Japanese Expressions for Talking About Hobbies and Interests

Talking about hobbies is one of the first real conversations you’ll have in Japanese. Whether you’re meeting a new friend, chatting at a language exchange, or making small talk with a host family — しゅみはなんですか？ (“What are your hobbies?”) is always just around the corner. This guide gives you the vocabulary, real conversation examples, and enough practice sentences to handle that moment with confidence.

Hobbies Vocabulary at a Glance

Yuka & Rei Talk About Their Weekends

Here’s what a natural hobbies conversation looks like. Notice how they use phrases from the vocabulary table — and how the conversation flows naturally from a simple opening question.

Yuka

Rei, ひまなとき、なにをしますか？ What do you usually do on weekends?

Rei

Hmm, I love どくしょ — reading. Especially Japanese novels! I try to read for at least 30 minutes every day. What about you, Yuka?

Yuka

Oh nice! I’ve been really into えいが lately. I watched three movies last weekend. And I started ヨガ too — I go to a class on Saturday mornings.

Rei

That’s a full weekend! So your しゅみ is movies and yoga now? You should say: しゅみはえいがとヨガです. Easy and natural.

Yuka

Right! And what about hobbies you’ve been into for a long time? Is there a different way to say that?

Rei

Yes! If you’re really hooked on something, say 〜にはまっています. For example: アニメにはまっています — I’m totally into anime right now. It sounds more passionate than just しゅみです.

Yuka

Ooh, that’s a great phrase. I can say: りょうりにはまっています! I’ve been cooking a lot lately and it’s so satisfying.

Rei

Perfect! And if you want to invite someone to join you, try: いっしょにやりませんか？ — Want to do it together? Super useful for making plans with new friends.

How to Talk About Your Hobbies — Key Patterns

5 Practice Sentences — Read These Aloud

Each sentence uses vocabulary from the table above. Read them out loud to build muscle memory — your brain retains spoken patterns much faster than reading alone.

1. しゅみはりょこうとしゃしんです。
   Shumi wa ryokou to shashin desu.
   My hobbies are travel and photography.
2. まいしゅう、えいがをみにいきます。
   Maishuu, eiga wo mi ni ikimasu.
   I go to watch movies every week.
3. さいきん、ダンスにはまっています。
   Saikin, dansu ni hamatte imasu.
   I’ve been really into dancing lately.
4. ひまなとき、えをかいています。
   Hima na toki, e wo kaite imasu.
   When I have free time, I draw.
5. おんがくがだいすきで、まいにちきいています。
   Ongaku ga daisuki de, mainichi kiite imasu.
   I love music and listen every day.

How to Ask Someone About Their Hobbies

Asking is just as important as answering. These questions will get any conversation started:

• しゅみはなんですか？ — What are your hobbies?
• ひまなとき、なにをしますか？ — What do you do in your free time?
• スポーツはしますか？ — Do you play any sports?
• どんなおんがくがすきですか？ — What kind of music do you like?
• さいきん、なにかはまっていることはありますか？ — Is there anything you’ve been into lately?

Your Turn! Leave Your Sentence in the Comments

The best way to remember new vocabulary is to use it yourself. Reading a list of words is passive — writing your own sentence is active learning, and it sticks.

Challenge: Write 1–3 sentences about your own hobbies using words from this article. Here’s an example to get you started:

しゅみはどくしょとりょこうです。さいきん、にほんごのほんをよんでいます。いつかにほんにりょこうしたいです！
(My hobbies are reading and travel. Lately I’ve been reading books in Japanese. Someday I want to travel to Japan!)

Leave your sentences in the comments below. Other learners will read them, and seeing real examples from real people is one of the most motivating things in language learning. If you log in, your past comments will stay visible on your profile — and the most active commenters are featured in our Top Commenters list in the sidebar!

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