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Japanese for beginners, from the very first letter
No prior knowledge needed. Start with the three writing systems, learn to read hiragana and katakana, and reach your first sentences.
The first step in Japanese is the script. Japanese has three writing systems, and you start with hiragana: 46 basic letters, each one a syllable. In the course you learn them in small groups, five to seven per lesson, each with its sound, an example word and writing practice.
Many of the sounds are easy for English speakers. か (ka) sounds like the start of “car”, す (su) like “sue” said quickly. Where Japanese differs, like the Japanese r, a light tap somewhere between r, l and d, the lesson explains exactly what to do with your tongue.
What you will be able to do
- Read every hiragana and katakana letter
- Write your name in Japanese
- Greet, thank and apologize correctly at any time of day
- Count, ask a price and tell the time
- Introduce yourself and talk about family, days and colors
33 lessons, 4 of them free.
Why start with the script and not just romaji
You can learn Japanese in romaji only, but it limits you fast: signs, menus and manga are all written in Japanese script. So the course shows Japanese script from the very first lesson, with romaji beside it until you no longer need it. You can turn romaji off in the settings anytime.