How do I find language exchange partners?

Hi, fellow Japanese learners! Native Japanese speaker here. I’m not sure if this post belongs to this subreddit but honestly this is my last straw so here I am.

I’ve been struggling to find language/cultural exchange partners (mainly looking for Finnish, Spanish and Norwegian) on apps like HelloTalk/Tandem and some websites.

I guess most of the female users that I texted there are using the apps as sort of… tinder? Maybe they just feel more comfortable to text with guys, idk. Most of the girls who are around my age (22) also rarely text me back which is bit sad. They reply to Japanese dudes’ comments on their posts often but my messages are left on seen most of the time. I also tried to text some guys there too but there aren’t so many.

Some kind Japanese learners on Reddit texted me and we are currently helping each other to reach our goals but I feel like I need more people to text/talk with.
Also discord servers that some redditor recommend to me got very few amounts of users speaking my targeted languages and I’m a bit lost at this point.

How did you guys find your language/culture exchange partners?

11 comments
  1. Have you tried finding a real-life language exchange meetup? I am not sure where you live but try your luck with [https://www.meetup.com/](https://www.meetup.com/) Other than that, not sure what else.

    I know how you feel, I have trouble finding a language partner as well since the demand for my native language is almost non-existent. Your target languages such as Finnish and Norwegian might be a bit difficult to find due to the small number of speakers.

    Perhaps try finding the respective language’s subreddit? ([https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnFinnish/](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnFinnish/)) for example. who knows someone might be learning Japanese there.

  2. I’m native spanish (from Spain) and I can talk english and japanese to a beginner level (around N4-N3).
    DM me if you want to talk, I’m also in Hello Talk but for some reason the notifications don’t work and many times I miss messages because of that 🙁

  3. I’m a native spanish speaker (From Argentina). My english is ok, my japanese is very basic. Feel free to DM me if you want to talk, I’m mostly on discord or reddit

  4. A tip for using Hellotalk is that some people on the app do not use it for messaging only for posting and commenting so it you message them they might not reply but if you comment on their posts you might get some interactions.

    Unfortunately that app is also full of bots and scammers though so it’s hard to tell which it is.

  5. Do you have a japanese cultural center near where you live? If so, I’d go there if I were you and if you’re willing to do it face to face. Or just google if there are any japanese events in your city. You’ll connect with the community (maybe lol).

    Otherwise, I guess you tried all the online resources I know about :/

  6. Hey girl! I’m finn and been trying to learn japanese for years but without much hope. I’m from Oulu, Finland, soon to be 19, text me if you would like to chat!

  7. Native Finn (not by race though) that’s learned some basic Japanese. I currently live in Los Angeles. Hmu if interested in exchanging languages.

  8. Hi, I’m a native Finnish speaker (female also) and looking to pick up my Japanese studies once again at some point later this year. I speak a little bit Japanese but my proficiency is around tourist level I think. I’m looking for a friend I can chat with about culture and language, and would be happy to help you with conversational Finnish if you need someone to text / talk with.

    I’ve found language exchange partners mainly through schools or friends. My studies have been very irregular lately though because of work and others have been busy as well.

    Drop me a dm if you’re interested, have a great day!

Leave a Reply
You May Also Like