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Learn Japanese fast with our free course! Master hiragana and katakana based on our proven training system. Here’s what you’ll learn:
Listen to voiced consonants, doubled consonants, long vowels and contracted sounds, and learn how to pronounce them.
See the 46 hiragana characters written out stroke by stroke and listen to their pronunciation. Take quizzes to test your hiragana skills before moving on to the next section.
Then, learn how to read and write the voiced consonants and contracted sounds in hiragana. Take a graduating test before you move on to katakana.
See the 46 katakana characters written out stroke by stroke and listen to their pronunciation. Take quizzes to test your katakana skills before moving on to the next section.
Then, learn how to read and write the voiced consonants and contracted sounds in katakana. Take a graduating test before you move on to learning kanji.
The course moves at your own pace. If you can fit in 5 x 30 min sessions per week, it would be ideal.
You take as long as you need to learn each element, and then move on to the next step.
| Chapter | Topic | Description | Format | Schedule |
| 1-1 | Basic sounds in Japanese | Listen to voiced consonants, doubled consonants, long vowels, contracted sounds, etc | Video | 15min |
| Task | Listen to audio files & mimic what you hear out loud | Audio | 15min | |
| 1-2 | Hiragana Part 1 | See hiragana written out & listen to audio | Text & JapUp flash content | 15min |
| 1-2-1 | Hiragana あ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-2-2 | Hiragana か Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-2-3 | Hiragana さ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-2-4 | Hiragana た Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-2-5 | Hiragana な Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-2-6 | Hiragana は Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-2-7 | Hiragana ま Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-2-8 | Hiragana や Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-2-9 | Hiragana ら Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-2-10 | Hiragana わ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-2-11 | Hiragana Quiz | Quiz to test your hiragana skills | JapUp flash game | 15min |
| Chapter | Topic | Description | Format | Schedule |
| 1-3 | Hiragana Part 2 | Learn modified syllables & extended consonant syllables | Text, video & JapUp flash content | 15min |
| 1-3-1 | Hiragana が Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-3-2 | Hiragana ざ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-3-3 | Hiragana だ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-3-4 | Hiragana ば and ぱ Rows | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-3-5 | Hiragana きゃ and ぎゃ Rows | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-3-6 | Hiragana しゃ and じゃ Rows | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-3-7 | Hiragana りゃ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-3-8 | Hiragana みゃ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-3-9 | Hiragana ひゃ, びゃ and ぴゃ Rows | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-3-10 | Hiragana にゃ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-3-11 | Hiragana ちゃ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-3-12 | Hiragana Quiz | Quiz to test your hiragana skills | JapUp flash game | 15min |
| 1-4 | Hirgana Test | Graduating test for hiragana | JapUp flash game | 15min |
| Chapter | Topic | Description | Format | Schedule |
| 1-5 | Katakana Part 1 | See katakana written out. | Text & JapUp flash content | 15min |
| 1-5-1 | Katakana ア Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-5-2 | Katakana カ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-5-3 | Katakana サ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-5-4 | Katakana タ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-5-5 | Katakana ナ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-5-6 | Katakana ハ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-5-7 | Katakana マ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-5-8 | Katakana ヤ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-5-9 | Katakana ラ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-5-10 | Katakana ワ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-5-11 | Katakana Quiz | Quiz to test your katakana skills | JapUp flash game | 15min |
| Chapter | Topic | Description | Format | Schedule |
| 1-6 | Katakana Part 2 | Learn modified syllables & extended consonant syllables | Text, video & JapUp flash content | 15min |
| 1-6-1 | Katakana ガ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-6-2 | Katakana ザ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-6-3 | Katakana ダ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-6-4 | Katakana バ and パ Rows | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-6-5 | Katakana キャ and ギャ Rows | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-6-6 | Katakana シャ and ジャ Rows | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-6-7 | Katakana ニャ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-6-8 | Katakana ヒャ, ビャ and ピャ Rows | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-6-9 | Katakana ミャ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-6-10 | Katakana リャ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-6-11 | Katakana チャ Row | Learn how to write characters in this row | Written activity | 15min |
| 1-7 | Katakana test | Graduating test for katakana | JapUp flash game | 15min |
