Translation guide
To acquire practical knowledge or skill through doing something. In Japanese, this is commonly expressed with verbs like 経験を積む (accumulate experience) or 経験を得る (obtain experience), but the most natural phrasing depends on context.
Expressing that someone acquires experience over time, often through work or life activities.
Literally 'to accumulate experience'. This is the most common and natural way to say 'gain experience' in Japanese. It implies building up experience gradually.
He gained a lot of experience in that job.
It's important to gain various experiences while you're young.
Literally 'to obtain experience'. Slightly more formal or written. Often used when the experience is gained from a specific event or opportunity.
I gained valuable experience through studying abroad.
The verb 'to experience'. It can be used to mean 'gain experience' when the object is the thing experienced, but it's less direct than 経験を積む for emphasizing accumulation.
It's fun to gain experience with new things.
Focusing on acquiring practical know-how in a particular area.
Specifically 'to gain practical work experience'. Used in professional contexts.
I want to gain practical experience through an internship.
An idiomatic expression meaning 'to gain experience through repeated practice or exposure', literally 'to step on many occasions'. Often used for gaining confidence or skill through doing something many times.
Specifically 'to build one's career', implying gaining experience and advancing professionally.
Learning or growing from a specific occurrence, often challenging.
Means 'to be a learning experience' or 'to serve as experience'. Often used when something, even a failure, provides valuable experience.
Failures also become good experience.
This project was a great experience for me (I gained a lot from it).
Means 'to make use of one's experience' or 'to apply experience'. Implies that experience has been gained and is now being utilized.
経験を積む emphasizes the gradual accumulation of experience, like building up layers. 経験を得る focuses on obtaining experience from a specific source or event. In daily conversation, 経験を積む is more common.
The English loanword ゲインする is not used to mean 'gain experience'. It is sometimes used in technical contexts (e.g., electronics, finance) but sounds unnatural for personal experience.
You'll get better at presentations if you gain experience (by doing them often).
She gained experience (built her career) at a foreign-affiliated company.
I'll take on a new job making use of the experience I gained in my previous job.