Free Japanese lessons
84 lessons · 14 scenes
Learn Japanese
Master Japanese one conversation at a time
Japanese pairs three writing systems (hiragana, katakana, and kanji) with rich politeness levels that change how you address a teacher versus a friend. These free lessons take you through everyday Japanese situations with native-speaker audio, romaji (romanisation) you can toggle on or off, and tap-to-reveal English. You'll meet the particle の, learn to count people with 何名様, and pick up handy phrases like よろしくお願いします along the way.
Hiragana, katakana and kanji shown together
Toggle romaji on/off as your reading improves
Native Japanese voices in every dialogue
Cultural notes on bowing, café etiquette, gift-giving
Grammar tips folded into the conversation
All Japanese lessons 84 lessons across 14 scenes
Bakery
4 lessons
Topic with の
Here you learn how to say "a teacher of + subject". You can use the same pattern in sentences like "a book about + topi…
Asking about food served in a cafe
Learn how to say "how much is it?" and make a list of items connected with the particle と
Polite interactions
Learn how to reply to some formal phrases from a waiter
From ...to...
Learn how to say "from + time/place to time/place"
Beach
4 lessonsCafe
7 lessons
Initiate a conversation at the cafe
What are you supposed to say as you walk in a cafe?
Ordering drinks
Learn to place orders with "onegaishimasu"
Asking about business hours
Study a simple way to say "when do you open and close?"
Summer drinks
Learn the names of a traditional sweet summer drink
Street food
Learn how to order takoyaki from a kiosk
The best
Learn how to say "the best". You can use the same pattern for "the longest", "the cheapest" etc.
Special diets
Learn how to ask for your special needs when ordering food
Clothes
9 lessons
Location of products in stores
Learn how to ask where to find a product you would like to buy
Asking about characteristics of products
Learn how to make sure you are buying the right product
Bargaining
Learn how to politely say that something is too expensive
Describe clothes
Learn some useful adjectives to describe clothes
Not the right size
Learn how to ask for help if you can't find the size of clothing that fits you
Asking about colors
Learn how to use the word "dake" (only) to check if they have the same product in different colours
Clothes patterns
Learn how to say different types of clothing patterns
Broken or not functioning products
Learn how to deal with defective products
Long and short vowels
Just like in English, some Japanese words change meaning when pronounce with a short or a long vowel. Pay attention to…
Farm
5 lessons
Windy but sunny
Study some words to describe the weather
Getting out and coming back home
Learn some verbs and the particle "ni" to express time
It's time to leave
When you are going home, after visiting your friends, don't forget to say this
being good at something
Try to remember how to say "being good at"
Staying overnight
Learn a special verb that means "spend the night" in a place
Hospital
5 lessons
House
9 lessons
Greeting at the front door
Learn ritual greetings people say when they pay visits to friends
Nice to meet you
Study these expressions to introduce yourself
Handing over a present
Don't forget this words when you give a present to a friend.
Spelling rules
Learn how to say spelling clearly in Japanese, to avoid misunderstandings.
House lesson
Expressing doubt
Use "yo ne" at the end of a sentence to say you are only more or less 80% sure, maybe you are wrong
More verb patters
Learn to use "de" to tell "where" you do something and "mō" meaning "already"
Clothes patterns 2
Memorize more fabric pattern to make more precise descriptions.
Let's do something
Study how to say "let's do ..." using the verb ending "...mashō"
Office
5 lessons
Direction
Try to understand directions to reach your destination
Not yet
Make sure you can tick all actions of of your activity check list. Memorize "mada" to say "not yet"
Lost something?
Learn the verb "okimasu" to say "put/ place" something somewhere
Past tense
Learn the past tense adding "...shita" at the end of a verb
Praises and compliments
Learn how to praise someone and how to answer to thise kind words.
School
7 lessons
First greetings
Learn some common greetings
Basic self introduction
Study how to say "I am" and "I am not"
Questions
Put "ka" at the end of sentences to make questions
Age and birthday
Learn how to say your age and birthday
I got lost!
Listen to this conversation and learn some words to give and receive directions
Do you know how ...?
Use "...kata" at the end of verbs to say "how to..."
I can do this
Learn to express your ability using "dekimasu"
Sports
8 lessons
As, since, because
Study the pattern "verb + kara" to link cause and consequence
On the side
Use "mukō" to give directions on the street
Wake up and go to bed
Learn these two verbs and start describing your day
Open sentences
Use the word "kara" at the end of the sentence and leave it open to justify your actions.
I would like to
Add the suffix "-tai" at the end of verbs to say I would like to...
Organizing a trip
Try to memorize some time expressions to talk about the future
Ask about duration
Learn the suffix "-kan" after time expressions to communicate duration
A formal email
Everyday conversational language is very different from written formal style
Street
7 lessons
Social roles
Use the particle "no" to say what a person's role in a group is.
Open and close
Learn two simple nouns you can use to ask business time of stores
-i anding adjective
Start learning some basic uses of "-i" ending adjectives like tōi
Comparisons
Study this pattern to make comparison
Do something somewhere
Learn the particle "de" to tell where you are doing something
How long is that?
Memorize the pattern "time + ato" to say we still have x time
A car ride
Note the difference between these two verbs that mean drive
Supermarket
5 lessons
A home remedy
Learn how to suggest remedies for your health
Buying and selling
Try to memorize the Japanese word for sell
Performances at work
Make a comparison between sales in two stores
Change mind
Use "yori" to suggest another option
-na ending adjectives
Learn this very useful "-na ending adjective" translated as a verb in English
Townhall
3 lessonsZoo
6 lessons
Negative -i adjective
Study the negative form of "-i ending adjectives"
Past -i adjectives
Study the past form of "-i ending adjectives"
Past of -na ending adjectives
Try to memorize the past form of "-na ending adjectives"
Past negative -i ending adjectives
Study the past negative form of "-i ending adjectives"
More or less
Learn the word "gurai" to say more or less
Past negative -na ending adjectives
Study the past negative form of "-na ending adjectives"
Common questions about learning Japanese
Quick answers for new Japanese learners.
Is Japanese hard to learn?
The grammar logic is consistent and the pronunciation is straightforward — five clear vowels, no tones. Most learners say Japanese gets easier with vocabulary; the early hurdle is the writing system, which these lessons soften by giving you romaji alongside kanji.
Should I learn hiragana before starting?
Not strictly — every line shows kanji, hiragana, romaji, and English. But learning hiragana first (a weekend's work) makes everything click faster. We recommend doing both in parallel.
What's the difference between hiragana, katakana and kanji?
Hiragana is the basic syllabary used for grammar and Japanese-origin words. Katakana is the same sounds in different shapes, used mostly for loanwords (コーヒー = coffee). Kanji are Chinese-origin characters that represent whole concepts (山 = mountain).
How polite do I need to be?
Default to the polite -masu form (works almost everywhere). The casual form is for friends and family — the lessons mark which is which so you'll learn the right register for each situation.