thelernen logothelernen
Start
A course built for real life

Japanese for real life in Japan — visa paperwork, city hall, work.

Not a tourist phrasebook, but the language for living in Japan: city hall, renting an apartment, coworkers — plus AI speaking practice.

Open speaking practice →Just here to learn the language? Tap here

Learn Japanese —
the most useful words in context

For anime and manga fans. Learn Hiragana and the core vocabulary of daily conversation. Understand Japanese without subtitles.

Start for freeBrowse all Japanese words
✓ 1000 most-frequent words✓ Free, no card✓ AI speaking practice

Your path through the levels

A1

Basics

Greetings, numbers, everyday words.

A2

Everyday communication

Simple dialogues, work, shopping.

B1

Confident use

Fuller conversations, opinions, plans.

How it works

A proven method to fluency in three simple steps.

🎯

1. Top 1000 Words

We focus exclusively on the high-frequency vocabulary that makes up 80% of daily conversations.

🧠

2. Spaced Repetition

Our smart algorithm calculates the perfect time for you to review each word, moving it to long-term memory.

🗣️

3. Practice with AI

Apply your vocabulary in real-world scenarios through interactive, voice-based conversations with our AI.

Be the first to know when we add your language

Japanese is simpler than you think

Many people think Japanese is incredibly hard because of thousands of Kanji. But speaking and understanding it is much more accessible.

Grammar has no gender, no cases, and verbs don't change by speaker. The pronunciation is simple and regular — once you learn Hiragana, you can read anything.

Focus on Hiragana and the 1000 most common words. That covers 85% of spoken speech. Soon, you will catch words in anime without looking at subtitles.

Hiragana — where Japanese starts

46 phonetic characters. Can be learned in 1–2 weeks. TheLernen has a dedicated Hiragana practice mode.

あ
a
い
i
う
u
え
e
お
o
か
ka
き
ki
く
ku
け
ke
こ
ko
さ
sa
し
shi
す
su
せ
se
そ
so
な
na
に
ni
ぬ
nu
ね
ne
の
no

In TheLernen, all Japanese words are displayed in Hiragana with Romaji pronunciation guides.

Real-life situations: why learn Japanese

Anime & Manga

Anime & Manga

  • ✓ Watch without subtitles
  • ✓ Hear voice acting nuances
  • ✓ Read original manga
  • ✓ Understand Japanese song lyrics
Traveling Japan

Traveling Japan

  • ✓ Order authentic food
  • ✓ Navigate Tokyo subways
  • ✓ Polite everyday greetings
  • ✓ Shop in local stores
Cultural Discovery

Cultural Discovery

  • ✓ Explore Japanese history
  • ✓ Understand martial arts terms
  • ✓ Play original video games
  • ✓ Connect with Japanese speakers

10 Japanese words from anime

You hear these words in almost every episode

1
ありがとうarigatou— thank you
2
はいhai— yes
3
いいеiie— no
4
すみませんsumimasen— excuse me
5
わかるwakaru— understand
6
たべるtaberu— eat
7
みるmiru— see / look
8
いくiku— go
9
すきsuki— like / love
10
ともだちtomodachi— friend
Browse all Japanese words
📖 Free guide

The 1000 most common Japanese words

Read the full list →

Frequently Asked Questions

We focus on the 1000 most frequently used words in the language, which make up about 80% of everyday conversations. By mastering these first, you can start communicating much faster.
Spaced Repetition System (SRS) calculates the perfect time for you to review a word just before you forget it. This moves vocabulary from short-term to long-term memory efficiently.
You can learn for free: 30 words a day and 5 AI explanations a day. PRO removes these limits, adds unlimited AI voice practice and removes ads.
Yes, you can try it as a guest. Your progress will be saved locally on your device. However, creating an account lets you save your progress in the cloud and use it across devices.
While fluency depends on many factors, mastering the core 1000 words usually takes 1-3 months of consistent daily practice (15-20 mins/day), giving you a solid conversational foundation.
We provide Romaji (latin letters) for beginners, but you will naturally learn Kana as you practice. We don't force Kanji memorization immediately.
Instead of random sentences and gamified translation, we focus strictly on high-frequency vocabulary, spaced repetition, and real-time AI conversation practice.
Yes, an internet connection is required to sync your progress and use the AI pronunciation and conversation features.
Absolutely! TheLernen is a Progressive Web App (PWA). You can install it on your home screen and use it just like a native app.
PRO unlocks unlimited AI conversational scenarios, smart grammar explanations, and removes daily limits on speaking exercises. It's great if you want to practice speaking intensely.
When you struggle with a word or grammar concept, our AI tutor provides context-aware, tailored explanations, just like a human teacher would.

Understand Japanese without subtitles

Hiragana + 1008 words. Free, no registration.

Open Japanese Course