In-person language lessons with a tutor can be a great experience, but if you're unable to find an affordable private Japanese tutor in Chicago, online learning may be a good option for you. To take lessons with a Japanese tutor in your area, you may have to pay more to cover their travel costs or travel to their home, and the average cost of private Japanese lessons in Chicago is over $20 per hour. With online learning, you can save on travel expenses and have access to top tutors from around the world.
Many students who try online language lessons with a tutor are pleasantly surprised by the experience. At LanguaTalk, lessons are 1-on-1 to ensure you get your tutor's full attention and can make rapid progress. Lessons are conducted via video call, allowing you to communicate with your tutor and share learning materials, as if you were in the same room. Give it a try with a free trial session and see for yourself!
You can watch Japanese tutor intro videos, check their availability, and read reviews from their students on their profiles. You'll also see which learning needs, ages, and levels the tutor is comfortable with.
Are you new to LanguaTalk? When you sign up, you'll get a token for a complimentary 30-minute trial lesson. Use this to meet your chosen tutor and decide whether you want to keep taking classes with them or look for a Japanese tutor in Chicago instead. (Please note: not all tutors offer a free trial lesson - some charge 30% of their regular lesson price.)
Kaori S
Kaori S
My role is to be your mentor who support your goal. I believe in you and help you acquiring Japanese. Your course will be designed on your request based on your pace, interests, learning style and learning history.
In my classes, I try to give more time to speaking practice. Because learners cannot do this all alone. You can do writing practice at home. You can take time to look for the words and structure them carefully and try out something new. Watching short videos and listening to music can also be given as an assignment. I will help you with many picture slides. Once you get comfortable creating sentences with the new expressions and vocabulary, I will offer activities which stimulate conversations.
I do not insist on handwriting. I leave it to the learners. Handwriting helps some learners to memorize. Other learners are visual and rather work with flash cards. Nowadays, there is little necessity for handwriting. Most written communication is typed.
Beginners will have to decide on their textbook. I usually prefer the one which the learner has already been using. If the learner wants to have a new book or they have none, I can recommend one. The learner uses the textbook for doing homework, reviewing, or pre-study. I will use slides in the lessons for oral practice. For those who want conversation lessons, the materials can vary depending on the learner’s wishes.
Teaching is my joy. I appreciate each meeting that brings me the chance to learn through my teaching. Seeing the progress of my students makes me happy.
See Reviews From StudentsNorah A
Norah A
Hello there! I'm Norah. I am a Certified tutor of The 420-hour Advanced Japanese Teacher Training Course.
I was born and raised in Saitama and was working in Tokyo for 20 years. I speak "Tokyo-standard accent Japanese" and can teach Keigo (A special polite speech style) for business.
I have been teaching Japanese since 2018. When I was living in Florida, I was volunteering to help students who studied Japanese at a University, and that experience brought me to become an online Japanese tutor.
[My style]
I want you to relax and enjoy our lesson, I will ask you how you want to study Japanese. Some students want to study grammar accurately, some want to have conversations, some want to read books with me, and some students want to write a diary in Japanese! I can be flexible according to what you want. If you are not sure how to study Japanese, I will suggest the best way for you.
[Accent, Intonation of Japanese]
Pronunciation between English and Japanese is very different! I will help your accent and pronunciation to sound more natural in Japanese.
[My favorite materials]
Of course, you can use your favorite textbooks but I prefer to use these. Also, I use many different types of books for fun including comics, and news websites to gain vocabulary.
[Message to all Japanese-language learners]
I love teaching, listening to my students, and speaking with people from different countries. A small question may help your comprehension of the Japanese language. Don't hesitate to ask me. I would love to support you! Looking forward to seeing you. Book a trial lesson now! :)
Saori T
Saori T
About me
Hello I'm Saori. Nice to meet you! I am from Tokyo. but I've been living in Canada for about 4 years. After graduating from my university I moved to SK in Canada, and lately moved to BC in Canada.
Teaching experience
I have 4 years of teaching experience online, and taught at a Japanese Sunday school in Canada. Over 4 years I have taught people who are complete beginner, intermediate, advanced, from the ages of 5 to 80 from many different countries such as Canada, America, China, England, France, Italy and South Korea etc.
I am very patient, friendly and cheerful. My teaching strategy focuses on making students feel comfortable during my lessons, I want you to feel okay when you make a mistake. Making mistakes is an important step to improve language skills.
About my lessons
Depending on students' individual needs, I can give a strict, structured lesson or a relaxed, conversational lesson. If you are a beginner student, I can always use English to teach. If you want me to only Japanese to teach, I’ll speak only Japanese to you. If you are not sure your level or what part you need to improve, I can find out what you should do to improve your skills. I am very flexible, and respect student’s opinions. If my teaching pace is too fast or too slow, please don’t hesitate to tell me, I can always change the speed as well. I’ll provide homework or a test if it’s needed.
See Reviews From StudentsYoko B
Yoko B
Hello everyone. I’m Yoko. Nice to meet you.
I was born, raised and educated in Tokyo. I moved to Brazil in 2001 and now live in the UK.
I speak Japanese, Portuguese and English.
I know how hard it is to learn foreign languages, but it’s also fantastic to be able to communicate with people in the world.
I tailor my classes for all levels (your interests, needs, and also goals).
- Start from zero? That's great, we can have a lot of fun together to do speaking, grammar and writing hiragana and Katakana. I always encourage my students to learn Hiragana and Katakana at least. I believe being able to read Japanese helps your understanding and importantly, motivates you more.
- Looking for a conversation partner? Yes, I can do that. We can talk about anything you want, e.g., celebrity gossip, news about what's happening in the world.
- Looking for someone who corrects your writing? Yes, please count on me. Please send me your writing at least 1 day before the class. We’ll review it together in class.
I can give you accurate instructions, because I myself have been learning English and Portuguese for a long time, as I understand common mistakes we usually make.
[Beginner]
Material: ‘GENKI’’MARUGOTO’ or others (PPT, videos, music etc)
Learn: speaking, listening and writing (Hiragana and Katakana)
[Conversation]
Free conversation, discussion
Learn: Speak correctly
[Writing correction]
Pls send me your writing at least 1 day before the class. We’ll review it together in class.
*All the classes are available both in English and Portuguese.
Looking forward to seeing you soon.
-------------
Ola, sou Yoko. Prazer em conhecer.
Nasci e cresci em Toquio e me mudei ao Brasil em 2001 e agora moro no UK.
Falo japones, portugues e ingles.
Dou aula de japones para todos os niveis:
-Comece do zero? Eh otimo, podemos nos divertir muito de falar, gramatica e escrever hiragana e katakana. Eu insentivar meus alunos a aprenderem pelo menos Hiragana e Katakana. Ser capaz de ler japones ajuda a sua compreensão e motivacao.
-Procurando aula de conversa? Sim, conte comigo. Podemos falar qualquer assuntos que voce quiser, pode ser fofocas de celebridades, noticias sobre o que esta acontecendo no mundo.
-Procurando alguem corrija sua redacao? Sim, conte comigo. Me manda sua redacao pelo menos 1 dia antes da aula. Vamos revisa-la juntos na aula.
Espero encontrá-lo em breve!!
See Reviews From Students
Madoka K
Madoka K
How do you do! My name is Madoka. I am from Tokyo. I was born and grew up there, but I have been living in the United States for quite a long time by now.
During those years, I studied, worked, got married and raised two children. Meantime, I taught beginning Japanese classes at the college level for two years, taught toddlers and pre-school children at my immersion-style Japanese family child care for more than 10 years; then, have been teaching elementary through high-school students at a Japanese school for 4 years (including 2 years of on-line class). Certainly, I raised my own children in Japanese. And recently I took the Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test to get officially certified as a Japanese teacher.
For me, languages are for communication. I love to learn different languages myself and love to teach my native language, Japanese, to other people to communicate with different people. I know Spanish enough to communicate. I am learning Korean along with Tae Kwon Do practice. I know both hardship and joy of learning languages.
Students from all ages and all levels are welcome. I communicate with students to find their level, interests and goal to accommodate the best lesson style for each of them. I usually use visual materials, quizzes and games. I may use textbook when needed but often customize materials on my own according to my student's need. My lesson is always interactive. I would expect you to join me and be an active part in our lesson!
Let me hear from you. If you are motivated enough to come here to read this and watch my video, why don't you get in touch with me to tell me about you. Let's meet in the trial session and talk more. We'll have fun and I will do my best to achieve your goal.
See Reviews From StudentsYurika D
Yurika D
Hello, my name is Yurika.
I can offer Japanese lessons for beginner, intermediate, advanced and business levels. Japanese is a tricky language to learn, and I believe that practicing conversations and understanding the nuances are the keys to mastering Japanese. My lessons will focus on practicing daily conversations that will build your confidence in speaking and listening. I hope to create a cheerful and fun learning experience together!
See Reviews From Students
Maya Y
Maya Y
I am Maya. I started teaching because I’ve always loved language exchanges for my own language study.
I’ve been studying Italian and English for so many years that I understand very well the difficulties for leaners. I experimented many methods of learning on my own, so it would be helpful in order to give you efficient advices.
I have 7 years of experience in teaching and also currently I’m teaching in a language school for class and individual lessons.
So I think have a valuable experience.
In addition, I was born in Tokyo, Japan. So, if you study with me, you would be learning Japanese from a Native-Japanese speaker with correct accent!
I graduated from the Information technology major and I’m also freelance front-end web developer.
I’ll help you with modern online tools and I’ll you organize you nice OnDemand online lessons.
Tomomi M
Tomomi M
I’m a qualified, professional Japanese tutor with over ten years’ teaching experience. I’ve taught university and school classes, conversational classes and also one to ones, in person and online.
Whether you want to learn simple conversational Japanese, perhaps for a holiday or merely for fun; or whether you would like to study the language at a higher level, focusing on grammar, reading and writing, I can help you.
See Reviews From StudentsAki M
Aki M
Hi I'm Aki, an experienced Japanese teacher.
I've been tutoring students in the United Kingdom for almost a decade. I taught a variety of students: e.g. young children (primary school), teenagers (GCSE /A-level), university students, and adults up to over 60 years old. Most of them are beginners or intermediate-level learners.
Let me describe my teaching style with 3 key points:
1) TEACHING MATERIALS: I mainly use my original teaching materials which are full of visual-focused explanations and custom illustrations. I believe every lesson should be customised to some extend, because of the many different types of students (visual learners, auditory learners, and kinesthetic learners) and their unique objectives. I use my own materials in a different way depending on the students, and use other materials such as textbooks (e.g. exam book) and websites (e.g. news, culture) when required.
2) SPEAKING TIME: I pay attention to the balance of my speaking time and students' speaking time, because it's very important for the students to apply what they have learned to real situations. In this way, I try to make my lesson more interactive than just straight forward tutoring. I make situations where they can talk without hesitation. For example, I choose topics that are interesting and/or familiar to them.
3) FOLLOW-UP: I give them feedback and/or assignments after lessons so that they can review the lessons properly and ask questions if they have any. Also I give advice when a student gets stuck on learning a particular aspect of Japanese, because I had similar experiences when learning English.
Thus, I am committed to providing professional but fun Japanese language lessons in my own way!
*I currently teach private students online in the United Kingdom. I have previously worked as a Japanese teacher assistant in Sand Lake Elementary School in Alaska, USA. I successfully completed the CELTA course and have earned several teaching certificates.
See Reviews From StudentsNozomu H
Nozomu H
I have lived 5 years in California when I was young, and the past 12 years in the UK, so explaining difficult grammar/sentences using slang and idioms in English is my strong suit. I used to be a medical student for 4 years in the UK, so if you would like any medical Japanese help, I'd be able to accommodate!
I have been a tutor since 2019, with students from all over the world!
I am a huge fan of anime and manga, so otakus are very welcome 😊
We will first figure out what your learning style is, whether it be visual, aural, kinetic, etc. Then, we will construct an efficient custom learning plan that maximises your strengths, and supplement your weak areas.
I have access to a variety of textbooks, and will be able to accommodate for a very wide range of proficiency level.
I will incorporate the fundamentals of language, and will focus on accuracy, but in the context of conversational use. You will be able to have confidence in your pronunciation, and the accuracy of the intonation.
I will be setting kanji and vocab homework, as they are crucial in progressing through the language.
See Reviews From StudentsOur research suggests that the average hourly rate for private Japanese lessons in Chicago is between $25-$35. Since online tutors don't have to travel to you and often live in countries with a lower cost of living, their hourly rate tends to be significantly lower.
If you prefer in-person lessons over online learning, LanguaTalk may not be the best fit for you. Instead, you can search for a tutor on a local service listing website or place an advertisement in your area. However, we do encourage you to try online learning – you have nothing to lose by booking a free trial session. Many students find that the online experience is just as good as in-person learning, with the added benefit of access to higher quality tutors at a lower cost.
Some students might be unsure about learning Japanese online because they think it will be very different from in-person learning. However, many students find that the online experience is similar and they often develop strong relationships with their tutor.
Once you start a video call with your selected tutor, you'll be able to communicate with them as if you were in the same room. The tutor may also share learning resources with you (such as newspaper articles or YouTube videos) and you'll be able to collaborate in real-time using tools like Google Docs or Dropbox Paper.
Some tutors on LanguaTalk may also provide in-person lessons in Chicago, but most only offer online lessons as it is more convenient and allows them to work from home. Additionally, most tutors are not located in Chicago because they are living elsewhere in the world. If you book a lesson with a tutor, you should assume that the lesson will be conducted online.
If you're new to LanguaTalk, we'll provide you with a credit for a free trial session. Many, but not all, tutors offer these for free. If a tutor does not offer a free trial, the trial price will be 30 percent of their full lesson price, allowing you to still try a session at a reduced cost.
Trial sessions last 30 minutes. They allow you to determine if the tutor is a good fit for you and get a sense of what online learning is like. The tutor will assess your level and try to understand your needs and interests so that they can tailor any lessons you choose to take. You'll be encouraged to speak as much as possible in Japanese, but you can also speak in English if needed.
If, after your trial session, you don't feel that the tutor is right for you, you can book a trial with another tutor for 30 percent of their full lesson price.
One of the benefits of online lessons is that you can learn anytime, anywhere. When you choose a tutor, simply check their calendar to ensure that they have times that fit your schedule. Some tutors may have limited availability due to high demand.
Most students take 55-minute lessons. However, some tutors also offer the option of 30-minute lessons. If this option is available, it will be noted on the tutor's profile (below their pricing and above the 'Buy Lessons' button).
In general, 55-minute lessons are recommended for most students. 30-minute lessons may be suitable if you're taking lessons for your child or if you have an intermediate level and only want conversation practice.
LanguaTalk offers personalized 1-on-1 Japanese lessons with top-rated tutors. Here's how to get started:
1 - Find a tutor that meets your needs by reviewing their videos, reviews, pricing, and availability.
2 - Book a trial lesson. Many tutors offer a free 30-minute trial, while others offer a discounted trial price.
3 - Have personalized lessons with your chosen tutor via video call. Or try a different tutor if desired.
You don't need to provide credit card information to book a free trial session. Please only book a trial if you're seriously considering taking lessons. Tutor prices vary, and you can use the filter to find one that fits your budget. You can pay for individual lessons or purchase a package for a discount (view a tutor's pricing options on their profile).
We're confident you'll enjoy learning on LanguaTalk. Our platform is trusted by students worldwide because of our transparency. We ask students to rate each lesson, and we display these ratings on tutor profiles.
99.8% of lesson ratings are 5 stars. This is because we only accept the top 10% of tutor applications, unlike other platforms.
To access our full list of FAQs or get assistance from our friendly team, click the 'Help' button in the bottom-right. You can also watch students sharing their experiences learning on LanguaTalk below.
Lessons are taught one-on-one to ensure that you receive customized instruction. During the lessons, your tutor will use a variety of teaching methods and resources, including language exercises, conversation practice, and cultural notes, to help you reach your learning objectives.
All lessons take place via video call. Your tutor will normally give you a choice of calling tools, all of which are easy to use.