Want to learn Japanese but don't know where to start?
For most people the problem isn't effort. It's not knowing what level they're actually at, which skill is dragging the rest down, or what to study next. You can buy a lot of textbooks and still never point them in the right direction.
This page is your study hub. Take one level test to measure where you are, let your answers across the site build a skill radar, and then work through your weak points in order — weakest first, with the specific articles and drills that fix them.
Where should I start learning Japanese?
If you have no idea what to do first, this order keeps you out of trouble:
1. Measure before you pick materials
Choosing a textbook with no baseline usually means picking one that's too hard or too easy. Take a 3-minute level test first and get an estimated JLPT level (N5–N1) plus a skill radar.
2. Find your weakest axis on the radar
Japanese isn't one straight line. Vocabulary, particles, conjugation, sentence patterns and idioms are separate skills — the radar shows which one is holding the others back.
3. Fix only the weakest one, then re-test
Start with the lowest axis, work through the matching grammar articles and drills, then come back and test again. The score moves along the axis you actually trained.
How the system works
An adaptive test estimates your level
Questions adjust to your answers and converge on an N5–N1 estimate within minutes — with the reasoning shown, not just a number handed to you.
Everything you answer counts
Answers from the Challenge zone, grammar drills and vocabulary review all feed the same skill radar. The more you practise, the higher the analysis confidence.
Weak points are ranked, not dumped on you
Skills are ordered weakest to strongest and you're asked to deal with one at a time — with an explanation of why that one matters right now.
Your record stays on your device
Your study profile lives in your browser. No account, no email. Moving to a new device is handled with a sync code.
What your dashboard tells you
Your current level and why
An estimated JLPT level from N5 to N1, and which answers produced that result.
A skill radar
Separate mastery for vocabulary, conjugation, particles, sentence patterns, idioms, reading and listening.
What to fix first (weakest → strongest)
Your skills ranked, with the grammar articles and practice sets that address the weakest one.
Progress and analysis confidence
How your recent test scores have moved, and how much the analysis can currently be trusted — when there's too little data it says so plainly.
Who this is for
- Self-learners starting Japanese who don't know what to study first
- People who've studied a while but aren't sure what level they've reached
- JLPT candidates deciding whether to work on vocabulary or grammar
- Anyone with scattered materials who wants one clear next step
Where to go next
- Japanese level test
Estimate N5–N1 in about three minutes, no signup.
- Grammar library
Particles through sentence patterns — where weak-point fixes point you.
- Self-study lessons
Sequential chapters starting from the kana, for genuine beginners.
- JLPT Challenge
Level-graded practice; your answers feed the skill radar.
- JLPT hub
What each level covers and how to prepare for it.
Free, no signup, no email required.
FAQ
- Where should a beginner start learning Japanese?
- Get the kana solid first, then basic vocabulary and the most common particles. If you're not sure whether you still count as a beginner, taking a level test is faster than buying a textbook — it tells you which skill to start on.
- How do I find out my Japanese level?
- Take a level test. The questions adapt to your answers and produce an estimated JLPT level (N5–N1) in a few minutes, with a skill radar showing which skills raised or lowered that estimate.
- What should I study first when learning Japanese alone?
- Kana, then core vocabulary and particles, then verb and adjective conjugation (te-form, past), and only then sentence patterns. Getting the order wrong hurts: no amount of vocabulary saves a sentence whose particles are wrong.
- For the JLPT, should I study vocabulary or grammar first?
- Whichever your radar shows is weaker — not whichever sounds more important. Vocabulary is the raw material for reading and listening; grammar is the skeleton that turns it into meaning. Each one caps the other, so fix the weaker one first.
- How does Nihongo to Japan help me find a direction?
- It turns your answers across the site into a skill radar, ranks your skills from weakest to strongest, and points the weakest one at the specific grammar articles and practice sets that address it — with the reason it matters now.
- Do I need an account to use this?
- No. There's no account, no paywall and no email required. Your study record lives in your own browser, and a sync code moves it to another device when you need to.