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Japanese

Free Japanese course

Japanese is spoken by about 125 million people. Every word is shown in Japanese script with a Latin-letter spelling (romaji), so you can start before you can read hiragana, katakana or kanji.

Below you'll find how the course works, what the levels mean and where everything is. If you'd rather start right away, chapter 1 assumes no Japanese at all.

Start with chapter 1No sign-up needed.
Mount Fuji reflected in Lake Kawaguchi, framed by cherry blossom
こんにちは！Konnichiwa! · Hello!

How the course works

The course takes you from your first words to everyday conversations with native speakers, in 48 chapters over four levels. Work through the chapters in order: each one builds on the words and grammar of the ones before.

  1. Listen

    A short dialogue from everyday life. Listen to it whole, then line by line, at normal or slow speed.

  2. Understand

    The new grammar and words, explained in plain English with examples you can play.

  3. Practise

    Exercises that tell you straight away if you're right, and sentences to say out loud.

  4. Check

    A five-question quiz. Finish the chapter to add its words to your review deck.

Time. A chapter takes about 30–45 minutes. You can stop after any step and come back later.

Remembering. The words from finished chapters come back in Review at growing intervals, just before you would forget them.

Your progress is saved in this browser. A free account keeps it safe and lets you continue on any device.

The four levels

The course has four levels of twelve chapters: Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate and Upper intermediate. Each one says what you'll be able to do when you finish it.

The codes in brackets, A1 to B2, are from the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), an international scale used by many schools, employers and language exams. You don't need to know it to use the course. Japanese exams use their own scale (the JLPT, N5 to N1); here the levels simply describe what you can do at each stage.

Where should I start? If you're new to Japanese, start with Beginner, chapter 1. If you already know some, take the beginner test: it shows which chapters you can skip, and each level has its own test.

Finding your way

The bar under the site's header takes you to every part of the Japanese course, wherever you are:

Course →
This page, with every chapter in order. The list on the left of each chapter takes you to any other chapter.
Grammar →
33 short pages, one rule each, with tables and examples. Each chapter links to the pages it uses.
Verbs →
Full tables for 48 common verbs, in every tense the course teaches, with audio.
Vocabulary →
Every word the course teaches, level by level and topic by topic, with audio.
Phrasebook →
Ready-made phrases for 10 everyday situations, from greetings to emergencies.
Review →
Flashcards with the words of the chapters you've finished, and a passport with a stamp for each chapter.
Before you start
How hiragana, katakana and kanji work, with audio:

All chapters

Beginner (A1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Introduce yourself, order food and drink, ask for directions and understand simple, slow speech.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Hello and goodbyeこんにちは、さようならGreet people in Japanese, introduce yourself, say where you're from, ask simple questions with か (ka) and learn how the three scripts work.
  2. Numbers and prices数字と値段Count from 0 to 100 and beyond in Japanese, ask and say prices in yen, give your phone number and use これ, それ and あれ.
  3. At the caféカフェでOrder drinks and cake in a Japanese café with を and お願いします, count things with ひとつ, ふたつ, and understand what the staff say.
  4. Getting around道を聞くAsk where places are in Japanese, understand simple directions, and say what is where with あります and います.
  5. Family and friends家族と友達Talk about your family in Japanese: the two sets of family words, の for “my” and “your”, counting people and asking someone's age.
  6. My home私の家Describe your home in Japanese: rooms and furniture, the two kinds of adjectives and their negatives, colours, and where things are.
  7. My day私の一日Describe your daily routine in Japanese with the ます form, tell the time, and say where, how, from when and until when.
  8. Food and shopping食べ物と買い物Buy fruit and vegetables in Japanese: counters for food, why nouns have no plural, saying what you want with ほしい, and getting your change.
  9. Time and dates日にちと曜日Days of the week, months and dates in Japanese, today and tomorrow, and how to make an appointment over the phone.
  10. Likes and dislikes好きなもの、嫌いなものSay what you like and don't like in Japanese with 好き, 嫌い and 苦手, contrast things with は, and put verbs, nouns and adjectives in the negative.
  11. Hobbies and free time趣味と休みの日Talk about hobbies in Japanese, say what you can do and how often, and invite someone, accept or say no politely.
  12. Your first conversation初めての会話A longer conversation on the shinkansen that brings A1 together: particles, question words, the ます form, and talking about work, home and travel.

Elementary (A2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Handle shopping, travel and everyday errands, and talk about your work, your home and what you did last weekend.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Talking about the past週末に何をしましたかSay what you did at the weekend in Japanese: the polite past of verbs, nouns and adjectives, and words like yesterday, last week and ago.
  2. Travel and hotelsホテルでCheck in at a Japanese hotel, leave your luggage and report a problem: the te-form, ～てください and ～てもいいですか, nights and floors.
  3. At the doctor's病院でTell a doctor in Japanese what hurts and since when, and understand advice: the ない-form, ～ないでください and ～たほうがいいです.
  4. Home and housing部屋探しLook at flats with a friend in casual Japanese: plain forms, よ and ね, comparing with より and のほう, and rents in 万 (man).
  5. Work and studies仕事と勉強Talk about your job, your studies and your experience in Japanese: ～ています, ～ていました, how long, and ～たことがあります.
  6. Weather and seasons天気と季節Talk about the weather, the seasons and the future in Japanese: でしょう, と思う, かもしれない, ～くなる and temperatures.
  7. Clothes and shopping服を買うExchange and return clothes in a Japanese shop: こちら and the こそあど words, ～たいんですが, ～てみる, ～すぎる, and verbs for wearing.
  8. Plans and invitations予定と誘いMake, accept, decline and change plans with friends in Japanese: the volitional (let's), つもり, 予定, から (because) and casual questions.
  9. Directions and transport電車の乗り換えFind your way by train in Japan: platforms, changing trains, delays, ～てから, and must or don't have to with ～なければなりません and ～なくてもいいです.
  10. Describing peopleどんな人？Describe what people look like, what they're wearing and what they're like in Japanese: 背が高い, ～ている for clothes, and your first relative clauses.
  11. Phone calls and messages電話とメッセージMake a business phone call in Japanese, leave a message and spell your name: phone phrases, the potential form (can) and passing on messages.
  12. A weekend away週末旅行Review A2 Japanese in a talk about a weekend at a hot spring town: past forms, experience, advice, plans, ～ので, ～てよかった and ～てみたい.

Intermediate (B1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Get by on your own when travelling, describe experiences and plans, and explain your opinions.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Stories and memories思い出話Tell a story about the past in Japanese: ～とき (when), ～前に and ～た後で, ～ていた for the background, and words like first, then and in the end.
  2. Opinions and reasons意見と理由Give your opinion in Japanese with ～と思う, give reasons with から, ので and ～し, and agree or disagree softly.
  3. News and current events今日のニュースUnderstand simple news in Japanese: the passive (建てられる, 選ばれる), hearsay with ～そうだ and ～らしい, ～によると and ～かどうか.
  4. Feelings and relationships気持ちと人間関係Talk about feelings in Japanese, say who gives what to whom with あげる, くれる and もらう, and comfort and advise a friend.
  5. Hopes and wishes夢と希望Talk about plans, dreams and hopes in Japanese: ～ようと思う, ～になりたい, ～てほしい, ～といいな, ～ように and a first look at ～たら.
  6. Solving problems困ったときはTake something broken back to a shop in Japanese, compare the four ways to say “if” (ば, たら, と, なら) and ask for help politely.
  7. Culture and traditions祭りと伝統Explain festivals and customs in Japanese with long relative clauses, the nominalisers の and こと, and passive phrases like ～と言われている.
  8. Work and careers就職の面接Get through a job interview in Japanese: honorific and humble keigo, talking about your experience, and purpose with ～ために and ～ように.
  9. Health and lifestyle健康と生活習慣Talk about health and habits in Japanese: the causative (食べさせる), ～ようにする, ～ようだ／みたい, ～ないといけない and ～ことにする.
  10. Money and everyday services銀行と郵便局Open a bank account and send a parcel in Japanese: very polite requests, the keigo staff use, ～てある, big numbers, 以上, 以下 and ずつ.
  11. Travel stories旅の話Tell the story of a trip that went wrong in Japanese: the “suffering” passive, ～ところだった, ～のに, ～うちに and ways to react with surprise.
  12. Review: telling your story私の人生Tell the story of a life in Japanese, combining the B1 grammar, with ～させてもらう (was allowed to), ～ことにした and ～ようになる.

Upper intermediate (B2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Hold normal conversations with native speakers, follow most films and news, and write clear, detailed texts.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Discussing and debating議論するArgue a point at a formal meeting: concede with 確かに, とはいえ and ～ても, say what should be done with べき and disagree or interrupt politely.
  2. Work in depth職場の会議Give and take feedback, talk to clients in keigo with the in-group rule, use させていただく and the causative-passive (being made to do).
  3. Film, books and media映画と本Talk about films and books: summarise a plot, give opinions with nuance (わけではない, 気がする, ～ば～ほど) and read reviews with ものの.
  4. Science and technology科学と技術Explain how something works: the written である style, the passive with things and によって, and cause and effect with ため, ことにより and につれて.
  5. Society and the environment社会と環境Discuss problems and solutions: say “if only” and “if we had…” with unreal conditions, “even if” with たとしても, and voice concern with おそれがある and かねない.
  6. Public life記者会見Report what public figures said with 述べた, とのことです and とされている, understand statements in keigo and choose formal words like 開始する.
  7. Education and learning教育と学びTalk about school, exams and regrets: ～ばよかった, ～ておけばよかった, ～べきだった and ～はずだった, plus わけがない and かわりに.
  8. Idioms and everyday speechことわざと話し言葉Understand idioms, proverbs and four-kanji phrases, the fillers that fill real speech, and spoken shortcuts like ～ちゃう, ～てる, ～とく and ～なきゃ.
  9. Humour and informal language冗談とくだけた言葉Understand widely used slang (やばい, マジで, めっちゃ), recognise Kansai dialect, follow boke and tsukkomi and irony, and pick the right register.
  10. Formal writingビジネスメールWrite a business email in Japanese: the set structure, polite written requests and apologies, connectors such as なお and ただし, and formal letters.
  11. Giving a presentationプレゼンテーションGive a formal presentation: open, signpost and close in keigo, handle questions, and add emphasis with ～のは～だ, こそ, さえ and だけでなく.
  12. Final review久しぶりの再会Review B2 in one long conversation: catching up with an old friend, then switching to keigo for a work call; summing up with つまり, 要するに and 結局.