japanesen5in 70 days
From your very first hiragana to the JLPT N5 level: real, polite Japanese for daily life in Tokyo, one short lesson a day.
- free, no sign-up
- hiragana · katakana · 79 kanji
- audio · writing · practice exams
- 0 xp
- 0 day streak
- 0 / 750 words met
- 0 cards due
- 0 / 70 dots
at a glance
JLPT N5 (estimated level). About 20 minutes a day, in bites of one to three minutes.
- 70days
- 11units
- 750words
- 27writing & speaking tasks
- 2practice exams
pick your pace
People who decide when and how much stick with it far more often. Pick one: you can change it any time.
No pace picked yet. Steady is a great start.
your path
70 dots in 11 units. Every lesson is open, so jump anywhere. The pink dot is your next one.
unit 1 · hiragana & hello
unit 2 · katakana & my things
unit 3 · me & my family
unit 4 · time & dates
unit 5 · food & drink
unit 6 · shopping & clothes
unit 7 · around town
unit 8 · home & daily life
unit 9 · weather & nature
unit 10 · school & health
unit 11 · free time & the exam
free tools
- all 750 words
Search, filter by unit, hear every word.
- card play
Flip cards that come back just before you forget, a memory match and a speed round.
- writing studio
Every new character with animated stroke order: watch, trace, write from memory.
- practice exams
Two full practice exams in the JLPT N5 layout: vocabulary, grammar and reading, and listening.
print & share
Branded PDFs to print, stick on the fridge or send to a friend who wants to learn with you.
questions & answers
Is it really free?
Yes. Every lesson, the audio, the writing practice and both practice exams are free, with no sign-up and no ads.
How long does it take?
70 days of about 20 minutes: 8 days of hiragana and katakana, 50 days of words and grammar, 10 review missions and 2 practice exams. Go faster or slower as you like; nothing is locked.
Does it match the JLPT N5?
The Japan Foundation has published no official word, kanji or grammar list since 2010, so no course can promise an exact match. We follow the widely used community lists for N5 (about 680 words, 79 kanji and 40 grammar points) and add the particles, greetings and counters every beginner needs. The level is an estimated JLPT N5 level, and this is not official JLPT material.
What is on the real JLPT N5?
Three sections: language knowledge (vocabulary, 20 minutes), language knowledge (grammar) and reading (40 minutes), and listening (30 minutes). Every question is multiple choice. Scores run from 0 to 180 and you pass with 80, with at least 38 of 120 in language knowledge and reading and 19 of 60 in listening. Our two practice exams copy this layout.
Hiragana, katakana, kanji: what will I learn to read and write?
All 46 hiragana in the first five days and all 46 katakana in the next three, each day with real N5 words written in kana. From day 9 come the kanji: the 79 kanji of N5 to read and write, and other words in their usual spelling with furigana (small kana above the kanji) to help you read them.
What is rōmaji, and should I use it?
Rōmaji is Japanese in the Latin alphabet; we use modified Hepburn (konnichiwa, Tōkyō). It is on by default so you can speak from day 1. Switch it off as soon as the kana feel easy: the real exam, and real life, use no rōmaji.
Where is my progress saved?
Only in this browser, on this device. There is no account, and clearing your browser data resets it.
after this course
Carry on with Japanese N4 in 47 days: it builds on everything you learn here.
back up my progress
Your progress lives in this browser. Copy the code to move it to another phone or computer, then paste it there.