Starting in Japanese with your first step
Your first three moves
Open lesson 1 and meet hiragana properly — the script you'll lean on for everything else.
Take the free JLPT-styled placement test to see where you honestly stand, since guessing wrong about your level costs you weeks.
Then flip through Yak Cards, our no-account flashcards, to lock in your first hundred words.
That's the whole plan: one lesson, one test, one deck.
Lesson one, one honest test, one flashcard deck. That's the yak.
Dive right in
Lesson 1 of 240: hello, how are you, with audio.
Japanese placement test
A JLPT-style estimate of your level in a few minutes.
Japanese vocabulary test
See how many Japanese words you actually know.
Yak Cards, free flashcards
Flip a card. Swipe if you know it. Swipe if you don’t.
Yak Yacker free Japanese course
240 audio lessons from A1 to B2, all free.
Free Japanese graded readers
Retold stories in easy Japanese you can actually finish.
Vocabulary by level
Japanese lists by level, ready to spend.
JLPT levels
What N5 to N1 means. Useful, not a certificate.
Grammar
The next shelf, once you’ve started.
Phrases
The next shelf, once you’ve started.
Common Japanese Suffixes with Free PDF
A list you can actually spend.
Common Japanese Prefixes PDF Download and Quiz
A list you can actually spend.
How to Ask Basic Questions in Japanese Easy Starters Guide
A list you can actually spend.
JLPT N1 Vocabulary List for Advanced Learners
A list you can actually spend.
JLPT N2 Vocabulary List for Serious Review
A list you can actually spend.
JLPT N3 Japanese Vocabulary — Free PDF and Flashcards
A list you can actually spend.
JLPT N4 Japanese Vocabulary Free PDF and Flashcards
A list you can actually spend.
JLPT N5 Japanese Vocabulary — Free PDF and Flashcards
A list you can actually spend.
Japanese Questions Explained Without Guesswork
A list you can actually spend.
Clothes Vocabulary in Japanese for Everyday Shopping
A list you can actually spend.
Useful lists
I-Adjectives vs Na-Adjectives in Japanese Made Easy
A list you can actually spend.
How to Ask Questions in Japanese the Easy Way
A list you can actually spend.
How to Use Japanese Sentence Endings Like Yo and Ne
A list you can actually spend.
Causative Passive in Japanese Without Confusion
A list you can actually spend.
Passive Form in Japanese with Everyday Examples
A list you can actually spend.
To, Tara, Nara, and Ba in Japanese Made Simple
A list you can actually spend.
Japanese Verb Conjugation Free Printable Flashcards
A list you can actually spend.
Mo, To, Ya, and Ka in Japanese Made Simple
A list you can actually spend.
Japanese Sentence Structure with Subject and Verb
A list you can actually spend.
Present, Past, and Negative in Japanese Made Simple
A list you can actually spend.
More Japanese
Flip a card. Swipe if you know it. Swipe if you don’t.
Tinder + Flashcards = … Yak Cards?
Open Yak Cards
240 Japanese lessons. Jump in, or pick any one.
Audio, a short story, and a line you can record. Free. Start at lesson 1 of 240, or open the full list and skip ahead.