Learn Japanese Free — 30-Day Beginner Course
KindLearn's free Japanese course teaches greetings, everyday phrases and pronunciation from Day 1 — nearly 300 everyday words and phrases across 30 days, written in kana with romaji, with an AI tutor to practice them on. No subscription.
Why learn Japanese in 2026?
Japanese is demanding for an English speaker: the US Foreign Service Institute places it in Category IV, its "super-hard" group, at 88 weeks of training (2,200 class hours) to reach general professional proficiency to reach general professional proficiency. Its writing system, which mixes kanji with hiragana and katakana, is considered one of the most complicated in use. The pronunciation, by contrast, is straightforward.
The 30 days keep the writing manageable. Every word is in hiragana with romaji beside it — katakana for loanwords, no kanji — so the script is in front of you from the first minute and every question stays answerable.
Verbs are taught in the polite -masu form a visitor uses with people they do not know, alongside set phrases, a few of them casual, such as じゃあね (jā ne), see you, and がんばって (ganbatte), do your best. Thirty days will not take you to conversation; they give you nearly 300 everyday words and phrases.
How KindLearn teaches Japanese
Read kana from Day 1
There is no separate kana course. Every word is in hiragana — katakana for loanwords — with romaji beside it, and long vowels are marked with a macron because length changes the word.
Ten items a day
Each course day has ten items in two or three short lessons and brings earlier days back at widening intervals — about fifteen minutes a day, roughly seven hours across the 30 days.
Use the words with the AI tutor
Practice in Japanese with the free AI tutor — sixty messages a day when you are signed in, five without an account. It corrects grammar and word choice as you go, and you can speak instead of typing: it transcribes what you said. Tap Listen on a reply to hear it read aloud by your device.
Want a routine to wrap around the course? Read our guide: How to learn Japanese in 30 days: a week-by-week study plan
What Japanese looks like in the first 30 days
- Hiragana, not kanji. Every word is in kana with romaji beside it — えき (eki), station, on Day 12, rather than 駅 — and loanwords keep their katakana: トイレ (toire), toilet.
- Long vowels are marked, because length is the difference between おばさん (aunt) and おばあさん (grandmother). The first you meet is the ō in おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu), good morning, the second word on Day 1.
- The verb goes at the end (Day 4): にほんごを すこし はなします — I speak a little Japanese.
- Polite -masu verbs throughout, apart from a few set phrases such as たすけて (tasukete), help! (Day 17), and one past-tense pattern on Day 25: たべます becomes たべました (tabemashita), I ate.
The full 30-day Japanese syllabus
Every day, every topic and every word — published in full before you sign up. 292 Japanese words and phrases across 30 days, roughly 7 hours in total.
What you can do after 30 days
- Greet someone and introduce yourself
- Order food and drink, and pay
- Ask for and follow simple directions
- Say what you like and how you feel
- Talk about yesterday and tomorrow in simple terms
And what it is not: This is the foundation of CEFR A1, not the whole of it, and not conversational fluency. It teaches hiragana words in kana and romaji, not kanji. Thirty days at fifteen minutes a day is about 7 hours. For learners of English, Cambridge English suggests about 90–100 guided learning hours to reach CEFR A1, as a guideline. We would rather say that than sell you a month to fluency.
Keep going with Japanese
- Practice Japanese with the free AI tutor
- Japanese for children aged 4–12 in the Kids Zone
- Learn Korean free — Hangul with romanization beside every word
- Compare all 13 languages by difficulty
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to learn kanji to start Japanese?
Not for this course. Every word is written in hiragana, or katakana for loanwords, with romaji beside it. Kanji matters once you want to read signs, menus and books, and that comes after the first 30 days.
How is Japanese pronunciation?
Japanese sounds are consistent, and two things need attention. Vowel length changes the word, so long vowels are marked with a macron in the romaji. Pitch can too: the あめ (ame) of あめです, it is raining, on Day 14, is 雨, rain, and with a different pitch あめ is 飴, candy. The AI tutor transcribes what you say and can read replies aloud, but it does not grade your pitch.
Can beginners with no Japanese experience use KindLearn?
Yes. The course starts from zero — こんにちは (konnichiwa), hello, is the first word on Day 1 — and the romaji beside every word means you can answer every question before you can read the kana.
Can children learn Japanese on KindLearn?
Yes. The Kids Zone teaches Japanese to children aged 4 to 12: 30 days, six picture words a day, 180 words in all, starting with ねこ (cat), いぬ (dog) and とり (bird). Each word is read aloud, and each lesson ends with a picture quiz and a listening question. There are no ads and no in-app purchases.
Can you really learn Japanese in 30 days?
Not to fluency, and we will not pretend otherwise. Thirty days at fifteen minutes a day is about 7 hours. For learners of English, Cambridge English suggests about 90 to 100 guided learning hours to reach A1, the first CEFR level, and calls that a guideline only. What 7 hours genuinely buys is 292 everyday Japanese words and phrases, which is enough to greet someone and introduce yourself, order food and drink, and pay, ask for and follow simple directions. That is a real foundation, not a finished language.
How many Japanese words does the 30-day course teach?
292 distinct words and phrases — ten items a day across 30 days, and 8 of the 300 bring back words from earlier days, all on Day 30. They are chosen for the situations a beginner meets first, so the course opens with greetings & introductions, numbers & counting, essential courtesy rather than colors and animals. Earlier days come back at widening intervals: day 1 is revisited on days 2, 4 and 8, and its ten words are split across those revisits, so each one comes back once.
Is Japanese hard for English speakers?
The US Foreign Service Institute classifies Japanese as Category IV and expects 88 weeks of training (2,200 class hours) for a student to reach general professional proficiency in speaking and listening — a group FSI calls "super-hard languages", exceptionally difficult for native English speakers. Written Japanese mixes kanji with hiragana and katakana. The first 30 days cover the everyday words you need first, which is why a short structured start is worth more than it sounds.
What should I learn first in Japanese?
The words you will need in the first five minutes of any conversation, in this order: greetings & introductions, numbers & counting, essential courtesy, about yourself. Day 1 is: say hello, give your name, and thank someone. Colors and animals are easy to teach, but they are rarely the first thing you need to say.
Do I need to pay for anything to finish the Japanese course?
No. All 30 days, the AI conversation practice and the Kids Zone are free, with no subscription, no premium tier and no ads. The AI tutor allows sixty messages a day when you are signed in. KindLearn is built by KCF LLC and funded by our commercial products, which is also why we can publish the entire syllabus on this page before you sign up.