How to Use 「経験を積む」: A Common Japanese Expression for Work and Study

Which of these two sentences sounds more natural?

「この会社で3年間、営業の経験をしました。」
I did sales experience at this company for three years.

「この会社で3年間、営業の経験を積みました。」
I gained three years of sales experience at this company.

You can probably understand both sentences. However, if you want to say that you gradually gained experience while working over a period of three years, the second sentence is much more natural.

「この会社で3年間、営業の経験を積みました。」
I gained three years of sales experience at this company.

The key expression is 「経験を積む」(keiken o tsumu / to gain or build up experience).

Why do Japanese speakers use 「積む」, a verb that can literally mean “to pile up” or “to stack”?

Understanding this image will help you use the expression naturally instead of simply memorizing it.

Why Japanese Learners Often Make Mistakes with 「経験」

Learners often know the words 「経験」(keiken / experience) and 「する」(suru / to do).

So it is easy to think:

「経験」＋「する」＝「経験をする」

However, Japanese does not always work by combining words according to their individual dictionary meanings.

Certain nouns naturally go with certain verbs.

For example:

• 「経験を積む」(keiken o tsumu / gain experience)
• 「努力を重ねる」(doryoku o kasaneru / keep making efforts)
• 「知識を身につける」(chishiki o mi ni tsukeru / acquire knowledge)
• 「条件を満たす」(jōken o mitasu / meet a condition)
• 「責任を負う」(sekinin o ou / bear responsibility)

These natural word combinations are extremely important in Japanese.

Instead of memorizing only 「経験 = experience」 and 「積む = stack」, it is much more useful to remember:

「経験＋積む」

as one unit.

This will also help you when several JLPT answer choices seem grammatically possible.

What Does 「経験を積む」 Really Mean?

The verb 「積む」(tsumu) is often used for putting one thing on top of another.

For example:

「箱を積む。」
To stack boxes.

「荷物を積む。」
To load or stack luggage.

Now imagine your experiences being added one by one.

You try something.

You make a mistake.

You learn something.

You try again.

You become a little more skilled.

These individual experiences gradually build up.

That is the basic image behind:

「経験を積む」
to gain, build up, or accumulate experience

It does not normally describe just one event.

It focuses on experience increasing little by little over time.

「経験を積む」 Is Especially Common in Work Situations

You will often hear this expression when people talk about careers and professional development.

「若いうちにいろいろな仕事をして、経験を積みたいです。」
I want to do different kinds of work and gain experience while I am young.

「まず現場で経験を積んでから、管理職を目指します。」
First, I want to gain hands-on experience, and then aim for a management position.

「彼は海外勤務の経験を積んでいます。」
He is gaining experience working overseas.

In these examples, the speaker is not simply saying that something happened.

The experience is helping the person develop skills, knowledge, or professional ability.

That is why 「経験を積む」 is particularly natural when talking about careers, training, internships, and professional development.

Can You Use 「経験を積む」 for Study?

Yes.

「経験を積む」 is not limited to employment.

It can also be used when learning involves actual practice.

「海外で勉強して、さまざまな経験を積みました。」
I studied abroad and gained a wide range of experiences.

「研究活動を通して、発表の経験を積みました。」
I gained experience giving presentations through my research activities.

「日本人と話す経験を積むことも、会話力を伸ばすために大切です。」
Getting experience speaking with Japanese people is also important for improving your conversational ability.

However, you cannot naturally combine 「経験を積む」 with everything.

For example:

不自然：
「毎日日本語を勉強して、勉強の経験を積みます。」
I study Japanese every day and build up study experience.

This sounds unnatural.

Depending on what you mean, Japanese speakers would be more likely to say:

「毎日日本語を勉強して、力をつけます。」
I study Japanese every day and improve my ability.

or:

「毎日練習を重ねます。」
I practice every day and keep building on that practice.

「経験を積む」 works best when someone learns or develops through actual activities and repeated real-world experience.

「経験を積む」 vs. 「経験する」

This distinction is particularly important for Japanese learners.

Both expressions are correct, but they focus on different things.

「経験する」 — To Experience Something

「経験する」(keiken suru / to experience) focuses on actually going through an event or situation.

「去年、大きな地震を経験しました。」
I experienced a major earthquake last year.

「留学中に、文化の違いを経験しました。」
I experienced cultural differences while studying abroad.

「初めて一人暮らしを経験しました。」
I experienced living alone for the first time.

Here, the important point is that the person went through a particular situation.

There is no necessary idea that experience is gradually accumulating.

「経験を積む」 — To Build Up Experience

「経験を積む」 focuses on experience accumulating over time.

「営業の仕事をしながら経験を積んでいます。」
I am gaining experience while working in sales.

「いろいろな国で働き、国際的な経験を積みました。」
I worked in several countries and gained international experience.

「まず簡単な仕事から始めて、少しずつ経験を積みましょう。」
Let’s start with simple tasks and gradually build up experience.

Because of this difference, the following sentence sounds unnatural:

不自然：
「昨日、大きな地震の経験を積みました。」
I built up experience of a major earthquake yesterday.

A major earthquake is one event, so the natural sentence is:

「昨日、大きな地震を経験しました。」
I experienced a major earthquake yesterday.

A useful shortcut is:

「経験する」 → focus on an event you experienced

「経験を積む」 → focus on experience growing over time

How Is 「経験がある」 Different?

Another very common expression is:

「経験がある」(keiken ga aru / to have experience)

This describes experience that you already have.

「日本で働いた経験があります。」
I have experience working in Japan.

「通訳をした経験があります。」
I have experience working as an interpreter.

「海外生活の経験があります。」
I have experience living abroad.

Compare these two sentences:

「私はホテルで働いた経験があります。」
I have experience working at a hotel.

This tells us that the person has done it before.

Now compare:

「私はホテルで働きながら、接客の経験を積んでいます。」
I am gaining customer service experience while working at a hotel.

Here, the experience is still developing.

So:

「経験がある」 → experience you already have

「経験を積む」 → experience you are gaining or have gradually gained

What About 「経験を得る」?

You may also see:

「経験を得る」(keiken o eru / to obtain or gain experience)

This expression is possible.

For example:

「インターンシップを通して貴重な経験を得ました。」
I gained valuable experience through the internship.

This sounds natural because the speaker received something valuable from a particular opportunity.

However, when talking about long-term career development, 「経験を積む」 is often more natural.

Compare:

「この会社で10年間経験を得ました。」
I obtained experience at this company for ten years.

and:

「この会社で10年間経験を積みました。」
I built up experience at this company over ten years.

The second sentence is more natural when emphasizing gradual accumulation over a long period.

A helpful distinction is:

「経験を得る」 → gain something valuable from an opportunity

「経験を積む」 → gradually accumulate experience through repeated activity

Natural Examples from Work

「若いうちは、いろいろな仕事をして経験を積んだほうがいい。」
It is better to try different kinds of work and gain experience while you are young.

「この会社で営業の経験を積みたいと思っています。」
I would like to gain sales experience at this company.

「彼は海外支社で5年間、管理職としての経験を積みました。」
He gained five years of experience as a manager at an overseas branch.

「経験を積めば、一人でも仕事ができるようになります。」
Once you gain enough experience, you will be able to work independently.

「新人には、まず現場で経験を積んでもらいます。」
We have new employees gain hands-on experience first.

This expression is also useful in job interviews.

「将来は海外で働きたいので、まず日本で実務経験を積みたいです。」
I want to work overseas in the future, so I would first like to gain practical work experience in Japan.

Natural Examples from School and Study

「実習を通して、実際に教える経験を積むことができました。」
Through my practical training, I was able to gain actual teaching experience.

「大学では研究だけでなく、発表の経験も積みました。」
At university, I gained experience not only in research but also in giving presentations.

「日本語を上達させるには、実際に人と話す経験を積むことが大切です。」
To improve your Japanese, it is important to gain experience actually speaking with people.

「アルバイトをしながら、日本語で接客する経験を積みました。」
I gained experience serving customers in Japanese while working part-time.

Notice that these examples involve doing something repeatedly in a real situation.

That is where 「経験を積む」 sounds particularly natural.

「経験を積む」 Often Has a Future-Oriented Nuance

There is another important feeling behind this expression.

Experience gained now can be useful in the future.

For example:

「今は給料よりも、経験を積むことを重視しています。」
Right now, I place more importance on gaining experience than on salary.

This suggests:

“I want to develop my abilities now so that this experience will help me later.”

That is one reason 「経験を積む」 appears so often in conversations about careers, internships, studying abroad, practical training, and professional development.

The experience is not just something that happened in the past.

It becomes something you carry forward.

How Might This Appear on the JLPT?

On the JLPT, you may need to choose the most natural combination of words rather than simply identify dictionary meanings.

For example:

「将来、自分の店を開くために、まずレストランで経験を（　　　）つもりです。」
To open my own restaurant in the future, I plan to first _____ experience at a restaurant.

1. 作る
2. 積む
3. 建てる
4. 置く

The natural answer is:

1. 「積む」

Why?

Because Japanese normally uses the combination:

「経験を積む」
to gain experience

Another example:

「大学を卒業したあと、海外で働き、さまざまな経験を（　　　）。」
After graduating from university, I worked overseas and _____ a variety of experiences.

1. 積んだ
2. 並べた
3. 集めた
4. 重なった

The natural answer is:

1. 「積んだ」

Some of the other verbs may seem understandable if you translate them literally.

But the JLPT often tests whether you know the natural Japanese combination.

The question is not only:

“Does this sentence make sense?”

It is also:

“Is this the word Japanese speakers naturally use here?”

「積む」 Is Not Only Used for Physical Objects

Learners often first encounter 「積む」 in expressions such as:

「荷物を積む。」
To load luggage.

But 「積む」 can also be used with things that are not physically visible.

For example:

「経験を積む」
to gain experience

「実績を積む」
to build up achievements or a track record

「修行を積む」
to undergo years of training or discipline

The common image is:

something increases little by little through repetition.

Once you understand this image, 「経験を積む」 becomes much easier to remember.

What to Remember Today

• 「経験を積む」 means to gradually gain or build up experience.
• Use 「経験する」 when focusing on experiencing a particular event or situation.
• Use 「経験がある」 when talking about experience you already have.
• Learn 「経験＋積む」 as a natural word combination rather than translating each word separately.

Understanding the difference is the first step.

But in an actual JLPT question, you may still hesitate when you see 「積む」「する」「得る」 together as answer choices.

That is why practice matters.

You understand the expression.

Then you test yourself with a question.

Then you check why your answer was right or wrong.

RJT (Rapid Japanese Training) is designed to help you practice Japanese vocabulary and grammar through this kind of repeated decision-making.

Turn Japanese you “understand” into Japanese you can confidently choose.

https://rapid-jt.com/