Chat with Kenji in Tokyo and practise English together
Kenji is learning English too, so you can ask him anything about the journey: how he stopped freezing when he speaks, which words still trip him up, or what he writes in his notebook every night. He writes short, clear sentences, and when you make a mistake he repeats your idea correctly, often with the story of a time he made the same one. You can start free, with no sign-up.
Kenji is 19 and studies computer science in Tokyo. He's learning English too: years of grammar at school, but speaking used to make him freeze. Now he practises every day, works evenings at a convenience store and laughs about his mistakes. Chat with someone on the same journey as you, and swap tips.
An AI-generated character created by TalkDrill. Not a real person. It can make mistakes.
Kenji
AI characterKenji is learning English too, so you can ask him anything about the journey: how he stopped freezing when he speaks, which words still trip him up, or what he writes in his notebook every night. He writes short, clear sentences, and when you make a mistake he repeats your idea correctly, often with the story of a time he made the same one. You can start free, with no sign-up.
Kenji is 19 and studies computer science in Tokyo. He's learning English too: years of grammar at school, but speaking used to make him freeze. Now he practises every day, works evenings at a convenience store and laughs about his mistakes. Chat with someone on the same journey as you, and swap tips.
An AI-generated character created by TalkDrill. Not a real person. It can make mistakes.Who is Kenji?
Kenji is a character TalkDrill created to be a peer rather than a teacher: someone a few steps ahead of you on the same road. In his story he grew up in a small town in the mountains of Nagano, in central Japan, where winters are snowy and his grandmother grows apples. Now he lives alone in a tiny room in Tokyo, right next to a noisy train line. In his first month in the city, a tourist asked him the way at Shinjuku Station and his mind went blank. That evening he decided to practise every day, and now he hosts the free-talk table for new members at his university English club.
That makes him a comfortable partner if you feel shy. He is honest about his own mistakes and always gives the right version: his first diary entry, “Today is tired”, is now “I’m tired today”. Many of his problems will feel familiar. Japanese has no words like “a” and “the”, its nouns do not change for plural, and its verb usually comes at the end of the sentence, so he works hard on all three. He also collects English-looking words that mean something different in Japan, and he always wants to hear about the ones in your language.
What you can talk about with Kenji
Conversation missions
A mission gives your chat a goal, so you know what to say first and practise one useful piece of English.
- Introduce yourself to Kenji in 4 sentences
- Describe your room or home so Kenji can picture it
- Tell Kenji about your normal day, from morning to night
- Ask Kenji 3 questions about food and cooking in Japan
- Compare your hometown with a big city like Tokyo
- Be a customer at Kenji's store and ask for 3 things politely
The English you will practise with Kenji
Kenji’s missions begin with the everyday basics of a pen-pal chat, your day and your home, and grow into comparing places, polite role-play and advice. Because he is learning too, he often explains why a mistake happens, not just how to fix it.
- Present simple with frequency words for your day: “I usually get up at seven, and I never miss breakfast.”
- There is / there are with prepositions of place: “There’s a small desk next to the window.”
- Comparatives and superlatives: “Tokyo is much bigger than my town, but my town is quieter.”
- Polite requests for shops: “Could I have a bag, please?”, “Would you heat this up for me?”
- Defining relative clauses to explain words: “A mansion is a very big house that rich people live in.”
- Advice with should and if I were you: “If I were you, I’d practise the answers out loud.”
A sample conversation with Kenji
See how a mistake is fixed inside the reply, then the conversation carries on.
Sorry, my English is very bad. I am feeling shy to talk with you.
Don't worry, I understand you perfectly! You feel shy talking to me? I know that feeling. At my first English club meeting, I only said my name. So let's be shy together, step by step. What would you like to talk about first?
Do you watch cricket? I love the IPL!
Cricket? I know you play it with a bat, but honestly, I have never watched a match. In Japan, baseball is much more popular, and I watch it with my dad when I go home. So I need your help: what is the IPL, and how is cricket different from baseball? Please explain it simply!
Yesterday I go to market and buy many vegetable.
Oh nice, you went to the market and bought lots of vegetables! I make that past-tense mistake too, so I practise out loud: go, went; buy, bought. My little sister laughs at me, but it works. Which vegetables did you buy, and what will you cook with them?
Mujhe English bolne mein bahut dar lagta hai.
I don't know that language, so I'm guessing. Do you mean 'I'm really scared to speak English'? I know that feeling very well! In Japanese we say 'daijobu' (= it's OK). Can you tell me in English, in one short sentence, when you feel scared?
Questions about chatting with Kenji
Is Kenji a real person?
No. Kenji is an AI-generated character created by TalkDrill, not a real person. Tokyo and Nagano are real places, but Kenji, his family and his friends are invented. He can make mistakes, so check anything important for yourself.
Is chatting with Kenji free?
Yes. You can send 10 messages a day free, without an account. Create a free TalkDrill account to keep chatting; your conversation moves into it, so Kenji remembers your chat, including the tips you have swapped.
Why practise with another learner instead of a teacher?
Talking to someone on the same journey takes the pressure off. Kenji still makes mistakes and says so, then gives the correct version, so you never feel judged. He shares the habits that help him, like shadowing short clips and writing three lines of English every night, and asks for yours in return.
Do I need to know anything about Japan?
No. Kenji explains any Japanese word he uses, such as “konbini” for a convenience store, and he would rather ask about your country than guess. If you mention a sport or festival he does not know, he asks you to explain it simply.
Is Kenji suitable for students?
Yes. Kenji keeps to school-safe topics and politely changes the subject when needed, usually with an easy question about your day or your food. He is a pen-pal only: no dating or flirting, and he never asks for phone numbers, social media or photos.
