In my quest to learn Japanese online, I’ve noticed that courses for learning Japanese are bountiful these days. And many of them are either sensibly priced or completely free.
Japanese From Zero! was created by a Japanese learner named George Trombley who became fluent in Japanese and went on to be an interpreter for companies like Microsoft and IBM.
The first three lessons for each course are available completely for free if you sign up on his website. You can access courses too in either their online or textbook formats.
It’s definitely worth checking out the YouTube channel, especially since George has an entertaining personality too. Many of the playlists are already arranged logically for learners.
FluentU allows you to learn Japanese through authentic content. As you watch movie trailers, anime clips, funny commercials and toe-tapping music videos, you can interact with the subtitles. Hover over a word to see a quick meaning, or click on it for an in-depth definition, example videos with audio, an image and other FluentU videos where you can hear the word in use.
Videos are organized by topic, type and skill level, so you can hand-pick videos at the low or high intermediate level that you’ll find engaging or relevant.
FluentU has a number of other features that make it possible to learn from authentic content at the intermediate level: you can add words to your flashcard decks, use adaptive exercises help you memorize new words for good, toggle kanji, furigana, romaji and English subtitles on or off and read full transcripts of any video.
Similar to Anki, which is free but less convenient
Length: 60 levels covering most of the Jōyō kanji
Pricing: Monthly, annual or lifetime subscription
Created by famed Japanese-culture website Tofugu, WaniKani strives to teach Japanese learners 2,000 kanji and 6,000 vocabulary words in a little more than a year.
Specifically targeting beginners, WaniKani uses SRS and employs a slightly rigid learning structure, starting with elementary-level kanji, radicals and vocabulary.
It also supplies entertaining mnemonic devices to help you recall the meanings and readings of kanji.
Pricing: One-time payment or six-month subscription
If you want to focus on conversational phrases, Rocket Japanese gives you thousands of hours worth of lessons that go from beginner to advanced.
The courses are built around audio lessons that last from 15 to 40 minutes. As your level gets higher, the audio gets longer too. You’ll listen to two native Japanese speakers having conversations related to everyday situations, like going to a job interview or seeing a doctor.
Since there’s a speech recognition feature, you’ll also be asked to say several phrases out loud.
On top of this, it has lessons on grammar, culture and writing.
YouTube channel with helpful and in-depth explanations
Videos based on popular textbooks
Good for listening and speaking practice
Length: Videos ranging from 10 minutes to 2 hours
Price: YouTube videos are free, with monthly or yearly membership for additional materials
ToKini Andy’s YouTube channel is practically legendary in the Japanese learning world because of how clearly he explains Japanese concepts.
Andy is an N1-level Japanese learner who has lived in Japan for a while. His Japanese wife, Yuki, handles the translations and Japanese audio.
From the YouTube channel alone, you can already view several playlists of videos for free, covering N5 to N2.
There are also full-on courses if you subscribe to the website. These include companion courses for the popular textbook series“Genki” and “Quartet,” where Andy goes through each chapter and adds his own exercises, tests and practice material.
Cure Dolly is an unconventional resource that’s well-loved by a lot of Japanese learners! It makes you look at Japanese grammar the way that a native speaker would instead of trying to understand it through English.
The visuals and voice might feel a little strange at first, but the content of the videos is great! For a similar approach, there’s also Jay Rubin’s book “Making Sense of Japanese.”
Based on an in-person learning academy in Tokyo, Coto Academy offers online courses that users can take anywhere in the world.
After checking your Japanese level for free, you’ll then be able to select the best course option for you. Depending on how you learn best, you can take lessons either privately or in a group.
There’s no need to worry about getting materials—Coto will send you everything you need.
Coto Academy also offersJLPT prep courses andbusiness Japanese courses, making Coto a fantastic resource for those looking to advance professionally with their Japanese.
Length: Depends per course, but usually 3 to 5 hours of study time per week
Price: Free for auditing, with optional payment for getting a certificate
Started by Harvard and MIT, edX offers high-quality courses on a wide variety of topics—including Japanese—from universities all over the world.
edX’s Japanese courses are presented courtesy of Waseda University in Japan. There are two levels of in-depth beginner courses taught in English by enthusiastic professors.
Every course is free to audit, though you get more materials and quizzes with a paid certificate course.
Price: Ranges from around $20 to $200, but sales happen often
Another online learning platform with tons of affordable courses is Udemy. From beginner-level foundations to tourist Japanese, there’s truly something for everyone.
You can accomplish a lot with Pimsleur as a beginner because it forces you to start listening and speaking right away.
Pimsleur is an audio-based course that consists of 30-minute lessons you’re meant to listen to every day. All of these have speaking prompts that drill you on pronunciation, and you can even listen to them hands-free.
A lot of the vocabulary gets repeated so these naturally stick as you go through the course.
Price: Free, with monthly subscription for extra features
If you need motivation to start studying Japanese, Duolingo is one of the best apps that you can try because it makes language learning feel like a game. It’s also free!
Duolingo offers short, snappy lessons that only take a few minutes each to complete. These come with diverse exercises and use spaced repetition to make sure you remember the vocabulary.
As you go through the lessons, you earn points and get rewarded for streaks.
Once you finish all of the Japanese modules, you’ll be at around an N4 level.
Marugoto is atextbook series as well as a website that provides structured courses for beginners. Developed by the Japan Foundation and based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), Marugoto offers self-study courses providedthrough the Minato website.
There are two options that you can choose from based on your study style: “Katsudoo” for casual studies and “Rikai” for more serious studies.
Both self-study and tutor-supported options are available online. Many of the most popular courses use English as a base language, but a number of lessons are also available in other languages like Spanish, French, Thai and Mandarin Chinese.
NHK’s online Japanese course was created by native Japanese speakers for learners of the Japanese language.
Since you’re getting Japanese lessons straight from the source, this means that you’re learning real and relevant everyday Japanese words and phrases.
This site offers realistic scenarios, quizzes and videos, which is similar toBBC’s Japanese learning course. Free, downloadable lessons are also available to use for later review.
All the content is presented with fun, colorful illustrations and tons of personality, making the learning process very enjoyable!
The lessons include a charming “My Haru-san” tracker to hold you accountable for studying every day and a number of other fun features.
The Japan Society of New York City offers 24 completely free video lessons on YouTube, covering essential Japanese.
While no writing of hiragana, katakana or kanji is taught, this course is perfect for those looking for a travel-style Japanese course for tourists. Each lesson is taught like a university lecture with explanations and grammar tips.
If you’re interested in the cultural aspects of Japan and its language, theJapan Society’s main YouTube channel covers many modern issues important to Japanese people.
Japanese-Lesson.com offers 10 completely free lessons that cover essential Japanese words and phrases for complete beginners.
Each lesson focuses on phrases and words associated with a certain lesson topic and includes audio files for key terms.
Lessons also include grammatical and cultural explanations under the “Tips” section, and there are three different drill exercises to help solidify your knowledge in each lesson.
Loecsen offers language courses that learners can follow at their own pace.
In the Japanese course, there are 17 completely free lessons (called “themes”). These are interactive flashcard-based lessons complete with vocabulary lists and quizzes.
Lessons revolve around topics such as colors, the beach and taking a taxi. First, learners review the words in each lesson along with audio recordings and helpful visuals.
Then you complete the quizzes that include various activities to help you learn the words and phrases.
The “Read Aloud” function allows you to hear Japanese readings of content anywhere on the web. Simply copy and paste a text and get an automated audio recording and translation of it.
How to Choose Online Japanese Courses
With so many online Japanese courses out there, it can take some trial and error to choose what works for you. For the Japanese courses above, we took all of these into consideration:
Level — Since courses sometimes don’t mention which JLPT level they correspond to, it’s always worth trying out some of the material first before committing to a course!
Skills Taught — Some courses target all of the main language skills, while others have a more specific focus, such as conversational Japanese, character recognition or grammar.
Results and User Reviews — For the courses here, we’ve either tried them out ourselves or they’ve consistently received favorable reviews, with concrete results.
Price — Many online Japanese courses are free, and subscribing is optional. Paid courses might give you more benefits, though, like personalized feedback or better structure.
Platforms — It’s worth considering whether you prefer courses that you can easily access through a website, or you’d rather download mobile apps.
The courses I’ve listed are either free or offer free trials, so you can go through the list above and explore which courses suit you the best.
Study advanced Japanese and make steady progress toward becoming a fluent speaker with this guide. Learn about top resources for advanced Japanese lessons online, with…
Why Study with Online Japanese Courses?
Online Japanese courses are the most convenient way to learn the language.
To begin with, think of the savings! So many online courses are either low cost, or even completely free, which totally beats the $50-per-hour classes or $100 textbook.
On top of that, for those of you with busy lifestyles or who understand your own learning style, an online course will let you move through things at your own pace. Your studies will be designed specifically around your goals, your needs and your schedule.
The best part of online learning resources is the portability. These courses can be used or viewed on your phone or tablet.
I have an hour-long morning commute—these types of resources transform it from boring transit time to super valuable learning time.
No matter how much time you spend studying online, having fun while you learn will keep you motivated to keep going!
And One More Thing...
If you love learning Japanese with authentic materials, then I should also tell you more about FluentU.
FluentU naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You'll learn real Japanese as it's spoken in real life.
FluentU has a broad range of contemporary videos as you'll see below:
FluentU makes these native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.
All definitions have multiple examples, and they're written for Japanese learners like you. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.
And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.
The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You'll have a 100% personalized experience.
