I’m a native Japanese speaker living in Tokyo. But if you’ve seen my blog or social media, you’ll notice that almost everything I post is in English.
No, I’m not fluent. The truth is: writing in English is easier for me—emotionally.
Back in high school (when I was only thinking about posting in Japanese), I took a class on digital literacy. It made me hyper-aware of how my words might be interpreted online. After that, I found it almost impossible to post anything publicly—especially in Japanese. I overanalyzed every sentence. I was a very serious student.
But once I started writing in English—after I became a university student—that mental block began to ease. I’ve been writing this way ever since.
Here’s why.
I’ll be honest—when I first started writing in English, it was because I didn’t want to feel like people could see directly into my head. But that’s not the case anymore. Now, I just find English more comfortable to write in for different reasons.
1. Blogging is mostly about sharing personal thoughts—and that’s where Japanese gets tricky
1.1. Self vs. Others: English makes the line clearer
In English, grammar naturally sets boundaries. If I say:
“I found it tasty!”
you immediately know it’s my opinion. There’s no ambiguity. The sentence takes full responsibility because “I” is built into the grammar.
In Japanese, however, subject pronouns like “I” are usually omitted. So if I write:
「美味しい！」
it could easily be taken as a general or universal statement.
If I try to clarify by writing:
「私は美味しいと思いました。」
then it may come off as overly formal, stiff, or even awkward—especially if I use 「私は」 too often. So I get stuck.
I care a lot about how my opinions are perceived by others, so I naturally want to emphasize that these are my opinions. But if I keep saying things like 「私は思います (I think)」 or 「あくまで私の経験です! (This is just my experience!)」 in Japanese, it starts to feel overly defensive—or even annoying. That just makes things more complicated.
In that sense, English feels easier because the speaker is always clear, and I don’t need to add extra prefaces or qualifiers to make my intent obvious.
1.2. Being native makes me over-sensitive to nuance
This isn’t just about grammar. It’s about being too fluent.
Because I’m native, I’m hyper-aware of every nuance:
- Will I sound rude if I don’t use enough honorifics?
- Will I sound fake if I use a certain word too many times?
- Does the sentence ending convey the right tone?
Sometimes, even a tiny difference in word choice makes me pause. Like, “This feels just a little off… I should fix it.”
Every word hits more directly—emotionally. And I assume it hits other native readers that way too.
I imagine native speakers of other languages feel similarly. The grammar points they worry about may be different, but I’d love to hear how others experience this kind of sensitivity in their own language.
The more social weight you assign to your words, the harder it becomes to express anything—especially in public writing.
2. So is writing in English easier?
Yes, in many ways.
I still overthink things. That’s just how I am. But English grammar gives me built-in emotional boundaries, and that really helps.
2.1. For example, politeness is easier to manage
In English, if I say:
“Please check it out!”
it’s polite, but casual. Nobody questions my tone.
In Japanese, though, if I write:
「見てください」
it technically matches “Please check it out” in vocabulary, but in actual conversation, it might sound slightly blunt or careless. So it doesn’t feel like a safe default.
「ご覧ください」
(Roughly like “Kindly check it out” or “Would you check it out?”)
is safer—but more formal.
「見てみてください」
(Roughly “Please try to check it out”)
feels friendlier. It’s a kind of “cushion language,” softening the tone by adding “try.” Honestly, 「見てみてください」is probably what I’d use in a blog post when I need to write in Japanese. But it always depends on small social cues.
So even though there’s a “middle” in vocabulary, there isn’t really a consistent default expression in Japanese. I often find myself unsure which one to choose.
English has standard, middle-ground phrases like “please check” that work almost anywhere. Japanese doesn’t. It’s not as simple as just adding 「です」. You’re often forced to choose between casual or polite.
3. How I actually write my blog posts
3.1. My process
- I write a rough draft in Japanese, with all the detailed thoughts I want to express (that part is important!)
- I ask ChatGPT to translate the whole thing into English
- I read it out loud and tweak anything that feels off. I check expressions using dictionaries or AI tools and make corrections (this is where my English ability helps!)
- Then I do one last review with ChatGPT to polish it
3.2. Is that useful for language learning?
Not exactly.
Since I’m not writing everything from scratch in English, it doesn’t directly improve my grammar or composition.
But still:
- I see phrases I wouldn’t have thought of
- I get used to reading longer English texts
- I become more comfortable expressing my ideas in English—without overthinking every word
So yeah—maybe it’s not “textbook learning,” but it’s still meaningful in its own way.
Final thoughts
I don’t mean I dislike Japanese. It’s my first language—I use it every day with family, friends, and colleagues.
But when it comes to public expression—especially when I’m sharing personal thoughts—
English gives me space. It feels like a tool that lets me speak to a broader audience, more freely.
In the end, it’s a matter of choosing whatever language or style makes me feel,
“Yes, I can share this!”
That’s how I’ll keep posting—whatever feels right at the time.