Guides to learning Japanese
Methods, plans and benchmarks to progress in Japanese, from your first hiragana to the JLPT.
Guides
- Learn hiragana and katakana at the same time: a 2-week methodWhy learn both Japanese syllabaries together, row by row, and a 14-day plan to read the 92 basic kana without hesitating.Read
- Learn hiragana: the chart, reading rules and trapsThe 46 hiragana, dakuten and combinations, the reading rules (は, へ, を, small っ, long vowels) and tricks to remember them.Read
- Learn katakana: foreign sounds, traps and your name in JapaneseKatakana to learn alongside hiragana: the long-vowel mark, foreign sounds (ティ, ファ), the pairs that get mixed up and your name in katakana.Read
- Japanese particles: は, が, を, に, で and more, explained simplyWhat the beginner Japanese particles do (は, が, を, に, で, へ, と, も, の, から, まで), with examples and the mix-ups to avoid.Read
- JLPT N5 study guide: what's on the test, a plan and a methodWhat the JLPT N5 asks (kanji, vocabulary, grammar, listening), the score you need, the key grammar points and a realistic study plan.Read
- JLPT N4 study guide: what changes after N5, and how to prepareThe JLPT N4: test format, passing score, the kanji, vocabulary and grammar you need (て-form, potential, conditionals) and a 6-month plan.Read
- How many kanji do you need for each JLPT level?How many kanji to know from N5 to N1, per level and in total, the first 20 to learn, and how to remember them without burning out.Read
- Spaced repetition: why it's the best way to remember JapaneseHow spaced repetition works (forgetting curve, the FSRS algorithm), what a review schedule looks like and how to use it every day.Read
- How long does it take to learn Japanese?Realistic benchmarks: kana in two weeks, JLPT N5 in a few months, and what it takes to reach N1, with a typical study week.Read
Comparisons
- KanaLearn or Duolingo for learning Japanese?How KanaLearn and Duolingo differ for Japanese: goals, kanji, JLPT, spaced repetition. Which to choose, and when to use both.Read
- KanaLearn or Anki for Japanese?Anki and KanaLearn both use spaced repetition. What sets them apart for Japanese, and how to move between them.Read
- KanaLearn or WaniKani for learning kanji?WaniKani focuses on kanji, KanaLearn covers kana, kanji, vocabulary and grammar by JLPT level. The differences, and who each is for.Read