Free Japanese Self-Study Course: Zero to N1 in 134 Lessons

A free roadmap for learning Japanese on your own: start from absolute zero and work all the way up to JLPT N1. 134 interactive lessons with flashcard drills, fill-in-the-blank quizzes, and instant feedback — completely free, no sign-up required.

“I don’t know a single Japanese character. Can I use this?”

Yes. Lesson one isn’t even grammar — it starts by showing you what the three Japanese writing systems are (hiragana, katakana, kanji). Nothing here assumes you have studied before. The full path: what is Japanese? → hiragana → katakana → pronunciation → your first sentence → particles → verbs → N5 → N4 → N3 → N2 → N1.

How Do You Start Learning Japanese from Scratch?

Many people want to learn Japanese but have no idea where to begin. The right starting point is the writing system: first learn hiragana (あいうえお), then katakana (アイウエオ) — this is the foundation of everything else in Japanese. A recommended order: script → pronunciation → basic N5 sentence patterns → vocabulary and grammar studied side by side.

Study Path: From Zero to N1 (Complete Course, 134 Lessons)

Hiragana (the gojuon): 46 basic characters covering seion, dakuon, handakuon, and yoon — aim to memorise these in 1-2 weeks
Katakana: used for loanwords, borrowed English words, and scientific terms; 46 characters in total, ideally learned in about a week
Basic N5 Grammar: the particles は・が・を・に・で・と, core sentence patterns (です・ます), and demonstratives (これ・それ・あれ) → paired with the JLPT N5 Complete Guide
N5 Extended: the three verb groups and their conjugations, the te-form, た形 (ta-form), ない形 (nai-form), and potential form, plus numbers, time, and directions → paired with N5 Practice Drills (2,100 questions)
N4 Grammar: conditionals (と・ば・たら), giving/receiving verbs (あげる・もらう・くれる), the causative and passive forms, and basic keigo → paired with the JLPT N4 Complete Guide
N3 Grammar (21 lessons): conjecture (〜だろう・〜かもしれない), cause (〜ために・〜せいで), concession (〜のに・〜くせに), and compound conjunctions → paired with the JLPT N3 Complete Guide
N2 Grammar (13 lessons): formal and written register — に関して・において・に基づいて, わけにはいかない・さえ〜ば・一方で — the point where newspapers and editorials start to open up → paired with the JLPT N2 Complete Guide
N1 Grammar (16 lessons): the most formal written Japanese — をもって・ならでは・といえども, きわまりない・に堪えない・てやまない — for critiques, legal texts, and literature → paired with the JLPT N1 Complete Guide
Introduction to Kanji (9 lessons): common N5/N4 kanji (about 300 characters), radical-based memory techniques, and on'yomi/kun'yomi readings

Daily Study Suggestions

20-30 minutes a day: one lesson plus 10 minutes of review each session
After learning new grammar, reinforce it with the JLPT question bank to lock it in
Read one travel article each week to build a natural feel for reading Japanese
Browse the grammar explanations to look up a single point — there's no need to memorise whole articles

Common Self-Study Mistakes

❌ Skipping the kana and memorising vocabulary in romaji instead → learn the gojuon solidly first
❌ Only memorising vocabulary while ignoring grammar and particles → particles and word order are the heart of Japanese
❌ Biting off more than you can chew by rushing five lessons a day → aim for 1-2 lessons a day
❌ Learning without practising, assuming that memorising equals mastery → only drilling questions truly makes it stick

Mapping to the JLPT Exam

Finish hiragana, katakana, and the N5 basics → you're ready to sit JLPT N5 (held every July and December)
Finish N5 Extended and N4 grammar → you're ready to sit JLPT N4
Finish N3 grammar → you're ready to sit JLPT N3 (a common bar for jobs and study abroad)
Finish N2 grammar → you're ready to sit JLPT N2 (a common bar for Japanese employers and university entry)
Finish N1 grammar → you're ready to sit JLPT N1; going further: Study in Japan

Stated honestly: N5 through N3 is where the course is densest (101 lessons). N2 (13 lessons) and N1 (16 lessons) currently focus on the core grammar patterns and are still being expanded — at those levels we suggest pairing the course with the grammar library and question bank.

Companion Resources

655 Grammar Explanations (N5-N1)・JLPT Prep Center・N5-N1 Question Bank (10,000+ questions)・Japan Travel Articles・Quick Travel Japanese Guide

Learning Japanese on your own, from zero

If you want to learn Japanese online without paying for a course, this is the whole path in one place. These lessons for beginners assume nothing — if you cannot read a single kana yet, lesson one starts exactly there. From kana you move through basic sentence patterns and on to the grammar that takes you to JLPT N1, covering the same ground as a classroom Japanese course, except you set the pace.

Every lesson is open from the first day. There is no trial period, no account, and nothing locked behind a paywall at the end of a chapter — the free lessons are simply the lessons.