1.
personal experience story; first-hand account
A story or account based on someone's own direct experience, often shared to inform or help others.
留学の体験談を聞く。
To listen to someone's study-abroad experience.
ネットには転職の体験談がたくさん載っている。
There are many job-change experience stories posted online.
先輩の体験談を参考にして、就職活動の準備を始めた。
I started preparing for job hunting using seniors' first-hand accounts as reference.
A compound of 体験 (personal experience) and 談 (talk, story). Very common in blogs, review sites, and informational content where people share real experiences to help others make decisions.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 体験談を語る: to tell one's experience
- 体験談を募集する: to solicit personal stories
- 体験談を読む: to read experience stories
- 成功体験談: success story
- 失敗体験談: failure story
USAGE:
Often appears on websites, in magazines, and at events where people share practical advice. The word implies authenticity — the story comes from direct experience, not secondhand knowledge.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 経験談: experience story — nearly synonymous, but 体験談 emphasizes personal, firsthand involvement while 経験談 can cover broader professional experience
- 感想: impression, thoughts — more about opinions and feelings than a narrative account