習う vs 学ぶ
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
習う is learning from a teacher — lessons, a class, someone showing you how. 学ぶ is acquiring knowledge in a broader sense, including studying a subject and learning from books or experience, with no teacher implied. If a person is teaching you, use 習う; if you learned it from a failure or from a field of study, use 学ぶ.
When to use each
習う
ならう
Use 習う when a teacher, instructor or more experienced person is teaching you, usually through repeated practice or regular lessons. The teacher takes に or から.
ピアノを習っています。
ピアノをならっています。
I'm taking piano lessons.
先生に日本語を習いました。
せんせいににほんごをならいました。
I learned Japanese from my teacher.
学ぶ
まなぶ
Use 学ぶ for taking in knowledge or lessons in general — a subject at university, something you got from a book, from history, or from a mistake. It sounds a little bookish and is common in writing and speeches.
大学で経済を学びました。
だいがくでけいざいをまなびました。
I studied economics at university.
失敗から多くを学びました。
しっぱいからおおくをまなびました。
I learned a lot from my failure.
Sentences where only one works
先生に書き方を習いました。
せんせいにかきかたをならいました。
My teacher taught me how to write it.
A named person taught you a skill, which is the core of 習う — に marks the teacher.
失敗から学びました。
しっぱいからまなびました。
I learned from my mistake.
No teacher exists, so only 学ぶ is possible. 習う always implies someone doing the teaching.
子どもの時、そろばんを習っていました。
こどものとき、そろばんをならっていました。
I took abacus lessons as a child.
Regular lessons in a skill — the classic 習い事 pattern, so 習う.
歴史から学ぶことは多いです。
れきしからまなぶことはおおいです。
There is much to learn from history.
Abstract, written-style learning with no instructor; 習う would sound wrong here.
Common mistakes
独学で日本語を習っています。
独学で日本語を勉強しています。
習う needs a teacher, so pairing it with 独学 (self-study) contradicts itself. Use 勉強する, or 学ぶ if you want a more formal tone.
経験から習いました。
経験から学びました。
Experience cannot teach you in the 習う sense. Learning drawn out of events or reading is always 学ぶ.
Frequently asked questions
Which should I use for "I'm learning Japanese"?
日本語を勉強しています is the most natural everyday answer. Say 習っています if you attend lessons with a teacher, and 学んでいます for a more formal or written tone, as in a self-introduction or an essay.
Is 学ぶ too formal for conversation?
It is a shade bookish but perfectly usable in speech, especially about serious or abstract learning. It is far more frequent in writing, speeches and news than in chat.
Can I use 習う for school subjects?
Yes — 学校で英語を習う is natural when you mean a teacher taught it to you. Switch to 勉強する for the work you do yourself, and 学ぶ when you mean the subject as a field of study.