· 7 min read
Japanese for Adult Beginners: How to Start
By Language Lab editorial team
Learn Japanese as an adult beginner: the two scripts to learn first, free courses made for adults living and working in Japan, first phrases and a weekly plan.
An adult beginner in Japanese should start with the two phonetic scripts, hiragana and katakana, and then follow one structured course. Good free courses suit adult life. NHK WORLD-JAPAN's Easy Japanese has 48 conversation lessons, each teaching one thing you can say, and a separate series for the workplace. The Japan Foundation's Irodori coursebooks are written for people who live or will live in Japan, and cover working, shopping, eating and dealing with other people. Be realistic about the scale: the US State Department places Japanese in Category IV, at 88 weeks or 2,200 class hours for English speakers. So set a near target, such as level N5 of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, and study in short daily sessions with self-testing.
First, the writing system
NHK explains that Japanese has three types of characters. Hiragana and katakana are phonetic symbols, each representing one syllable; each kanji stands for a meaning. Learn the two phonetic sets first. NHK publishes both as charts you can use online or download, and introduces one kanji with each lesson. A workable routine: fifteen minutes a day for two weeks, writing the chart from memory and checking it.
Courses that suit adults
| Course | Who makes it | Level | Why it suits adults |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Japanese: Conversation lessons | NHK WORLD-JAPAN | Beginner to elementary | 48 lessons, each built on one thing you can do, with quizzes |
| Easy Japanese for Work | NHK WORLD-JAPAN | Elementary to intermediate | Workplace expressions, including honorifics |
| Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan | The Japan Foundation | A1 to B1 | Four coursebooks for people who live or will live in Japan, with audio |
| Minato | The Japan Foundation | A1 to B1 | Online courses in self-study and tutor-supported formats |
Easy Japanese teaches by function: lesson 2 is introducing yourself, lesson 7 is asking someone to speak more slowly, lesson 10 is asking how much something costs. Irodori sets its goals as can-dos, things you can do in Japanese in real-life situations. The Japan Foundation says that through all four Irodori books, people learning Japanese for the first time can reach a level where they will not have difficulties living in Japan.
First phrases
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | Hello |
| ありがとう | arigato | Thank you |
| はい | hai | Yes |
| いいえ | iie | No |
| 初めまして | hajimemashite | Pleased to meet you |
| 分かりません | wakarimasen | I don't understand |
| ゆっくり話してください。 | Yukkuri hanashite kudasai. | Please speak slowly. |
| これは何ですか。 | Kore wa nan desu ka. | What is this? |
The first six are from the BBC's archived list of key phrases; the last two are key phrases from NHK's Easy Japanese lessons 7 and 9. The last two are the ones that keep a conversation alive when you are lost.
Polite language matters early for adults
Japanese has honorific language, keigo, and NHK treats it as a topic of its own, with items such as making a polite request to a superior. NHK's series for the workplace includes honorifics. You do not need them in week one; you do need to know they are coming.
Set a near target
The Japanese-Language Proficiency Test has five levels, with N5 the easiest and N1 the most difficult. N5 shows some basic Japanese, written in hiragana, katakana and basic kanji, with conversations understood when spoken slowly. Keep in mind what the test measures: language knowledge, reading and listening. It has no speaking or writing section, so keep speaking in your own routine.
Study the way research supports
A 2013 review of ten learning techniques, led by John Dunlosky, rated two as high utility: practice testing and distributed practice. Rereading and highlighting were rated low.
- Do the quiz that comes with each lesson before you move on.
- Start every session by recalling yesterday's key phrase without looking.
- Revisit a lesson after a day, a week and a month.
- Study a little on many days, not a lot on one.
A weekly plan around work
- Weeks one and two, 15 minutes a day: hiragana, then katakana, written from memory.
- Five days, 20 minutes: one Easy Japanese lesson with its quiz; repeat the key phrase aloud.
- Twice a week, 30 minutes: one Irodori lesson with its audio.
- Every day, 5 minutes: speak aloud, even a few sentences about your day.
- Once a week: review last week's key phrases before starting new ones.
That is roughly three and a half hours a week after the first fortnight. At that pace Japanese is a project of years, which is normal: the State Department's figure of 2,200 class hours is for full-time students aiming at a speaking and listening score of 3 on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale. Language Lab's Japanese course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, which supplies speaking practice at any hour.
Frequently asked
Can adults learn Japanese from scratch?
Yes. Free courses suit adult beginners: NHK's Easy Japanese has 48 conversation lessons, and the Japan Foundation's Irodori books are for people who live or will live in Japan.
What should an adult beginner learn first in Japanese?
Hiragana and katakana, the two phonetic scripts, and then the first lessons of one structured course.
How long does it take to learn Japanese?
The US State Department allows 88 weeks, or 2,200 class hours, for an English speaker to reach an ILR score of 3 in speaking and listening. Early targets such as JLPT N5 come much sooner.
Is there a free Japanese course for work?
NHK WORLD-JAPAN's Easy Japanese for Work covers workplace expressions, including honorifics, at elementary to intermediate level.
What is JLPT N5?
The easiest of the five levels of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test: some basic Japanese, written in hiragana, katakana and basic kanji.
Do I need to learn kanji as a beginner?
Start with the two phonetic scripts. Kanji come gradually; NHK's course introduces one with each lesson.
Sources: NHK WORLD-JAPAN, Learn Japanese, Easy Japanese: Conversation lessons, Key phrases and Japanese Letters; The Japan Foundation, Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan and JF Japanese e-Learning Minato; Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, Summary of Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level and Composition of Test Sections; BBC Languages, Japanese key phrases (archived); US Department of State, National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Language Training; Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto, by Jakub Hałun / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
