LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N5Lesson notes · Oct 6, 2026

Practice in Japanese: 練習れんしゅう (renshuu), 稽古けいこ, 訓練くんれん and which one to use

"Practice" in Japanese is usually 練習れんしゅう (renshuu), and the everyday verb is 練習れんしゅうする — but English "practice" covers several ideas that Japanese splits into different words: 稽古けいこ, トレーニング, 訓練くんれん, 実践じっせん and 習慣しゅうかん.

If you look "practice" up in a dictionary, 練習れんしゅう comes first, and for most daily situations that is the right answer. The trouble starts when you try to use 練習れんしゅう for everything the English word does. "Practice makes perfect," "put it into practice," "it's common practice," "a doctor's practice" — these are all different ideas in Japanese, and 練習れんしゅう only fits the first.

The basics

What is the basic word for "practice"?

練習れんしゅう (れんしゅう, renshuu) is repeating something on purpose in order to get better at it. It works as a noun, and it becomes a verb with する.

毎日まいにち、日本語にほんごを練習れんしゅうしています。 — I practice Japanese every day. (polite, ongoing habit) 今日きょうはピアノの練習れんしゅうがある。 — I have piano practice today. (casual, noun use)

Think of 練習れんしゅう as the word for "repeat it until it gets easier." Sports, instruments, speaking a language, driving, cooking a recipe you want to master — all 練習れんしゅう. If you are turning that repetition into a daily routine on your own, how to study Japanese by yourself lays out what actually works.

How do you say "to practice" as a verb?

Add する: 練習れんしゅうする. This is the form you will use most, and it comes in two shapes that learners often mix up.

日本語にほんごを練習れんしゅうする。 — I practice Japanese. (plain form, the thing practiced is the object) 日本語にほんごの練習れんしゅうをする。 — I do Japanese practice. (plain form, 練習れんしゅう is a noun, "practice" is the thing I do)

Both are natural. The first treats 練習れんしゅうする as one verb and marks the thing you practice with を. The second treats 練習れんしゅう as a noun, so the thing you practice attaches with の, and the verb する takes its own を. We come back to this under Common mistakes, because it is where most particle errors happen. If particles in general are a weak spot, our article on dropping particles in casual Japanese shows how real speech bends these rules.

How do you say "go to practice" or "I am going to practice"?

Use the stem of する plus に, or use 練習れんしゅうに行いく. The に here marks purpose: "go in order to practice."

練習れんしゅうしに行いく。 — I'm going to practice. (casual, "go in order to practice") 明日あしたは朝あさから練習れんしゅうに行いきます。 — Tomorrow I'm going to practice starting in the morning. (polite, noun + に)

Both mean you are traveling somewhere to do the practice. 練習れんしゅうしに行いく breaks 練習れんしゅうする apart to attach に; 練習れんしゅうに行いく is the shorter, more common version when the action is obvious.

Beyond the basics

What is the difference between 練習れんしゅう, 稽古けいこ, トレーニング and 訓練くんれん?

They all mean "practice" or "training," but each sits in a different world. This is the part dictionaries do not make obvious, so here is the short map:

  • 練習れんしゅう — the all-purpose word. School clubs, music, language, sports, anything you repeat to improve.
  • 稽古けいこ (けいこ) — practice in a traditional or performing art: martial arts, tea ceremony, calligraphy, kabuki, a theater troupe, sumo. It carries a feeling of a master-and-student relationship.
  • トレーニング — physical or fitness training. Gym work, conditioning, a workout plan.
  • 訓練くんれん (くんれん) — structured, disciplined drilling for a duty: military or police training, disaster drills, training an animal. It sounds serious and sometimes strict.

毎週まいしゅう、剣道けんどうの稽古けいこに通かよっています。 — I go to kendo practice every week. (polite, traditional martial art) ジムで筋きんトレをしている。 — I work out at the gym. (casual, 筋きんトレ is short for 筋肉きんにくトレーニング) 避難訓練ひなんくんれんが行おこなわれます。 — An evacuation drill will be held. (polite, announcement-style, safety)

If you are unsure, 練習れんしゅう is almost never wrong for skill practice. 稽古けいこ is the one that sounds odd when you use it outside its world: 英語えいごの稽古けいこ would make a Japanese listener smile.

What about 特訓とっくん and 朝練あされん?

These are the two you will hear all the time in anime. 特訓とっくん (とっくん) is "special training," an extra-hard, intensive session — the classic training-arc word. 朝練あされん (あされん) is short for 朝あさの練習れんしゅう, "morning practice," and it is school-club culture in a single word.

特訓とっくんするぞ! — We're going to do special training! (casual, shouted by a coach or rival in a training arc) 明日あしたは朝練あされんがあるから、早はやく寝ねる。 — I have morning practice tomorrow, so I'm going to bed early. (casual, school club)

朝練あされん fills the hours before class, and 宿題しゅくだい fills the hours after it — see homework in Japanese.

Is there a way to say "practice" as in "practice vs. theory"?

Yes: 実践じっせん (じっせん). It means putting something into action in the real world, as opposed to knowing it in your head. It is not repetition for improvement, it is "doing it for real."

学まなんだことを実践じっせんする。 — I put what I've learned into practice. (neutral, written or spoken) 理論りろんはわかったけど、実践じっせんは難むずかしい。 — I understand the theory, but practice is hard. (casual, contrast with theory)

Learners who push 練習れんしゅう into this slot sound slightly off: 学まなんだことを練習れんしゅうする means "I repeat what I learned as drills," not "I apply it for real."

And "practice" meaning habit or custom?

That is 習慣しゅうかん (しゅうかん) or 慣習かんしゅう (かんしゅう). English "it is common practice to…" has nothing to do with training. Japanese uses words about habit and custom, not 練習れんしゅう.

日本にほんでは、玄関げんかんで靴くつを脱ぬぐ習慣しゅうかんがあります。 — In Japan there is a custom of taking off shoes at the entrance. (polite, cultural explanation)

What about a doctor's or a lawyer's "practice"?

Neither 練習れんしゅう nor 稽古けいこ works, because this "practice" is a business. A doctor's practice is usually 医院いいん or クリニック (the place) and 診療しんりょう (しんりょう, seeing patients). "To open a practice" is 開業かいぎょうする (かいぎょうする). For law, think 事務所じむしょ (office). The English word hides three different ideas; Japanese separates them.

父ちちは小ちいさな医院いいんを開業かいぎょうしている。 — My father runs his own small clinic. (polite, business sense of "practice")

How does practice sound in anime?

Practice scenes in anime lean on a few set phrases. Once you know them, they stand out immediately:

  • 練習れんしゅうだ! — shouted at the start of a club session, "time to practice!"
  • 朝練あされん — early-morning club practice, a staple of sports series.
  • 特訓とっくん — the training arc itself.
  • 稽古けいこをつけてやる — said by a teacher or senior: "I'll train you," with the feeling of a master giving the lesson.
  • 訓練くんれんが足たりん — "your training is not enough," the stern line of a drill instructor or old soldier.

稽古けいこをつけてやるから、かかってこい。 — I'll train you, so come at me. (casual-rough, master to student) 訓練くんれんが足たりん。 — Your training isn't enough. (rough, 足たりん is a stern form of 足たりない)

Notice that 稽古けいこをつける means "to give practice to someone," so the teacher is the subject. A learner would never say it about their own practice.

Common mistakes

  • Using 練習れんしゅう for every meaning of "practice." "It's common practice" is not 練習れんしゅう; "put it into practice" is not 練習れんしゅう; "a medical practice" is not 練習れんしゅう. Pick 習慣しゅうかん, 実践じっせん, or 医院いいん/開業かいぎょう instead.
  • Mixing up the particles. 日本語にほんごを練習れんしゅうする (を on the thing practiced) and 日本語にほんごの練習れんしゅうをする (の on the thing practiced, を on the activity) are both fine, but 日本語にほんごの練習れんしゅうする is not. Once you write 練習れんしゅう as a noun, you need the を back for する.
  • Dropping the purpose に. "I'm going to practice" is 練習れんしゅうしに行いく or 練習れんしゅうに行いく. 練習れんしゅうする行いく is not grammatical; the verb before 行いく needs the stem (しに) or the noun (練習れんしゅうに).
  • Using 稽古けいこ for everything that feels like study. 英語えいごを稽古けいこする and 勉強べんきょうを稽古けいこする are wrong. Keep 稽古けいこ for traditional arts, martial arts and theater.
  • Treating 訓練くんれん as a casual word. 訓練くんれん sounds like a drill or a duty. Telling a friend 日本語にほんごの訓練くんれんをしている makes your language study sound like boot camp, which is funny but not what you meant.
  • Confusing practice with study. 勉強べんきょう (studying) is learning from material; 練習れんしゅう is repeating to build skill.

The practice word map

Word Typical situation Politeness and tone Example
練習れんしゅう(する) School, music, sports, language Neutral, works at any level 毎日まいにち、日本語にほんごを練習れんしゅうしています。
稽古けいこ(する) Martial arts, tea, kabuki, sumo, theater Traditional, slightly formal 剣道けんどうの稽古けいこに通かよっています。
トレーニング Gym, fitness, conditioning Casual to neutral, loanword ジムでトレーニングしている。
訓練くんれん(する) Military, police, disaster drills, animals Hard, serious 避難訓練ひなんくんれんが行おこなわれます。
特訓とっくん Anime training arcs, extra-hard sessions Casual, dramatic 特訓とっくんするぞ!
実践じっせん(する) Applying knowledge in real life Neutral, slightly written 学まなんだことを実践じっせんする。
習慣しゅうかん Custom, habit, "common practice" Neutral 靴くつを脱ぬぐ習慣しゅうかんがあります。

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 4 and 5 are a pair, and so are 6 and 7.

1. Say "I practice Japanese every day" using 練習れんしゅうする as a single verb.

Show answer

毎日まいにち、日本語にほんごを練習れんしゅうしています — 練習れんしゅうする is a verb, so the thing practiced takes を.

2. Say "I do Japanese practice every day" using 練習れんしゅう as a noun.

Show answer

毎日まいにち、日本語にほんごの練習れんしゅうをしています — 練習れんしゅう is a noun here, so the thing practiced takes の and the activity takes を before する.

3. What is wrong with 日本語にほんごの練習れんしゅうする?

Show answer

日本語にほんごの練習れんしゅうする keeps the noun の but loses the を. Either 日本語にほんごを練習れんしゅうする or 日本語にほんごの練習れんしゅうをする works, but the two patterns cannot be mixed.

4. Say "I practice the piano" as a verb phrase (thing practiced + を).

Show answer

ピアノを練習れんしゅうする — 練習れんしゅうする as one verb, the instrument marked with を. This is the pair to question 5.

5. Say "I have piano practice today" using の and a noun.

Show answer

今日きょうはピアノの練習れんしゅうがある — 練習れんしゅう is a noun, so ピアノの modifies it, and がある says the session exists. Compare with question 4.

6. You go to a kendo dojo every week. Which word fits best: 練習れんしゅう, 稽古けいこ or 訓練くんれん?

Show answer

稽古けいこ — martial arts are the home territory of 稽古けいこ. 練習れんしゅう would not be wrong, but 稽古けいこ sounds like someone who knows the world. This is the pair to question 7.

7. An evacuation drill is held at the office. Which word fits best: 練習れんしゅう, 稽古けいこ or 訓練くんれん?

Show answer

訓練くんれん — 避難訓練ひなんくんれん is the standard word. 訓練くんれん is for structured drills tied to duty or safety, not for hobbies or arts.

8. How do you say "I'm going to practice" with the purpose に?

Show answer

練習れんしゅうしに行いく (or 練習れんしゅうに行いく) — に marks purpose, so the verb before 行いく must be the stem (しに) or a noun (練習れんしゅうに).

9. Which word fits "it is common practice to take off shoes at the door": 練習れんしゅう, 習慣しゅうかん or 稽古けいこ?

Show answer

習慣しゅうかん — this "practice" means custom, not repetition. 玄関げんかんで靴くつを脱ぬぐ習慣しゅうかんがある.

10. A coach shouts in an anime that he will "give you special training." Which word does he use?

Show answer

特訓とっくん — 特訓とっくんするぞ! is the training-arc word. For a master giving a lesson to a disciple, you would hear 稽古けいこをつけてやる instead.

Use a trial lesson to say what you 練習れんしゅうする each week and whether 稽古けいこ, トレーニング or 訓練くんれん would fit any of it better.

FAQ

Is 練習れんしゅう a noun or a verb? Both. 練習れんしゅう alone is a noun ("practice"), and 練習れんしゅうする is the verb ("to practice"). That is why both 日本語にほんごを練習れんしゅうする and 日本語にほんごの練習れんしゅうをする are correct.

What is the difference between 練習れんしゅう and 勉強べんきょう? 勉強べんきょう is studying: learning from a textbook, a class or notes. 練習れんしゅう is repeating something to build skill: speaking, playing, drawing. For language you do both: 勉強べんきょう for new grammar, 練習れんしゅう for saying it out loud until it comes easily.

Can I use 稽古けいこ for language practice? Not normally. 稽古けいこ belongs to traditional and performing arts, martial arts and theater. Saying 日本語にほんごの稽古けいこ sounds like you are treating Japanese as a martial art, which a Japanese listener will find charming but odd.

Is トレーニング the same as 練習れんしゅう? Close, but トレーニング leans toward physical conditioning (gym, workout, running drills), while 練習れんしゅう covers any skill. A football club does 練習れんしゅう, and a player's gym session is トレーニング.

How do I say "practice makes perfect"? A common match is 習ならうより慣なれよ ("get used to it rather than just learn it") and 継続けいぞくは力ちからなり ("persistence is power"). Both are set sayings, so you can use them as written.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab, and the two columns land in Front / Back.

練習	れんしゅう — practice (noun)
練習する	れんしゅうする — to practice
稽古	けいこ — practice in a traditional art, martial art or theater
トレーニング	とれーにんぐ — physical training, workout
訓練	くんれん — disciplined drill, training (military, disaster, animal)
特訓	とっくん — special, intensive training
朝練	あされん — morning club practice
実践	じっせん — practice (putting into action), practical application
習慣	しゅうかん — habit, custom
開業する	かいぎょうする — to open a business, to start a practice
診療	しんりょう — medical examination and treatment
勉強	べんきょう — study
避難訓練	ひなんくんれん — evacuation drill

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, which comes up in nearly every beginner's first few lessons. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

More “Action Words: Japanese Verbs One at a Time” articles →

Want to try this in a real conversation?

30-minute trial lesson, $13. Times shown in your own timezone.

Practice it out loud with a Tokyo native. ★5.0 from 358 italki reviews.

See how the lessons work →

Book a trial lesson · $13