Japanese Tips Resources

How to Change Your iPhone, iPad & Mac to Japanese (and Back!)

Oct 11, 2023

Changing the display language on your devices is one of the most powerful ways to immerse yourself in Japanese without even trying.


Every time you check your email, browse the web, or jot down a reminder, you get valuable, contextual reading input.


You also get the added benefit of Japanese listening and speaking practice!


  • Get turn-by-turn navigation in Japanese while using Apple Maps.
  • Have Japanese text read aloud using text-to-speech.
  • Write out Japanese text using speech-to-text.
  • Communicate with Siri in Japanese: ask questions, give commands, etc.


While this may be a big jump for less advanced Japanese learners, the good news is that:


  • You can often guess the meaning of unknown Japanese words and phrases from context, especially if you are already familiar with the English interface.
  • You can always change back to English if you find this form of immersion too difficult (see the step-by-step instructions below).


How to Change iOS from English to Japanese


To change the display language to Japanese on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 17:


  1. Open Settings (swipe down in the center of your screen to search and type in “Settings.” It’s the app with the gear icon).
  2. Scroll down and tap General.
  3. Scroll down and tap Language & Region.
  4. Tap Add Language…
  5. Select Japanese (日本語) from the list.
  6. Once Japanese is added to your list of Preferred Languages, drag it to the top of the list.
  7. Tap Continue in the popup warning you that Applying this setting will restart your iPhone / iPad.
  8. The screen will then turn black and display 言語を設定中 until the process completes.
  9. Your entire iOS device will now be in Chinese, as will any apps or website that support the language!


To change your Siri language to Japanese, follow the step-by-step instructions in How to Use Apple Siri in Japanese (Free AI-Powered Speaking Practice!).


How to Change iOS from Japanese to English


To switch back to English from Japanese in iOS 17:


  1. Open 設定 (Settings) and tap 一般 (General).
  2. Tap 言語と地域 (Language & Region).
  3. Drag English (英語) to the top of the list under 優先する言語 (Preferred Languages).
  4. Tap 続ける (Continue).
  5. The screen will then turn black and display “Setting Language…” until the process completes.
  6. Your phone (and all of your apps) will now be back in English.


How to Change macOS from English to Japanese


To change the display language to Japanese on your Mac running macOS Sonoma:


  1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen and then select System Preferences from the dropdown list.
  2. Click General.
  3. Click on Language & Region.
  4. Click the + icon in the lower left below the list of currently installed languages.
  5. Select 日本語 ― Japanese from the list of options.
  6. Drag 日本語 ― Japanese to the top of the list under Preferred Languages.
  7. Click Restart Now in the dialogue window that pops up.
  8. Your entire operating system will now be in Japanese, including the interface of most apps.


How to Change macOS from Japanese to English


To switch back to English from Japanese on your Mac running macOS Sonoma:


  1. Click the Apple icon once more and select システム設定 (System Settings) from the dropdown list.
  2. Click on 言語と地域 (Language & Region).
  3. Drag English (英語) to the top of the list under 優先する言語 (Preferred Languages).
  4. Click 今すぐ再起動 (Restart Now) in the dialog box that pops up.
  5. Once your computer restarts, everything will be back in English again.