Duration of the online course: 6 hours and 3 minutes
New
Speak Japanese with confidence: build pronunciation, kana reading and everyday phrases in a free online course with practice, grammar basics and optional certificate.
In this free course, learn about
Romaji nuances and correct spellings (e.g., sensei) and why こんにちは uses は for 'wa'
Roles of hiragana, katakana, and kanji; katakana’s main use for loanwords and emphasis
Pronouncing long vowels and glide sounds (small ゃゅょ) and double consonants (small っ)
Core beginner phrases; choosing formal vs informal expressions in common situations
Talking about nationality and countries (e.g., how to say Australia) and yen/money vocabulary
Counting in Japanese: numbers 1–999 and tricky pronunciations (e.g., 90, hyaku)
Basic sentence patterns: noun linking with です and making noun sentences negative (じゃない)
Using こと to nominalize verbs for hobbies (e.g., 'My hobby is watching anime')
Days of the week, months, asking the date/day, and saying (formal) Happy Birthday
Telling/asking time politely and asking locations (どこですか); particles for stating where you live
Practical phrases for communication difficulties and honorific term for someone’s residence (お宅)
Demonstratives: これ/それ/あれ and この/その/あの for near me/you/over there
Verb basics: word order/particles overview, ます-form usage, and polite 'to eat' (食べます)
Existence verbs あります/います, counting people (〜人), and すき as a na-adjective; asking questions
About the free online course
Learning Japanese feels much easier when you can read what you see, say what you mean, and understand why the language works the way it does. This free online course is designed for true beginners who want practical progress without getting overwhelmed. You will strengthen your foundation step by step, combining clear explanations with focused practice so your listening and speaking improve alongside your reading skills.
You will start by making sense of romaji and the sounds that often confuse new learners, then move into the real writing system with approachable guidance on hiragana, katakana and the role of kanji. Pronunciation gets special attention, helping you handle long vowels, small characters and rhythm so you sound more natural and avoid common misunderstandings. These small details make a big difference when you try to follow conversations, anime, songs, travel announcements, or beginner-friendly podcasts.
From there, you will build everyday communication: polite greetings, multiple ways to say thank you, talking about nationality, money and prices, numbers, days and months, birthdays, time, and asking where something is. You will also get a beginner-friendly introduction to essential grammar patterns used constantly in real life, including connecting noun sentences, making negatives, asking simple questions, using demonstratives like this/that, and understanding how sentence order and politeness change what you say and how it is received.
By the end, you should be able to pronounce key patterns correctly, recognize common writing conventions, and produce basic sentences for daily situations with more confidence. If your goal is travel, study, work opportunities, or simply enjoying Japanese media with less reliance on subtitles, this course offers a structured first step and a solid base you can build on. A certificate may be available, making it a helpful addition to your learning record.
Course content
Video class: Japanese Romaji - Sens?, Sensei, or Sensee?07m
Video class: What is Katakana for? and Kanji?08m
Exercise: What is the primary use of Katakana in Japanese writing?
Video class: Pronounce Japanese Long Vowels: Is EIGA or EEGA?08m
Exercise: In the context of Japanese long vowels pronunciation, how should the word こうこう be pronounced?
Video class: Small Ya Yu Yo - How to Pronounce Japanese Glides09m
Exercise: How are Japanese glides formed using Hiragana?
Video class: Japanese small tsu ? - How do you pronounce it?16m
Exercise: What is the correct pronunciation and meaning of the Japanese word that has the spelling 'にっさん' in Hiragana?
Video class: Basic Japanese Phrases08m
Exercise: Which expression is used in formal settings in Japanese?
Video class: Video Lesson 706m
Exercise: Why is the 'wa' in 'Konnichiwa' written with the Hiragana HA instead of the Hiragana WA?
Video class: 6 Common Ways to Say Thank You in Japanese07m
Video class: GENKI L1 - How to Say Nationality in Japanese03m
Exercise: How do you say 'Australia' in Japanese?
Video class: Japanese Currency - Yen04m
Exercise: How do you say 'money' in Japanese?
Video class: ?GENKI L2?Learn Japanese Numbers 1 to 99 - Is 90 Kyuu juu OR Ku juu?07m
Exercise: What is the Japanese number for 'twenty'?
Video class: GENKI L2 Japanese Numbers 100 to 999 - Can You Pronounce Hyaku06m
Video class: Video Lesson 1413m
Video class: Connecting Noun Sentences - Basic Japanese Grammar05m
Video class: GENKI L2 Japanese Negative Form Ja Nai Japanese Grammar11m
Exercise: How do you express negativity in nominal sentences in Japanese?
Video class: KOTO - Hobbies in Japanese (My hobby is watching anime!)13m
Exercise: What Japanese structure is used to turn a verb into a noun when discussing hobbies?
Video class: GENKI L3: What Day? - Days of the Week in Japanese09m
Exercise: In Japanese, how do you say 'What day is it today?'
Video class: Days and Months in Japanese10m
Video class: Happy Birthday in Japanese07m
Exercise: What is the formal way to say Happy Birthday in Japanese?
Video class: Formal or Informal Japanese?12m
Exercise: In Japanese, what is the polite and formal way to ask 'What time is it now?'
Video class: Doko desu ka? - Where is it? in Japanese.12m
Video class: Video Lesson 2314m
Exercise: What particle is used to indicate a specific location in Japanese when stating where you live?
Video class: Still a Beginner! - Useful Japanese Phrases for Communication Difficulties13m
Video class: Japanese Language Class on Zoom: Learn Practical Phrases21m
Exercise: What is the polite and honorable Japanese term for 'residence' mentioned in Yuko Sensei's class?
Video class: GENKI L2 Kore Sore Are in Japanese14m
Video class: GENKI L2 (Kono) (Sono) (Ano) - Don't say (This is Yamada-san) #jlptn5grammar13m
Exercise: In Japanese, how do you refer to an object that is close to you?
Video class: Japanese Sentence Structure - Word Order Doesn't Matter? Really?11m
Video class: What is MASU Form? - How to Use Japanese Verbs07m
Exercise: What is the polite form of the verb to eat in Japanese?
Video class: Translate from English to Japanese - See How Simple It Is!08m
Video class: GENKI L4 Arimasu20m
Exercise: What are the two Japanese verbs used to express the existence of things and which type of things does each one refer to?
Video class: NIN - Counting People in Japanese14m
Video class: GENKI L5 Suki - Like in Japanese13m
Exercise: What type of adjective do the Japanese words for 'like' and 'love' belong to?
Video class: Improve Japanese Pronunciation - Pronunciation Exercises08m
Video class: Ask Questions in Japanese: Do you eat...? #japanesegrammar10m
Exercise: How do you correctly ask the question 'Do you play tennis?' in Japanese without using the word 'anata'?
This free course includes:
6 hours and 3 minutes of online video course
Digital certificate of course completion (Free)
Exercises to train your knowledge
100% free, from content to certificate
Ready to get started?Download the app and get started today.