How to Learn Japanese
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JAPANESE FOR ENGLISH SPEAKERS

Learn Japanese.

A free Japanese course, study tools, and resources for every stage. Learn the sounds, writing, and everyday sentences, one step at a time.

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Beginner JapaneseSTART HERE
LESSON 01 · GREETINGSSAMPLE
Japanese

こんにちは。

こんにちは · konnichiwa

Hello.

Generated voiceOpen lesson
日本語を勉強します。I study Japanese.
にほんごを べんきょうします。
JAPANESE FROM THE BEGINNING

One language. Three writing systems.

Japanese combines hiragana, katakana, and kanji in everyday writing. They work together, often in the same sentence. You learn one language and three ways of writing its words.

KANA

The shared name for hiragana + katakana. Both represent sounds.

01 · HIRAGANA

あ い う え お

a · i · u · e · o

The everyday sound script

Used for many Japanese words, grammar particles, and word endings. Its basic set has 46 symbols.

Start learning to read here.
02 · KATAKANA

ア イ ウ エ オ

a · i · u · e · o

A second set for the sounds

Often used for borrowed words and foreign names; also for emphasis and sound effects. It has 46 basic symbols too.

Same sounds above, different shapes.
KANJI

Characters with meanings and word-dependent readings.

03 · KANJI

日本語

にほんご · nihongo · Japanese

Meaning clues inside words

Many nouns and word stems use kanji. A character can have different readings, so learn whole words with their pronunciation.

Begin with useful words, a few at a time.

Why mix them?

Kanji arrived from China; kana developed from those characters in Japan. Today, the mixture helps readers recognize words and grammar in text that usually has no spaces. Kanji also helps distinguish words that sound alike.

Where romaji fits

Romaji writes Japanese sounds with Latin letters, such as nihongo. It helps you start reading aloud. It is a pronunciation aid, while “Japanese language” is the English meaning.

01

See the scripts in one sentence

Choose a script to highlight it. Each block shows the sound and the job of that piece.

  1. kanji私わたしwatashiIA complete word
  2. hiraganaははwaTopic markerPronounced wa here
  3. katakanaコーヒーコーヒーkoohiiCoffeeA borrowed word
  4. hiraganaををoObject markerPronounced o here
  5. kanji飲のno“Drink” meaning cluePart of 飲みます
  6. hiraganaみますみますmimasuRest of the verbCompletes polite 飲みます

This is one Japanese sentence. Kanji gives word clues, hiragana carries the grammar, and katakana writes “coffee”.

PUT IT TOGETHER
.
Tap matching words · or open the guide below
How the words match

Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.

  1. わたしwatashi
    I
  2. はwa
    topic markerWritten ha, pronounced wa as a particle. Introduces what the sentence is about.
  3. コーヒーkoohii
    coffee
  4. をo
    object markerPronounced o. Marks the object the verb applies to; it has no separate English word here.
  5. のみます。nomimasu
    drink (polite)

私 makes “I” explicit here. In conversation you can leave it out when the speaker is clear.

The blocks above separate writing systems. A word can cross those boundaries: 飲 + みます = 飲みます (nomimasu), “drink” in a polite form.

FROM SYMBOLS TO MEANING

Follow the words across the translation

Tap the Japanese, reading, or English to see the matching group. A phrase can translate as a group, and particles do not always have an English word of their own.

01

Match words, not isolated symbols

A word may contain several characters. 日本語 is one word, “Japanese”. The particle を marks what you study; “I” is understood from context.

I .
Tap matching words · or open the guide below
How the words match

Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.

  1. にほんごnihongo
    Japanese language
  2. をo
    object markerPronounced o. Marks the object the verb applies to; it has no separate English word here.
  3. べんきょうします。benkyoushimasu
    study (polite)勉強 means study; します is the polite form of する, “do”. Together they mean “study”.

“I” is understood from context. There is no written word for “I” in this Japanese sentence.

02

Particles connect the pieces

Japanese often puts the action last. Small words after a noun show its job: で marks where this action happens, and を marks what is drunk.

I .
Tap matching words · or open the guide below
How the words match

Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.

  1. いえie
    home
  2. でde
    action-location markerComes after the place where the action happens.
  3. おちゃocha
    tea
  4. をo
    object markerPronounced o. Marks the object the verb applies to; it has no separate English word here.
  5. のみます。nomimasu
    drink (polite)

“I” is understood from context. There is no written word for “I” in this Japanese sentence.

03

The ending changes the form

Japanese verbs change for time, negation, and politeness. Their form stays the same for “I”, “you”, and “they”.

→ →
→ →
Tap matching words · or open the guide below
How the words match

Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.

  1. たべるtaberu
    eat; plain nonpast
  2. たべますtabemasu
    eat; polite nonpast
  3. たべましたtabemashita
    ate; polite past

The same verb changes its ending for politeness and time, not for the person doing the action.

TRY A VERB IN CONTEXT

One action. Different forms.

Compare the forms of 食べる (たべる, taberu), “to eat”. Choose an ending and watch the sentence change.

I . / I will eat bread.
Tap matching words · or open the guide below
How the words match

Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.

  1. パンpan
    bread
  2. をo
    object markerPronounced o. Marks the object the verb applies to; it has no separate English word here.
  3. たべます。tabemasu
    eat / will eat (polite nonpast)The same nonpast form can describe a habit or a future action.

“I” is understood from context. There is no written word for “I” in this Japanese sentence. Both English alternatives translate the whole sentence; highlights use the first.

The nonpast can express a habit or a future action. Context tells you which.

A good first step: learn hiragana, add katakana, and meet kanji inside useful words. Practice listening alongside reading; vowel length and small っ matter.

Practice hiragana & katakana

Writing-system reference: Japan Foundation · Introduction to Japanese. Examples written for this site.

LEARN & PRACTICE

Choose what to study

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01

Beginner course

30 lessons with dialogues, exercises, and review.

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02

Japanese verbs

Understand verb groups and practice plain, polite, negative, past, and te-forms.

Explore verbs
03

Vocabulary flashcards

5,000 words and phrases, organized by topic and difficulty.

Practice vocabulary
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