Choose an alternative by what you want to keep

OptionBest forCheck before you switch
HanashiAn interest-led one-to-one conversation with a Japanese host and help following the exchange.Early access signup is open. Check current host and paid booking availability before making plans.
italkiA teacher who already understands your goals, or a new teacher who offers focused conversation practice.Look at the actual lesson description, length and what kind of feedback the teacher offers.
PreplyRecurring practice with the same tutor and a regular plan.Ongoing subscriptions renew every 28 days with that tutor. Read the terms and distinguish a trial from the continuing plan.
CafetalkShopping for a specific kind of lesson. Its search includes keywords, point prices and lesson options.Check the listed time and price in points for the exact lesson you choose.
TandemAn ongoing peer relationship where each person helps the other practice.Plan who leads each half and pick a call time you can both make.

Why choose Hanashi?

If you leave a lesson thinking, “I just wanted to talk about the film I watched,” choose someone whose profile makes you want to ask a follow-up. Hanashi is designed around Japanese hosts’ interests and personalities, so the person and the topic can carry the session.

Captions and translation are there to help when you miss a line and want to stay with the story. Keep looking at tutoring marketplaces if you want assessed feedback, a syllabus or repeated work on the same error.

Run the same request through two profiles

Ask a prospective tutor: “Can we spend 12 minutes on what I did last weekend and use the last five minutes to fix two things I kept getting wrong?” A useful answer explains how they’d approach the feedback.

For a host, use a different brief: “I’ve been getting into Japanese mystery films. I’d love to trade recommendations and try asking a few questions in Japanese.” Look for someone interested in the subject, and settle on one question you’re excited to ask.

Change the offer before changing apps

If you like your current teacher and simply want more speaking time, ask for one conversation-led lesson before starting over. See the tutor versus host decision guide for a script to ask for feedback without stopping every sentence.

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