Learn Japanese words, level by level
Each lesson teaches a few new kana and only uses words you can already read with what you have learned. Start with hiragana, continue with katakana and move up a level when you are ready.
Start with H01ReviewThe route, level by level
Hiragana
AvailableRead your first words while you learn each row.
- H01Vowelsあ い う え お
- H02K rowか き く け こ
- H03S rowさ し す せ そ
- H04T rowた ち つ て と
- H05N rowな に ぬ ね の
- H06H rowは ひ ふ へ ほ
- H07M rowま み む め も
- H08Y rowや ゆ よ
- H09R rowら り る れ ろ
- H10W row and んわ を ん
- H11Dakutendakuten (゛): が ざ だ ば
- H12Handakutenhandakuten (゜): ぱ ぴ ぷ ぺ ぽ
- H13Yōonsmall ゃ ゅ ょ (yōon)
- H14Sokuonsmall っ (sokuon)
- H15Long vowelslong vowels
- H16Particles は, へ, をは, へ, を as particles
Katakana
AvailableLoanwords, names and signs.
- K01Vowels and K rowア イ ウ エ オ カ キ ク ケ コ
- K02S rowサ シ ス セ ソ
- K03T rowタ チ ツ テ ト
- K04N and H rowsナ ニ ヌ ネ ノ ハ ヒ フ ヘ ホ
- K05M and Y rowsマ ミ ム メ モ ヤ ユ ヨ
- K06R rowラ リ ル レ ロ
- K07W row and ンワ ヲ ン
- K08Dakuten and handakutendakuten (゛) and handakuten (゜)
- K09Long vowel ーthe long vowel ー
- K10ッ and combinationssmall ッ and ャ ュ ョ
- K11Extended combinationsファ, フィ, フェ, フォ and ティ
- K12Reading in contextmenus, transport, countries and technology
Beginner (≈ N5)
AvailableRoutines, introductions, shopping and travel.
- M01Greetings and courtesygreetings and courtesy
- M02Introductions and identityintroducing yourself
- M03Familyfamily
- M04Numbers and quantitiesnumbers
- M05Time and calendartime and days
- M06Home and roomsthe home
- M07Everyday objectseveryday objects
- M08Food and drinkfood and drink
- M09Restaurantseating out
- M10Shopping and pricesshopping
- M11City and servicesthe city
- M12Transporttransport
- M13School and learningschool
- M14Work and routinework and daily life
- M15Body and healththe body and health
- M16Weather and seasonsweather and seasons
- M17Animals and natureanimals and nature
- M18Hobbieshobbies
- M19Essential verbsbasic verbs
- M20Description and locationdescribing and locating
Level complete: all 20 beginner vocabulary modules are published.
Basic grammar
AvailableSimple sentences with the words you already know: は, です, か, の…
- G01は and ですbuild sentences with は and です
- G02Questions with かask and answer
- G03Negation: じゃ ありませんsay what something is not
- G04Possession with のsay whose something is
- G05これ, それ, あれ, どれpoint at things and ask what they are
- G06Also: もsay «also»
- G07Verbs with ます and をsay what you do
- G08ません, ました, ませんでしたsay no and talk about the past
- G09Destination: に and へsay where you go
- G10Place of an action: でsay where you do something
- G11い-adjectivesdescribe things and say they aren't
- G12な-adjectives + nounsdescribe with な-adjectives and before a noun
- G13There is: あります and いますsay what there is and where
- G14Where it is: どこ and あそこask and say where something is
- G15The past: でした and かったtalk about what was
- G16Requests: 〜て くださいask politely
- G17Ongoing: 〜て いますsay what is happening now
- G18Wanting: 〜たいsay what you want to do
- G19After: 〜てからsay what you do first
- G20Inviting: 〜ませんかinvite and suggest plans
- G21Permission: 〜ても いいask for and give permission
- G22Prohibition: 〜ては いけませんsay what is not allowed
- G23Comparing: 〜よりcompare two things
- G24Choosing: どちら and 〜の ほうask and say which of two
- G25Because and but: から, がgive reasons and add «but»
- G26Asking not to: 〜ないでask someone not to do something
- G27Past negative: 〜くなかったsay something wasn't so
- G28Opinions: 〜と おもいますsay what you think
- G29Going to do: 〜に いきますsay what you go to do
- G30While: 〜ながらdo two things at once
- G31Experience: 〜た ことsay what you have done before
- G32Advice: 〜た ほうが いいgive advice
- G33Offering: 〜ましょうかoffer help
- G34Change: 〜く／〜に なるsay that something changes
- G35Intention: 〜つもりsay what you plan to do
Elementary (≈ N4)
AvailableExperiences, plans and everyday life.
- E01Healthsaying how you feel
- E02At the doctor'sgoing to the doctor and appointments
- E03Bookingsbooking and changing plans
- E04Housingtalking about where you live
- E05At home: verb pairsopening, closing, switching on and off
- E06Paperworksimple paperwork
- E07Experiencestelling what you have done
- E08Planstalking about plans and dates
- E09Emotionssaying how you feel
- E10Studiesstudying, asking and remembering
- E11Worktalking about work
- E12Social lifegetting along with people
- E13At the pharmacydescribing symptoms and taking medicine
- E14Houseworkcleaning, washing and tidying
- E15Post office and banksending parcels and handling money
- E16Directionsasking for and giving directions
- E17Shoppingbuying, paying and exchanging
- E18Free timegoing out and having fun
- E19Weather and naturetalking about weather and natural events
- E20Opinionssaying what you think of something
Level complete: all 20 elementary vocabulary modules are published.
Elementary grammar (≈ N4)
AvailableAbility, giving and receiving, conditions and more, with the elementary vocabulary.
- GE01Ability: potential formsay what you can do
- GE02Giving and receivingsay who gives what to whom
- GE03Conditions: 〜たらsay what happens if or when
- GE04Looks like: 〜そうですsay what something looks like
- GE05Done, oops: 〜てしまうsay something is done or happened by mistake
- GE06Consequence: 〜とsay what always happens when…
- GE07Even if: 〜てもsay something happens anyway
- GE08Plain form: casual speechspeak as among friends
- GE09〜て あります／〜て おきますsay how things are left and prepare
- GE10Conditions: 〜ばsay what happens if…
- GE11Passive: 〜られるsay what is done to you
- GE12Causative: 〜させるsay someone makes or lets another do something
- GE13Intention: 〜ようと おもうsay what you've decided to do
- GE14Obligation: 〜なければsay what you have to do
- GE15Reasons: 〜し、〜しgive several reasons
- GE16Maybe: 〜かもしれませんsay something might happen
- GE17Probably: 〜でしょうsay what is likely
- GE18Should: 〜はずですsay what is expected
- GE19Trying: 〜て みるsay you try doing something
- GE20Ability: 〜ことが できるsay what can be done
Intermediate (≈ N3)
AvailableOpinions, work and general texts.
- IN01Newsunderstanding simple headlines
- IN02Societytalking about society
- IN03Environmenttalking about the planet
- IN04Consumptionbuying and paying wisely
- IN05Technologytalking about devices and faults
- IN06Educationtalking about studies and exams
- IN07Meetingsorganizing meetings and notices
- IN08Opinionsgiving and explaining your opinion
- IN09Causes and effectsexplaining why things happen
- IN10Culturetalking about traditions and art
- IN11Work and businesstalking about company life
- IN12Health and medicinehospitals and treatments
- IN13Travel and tourismgetting around and sightseeing
- IN14Media and the internetTV, the press and the internet
- IN15Nature and climateclimate and natural disasters
- IN16Money and financeearning, spending and lending money
- IN17Scienceschool subjects and the scientific method
- IN18Rules and rightswhat is and isn't allowed
- IN19Feelings and peoplefeelings and getting on with others
- IN20City and housingthe city, traffic and housing
Level complete: all 20 intermediate vocabulary modules are published. From this level on, words are shown in kanji with their reading above.
Intermediate grammar (≈ N3)
AvailablePurpose, appearance, hearsay and more, with sentences in kanji and furigana.
- GI01Too much: 〜すぎるsay something is excessive
- GI02Easy or hard: 〜やすいsay whether something is easy or hard to do
- GI03Purpose: 〜ためにsay what you do something for
- GI04So as not to: 〜ないようにsay what you do to avoid something
- GI05Apparently: 〜らしいpass on what you've heard
- GI06Seems: 〜ようだ, 〜みたいsay what seems to be so
- GI07Have just: 〜たばかりsay something has just happened
- GI08About to: 〜ところsay what point of an action you're at
- GI09Start and finish: 〜はじめるsay you start or finish something
- GI10Doing things: 〜たり〜たりlist some of the things you do
- GI11Because: 〜のでgive a reason softly
- GI12Although: 〜のにexpress surprise or a complaint
- GI13Coming to: 〜ように なるdescribe a change in ability or habit
- GI14Deciding: 〜ことに するreport a decision
- GI15The more: 〜ば〜ほどsay one thing grows with another
- GI16It's fine: 〜ても かまわないgive permission politely
- GI17Regret: 〜ば よかったregret what you didn't do
- GI18Suggesting: 〜たら どうですかmake a friendly suggestion
- GI19Can't be: 〜はずが ないsay something is impossible
- GI20Hearsay: 〜そうですpass on what you've heard or read
Upper intermediate (≈ N2)
AvailableMedia, argument and formal register.
- IA01Economyunderstanding economic news
- IA02Politicsfollowing political news
- IA03Formal languagereading notices and formal documents
- IA04Human resourcesjob hunting and understanding a contract
- IA05Data and argumentsreading data and making an argument
First modules: economy, politics, formal language, human resources and data. Each word's note explains its register and near-synonyms.
Advanced (≈ N1)
Coming soonEssays, nuance and abstract vocabulary.
The N5–N1 levels are an approximate Kana-Boo grouping, not an official JLPT list.