Japanese guides
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The Japanese alphabet: why there isn't one
Japanese has no alphabet but three scripts — hiragana, katakana and kanji — used in the same sentence. How many characters, what each is for, and the order to learn them.
The complete hiragana chart
Every hiragana in one interactive chart: the 46 base kana, dakuten and yōon with audio pronunciation, animated stroke order and a free printable PDF.
The complete katakana chart
Every katakana in one interactive chart: the 46 base kana, dakuten and yōon with audio pronunciation, animated stroke order and a free printable PDF.
Your name in katakana
Convert your name into katakana and hear it syllable by syllable. English reading rules, an explanation of what changes and why, and worked examples. Free, no signup.
Basic Japanese phrases
The essential Japanese phrases to introduce yourself, make yourself understood and get by while traveling and eating out — with kana, rōmaji and meaning.
Japanese greetings and polite phrases
Everyday Japanese greetings, from konnichiwa to arigatō and sumimasen: how to write them in kana, how to pronounce them, what they mean, when to use them and whether they are formal or casual.
Japanese pronouns: watashi, boku, ore and anata
Japanese personal pronouns — watashi, boku, ore, anata, kare, kanojo — with kanji, reading, register and who uses them. And why the best pronoun is often none at all.
Family in Japanese: 母 or お母さん?
Japanese family words come in pairs: one form for your own family, another for everyone else's. Full table with readings, and the uchi/soto rule behind it.
Japanese numbers from 0 to 10,000
How to count in Japanese: numbers from 0 to 10,000 with kanji, hiragana and romaji, the irregular readings (300, 600, 800) and the double readings of 4, 7 and 9.
Japanese counters
Japanese counters explained: つ and 人, the sound-change table for 本 匹 分 階, the 16 suffixes you actually meet, and what to say when you don't know which one to use.
Days of the week, months and dates in Japanese
Days of the week and months in Japanese with kanji, hiragana and romaji: the irregular readings of the days of the month (tsuitachi, hatsuka…), today, tomorrow and yesterday, and how dates are written.
Weather in Japanese: sky, temperature and seasons
Weather in Japanese — 晴れ, 雨, 雪, 暑い, 寒い and the seasons — with kanji, kana and rōmaji, and the phrases to talk about the weather the way Japanese people do.
Telling the time in Japanese
How to tell the time in Japanese: the 12 hours with the three irregular readings (4, 7, 9), minutes with the ふん/ぷん shifts, 半 and 午前/午後, and how to ask.
Colors in Japanese
All the colors in Japanese with kanji, hiragana and romaji: red, blue, green, purple, pink… Plus the rules (赤い vs 赤, colors with の) and why the green light is called ao.
Animals in Japanese: names, kanji and sounds
Animals in Japanese — pets, farm animals, Japanese wildlife, zoo animals and insects — with kanji, kana and rōmaji. Plus the sounds: why a Japanese dog says ワンワン.
Food in Japanese: words for eating and ordering
Japanese food vocabulary — ingredients, dishes, tastes — with kanji, kana and rōmaji, plus phrases for ordering. And why ご飯 means both rice and meal.
Japanese word order: the verb comes last
Why Japanese puts the verb at the end, how particles make the order flexible, and what really differs from English — with sentences broken into labelled chunks.
Japanese particles
Japanese particles in one clear table: は, が, を, に, で and the rest, with functions and examples. Plus the difference between は and が, explained once and for all.
は vs が: what's the difference
は or が? Five pairs of sentences one character apart, the cases where が is compulsory, and the new-information rule that decides the rest. With translations.
Japanese verbs: how they conjugate
How Japanese verbs conjugate: the three groups, a table with polite, negative, past and て forms, and the て-form rules explained with examples. Free guide.
The て form: how it's made and why it matters
The て form of Japanese verbs: the rule for each group with the one exception, and the ten constructions that hang off it — ください, ている, てもいい, てから.
Japanese adjectives: い and な
How Japanese adjectives work: the two families い and な, a table with negative, past and pre-noun forms, and the four mistakes that everybody makes.
Keigo: formal Japanese, explained
Sonkeigo, kenjōgo and teineigo: what actually changes, the verb table with the special forms, the two patterns covering everything else, and the set phrases to recognize.
How to learn kanji
What kanji are, how on and kun readings work, where to start, and the method that actually makes them stick: writing, real words and spaced repetition.
N5 kanji: the list with readings and meanings
The 79 N5 kanji in study order, grouped by theme, with on and kun readings and English meanings. Where the list comes from and how far it takes you.
N4 kanji: the list with readings and meanings
The 166 N4 kanji in study order, grouped by theme, with on and kun readings and English meanings. What changes compared with N5.
N3 kanji: the list with readings and meanings
The 367 N3 kanji in study order, grouped by theme, with on and kun readings and English meanings. Why this is the level where people give up.
N5 vocabulary: the words to start with
The 281 words of the N5 path grouped by theme — greetings, numbers, time, home, food — with kana readings and English meanings. Printable PDF included.
N4 vocabulary: the list by theme
The 204 words of the N4 path grouped by theme, with kana readings and English meanings. What changes compared with N5. Printable PDF included.
JLPT: the complete guide to the exam
A guide to the JLPT: the five levels from N5 to N1, how the sectional scoring works, when the exam is held, and how to work out which level is right for you.
JLPT N5: the guide to getting started
JLPT N5 guide: how many kanji and words you need, how the exam is structured, scoring, and a concrete study plan. The first level of Japanese, explained.
JLPT N4: the guide to the second level
JLPT N4 guide: how many kanji and words you need, how the exam is structured, the pass mark, and the grammar that separates N5 from N4 — with a concrete study plan.
JLPT N3: the guide to the bridge level
JLPT N3 guide: how many kanji and words you need, how the exam is structured, the per-section minimum score, and why the jump from N4 is the hardest of the whole JLPT.
JLPT N2: the guide to the level people actually ask for
JLPT N2 guide: how many kanji and words you need, how the exam is structured, the per-section minimum, and why N2 is the level employers and universities ask for.
JLPT N1: the guide to the top level
JLPT N1 guide: how many kanji and words you need, how the exam is structured, what really changes compared with N2, and what the top level of the JLPT is good for.
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