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Word of the Day Email
日本語 一日一言
One word. One sentence. Every morning. Free.
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Japanese Unlocked — Free Downloads
Print-and-cut flashcard PDFs — all free, no sign-up needed.
Hiragana Flashcards
All 46 characters — print, cut, and drill. Romaji reading on the reverse.
Katakana Flashcards
All 46 characters — print, cut, and drill. Romaji reading on the reverse.
N5 Kanji Flashcards
106 essential beginner kanji with readings and meanings on the reverse.
Complete Bundle
Hiragana + Katakana + N5 Kanji all in one PDF. The full beginner set.
Dictionaries & Reference
Japanese Unlocked DictionaryFree
Our own built-in dictionary — search kanji, kana, romaji, or English and get readings, meanings, and part of speech instantly. Results appear as you type, no login needed.
JishoFree
The best English–Japanese dictionary. Search kanji by radical, draw characters, look up example sentences. Essential bookmark.
TakobotoFree
Clean, fast dictionary ideal for mobile. Great JLPT filters so you can see which level a word belongs to.
WeblioFree
Japanese-only dictionary — excellent once you're past beginner level. Definitions in Japanese build reading instincts fast.
JLPT SenseiFree
Vocabulary and grammar lists for every JLPT level, nicely laid out with example sentences and quizzes.
Grammar
Tae Kim's GuideFree
The classic free grammar guide. Explains Japanese grammar from the ground up without leaning on English grammar terms. Read this early.
BunproFreemium
Grammar flashcards with spaced repetition. Covers N5 through N1. Great companion to any textbook or this site.
Maggie SenseiFree
Conversational Japanese explained naturally. Huge archive of grammar points, slang, and expressions with tons of example sentences.
RenshuuFree
Comprehensive free study platform covering grammar, vocabulary, and kanji. Underrated — one of the best free tools available.
Vocabulary & Flashcards
AnkiFree
The gold standard for spaced repetition. Use with a Core 2000 or JLPT N5 shared deck to build vocabulary fast. Free on desktop and Android.
WaniKaniFreemium
Structured kanji and vocabulary learning using mnemonics and SRS. First 3 levels free. If you want a guided kanji path, this is it.
KanjiDamageFree
Free kanji mnemonics with a very different personality to WaniKani. Irreverent but surprisingly effective — worth a look if WK isn't clicking.
ClozemasterFreemium
Learn vocabulary in context by filling in blanks in real sentences. Better than isolated flashcards for building reading instincts.
Reading Practice
NHK Web EasyFree
Real Japanese news rewritten in simple language with furigana. The best free reading practice for intermediate learners (around N4+).
Satori ReaderFreemium
Graded Japanese stories with audio and grammar explanations built in. Excellent quality — some content is free, full access is paid.
Tadoku Graded ReadersFree
Free graded reading books starting at complete beginner. Level 0 books are fully illustrated and readable after learning hiragana.
JPDBFree
Frequency-based vocabulary database. Great for finding the most common words in specific anime, games, or books you want to read.
Listening & Speaking
Comprehensible JapaneseFree
YouTube channel using comprehensible input — slow, clear Japanese at beginner through advanced levels. One of the best free listening resources.
HelloTalkFreemium
Language exchange app — practice writing and speaking with native Japanese speakers who are learning English. Real conversation beats textbooks.
iTalkiPaid
Book 1-on-1 lessons with Japanese tutors. Community tutors are affordable and often the fastest way to improve speaking and listening.
JapanesePod101Freemium
Audio and video lessons from beginner to advanced. Large library — some content is free, premium unlocks everything.
Apps
DuolingoFree
Good for building a daily habit and learning basic vocabulary and phrases. Not a complete learning path on its own, but useful alongside other tools.
LingoDeerFreemium
More grammar-focused than Duolingo and specifically built for Asian languages. Better for Japanese structure if you want an app-based approach.
Kanji StudyFreemium
Android/iOS app focused purely on kanji — stroke order, readings, quizzes. One of the cleanest kanji-specific apps available.
KameSameFree
Reverse WaniKani — given an English meaning, produce the Japanese. Great for production practice and syncs with WaniKani progress.
Phone Widgets
Put Japanese on your home screen — a new word, phrase, or kanji every morning without opening an app.
Japanese Unlocked WidgetsFree
Free Scriptable scripts for iPhone — Word of the Day, Phrase of the Day, and Kanji Drill widgets. Copy, paste, done. Android guide included.
Scriptable (iOS)Free
The free iOS app that powers the widgets. Download it first, then grab the scripts above. Lets you run JavaScript as home screen widgets — surprisingly powerful.
Free Games & Interactive Tools
Learning through play is underrated. These are free browser and downloadable games built specifically for Japanese — not just “gamified” flashcards.
Kanshudo GamesFree
A suite of free Japanese learning games — kanji quizzes, kana drills, and vocabulary challenges. Kanshudo's game collection is one of the most varied free options online.
Slime Forest AdventureFree
The original Japanese learning RPG — battle slimes by reading kana and kanji. A cult classic that's been teaching Japanese since the early 2000s. Free to download, surprisingly effective.
Itch.io — Japanese Learning GamesFree
A growing collection of indie Japanese learning games — many free or pay-what-you-want. Worth browsing for hidden gems: kana games, kanji puzzles, and reading practice tools built by indie developers.
Type KanaFree
Minimalist speed-typing game for kana — a word appears, you type the romaji as fast as possible. Great for building muscle memory and testing whether you really know your kana under pressure.
Recommended study routine
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Kana or kanji quiz on this site |
| 10 min | Anki flashcards |
| 5 min | Grammar — one pattern from the patterns page |
| 10 min | Reading — NHK Easy or Tadoku (intermediate+) |
| Any time | Watch Japanese YouTube, anime, or drama with subtitles |
Consistency beats intensity. Twenty minutes every day beats three hours on the weekend.
Typing in Japanese — Setting Up Your IME
Outside Japan your keyboard is configured for Latin characters. To type Japanese you need to enable a Japanese IME (Input Method Editor). It’s already built into Windows and Mac — no downloads required.
How it works
Type romaji on your normal keyboard → the IME converts it to kana → press Space to cycle through kanji candidates → press Enter to confirm.
| You type | → Kana | → Press Space | Confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
nihongo |
にほんご | 日本語 (cycle options) | ✓ |
kawaii |
かわいい | 可愛い | ✓ |
tokyo |
とうきょう | 東京 | ✓ |
Windows — Microsoft IME (built-in)
- Open Settings → Time & Language → Language & Region
- Click Add a language, search for Japanese, and install — the IME is included automatically
- Switch input language with Windows + Space
- Once in Japanese mode, toggle hiragana/romaji input with Alt + ` (grave accent)
- The taskbar will show あ (hiragana) or A (romaji) — click it to switch between modes
Mac — Japanese Hiragana (built-in)
- Go to System Settings → Keyboard
- Click Edit next to Input Sources
- Click +, search for Japanese, select Japanese – Hiragana, and click Add
- Switch input with Control + Space or the flag icon in the Mac menu bar
- The kana suggestions appear inline as you type — press Space to cycle, Enter to confirm
iPhone & Android
Both have Japanese keyboards built in — no app needed.
- iPhone/iPad: Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Japanese – Romaji
- Android: Settings → General Management → Language and Input → On-screen Keyboard → Add keyboard → Japanese
Once installed, switch to Japanese input in any app and type romaji — the phone handles the rest.
Japanese–English Dictionary
We’ve built a free Japanese–English dictionary right here on the site. Search any word, kanji, or romaji and get readings, meanings, JLPT level, and part of speech — no login needed.