Mini course

Learning Japanese in 7 Steps — Free Mini Course

• 20+ years of Japanese language experience
• JLPT N1 level
• Years of hands-on experience living in Japan

1. 1

   Clarify your goal and pace

   Day 1 · A realistic goal and weekly time budget.

   Learning Japanese doesn't fail because it's hard, but because there's no measurable goal. Write down what you want to achieve (travel, work, JLPT) and how many hours a week you can dedicate. Three regular 30-minute sessions a week are worth more than one 5-hour cram session a month.

   Tasks

   • Choose a 6-month goal (e.g. "simple conversation" or "JLPT N5").
   • Set three fixed weekly time slots in your calendar.
   • Check how much time is realistically needed for that level.
   How long does it take to learn Japanese?JLPT N5 preparation
2. 2

   Learn hiragana

   Weeks 1–2 · Reading all 46 basic characters without thinking.

   Hiragana is the backbone of Japanese grammar: endings, particles and politeness forms are all written with it. Learn it in order (the gojūon sequence), not randomly — this makes dictionaries and lists manageable later.

   Tasks

   • 10 new characters a day, handwritten and read aloud.
   • Download the printable hiragana chart and put it somewhere visible.
   • At the end of the week, write 20 simple words using only kana.
   Hiragana — the foundation of Japanese writingFree kana charts
3. 3

   Add katakana

   Weeks 3–4 · Confidently reading loanwords.

   Many people put off katakana, yet everyday Japanese is full of it: menus, brand names, technical terms. Since the sound set is the same, this stage goes faster — the difficulty lies in similarly shaped characters and long vowels.

   Tasks

   • Pair katakana with the hiragana you already know (あ–ア, か–カ).
   • Read 10 real loanwords a day (コーヒー, テレビ, パソコン).
   • Practice the long-vowel mark (ー).
   Learning katakana step by step
4. 4

   Build up basic grammar

   Months 2–3 · Forming simple, correct sentences.

   Japanese sentence structure is the reverse of Hungarian: the verb comes at the end, and particles mark the roles. If you fix this logic early on, more complex structures will build naturally on top of it later.

   Tasks

   • Learn the basic functions of the particles は, が, を, に, で, へ.
   • Practice the です／ます form and negation.
   • Write 5 of your own sentences about your day, every day.
   Japanese particles — what do は and が mark?Basics of Japanese verb conjugation
5. 5

   Start learning kanji systematically

   From month 3, ongoing · 80–100 characters a month, with context.

   Kanji is best learned within words, not in isolation. Looking at radicals (bushu) and on/kun readings together, the seemingly endless set breaks down into a few hundred recurring elements.

   Tasks

   • Choose a kanji list based on JLPT level, not a random collection.
   • Learn two real words for each character.
   • Review old ones once a week — this matters more than new material.
   Learning kanji — system and radicalsJLPT N4 preparation
6. 6

   Start speaking — politeness levels

   Months 4–6 · Speaking appropriately for the situation.

   In Japanese it's not enough to speak grammatically correctly: register (casual, polite, honorific) matters just as much. This can only be practiced in live speech, so from here on it's worth working with a teacher.

   Tasks

   • Distinguish plain, ます and keigo forms.
   • Practice self-introductions and phone situations out loud.
   • Ask for feedback on your pronunciation and register use.
   Politeness levels in JapaneseKeigo basicsJapanese lessons and prices
7. 7

   Choose a direction: JLPT or specialized language

   From month 6 · Measurable results and a sustainable routine.

   At this point your learning needs a target, or it will lose momentum. Either you head toward an exam (N5→N3), or you build the specialized vocabulary needed for your work. Both require separate vocabulary and text-type training.

   Tasks

   • Set an exam date or a work-related language goal.
   • Include one piece of authentic material a week (news, podcast, email).
   • Have your level checked in a trial lesson.
   JLPT N3 preparationJapanese for workBook a trial lesson