So far I've been posting "moments", which has been a nice way to get some writing output in and get corrected by natives.
What I'd like to do next is message some people individually and try to make friends while also practicing speaking/writing. For people who have done this successfully, could you provide some details about what you did? Do you text back and forth for a while first and then ask if they'd want to voice call? For both the text and spoken interactions, how do you find a balance between Japanese and English? Do you alternate, like do a call in English and then the next one in Japanese, something like that?
I've also seen they have "voice rooms" that anyone can create, anyone have good experiences using those?
I know there are previous threads about this topic, but I've found them lacking detail and I'm still a bit confused about how to go about this. Would appreciate any guidance!
by njdelima
22 comments
Commenting to boost because I’m curious what others do, but also… An interesting idea would be to post this exact question on hellotalk itself 😄 I’ve done that a few times with things like this! For example I asked if people preferred I started out with desu/masu or if it would be okay to speak casually right off the bat since I have the least practice with that. I remember I got lots of responses, and it was specifically about HOW to use hellotalk so I really recommend asking there as well!!
“Do you text back and forth for a while and then ask if they’d want to voice call”
It’s as if everyone is different. How are we supposed to know? Do you think every Japanese person is the same? Just use the app dude
It’s hit or miss finding the people with good chemistry but it’s possible, you just gotta put yourself out there and message people first. I’ve made some good friends and even met up with two friends from HT while i was in Tokyo last week.
As for calling, not everyone is up for that.
I had zero luck in HT for finding friends. If you do, they may not want to meet up with you so be prepared for that. I had one that I talked to months before I left for Japan and had planned to meet and to bring each other souvenirs. They made sure I landed and talked for a couple days afterward. But then completely ghosted me for the rest of my trip. So I wouldn’t use HT to try to make friends. Even my Japanese childhood friend ghosted me once I got to Japan. If it happens, great!
I do like the voice rooms as it allows whoever to come in and practice the language. Make sure you’re clear that you only want to talk in Japanese. I had a few topics listed I knew sentences in Japanese if the convo went quiet.
Had more luck on the app “tandem” many years ago… idk if it’s still being used, but it’s worth a try!
I’ve heard it’s recommended to stick with your own gender.
Men and women seem to have ulterior motives when it comes to wanting an opposite gender language partner.
I chat back and forth with people that message me, I like to write moments in Japanese and get corrected there and interact with others moments, I do phone calls with those I make friends with and I’ve also been lucky to meet up with some in person to hang out and chat in both languages whilst going for food or doing karaoke 😀
I’ve been using it for a few days so far and basically just comment on moments that I come across that interest me and maybe message a few people. I’ve only had success with one woman so far as she was very responsive, even though we were both struggling in respective languages lol. It’s definitely hit or miss or maybe some just assume you’re trying to hit on them so they outright ignore you lol. I think I want to learn more Japanese outside of the app before I try writing stuff out or sharing moments in Japanese. I do think the “moments” section is the best part of the app so far imo
Use it like you would use Discord in combination with something like X/Twitter. HelloTalk is very versatile and everyone (in my experience) has been really friendly and helpful. I’ve met many friends from HelloTalk on a recent trip to Japan and still keep in touch with them now. Everything depends on how you make friends usually, I’d say. Everything comes naturally and you’ll know when the time is right to ask about anything. You can ask to call straight up, or wait until you know each other better. Like others say, it all depends on the person. Remember that they’re people too, so they’ll have their own lives to tend to as well. Don’t get discouraged by rejections and stuff. Just do what you normally do online /shrug
Thank you so much for asking this – i ve had thr app for literally years but somehow still dont know ‘how’ to properly use it, if that makes sense-
Actually i try to be regular
Have 2 Friend on HT and have Seen them in person.
Every christmas i send them Book (pretty cheap from Europe)
So it make thé relation kind of Real.
I went to japan in february and We were going karaoké and sushi eating
Was fun but it’s a lot of engagement.
Five years ago, ive tried to communicate with a variéty of person.
It’s a commitment.
I dont do call actually. I hate phone, it’s not very différent with other culture
I précise that i use hellotalk since 2018. And got my japanese contact since then.
Was pretty crappy in japanese so i Guess they speak french now
I was actually able to meet up with someone from HelloTalk on my trip in Japan. It was really fun and we exchanged little goodie bags. I found her over moments, where she and I looked like we had some interests in common. We chatted about daily via text for a couple months before we met up. I tried hard to prepare and build a somewhat comfortable relationship before meeting up.
My experience is there are a lot of misses, and people will ghost you. It’s hard to break out of small-talk territory because people will lose interest in the app before you get anywhere.
I never used the phone feature because I am a wuss. But texting was still very helpful. I tried using Japanese as much as possible, but my aim was to respond to people at least once a day so if I ever got too busy to write something up in Japanese I would just do English.
Become a regular in the Japanese voicerooms and you’ll start to meet the people that want to connect, chat, and even teach you Japanese. You’ll see them in different rooms and meet some learners as well. Depending on the room you may need to be engaging in the chat comments before you are trusted to be invited up to speak.
Messaging can work but I’ve found those conversations very repetitive and are hard to maintain over a long period of time at least for me.
My strongest connections were from voice or lives.
I haven’t used it in a while but I made a friend who’s moving to my city next year to learn English ☺️ we chat on Instagram often
I’m super shy so I tried it but couldn’t stand being perceived 😭
HT veteran here, I wouldn’t expect to make lifelong friendships on HT, but I have made several that lasted longer than 6 months, and a few I’ve been talking to for a few years now. Having said that, voice rooms are probably the best place. Just go around hopping from room to room trying to talk to as many people as you can, and if you like them, follow them and send them a message (with an HT emoji). That seems to get the best responses. Most people will reply to be polite but might not actually want to keep talking much; some will just ignore your first message. But there are a few people who will keep talking for a while. The goal is numbers—if I message 100 people, I’ll probably make at least 10 new friends. Also, when you get a response, try to message them often, but not too much, especially if they don’t respond, because you’ll just overload them, and they will ghost you. But a few messages a week is good. Also, some people regularly open voice rooms or do live streams; try to join those rooms whenever you can. If they see you regularly join them, they will be more likely to talk to you. I also recommend going through moments and replying to people’s posts—make a joke or give them a compliment, etc. Just be nice and friendly to as many people as possible. Sometimes I’ll join a room and vibe with people and send a follow and message to everyone there. Also, don’t forget the search feature; search for your ideal partner and then message every single one of them. Honestly, it’s a lot like a sales job: be respectful but assertive, message, follow, and compliment until your fingers cramp. I do this every now and again and have had really good conversations with thousands of people. Also, remember that girls, especially Japanese girls, are going to be very hesitant. They might respond at first out of respect, but there are many people that like to use this app as a sort of international Tinder, and so they get hit on a lot, so they might ghost you if you flirt with them too much. Just be respectful and polite. For me, I’ve actually hardly spoken English, only when I want to. Many Japanese people also just like talking with foreigners, though it depends on your Japanese level. If you can’t hold a conversation, they are more likely to either speak English or just ignore you. I just come swinging out of the gate with only Japanese; most of the time they will default to Japanese, but don’t be rude if they want to speak some English as well. Fun fact: When I started HelloTalk nearly 8 years ago, I only knew very, very basic Japanese, only a few words and how to introduce myself. And I would message two people. I would just say, “Hello, I’m ___, nice to meet you,” and then I would essentially copy the responses of one person and send it to the other. I was like a sort of middleman in the conversation—probably not the best because they would always compliment how good my Japanese was. Little did they know they were complimenting another Japanese person on their Japanese levelwww More than half of it was literally copied from another Japanese person. Ahahaha, but I would slowly start to recognize common words and responses, and over time, I was able to talk by myself. It’s not the best method; it took me many more years than most people to just get conversational, but it worked at the beginning.
I just host my own voice rooms or respond to posts asking for a language exchange call. If it’s a voice room, I talk to whoever joins and invite them up stage. Phone calls are private which I’ve found more enjoyable because it’s 1 on 1, so there’s very little interruptions. I made a lot of friends this way and I also met up with most of them in person. I occasionally get some messages but those conversations usually don’t last long.
It is difficult to make Japanese friends. You should note that ‘friend’ in English and ‘friend’ in Japanese(友達) have different meanings. ‘友達’ means BFFs.
I suggest making friends in PC games if there is no lag. This is because ‘オンラインゲームフレンド’ (online game friend) is considered an English loan word in Japanese and PC gamers are generally willing to communicate. The higher your rank, the more chances you’ll have. Best of luck!
Imo, just use it for voice rooms to practise speaking, and write moments to get corrections. Most Japanese people don’t really put any effort into continuing a conversation/they’re just bad at it unfortunately. If you meet cool people and make friends, then you’ll usually be moving off to discord or insta as they eventually stop using the app tho
As a dating app. I’m kidding, I haven’t had much luck with finding friends on HT
I personally find all those apps to be a waste of time and with the whole intention of the company to waste as much of your time as possible.
I’d suggest paying for iTalki conversation exchanges, or something similar. Otherwise just practice shadowing the kind of conversations one wishes to have in real life.
It’s a dating app masquerading as a language app.