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.
彼はその仕事で多くの経験を積んだ。
He gained a lot of experience in that job.
若いうちにいろいろな経験を積むことが大切だ。
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.
留学を通じて貴重な経験を得た。
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.
新しいことを経験するのは楽しい。
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.
インターンシップで実務経験を積みたい。
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.
プレゼンは場数を踏めば上手くなる。
You'll get better at presentations if you gain experience (by doing them often).
Specifically 'to build one's career', implying gaining experience and advancing professionally.
彼女は外資系企業でキャリアを積んだ。
She gained experience (built her career) at a foreign-affiliated company.
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.
失敗もいい経験になる。
Failures also become good experience.
このプロジェクトは私にとって大きな経験になった。
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.
前職の経験を活かして新しい仕事に挑戦する。
I'll take on a new job making use of the experience I gained in my previous job.
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.