· 8 min read
Learn Japanese for Free: Official Courses
By Language Lab editorial team
Learn Japanese for free with courses from Japan's public institutions: the Japan Foundation's Minato and Irodori, and NHK's 48 Easy Japanese lessons.
You can learn Japanese for free from two Japanese public institutions. The Japan Foundation runs Minato, an e-learning platform with free online courses at A1, A2 and B1, and publishes Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan, a four-part coursebook from A1 to B1 that you download as PDF with audio. NHK WORLD-JAPAN, from Japan's public media organisation NHK, offers Easy Japanese: 48 conversation lessons for beginners, with audio and text downloads and a free app, plus printable hiragana and katakana charts. Start with the characters, then follow one course in order. Japanese is a long project, 88 weeks of classes by the US State Department's measure, so the free material is best used as a steady daily routine.
The free resources at a glance
| Resource | Who makes it | Level | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Japanese: Conversation lessons | NHK WORLD-JAPAN | Beginner to elementary | 48 lessons built on a story, with quizzes, audio and text downloads |
| Easy Japanese: Grammar lessons | NHK WORLD-JAPAN | Beginner to elementary | Grammar lessons, vocabulary lists and quizzes |
| Easy Travel Japanese | NHK WORLD-JAPAN | Beginner | Phrases to use on trips |
| Easy Japanese for Work | NHK WORLD-JAPAN | Elementary to intermediate | Workplace expressions, including honorifics |
| Minato | The Japan Foundation | A1 to B1 | Online courses marked free, in self-study and tutor-supported formats |
| Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan | The Japan Foundation | A1 to B1 | Four coursebooks as PDF, each with 18 lessons and audio |
| Marugoto Plus | The Japan Foundation | A1 to A2 | A site for learning Japanese and Japanese culture in three levels |
| Erin's Challenge! I can speak Japanese | The Japan Foundation | Not stated | A free site with drama-like skits and manga |
First, the writing system
NHK explains that Japanese has three types of characters: hiragana, katakana and kanji. Hiragana and katakana are phonetic symbols, each representing one syllable, while each kanji stands for a meaning. NHK's Easy Japanese site has hiragana and katakana charts you can download as PDF, and introduces one kanji with each lesson. Learn the two phonetic sets first.
NHK WORLD-JAPAN: Easy Japanese
NHK describes Easy Japanese as a conversation-based language course for beginners. It runs for 48 lessons and follows Tam, a Vietnamese student who moves into a share house in Tokyo. Each lesson teaches one thing you can do, such as asking for directions, asking someone to speak more slowly, or asking how much something costs. Quizzes let you check your progress, and travel and culture tips put the language in context.
- Lesson 1 teaches asking where something is: Haru-san-Hausu wa doko desu ka.
- Lesson 7 teaches Yukkuri hanashite kudasai, please speak slowly.
- Lesson 9 teaches Kore wa nan desu ka, what is this?
- The site is available in many languages, including English, Spanish, French, Hindi, Arabic and Vietnamese.
- The lessons are also available on radio and through a free app.
The Japan Foundation: Minato
Minato is the Japan Foundation's Japanese e-learning platform. The name means port, and the Foundation describes it as a place to learn and to meet other learners. You choose a course by level, course type, study category and the language of explanation. Study categories include integrated courses, reading, writing, listening, speaking, grammar, vocabulary, kana, kanji, and culture and society. Courses in the listing are marked free and come at A1, A2 and B1, with explanations in languages including English, Spanish, Chinese, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese.
The Marugoto Japanese Online Course on Minato is described as a course for learning Japanese skills comprehensively. Minato also has communities where learners from around the world talk about shared interests connected with Japan.
The Japan Foundation: Irodori
Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan is a coursebook for people who live in Japan or will do so. It teaches Japanese for daily situations: working, shopping, eating, having fun and dealing with other people. It has four parts: Starter at A1, Elementary 1 and Elementary 2 at A2, and Pre-Intermediate at A2 and B1. Each part has lessons 1 to 18.
- It is available online as a PDF file, so you can print it or read it on a tablet or phone.
- The audio can be downloaded or streamed.
- Word lists and grammar worksheets are published alongside the books.
- The Foundation says that through all four books, people learning Japanese for the first time can reach a level where they will not have difficulties living in Japan.
- It can also be used to prepare for the Japan Foundation Test for Basic Japanese.
How far free courses take you
Far, but not all the way. The Japan Foundation material above runs to B1. For scale, the US State Department puts Japanese in Category IV, its hardest group for English speakers, at 88 weeks or 2,200 class hours to a speaking and listening score of 3 on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale. Free courses give you a sound beginning and a clear order to study in. Self-study lessons and downloads do not hold a conversation with you, though; for that, look at Minato's tutor-supported courses and communities, or add a speaking partner.
A free weekly plan
- Weeks one and two, 15 minutes a day: hiragana, then katakana, from NHK's charts. Test yourself by writing them from memory.
- Monday to Friday, 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.
- Once a week: go back over last week's key phrases before starting new ones.
- Once a week: say everything you can about your day in Japanese, aloud.
The plan is built on what the research supports. A 2013 review of learning techniques rated practice testing and distributed practice as high utility, and rereading and highlighting as low.
Language Lab's Japanese course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, so it can supply the speaking practice that downloads and videos leave out.
Frequently asked
Can I learn Japanese for free?
Yes, to a solid base. The Japan Foundation's Minato platform lists free online courses at A1, A2 and B1, its Irodori coursebooks are downloadable as PDF with audio, and NHK WORLD-JAPAN offers 48 Easy Japanese conversation lessons.
What is the best free Japanese course for beginners?
NHK WORLD-JAPAN's Easy Japanese is made for beginners: 48 conversation lessons with quizzes, audio and text. Pair it with the Japan Foundation's Irodori Starter book at A1.
Where can I learn hiragana and katakana for free?
NHK's Easy Japanese site has hiragana and katakana charts to use online or download as PDF. Minato lists kana among its study categories.
Is NHK Easy Japanese free?
NHK says the lessons are available on radio and through its free app, and the lesson pages offer audio and text downloads.
What is Minato?
The Japan Foundation's Japanese e-learning platform. It offers online courses by level, course type, study category and language of explanation, plus learner communities.
What level does Irodori reach?
B1. Its four parts are Starter at A1, Elementary 1 and 2 at A2, and Pre-Intermediate at A2 and B1.
Sources: The Japan Foundation, JF Japanese e-Learning Minato; The Japan Foundation, Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan, What is Irodori; NHK WORLD-JAPAN, Learn Japanese and Easy Japanese: Conversation lessons; 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: Torii gate at Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto, Balon Greyjoy / CC0 (Wikimedia Commons).
