Where to start
1 · 漢かアSee the three scriptsWhy one sentence mixes kanji, hiragana and katakana, and what each one does. 2 · あいうLearn hiragana46 characters, one row at a time, each with audio. Most learners can read them all in two weeks. 3 · と・う・きょ・うHear the beatFive vowels and the even mora rhythm that makes Japanese sound Japanese.
The course, stage by stage
Each stage builds on the one before. Script and sound come first because everything after is written in Japanese; grammar and everyday topics then alternate so that each new pattern is used with words you already know.
01Script and soundA1 · 8 parts
Part 1ReadThe Japanese writing systemHiragana, katakana and kanji, and why one sentence mixes all three.Part 2ReadHiraganaThe 46 basic sounds, row by row, with audio.Part 3ReadKatakanaThe angular script for foreign words, names and emphasis.Part 4ReadPronunciationFive vowels, the mora beat and the sounds English lacks.Part 5ReadLong vowels and double consonantsWhy おばさん and おばあさん are different people.Part 6ReadPitch accentHigh and low pitch: はし “bridge” vs はし “chopsticks”.Part 7ReadKanji basicsRadicals, on and kun readings, and how to learn them.Part 8ReadStroke orderThe rules that make every character write the same way.
02First wordsA1 · 7 parts
Part 9ReadFirst phrasesGreetings, thanks, apologies and introducing yourself.Part 10ReadCore vocabularyThe words you will use every day.Part 11ReadNumbersFrom いち to 一億, and the four-digit grouping.Part 12ReadCounters本, 枚, 匹: how Japanese counts things by shape.Part 13ReadTelling the timeHours, minutes, AM and PM, and days of the week.Part 14ReadDates and the calendarIrregular day names, months and era years.Part 15ReadNames and addressing peopleさん, さま, くん, family name first.
03Sentence basicsA1 · 9 parts
Part 16ReadSentence structureVerb last, topic first, and subjects that disappear.Part 17ReadParticles, explainedThe small words that mark what each word does.Part 18Readは and がTopic or subject: the most asked question in Japanese.Part 19Readです and the copula“X is Y” in polite and plain speech.Part 20ReadPronounsわたし, あなた and why Japanese avoids them.Part 21Readこれ, それ, あれThe ko-so-a-do system for this, that and which.Part 22ReadQuestionsか, question words and rising intonation.Part 23ReadNouns and のLinking nouns: わたしの本, にほんごの先生.Part 24Readある and いるThere is, there are: things versus living beings.
04Describing and doingA1 to A2 · 11 parts
Part 25Readい-adjectivesAdjectives that conjugate like verbs: たかい, たかくない, たかかった.Part 26Readな-adjectivesAdjectives that behave like nouns: しずかな町.Part 27ReadAdverbsとても, よく, もう, まだ and adverbs from adjectives.Part 28ReadVerb groupsIchidan, godan and the two irregulars.Part 29ReadThe ます formPolite present and future: たべます, いきます.Part 30ReadPast tenseました, た and past adjectives.Part 31ReadNegationません, ない, なかった: saying no.Part 32ReadThe て formLinking actions, asking politely, and the sound changes.Part 33ReadThe ている formOngoing actions and lasting states.Part 34ReadThe plain formDictionary forms and how friends really talk.Part 35ReadPolite and casual speechWhen to use です/ます and when to drop it.
05Everyday topicsA1 to B1 · 13 parts
Part 36ReadFamilyMy family vs your family: two words for each relative.Part 37ReadFood and drinkOrdering, いただきます and the menu.Part 38ReadShoppingPrices, sizes and ください.Part 39ReadTravelTrains, hotels and asking the way.Part 40ReadHomeRooms, furniture and the genkan.Part 41ReadBody and healthBody parts, pain and the doctor.Part 42ReadWeather and seasonsFour seasons, rainy season and the forecast.Part 43ReadColoursあか, あお and colours that are nouns.Part 44ReadCity and directionsPlaces, landmarks and giving directions.Part 45ReadWorkJobs, the office and business cards.Part 46ReadSchoolSubjects, the school year and the classroom.Part 47ReadEmotionsFeelings, and how Japanese reports other people’s.Part 48ReadHobbies and free timeSports, music and しゅみ.
06Building sentencesA2 to B1 · 12 parts
Part 49ReadWanting and likingほしい, たい, すき and きらい.Part 50ReadRequests and permissionてください, てもいい, てはいけない.Part 51ReadObligationなければならない and its shorter forms.Part 52ReadComparativesより, のほうが and いちばん.Part 53ReadGiving and receivingあげる, くれる, もらう and who is in-group.Part 54ReadThe potential formCan and can’t: たべられる, かける.Part 55ReadThe volitional formLet’s: いこう, いきましょう.Part 56ReadConditionalsと, ば, たら and なら, compared.Part 57ReadRelative clausesThe book I bought: clauses that sit before the noun.Part 58ReadQuoting and reportingと言う, と思う and という.Part 59ReadConnectorsから, ので, けど, のに and joining ideas.Part 60ReadSentence-ending particlesね, よ, よね and the tone they carry.
07Upper grammarB1 to B2 · 8 parts
Part 61ReadThe passiveDirect passive and the “suffering” passive.Part 62ReadThe causativeMake and let: たべさせる, and the causative-passive.Part 63ReadNominalisationこと and の: turning verbs into things.Part 64ReadKeigo: honorific and humble speechそんけいご, けんじょうご and ていねいご.Part 65ReadOnomatopoeiaドキドキ, きらきら and sound-symbolic words.Part 66ReadFormal written styleである, nominal endings and newspaper Japanese.Part 67ReadKanji compoundsReading and guessing two-kanji words.Part 68ReadWago, kango and gairaigoNative, Chinese and borrowed words, and when each fits.
08Real JapaneseB2 to C2 · 10 parts
Part 69ReadBusiness JapaneseMeetings, email and the language of the office.Part 70ReadIdioms and four-character phrasesBody-part idioms and よじじゅくご.Part 71ReadProverbsことわざ and what they say about Japan.Part 72ReadSlang and casual JapaneseContractions, youth words and online Japanese.Part 73ReadDialectsKansai-ben and the regional map.Part 74ReadCulture and etiquetteBowing, gifts, shoes and reading the air.Part 75ReadHolidays and festivalsNew Year, Obon, matsuri and the calendar.Part 76ReadMedia and news JapaneseHeadlines, broadcasts and the vocabulary of news.Part 77ReadAcademic JapaneseEssays, reports and the language of argument.Part 78ReadReading Japanese literatureFrom Natsume Sōseki to modern fiction.
09SkillsA1 to C2 · 7 parts
Part 79ReadGraded readingShort texts that grow from kana to newspaper level.Part 80ReadListening practiceEveryday dialogues at natural speed.Part 81ReadSpeaking practiceShadowing, set phrases and conversation drills.Part 82ReadWriting practiceGenkō yōshi, handwriting and composing texts.Part 83ReadAdvanced listeningFast, casual and regional speech at C1 to C2.Part 84ReadAdvanced writingEssays, formal letters and style at C1 to C2.Part 85ReadThe JLPT examN5 to N1: what each level tests and how it maps to CEFR.
How every Japanese example is shown
Kanji with furigana. Kanji are characters that carry meaning, borrowed from Chinese. Until you know a kanji, the small reading above it lets you say it anyway.
Romaji is a bridge. Romaji (Japanese in Latin letters) is shown so you can pronounce every example from day one. Japanese itself is never written in romaji, so the course leans on kana more as you go.
A gloss for every word. Grammar words that have no English match, like the particles は and を, are glossed by their job in brackets: (topic), (object).
Press ▶ to hear it. Every example plays aloud in Japanese, at a slightly slower pace, so you can repeat after it.
CEFR levels and the JLPT
The course uses the CEFR scale (A1 to C2), the European framework used for every language on LangLibra. The JLPT, Japan’s main proficiency test, has five levels from N5 (easiest) to N1. The two scales do not match exactly, because the JLPT tests reading and listening only, but they line up roughly like this.
| CEFR | JLPT | Kanji (approx.) | You can |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | N5 | about 100 | read kana, introduce yourself, order food, ask simple questions |
| A2 | N4 | about 300 | talk about your day, past events and plans; read short notices |
| B1 | N3 | about 650 | follow everyday conversations, give reasons and opinions |
| B2 | N2 | about 1,000 | read newspaper articles, work in Japanese, use polite keigo |
| C1 | N1 | about 2,000 | read essays and fiction, follow fast speech, write formal texts |
| C2 | beyond N1 | 2,136 everyday list and more | understand regional speech, literature and nuance like a well-read native |