone?
Say your plans out loud while you get ready in the morning, describe your day in two or three sentences each evening, and listen back to a voice memo now and then.
Ready to say these out loud? Start Japanese free on iPhone (App Store) and Android. The first two units are free.
