Wish to learn Japanese? We’ve gathered a list of online resources for learning Japanese just for you. Also, find helpful tips on how to improve your learning.
It’s easier than ever to learn a new language! Thanks to the internet, you no longer have to go to Japan, to a language school, or even to an expensive college to learn Japanese. With all the resources out there – and mostly for free – you can easily pick up and master the language.
Since many of you have asked, we’ve put together a list of some of the best websites and apps for learning Japanese. Each learning tool provides different experiences, and all you have to do is to find the ones that suit your needs and goals.
Happy learning and Ganbatte 頑張って!
Table of contents
11 Best Websites & Apps to Learn Japanese
1. Duolingo
This is a popular free language app you can download to your phone. The 5 minutes a day game-like lesson makes it doable for everyone to pick up Japanese at their own pace. It gives you a great jump start on building vocabulary, and you can quickly customize your learning as you go. Whenever you’re ready to commit more time, you just need to customize your learning time. The app is kid-friendly too!
2. JapanesePod101
If you’re looking for something more in-depth, Japanese Pod 101 offers personalized guidance. You can get a personal teacher that will work with you on improving your skill. The site also has thousands of podcasts to download. It’s suited for beginners right up to advanced levels.
3. Easy Japanese Program by NHK
NHK never fails to offer great programs, including this one for learning Japanese. It’s particularly useful for people who wish to travel or study abroad or work in Japan. You’ll find audio, animation video, and text that portray practical scenarios and handy conversation topics on the website.
4. Spotify
If you have only a few minutes to spare each day, then Spotify Japanese Podcast for Beginners might be an easy place to get started. Download the app today and learn a few words every day!
5. Rocket Japanese
The online and app-based language courses are a no-brainer for any Japanese learner. The content is comprehensive, covering all skills from audio lessons, vocabulary, writing, grammar, etc. This is an all-round platform. You can learn on full functionality at a computer, or on the go with its free app tool.
6. Japanese Ammo on YT
As they say, you can literally learn anything from Youtube. With over 320k subscribers, Japanese Ammo is one of the top channels to learn Japanese. Misa, the animated Japanese teacher, is fun, energetic, and engaging. You don’t have to worry about falling asleep in her virtual class. She organizes learning into different categories like listening skills, Japanese slang, or even sing in Japanese.
How fun is that? Definitely the best place for visual learners.
7. Italki
This is one of the best language websites for anyone who likes to take it seriously. Italki connects the students with native teachers for lessons and conversations online. You get to practice speaking Japanese with a Japanese tutor! Depending on your needs and goals, there are plenty of options to choose from.
The learning experience is fully immersive, which makes it an efficient way to learn Japanese in a short time. All fees are per-hour and vary depending on the instructor, but the fees are really affordable.
8. Matcha
In addition to learning the Japanese language, I personally enjoy visiting the website just to learn more about various cultural topics, travel, and the latest trends in Japan.
Most of the articles are available in English, but you can read and practice kanji, hiragana, furigana, and katakana at the same time. It’s great for intermediate self-learners who want to practice Japanese on a regular basis.
9. Tofugu
Tofugu has a clear and effective structure for learning Japanese. I like that the site lays out the concept of the language before you jump start, which helps to build a strong foundation in the learning process. It offers podcasts, Japanese grammar guides, in-depth looks at Japanese vocabulary, writing, Japanese resources, and textbook reviews. Recommended for serious learners.
10. WaniKani
This is developed by the same people behind Tofugu. It provides an effective method to learn kanji, and thus improve your vocabulary extensively. What I enjoy about this platform is its community forum where you can post questions and share resources about your learning. WaniKani is free until level 3.
11. Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese
A highly popular app for learning Japanese grammar, Tae Kim is set out to help learners build a solid grammatical foundation. There are various chapters, and the guide covers different topics and structures for you to navigate.
Readers’ Recommendations on Learning Japanese Online
- Memrise – A language learning app, the courses focus on real-life learning, instead of text book style. Plenty of videos featuring native speakers having conversations in the country.
- SmileNihongo – There are mini courses for beginners, and plenty of free resources on honing your language skill and understanding of Japanese culture.
- Genkijacs – Accredited by the International Association of Language Centres, Genkijacs is a highly professional Japanese culture school that places students in Japan for language learning. It also provides group and private online classes so you can learn Japanese anywhere in the world.
- Kotonaha Study – Founded by one of Just One Cookbook readers with two Japanese friends, Kotonaha is specifically catered for Germans who wish to learn Japanese and English.
- Coto Japanese Academy – Founded by a group of volunteer Japanese language teachers with a mission to help international residents in Japan, they offer various programs to meet different needs.
- Human Japanese – “One of the few comprehensive programs that focus on conversation, grammar, vocabulary, reading, and writing.” — The Wall Street Journal. This learning app also comes highly recommended by one of our readers. It features thousands of crystal-clear, down-to-earth explanations, fun quizzes and reviews, animations of hiragana, katakana and kanji characters, and much more.
- Hayai Learn – A Japanese learning platform using Youtube video immersion.
Other Practical Ways to Actually Learn Japanese
Here are some helpful tips to get the ball rolling:
Learn by Immersion
By that means, immerse yourself in Japanese cultural output like Japanese dramas, movies, J pop, anime, or whatever entertainment channels that strike your interest. They are absolutely the easiest way to surround yourself with the language. You’ll be surprised by how fast you can pick up Japanese
Find a Support System
Reach out among your social circles to see if a friend might want to start learning as well. One of the best ways to really learn is by actively listening and speaking, putting your newfound vocabulary words to real use. Practice speaking together and set times when no English is allowed.
Friends make a great support system. Invite 1-2 friends to do this with you! It’s easy to slip when you don’t have anyone to practice the language. If you have someone that makes you accountable, learning becomes more fun and effective!
Commitment is KEY
Like many things in life, you need a sincere commitment to making it work. Put down a simple and achievable goal, and make sure you follow it through.
Practice, Practice & Practice
It’s no secret that practice makes perfect. If you choose to pursue this challenging and rewarding goal of learning Japanese, take a hard look at your schedule, and set aside time daily to study and practice.
Videos that will inspire you to learn Japanese fast
We hope you find these tips helpful. If you have been learning Japanese for a while, what are some of your favorite online resources? Leave a comment below. We love to hear about your experiences.
I thought I’d share my Nihongo learning journey. But I just want to add Bunpro to the list here.
Bunpro is a new-ish site for learning Japanese Grammar and I’m still on their 30-day free trial. So far though I think I will be able to stick to this one compared to other ones I’ve tried because it is more systematic.
If you are just starting on your Nihongo learning journey, I recommend these steps:
The 3 steps above will already serve you well in Japan. At least they did for me back when there was no Google Translate or Google Maps. Nowadays, most Japanese just whip out Google Translate on their phones to answer my questions but I think they appreciate the few phrases I can say in Japanese. [Note: I learned hiragana, katakana and some Japanese phrases way back in 1997 or so because I worked for a Japanese company who hired a sensei for us. Never been to Japan until around 2005 and I’d review the hiragana and katakana before each trip.]
Because my background is Chinese (though I was not born nor raised in China), I felt guilty learning another language when I can’t speak Mandarin. But because my husband and I absolutely love being in Japan and foresee multiple trips there, I wanted to one day be able to speak with the locals and actually carry on a conversation. However, that is such a huge goal. So I had to break it down into more manageable steps as there was really no other choice. Japanese is very hard. Their grammar is like Yoda-speak as it’s the opposite sentence structure to English.
So I set out to learn more. These are the ones that didn’t work for me:
I tried Marugoto (https://minato-jf.jp/) and was able to get to A1-2 Level but multiple choice does not help me remember things as the correct answer was too easy to guess. However, you can use this to learn hiragana and katakana if you’re looking for a free tool. Can’t vouch for its effectiveness though.
I tried Duolingo – it was also multiple choice.
I tried Ammo on Youtube but couldn’t stick to it either.
Tae Kim’s guide may have been effective for others but you have to be a very serious self-learner to be successful.
Tofugu no longer exists or functions. The people behind it have stopped working on it.
What worked and is still working for me:
I have also tried Lingopie which provides Japanese and English subtitles to Netflix and other shows where you can add vocabulary to its own (SRS) system and has explanations to grammar. However, the grammar learning is not structured, therefore random. So progress isn’t guaranteed. Some of the English translations were incorrect too. And I struggled to find interesting shows that had language I wanted to learn; I am already picky about shows to spend time on in general. What I did learn was that conversational/casual Japanese is pretty far from the textbook Japanese grammar I’d learned back in 1997. I hardly heard anyone say anything that ended in ~masu. Which makes me want to add that Bunpro teaches both casual and polite forms.
I know some people can pick up a new language by watching shows. I’m just not one of them. After using Wanikani and Bunpro, I’d also taken a peek at renshuu.org which had both. Somehow my brain doesn’t like it as it feels too cluttered. So I do my daily reviews in the morning for Wanikani then Bunpro. Daily new lessons are in manageable chunks of 10-15 (kanji, vocabulary) and 3 (grammar) though I sometimes don’t do any if the brain isn’t feeling up for it or do more if it is.
How long will my journey take? I have no idea. Wanikani could be another 2.5-3 years to get to all 2000 common Kanji used plus tons of vocabulary. Bunpro, who knows? But I’m glad I’ve found 2 systems that work for me.
Thanks so much for sharing your personal journey in learning Japanese with us at JOC! Your insights are beneficial and encouraging. We really appreciate it.
This list would have been better if you had mentioned which had some free access. Otherwise, I just waste my time going to those and finding out, after registering, they have no free plan for trying it out.
Good suggestion, Linda! We didn’t include the free trial because some websites/learning platforms might change their promotions regularly. But, we will definitely go through them again to see if it’s worth listing. Thank you!
https://marumori.io/adventure would be a great addition to this list! I just discovered them recently and they’re like my dream resource. They have really in-depth grammar lessons, grammar SRS, vocab and kanji,… pretty much everything you need to learn the language all in one place! Plus it’s just a super cute site.
Thanks for letting us know!
https://www.kanjiflashpro.com/
I found this free flashcard app for Japanese, not sure if it’s completely accurate to JLPT but found it useful in my studies, thought I’d share in case it helps anyone
Thanks for sharing, Bob!
Oh man, I wish I’d been part of whatever survey compiled this page, I’ve been working on learning Japanese for 2 years and you’re missing probably the Best gamified learning website and app out there, Renshuu (https://www.renshuu.org/). Between Human Japanese and Renshuu I’ve learned so much. I actually don’t think Duolingo is that useful for actually learning Japanese because it doesn’t teach you any grammar.
I also can’t recommend TokiniAndy on YouTube highly enough. Even if you don’t have the textbooks his Genki lessons are so helpful..
Thanks for chiming in, Kaleigh. We published this article awhile back, so I’m sure there are more newer platforms that along since. Which is why we appreciate readers like you to share the information, so we could keep the list updated. We wanted to be inclusive so we have Duolingo there as it is geared for very beginners who want to start with easy/basic/fun exposure first. We’ll keep the list fresh and thanks again for your recommendations! They are great.
Ohhh, I figured since I just got it in my email newsletter it was a new article. Didn’t even think to look at the post date. 😅
I recommend https://www.hayailearn.com for video immersion. Useful for learning vocabulary and grammar. It’s kinda like languagereactor but the translation quality is better.
Thanks for sharing, Lawrence! We’ll add that to the list.