The big list of free resources for

learning Japanese

Italki 

It is great to have a native speaker to practice Japanese with you from 

the first day. If you don’t have someone already, you can find one – a tutor, teacher, 
or a language exchange partner – on Italki. Chatting with a conversation exchange 
partner won’t cost you money. Lessons from professional teachers will, but you’ll 
spend significantly less than you thought you would. Additionally, their ‘Notebooks’ 
section is an awesome free tool where you can get feedback on your writing. ​Read 
our review of italki. 

Visit Italki 

LingoDeer 

If you’re looking for something like Duolingo but better, try 

out LingoDeer. The Japanese course teaches grammar and vocabulary from JLPT 
N5 . Beginners can benefit massively from various exercise types, real human 
pronunciation recordings, detailed and clear grammar notes, built-in reviews, and 
offline mode. ​Read our review of Lingodeer. 
 Visit LingoDeer 

Memrise 

Memrise courses are usually fun. Most of them are generated by 
users, and the quality varies, but when you pick one, learning the lessons is like 
playing a game. The concept of the app will make you memorize words, phrases, 
spelling, pronunciation, syntax, just name it. And you can choose from hundreds of 
courses or create your own. Any 5 minutes of your spare is a good time to learn 
Japanese, on any device. Best of all, these courses are entirely free. ​Read the full 
review of Memrise. 

Visit Memrise 

FSI Japanese 

FSI language courses were developed by Foreign Service Institute – 

U. S. Department of State using the FAST methodology (Familiarization & 
Short-Term Training). The FSI Japanese Fast Course covers the essentials 
comprehensively, and includes textbooks and audio recordings. Japanese 
Headstart Course is more concise and includes self-evaluation tests. These 
materials are considerably old and a bit old-fashioned, without any interactive 
solutions or flashcards – you might even need a teacher to guide through – but 
they are very thorough and entirely free. 

Visit FSI Japanese 

Mondo 

Mondo is an app that makes it easier to read Japanese. You can click on 
words and see their definition. Additionally, you can see translated articles from 
sites like BBC and TechCrunch. You can also test yourself on new words you’re 
learning, use their flashcards, and meet new people. Some features are free but 
you’ll need to upgrade for others. 

Visit Mondo 

HelloTalk 

Probably the best language exchange platform – a mobile app 

that allows you to connect with native speakers of the Japanese language, chat 
with them, and help them acquire a command of your native language in return. It 
supports text, voice, and video; contains tools for pronunciation, translation, and 
corrections; is free and easy to use. 

Visit HelloTalk 

Japanese Ammo with Misa 

There are several kinds of Japanese lessons on this 

channel, including elementary Japanese, grammar lessons for beginners, useful 
phrases, writing Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana, and a number of videos in Japanese 
with English subs. Misa pays special attention to common mistakes, and you’ll find 
plenty of advice on how to avoid them – and especially how to avoid some 
extremely rude and embarrassing mistakes. 

Visit Japanese Ammo with Misa 

Anki 

A popular program that enables you to learn many things 

using flashcards and spaced repetition, and is especially convenient for language 
learning. You can use an existing deck, created by some of the users – and there 
are over a hundred shared decks for Japanese – or create your own. Anki is an 
open-source app that works on most of the operating systems, and enables you to 
sync your decks across devices. 

Visit Anki 
That Japanese Man Yuta 

Yuta Aoki interviews random people in Tokyo, and talks 

about some interesting stuff, such as dating, tatoos, cars, anime, religion, money, 
and a lot more. Learn real Japanese, broaden your vocabulary, and have fun doing 
so. 

Visit That Japanese Man Yuta 

Clozemaster 
Clozemaster is a great way to practice vocabulary, 
sentence structures, and reading by completing tons of fill in the blank exercises. 
You can fill in the blank by either typing the answer or choose from a multiple 
choice option. You’ll score points as you go. While there is a pro plan, the free 
version offers a ton of value. 

Visit Clozemaster 

BondLingo 

This app uses video content to explain the Japanese language. 

There’s a premium subscription plan that allows you to watch some in-depth video 
lessons, but the free videos (which you can watch on Youtube) are super useful as 
well. 

Visit BondLingo 

Let’s Study Japanese! (Nihongo 123) 

These 380 lessons created by the staff of the University of Tsukuba 

are meant to help you learn and practice Japanese grammar patterns along with 
vocabulary. As soon as you register, you get the access to dialogue videos (with 
scripts), listening and speaking exercises, and vocabulary flash cards. The lessons 
cover everything from the basics to an intermediate level. 

Visit Let’s Study Japanese! 

BBC Language Guides 

BBC offers excellent resources for most languages of the world. 

Although Japanese is not as thoroughly covered as European languages and 
Chinese, the Language Guides section offers a great starting point: 10 Japanese 
language facts in Japanese (mp3, transcripts, and the English translation), 20 
essential phrases, “quick fix,” and learning tips. 

Visit BBC Language Guides 

Hirogaru 

The Japan Foundation has created this Japanese language 

learning platform, where you can chose between 45 self-study and 23 
tutor-support courses – and all of them are free. The main course is Marugoto – an 
integrated 6-month course with interactive e-learning materials, designed to help 
you acquire solid communication skills in Japanese. Other courses include 
Hiragana and Katakana A1 self-study courses, Japanese in Anime and Manga, Haiku, 
and much more. 

Visit Hirogaru 

Duolingo 

One of the most popular free language sources, Duolingo offers fun, 
bite-sized lessons of Japanese. 5 minutes a day is supposed to be enough to 
develop solid reading, writing, and speaking skills. It is easy to use and it feels like 
you’re playing a game. Unlocking new levels and earning virtual coins keeps you 
motivated and, if we are to believe to the authors, 34 hours of Duolingo are equally 
valuable as one semester in the university. Unfortunately, Duolingo tends to not do 
such a good job with Asian languages. 

Visit Duolingo 

Forvo 

If you aren’t sure how to pronounce a certain word or phrase in 

Japanese – from greetings, apologies and flirting (Do you have a boyfriend? – 彼氏
はいるんですか？) to whichever expression you may find in the book you’re reading 
– you can type it down in Forvo, and hear it pronounced by a native speaker. 

Visit Forvo 

Tango Risto 

Tango Risto takes Japanese articles from the web and analyzes them for 
their difficulty level. You can look up and save words as you go, making it easier to 
review them later. Best of all, it’s free to use. 

Visit Tango Risto 

Hukumusume 

This large collection of fairy tales in Japanese includes 

over 3000 stories – from traditional folk tales, both Japanese and international, to 
contemporary Halloween horror stories – over 1600 audio readings, nearly 1000 
English translations, and lots of animated tales on Youtube. Use the keyword 
search to find the tales that interest you the most. You might want to use Google 
Translate (or any similar tool) to navigate. 

Visit Hukumusume 
Drops App 

A 5-minutes-a-day app that helps you memorize words 

(mostly nouns) with the help of simple visual illustrations. Includes games and 
exercises that cover vocabulary (matching word and image), spelling and 
translation. It feels effortless but it is efficient and you do learn those words, but 
without any context or grammatical construction. 

Visit Drops App 

Readlang 

Readlang Web Reader is an extension for Google Chrome that 

enables you to read online content in over 40 languages. Japanese is still in a beta 
phase, but it is perfectly usable. Just click any word or phrase and you’ll have it 
translated and saved in the flashcard library. The free version is limited to 10 
phrases a day, while the number of individual words you can translate remains 
unrestricted. 

Visit Readlang 

Lingbe 

Lingbe is a language exchange platform that’s a bit different 

than the others. With Lingbe, you don’t need to find someone to talk with, you 
simply click the call button and they will connect you with a native speaker of the 
language you’re learning. That can help get rid of some people’s anxieties and time 
wasted finding someone to talk with. After the conversation, if both people click 
the like button, you’ll be added to each other’s friend list and you can chat with 
them anytime. 

Visit Lingbe 

Rikaikun 
 Currently the most popular Japanese pop-up translator for 
Chrome. Although the developer says the extension has not been done as he 
wanted, many thousands of users seem to love it. 

Visit Rikaikun 

Dictionarist – Popup Dictionary 

This browser extension for Chrome makes it much easier to 

look up the meaning of words in Japanese (and other languages) while reading 
online. A tool like this can make reading challenging content much more 
manageable. 

Visit Dictionarist 

Tinycards 
Another free app from the Duolingo team, for those who love 
bite-sized lessons, spaced repetition and gamification. You can pick from the 
endless list of Japanese flashcard decks, or create your own. The app is fun, easy to 
use, and available on all platforms. 

Visit Tinycards 

Learn Japanese 365 

Learn useful expressions in Japanese, the 1000 basic 

sentences, vocabulary, grammar, and conversation patterns. Watch the lessons on 
Youtube and download the PDFs on their website. 

Visit Learn Japanese 365 

AJALT (Association for Japanese-Language Teaching) 

 This reputable institution specializing in Japanese 
language teaching offers plenty of free materials for language learners.You can 
learn vocabulary, grammar, conversation, and reading at all levels. There are also 
crossword puzzles and other language games, as well as some informative articles 
about the history of kanji. In addition to the free online content, you can purchase 
a number of textbooks or get private or group tuition. 

Visit AJALT 

JPLANG 

The Japanese Language Center for International Students 

and the Information Collaboration Center of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies 
have jointly developed some great materials for beginners and intermediate level 
learners of Japanese. The lessons cover various aspects of the language. The 
beginner level lessons are available in several languages, while intermediate ones 
have navigation in Japanese only. Registration is required, but it is free. 

Visit JPLANG 

HiNative 

A Q&A app created by the Lang-8 team. You can ask questions to native 
speakers of Japanese, and answer those made by the learners of your language. 
Available on iOS and Android. 

Visit HiNative 

Tatoeba 

Tatoeba is a different kind of dictionary – an impressive 

database of translated sentences, created and maintained by the user community 
(which you can join). Enter the word, and you’ll get in translated in numerous 
contexts and sentences. 

Visit Tatoeba 

Learn Japanese 

These 300+ video lessons are meant to enable you to watch 

anime without subtitles. Lots of anime catchphrases are explained, essential 
vocabulary introduced, as well as the most common grammar patterns. There’s no 
textbooks or traditional lessons, just anime. 

Visit Learn Japanese 

TenguGo 

This provider offers several apps for learning Japanese. With average 
score of 4,7 stars from over 10000 users who reviewed it, the free app “Tengugo 
Kana (Hiragana & Katakana)” is a great option for any beginner. This and other apps 
are available on Android, iOS, Amazon Apps, and online on the TenguGo website. 

Visit TenguGo 

University of Tsukuba – e-Learning for Japanese 

A set of self-teaching materials for international learners 
of Japanese, developed by the University of Tsukuba. There are three types of 
materials they provide. “Learn” consists of multimedia content that helps you learn 
kana, grammar, sentence structure, and common expressions. “Talk” enables you 
to speak with other learners of Japanese as well as some native speakers in a virtual 
chat room. “Write” is all about written communication – you can write short 
pieces, like essays and diaries, and then share them with other students and 
teachers. Registration is required, and the developers recommend using Chrome. 
 Visit University of Tsukuba 

Learn Japanese Offline (ufostudio) 

This is a free phrasebook app that works completely offline. It contains 

over 1000 most frequently used phrases, organized in 18 categories, which include 
general conversation, time and date, directions & places, eating out, family, and 
more. All entries are followed by native pronunciation. 

Visit Learn Japanese Offline 

Aozora Bunko 

Aozora Bunko is a large internet library comprising nearly 15000 

copyright-free books, including famous Japanese literary masterpieces. Just chose 
a book, download it, and read it. This site does not provide a dictionary or any 
similar tool (you can use any dictionary while you’re reading), but you won’t find 
such huge base of reading material in Japanese anywhere else. 

Visit Aozora Bunko 

Easy Japanese (Easy Languages) 

This YouTube channel takes you to the streets of several cities in 
Japan, enabling you to listen to a variety of native Japanese voices. The episodes 
have a form of street interviews with random passers-by, yet the questions are not 
random. Each episode has a topic, which makes it easier for you to find what you’re 
interested in on their channel. There are no grammar lessons in these videos, and 
the speech you’ll hear is not always grammatically perfect, but you’ll get a feel of 
the language as it is spoken in everyday life. The videos contain subtitles in both 
Japanese and English. 
 Visit Easy Japanese 

WingsApp 

The free Learn Japanese – Grammar app contains over 200 grammar 
lessons, which you learn in context. At the same time, it covers over 5000 phrases 
organized in 60 categories. Meanings of words and grammar concepts are 
explained by numerous example sentences. 

Visit WingsApp 

Learn Japanese Phrasebook (Codegent) 

A convenient phrasebook app that helps you learn essential Japanese 

words and phrases and includes audio recordings made by native speakers. The 
free version contains over 400 frequently used words, phrases, and sentences, 
while the pro version offers more than 900 entries. Available on iOS and Android. 

Visit Learn Japanese Phrasebook 

iLoveLanguages 

This resource offers free lessons for beginners (integrative 

Japanese lessons, vocabulary, phrases, and grammar) that consist of text and audio 
recordings, and a chance to contact the course creator and book some one-on-one 
lessons. 

Visit iLoveLanguages 

Japanese Language Proficiency Test 

 The Official Worldwide Japanese Proficiency Test (JLPT) website 
contains all the info you need about taking the test from any part of the world – 
from the registration and preparation, to results. You’ll also find sample questions, 
free practice workbook (downloadable PDF and MP3) and other useful materials. 

Visit Japanese Language Proficiency Test 

NHK World – Easy Japanese 

NHK World Radio Japan has a weekly podcast in the form of audio-drama 
developed by highly qualified teachers and narrated by native Japanese with 
flawless pronunciation. You can download MP3 and the corresponding PDF files, 
and you’ll find a range of free grammar and vocabulary lessons for beginners, 
including some ready-made expressions for travelers. 

Visit NHK World 

Nihongo o Narau – Learn Japanese 

An older website comprising a free online course of Japanese. 

The lessons cover pronunciation, vocabulary, reading and writing practice – 
including both Hiragana and Katakana, grammar lessons and reviews, Japanese 
songs, and more. 

Visit Nihongo o Narau 

Minato 

The Japan Foundation has created this Japanese language 

learning platform, where you can choose between 45 self-study and 23 
tutor-support courses – and all of them are free. The main course is Marugoto – an 
integrated 6-month course with interactive e-learning materials, designed to help 
you acquire solid communication skills in Japanese. Other courses include 
Hiragana and Katakana A1 self-study courses, Japanese in Anime and Manga, Haiku, 
and much more. 

Visit Minato 

Erin’s Challenge – I Can Speak Japanese 

A Japanese language learning video series with fun, easy to 

watch episodes featuring the language and helping you develop a cultural 
understanding. The 25 episodes are sorted by subject – from greetings, indicating 
things, and making requests, to making assumptions, expressing desires, 
explaining, giving reasons, and conveying how you feel. It is all free but you can buy 
a DVD and textbook if you wish. 

Visit Erin’s Challenge 

Ready, Steady, NihonGO! 

Developed jointly by the Japan Society and the 

Japan Foundation, this complete resource follows the KS2 Modern Foreign 
Languages (upper elementary) curriculum. The ten 45-minutes lessons — 
accompanied by thorough notes on language and culture, worksheets, flash cards, 
presentations, and more — are designed to be used as the primary resource in a 
classroom, but are great as a self-learning material as well. The content is free 
online in a form of a flash presentation. Alternatively, you can buy a CD from the 
Japan Society. 

Visit Ready, Steady, NihonGO! 

Japanese in Anime and Manga 

Great resource for the all-level learners of Japanese – as long as they 

enjoy Manga and Anime. Learn the Japanese vocabulary (and a bit of grammar) 
through familiar character and genre (romance, school, ninja, samurai) based 
expressions that often appear in your favorite animes. The language is casual, the 
explanations are given in the form of manga, and the practice consists in taking 
quizzes and playing games. 

Visit Japanese in Anime and Manga 

Tokyo Metropolitan University – mic J 

Tokyo Metropolitan University provides a number of quality free 

mini resources for learning Japanese, including elementary Japanese course (PDF 
textbook, audio dialogue, grammar explanation, and video quiz), listening practice 
and interactive listening quizzes for all levels, reading materials for intermediate 
and advanced learners, interviews with Japanese and international students, and 
more. 

Visit Tokyo Metropolitan University 

Reading Tutor 

Several tools designed to help you learn Japanese, including a 

dictionary (Japanese to Japanese, English, Dutch, German, Spanish, and Slovene), a 
toolbox, a number of reading resources, and grammar quizes. In addition to 
Japanese and English, the site is available in German and Dutch. Other site 
functionalities include checking the difficulty degree of words and kanji, locating 
and explaining various grammar structures displayed in the reading material, and 
more. 

Visit Reading Tutor 

Japanese IO 

This tool is designed to make learning Japanese through 

reading simple and more enjoyable. Once you’ve created a free account, you can 
use the Japanese IO Chrome app, which allows you to read any content in 
Japanese, on any website, and have word lookups and example sentences just a 
click away. 

Visit Japanese IO 

Bravolol / Learn Japanese Phrases 

A phrasebook app for iOS and Android that helps you to pronounce and 
memorize the most common words and phrases in Japanese. Includes clear audio 
and you don’t need internet connection to practice the language. 

Visit Bravolol 

Bab.la 

Bab.la is a dictionary – and a lot more than a dictionary. It 

translates words within the context rather than isolated. Bab.la is a powerful tool 
which you can use to, for example, write an impressive cover letter in the language 
of your liking (in this case, Japanese) and prepare for the interview by finding the 
right sentences in your native language and defining the language pair (e.g., 
English-Japanese). It is free to use, and you can download thematic 
mini-phrasebooks from any page. 

Visit Bab.la 

RhinoSpike 
RhinoSpike helps you get Japanese language audio on demand. 
It is a language-learning exchange network and great tool for listening/speaking 
practice. If there is any piece of text that you’d like to have read aloud and 
recorded, just submit a request, and a native Japanese speaker will provide an MP3 
file. In return, you’d be expected to help those who are learning your native 
language. You can also listen to some of the 6770 existing recordings in Japanese to 
get a feel of how it works. 

Visit RhinoSpike 

My Kikitori 

Listening comprehension practice for beginners. The content is 

based on the textbook called “Genki – An Integrated Course in Elementary 
Japanese Volume 1,” but you don’t have to own this book in order to take advantage 
of this site. Just listen to some of the 12 audio clips as many times you want, and 
then take the comprehension quiz. 

Visit My Kikitori 

One Word One World 

Japanese language quizzes for students, created 
by Yuko Nakaishi of the Hiroshima University. Learn intransitive and transitive 
verbs, as well as onomatopoeia, using texts and video, and practice by answering 
multiple choice questions. 

Visit One Word One World 

TUFS Language Modules 

The Tokyo University of Foreign Studies has 
developed the Language modules to help Japanese students learn other languages 
and international students (English, French, Turkish, Korean, Chinese, Thai, or 
Mongolian) to learn Japanese. You can practice the standard pronunciation in 
three modules – 1. for survival, 2. for fluent communication, and 3. for 
pronunciation as good as native speakers – or you can listen to (and read) 
dialogues and practice your reading and listening skills. The dialogues cover 40 
common situations and each is presented through four different patterns. 

Visit TUFS Language Modules 

WordReference 

A free dictionary and, more importantly, a community forum where 

you can find and interact with people like you, doing the same as you do – studying 
Japanese and pondering over the ways to express themselves using that language. 

Visit WordReference 

Book2 (50 Languages / Goethe Verlag) 

100 free lessons for beginners and intermediate learners of Japanese. 

The course includes text (free on the website, but if you’d prefer a physical book, 
you can buy it on Amazon), and audio files spoken by native speakers. The free 
mobile app contains 30 lessons, tests and games. The paid version contains the 
same volume of content, but it is add-free. The goal of the course is to learn the 
basics quickly, and use them in typical situations. You don’t need to know English 
(as long as you speak one of the 50 world’s most popular languages); it is possible 
to learn Japanese using your native language. 

Visit Book2 

LangMedia 

A free collection of videos and transcripts covering everyday 

situations and conversations in Japanese. The material is developed by the staff of 
the Five College Center for the Study of World Languages (FCCSWL) with the help 
of student native speakers from the Five College Consortium. 

Visit LangMedia 

Lexilogos 

A comprehensive collection of online dictionaries, including 

Japanese-English dictionaries, thesaurus, slang dictionaries, and more. A 
multilingual keyboard is incorporated. The English version of the site does not 
contain all the pages of the original one. 

Visit Lexilogos 

Japanese Wikibook 

A free online community-created grammar book and course (beginners 

to advanced). The Japanese wikibook contains a guide through both Japanese 
scripts, Kana and Kanji, some reading practice material, a thorough explanation 
(with audio) of the Japanese pronunciation and accent, and the usual vocabulary 
and grammar lessons for beginners and beyond. 

Visit Japanese Wikibook 

Freelang 

The Freelang dictionary is a free online dictionary and a platform 

which enables you to have some (short, non-commercial) content translated for 
free by a volunteer, or to find a professional to translate whatever material you 
may have. The dictionary supports only romanized Japanese, and not Japanese 
script. 

Visit Freelang 

Verbix 
If you’re a language student struggling with the Japanese verb conjugation, 
this little tool can save your precious time. You just need to enter a verb in the 
infinitive, and you’ll get the complete inflection of that verb. The conjugated verb 
forms are written in romaji (the Latin script), hiragana, and Kanji. Verbix works on 
Windows and online, and is entirely free. 
Visit Verbix