Learn Japanese

Learn Japanese with short lessons, vocabulary, pronunciation practice and interactive quizzes — organised by CEFR level.

Start learning this language for free

Speakers: About 125 million, almost all in Japan
Where it sits: Official language of Japan
In the app: Kana, readings, ja-JP audio

Where it's used

Japanese is the language of Japan. It is not widely official anywhere else. There are heritage communities in Brazil, Peru, and Hawaii, leftover from older migration, but a trip to use the language means Japan. Okinawa has Ryukyuan languages alongside Japanese; Hokkaido has Ainu as a recognized indigenous language. What you learn here is standard Japanese, the language of national TV and of Tokyo. Kansai speech in Osaka and Kyoto is understandable and noticeably different.

JapanOfficial. The place you will actually use the language end to end.
Brazil & PeruOlder nikkei communities. Japanese at home for some families, Portuguese or Spanish in public.
Hawaii & the US West CoastHeritage speakers. Not a substitute for using the language in Japan.

What it's for

Travel

Station names, convenience-store buttons, and restaurant tickets are in Japanese. Tourist English exists in Kyoto and central Tokyo and drops off in residential neighbourhoods.

Work

Manufacturing, games, research labs, and firms that still run internal meetings in Japanese.

Culture

Film, manga, and music are easier when you can read a menu and follow speech that subtitles flatten.

Cities you'll actually use it

Tokyo is the default. Kansai is the useful second accent. Smaller cities are where English stops covering the errand.

Tokyo
Japan
Yamanote line, konbini, office Japanese. Closest to the standard the app reads.
Kyoto
Japan
Tourism and temples, then neighbourhoods where Japanese is the only language on the ticket machine.
Osaka
Japan
Kansai Japanese. Friendlier street tone, different sentence endings. Still Japanese.
Fukuoka
Japan
Kyushu. A size that is easier than Tokyo, with less English on the side streets.
Sapporo
Japan
Hokkaido. Winter city, clear standard Japanese, distance from the Kansai/Tokyo split.
Hiroshima
Japan
West Honshu. Everyday Japanese without Tokyo's tourist density.
Nara
Japan
Smaller than Kyoto, same region. A quieter place to try the language between temple visits.
Kanazawa
Japan
Sea of Japan side. Few visitors relative to Kyoto; Japanese does more of the work.

Which variety the app uses

Audio is ja-JP. We do not claim JLPT prep. Kana come first; kanji are part of the writing system and are not faked as fully taught on this page.

Who it is for

Ideal if you're learning Japanese for travel, culture, work or personal interest.

In the app

Choose Japanese as your learning language, set your level and daily goal, and practise with lessons and quizzes. Pronunciation uses ja-JP.

A few words

Japanese	Reading	Meaning
こんにちは	Konnichiwa	Hello
はじめまして	Hajimemashite	Nice to meet you
お元気ですか	Ogenki desu ka	How are you?
私の名前は...	Watashi no namae wa...	My name is...