Japanese Dictionary
This is a completely free online Japanese dictionary with over 216,000 words. Look up any word in English, Chinese or Japanese — whether it's a beginner word from your textbook or an obscure term you spotted in an anime or a news article.
What every common entry gives you
For high-frequency JLPT words, each page goes well beyond a definition: native-speaker audio, pitch accent (so your pronunciation sounds natural), example sentences, and — for verbs and adjectives — a full conjugation table (masu / te / ta / nai / potential). Every entry also shows its part of speech and links to related words that share a kanji, so you can keep exploring.
How to use this dictionary
The search box at the top accepts English, Japanese or Chinese (typing an English word finds the Japanese term). If you're preparing for the JLPT, you can also browse the essential N5–N1 word lists level by level.
Who it's for
Whether you've just learned the kana, you're cramming for the JLPT, or you simply want to check a word you heard in a drama, this dictionary has you covered. Always free, no sign-up, no paywall.
Browsing vocabulary by JLPT level
If you are studying for the JLPT you do not have to look words up one at a time. Each level from N5 to N1 has its own list page you can read as a syllabus: scan the whole level to see what is still unfamiliar, then open individual entries for pronunciation, pitch accent and examples. The level is also shown on every word page, so when you look up an unfamiliar word you immediately see roughly which stage it belongs to.
After you look a word up: conjugation and grammar
Knowing the meaning of a Japanese word is often not enough to use it — verbs and adjectives have to be conjugated before they can go into a sentence. Common verbs and adjectives show a conjugation table right on the word page (masu-form, te-form, ta-form, nai-form, potential), and every such word also has its own full conjugation page. If what you are stuck on is a pattern rather than a word (how 〜てから or 〜ている actually works, for example), that belongs in the grammar explainers, not in a dictionary.
Looking a word up is not the same as learning grammar
A dictionary answers "what does this word mean and how is it read". Grammar answers "how do these words combine into a sentence". The symptoms are different: if you understand every word but not the sentence, that is usually grammar; if the pattern is clear but unknown words keep appearing, that is vocabulary. This dictionary concentrates on the first job and hands the second to the self-study course and the grammar explainers, with links between them.
Where to go next
- Conjugation tables — every form of any verb or adjective
- Grammar explainers — how the patterns actually work
- Free self-study course — from kana to N1
FAQ
- Is this dictionary free?
- Completely free — no registration or login required.
- How many words does it cover?
- Over 216,000 Japanese words, including the essential JLPT N5–N1 vocabulary plus a large long tail of everyday terms.
- Can I search in English?
- Yes. The search box works in English, Chinese, Japanese and by reading.
- Is there audio?
- Common words include native-speaker audio and pitch-accent marking, and example sentences are playable too.
- Can I look up verb conjugations here?
- Yes. Common verbs and adjectives show a conjugation table on the word page, and each one also has a dedicated page with the full set of forms.
- How should I actually memorise the words I look up?
- Every common entry has example sentences with native audio you can shadow. For systematic practice, work through the self-study chapters or test yourself in the practice section.