Japanese for Beginners

Breni's Japanese for Beginners path starts with the writing system, teaching hiragana and katakana before most phrases so learners read real Japanese early. Its 8 courses cover sounds and hiragana, katakana and first kanji, greetings, everyday phrases, two grammar courses, conversation and Japanese in daily life. Learners finish able to read both kana, recognise common kanji, introduce themselves politely and build sentences with particles. The script courses must be finished first, since each course in the path unlocks after the previous one.

• 8 courses
• 13 learning objectives
• Level: beginner
• Language: English
• Price: Subscription, free trial

What you will be able to do

• Read and write the 46 basic hiragana and katakana
• Recognise about twenty everyday kanji, including numbers
• Introduce yourself politely with hajimemashite and desu
• Build sentences with the particles wa, ga, o, ni and de
• Use masu verbs in the present, past and negative
• Order food and ask for directions in Japanese

Full curriculum

Part 1 · Sounds and script

1. Japanese Sounds and Hiragana: Core Basics

Pronounce Japanese sounds and read and write hiragana. Units, in order: The five Japanese vowels; Hiragana rows from a to n; Voiced sounds and small characters; Long vowels and double consonants; Pitch accent in brief.

• — The Five Japanese Vowels
  Learn the core vowel sounds used in all Japanese words.
  • Vowel A and I
  • Vowel U E and O
• — First Hiragana Rows
  Master early hiragana rows from the a-row to the na-row.
  • The A and Ka Rows
  • The Sa and Ta Rows
  • The Na Row and N
• — Remaining Hiragana Rows
  Complete the standard hiragana alphabet from the ha-row to wa.
  • Ha Ma and Ya Rows
  • Ra Row and Wa N
• — Voiced Sounds And Small Kana
  Learn dakuten marks and small kana for complex syllable combinations.
  • Voiced Sounds with Dakuten
  • Small Ya Yu Yo
• — Long Vowels And Double Consonants
  Master elongated vowel sounds and paused double consonant sounds.
  • Long Vowel Sounds
  • Double Consonants with Tsu
• — Pitch Accent Basics
  Discover how pitch changes word meanings in spoken Japanese.
  • High and Low Pitch
  • Natural Speech Melody

2. Katakana and First Kanji

Read katakana and recognise your first kanji. Units, in order: Katakana for loanwords; Writing your name in katakana; How kanji work; Numbers and dates in kanji; Twenty everyday kanji.

Part 2 · Basics

3. Japanese Greetings and Introductions

Greet people and introduce yourself politely in Japanese. Units, in order: Konnichiwa, ohayō and goodbye; Self-introduction with hajimemashite; Bowing and politeness; Saying where you are from and what you do; Desu and the polite style.

4. Everyday Japanese Phrases

Handle numbers, shopping, food and directions in Japanese. Units, in order: Numbers and counting; Shopping and prices; Ordering at a restaurant; Asking for directions; Telling the time.

Part 3 · Core grammar

5. Japanese Grammar Basics

Build sentences with particles and polite verbs. Units, in order: Word order: subject, object, verb; Particles wa, ga, o, ni and de; Masu verbs in present and past; Negative forms; Asking questions with ka.

6. More Japanese Grammar

Describe things and connect actions in longer sentences. Units, in order: I-adjectives and na-adjectives; The te-form; Asking for and giving permission; Saying what you want and like; The plain form in brief.

Part 4 · Real use

7. Conversations in Japanese

Hold simple conversations in everyday situations. Units, in order: Small talk; Making plans; At a train station; At a convenience store; Asking someone to speak slowly.

8. Japanese in Daily Life

Read and use Japanese in real settings. Units, in order: Reading signs and menus; Polite and casual speech; Keigo in brief; Writing a short message; Japanese culture in everyday language.

Sample: Japanese Sounds and Hiragana: Core Basics

The opening tier, (The Five Japanese Vowels). Learn the core vowel sounds used in all Japanese words.

Vowel A and I

Pronounce and write the basic Japanese vowels a and i.

Vowel U E and O

Pronounce and write the remaining vowels u, e, and o.

Questions about Japanese for Beginners

Should I learn hiragana first?

Yes. Hiragana is the base of written Japanese, so Japanese for Beginners on Breni teaches it in the first course, followed by katakana.

Is Japanese hard for English speakers?

Grammar and pronunciation are fairly regular, but the writing system takes time. The path spreads kanji out instead of teaching them all at once.

How many kanji does the path teach?

About twenty everyday kanji in the second course, plus others in later courses. It aims at reading signs and menus, not full fluency.

Does the path prepare me for the JLPT?

It covers much of what JLPT N5 expects, but it does not follow the test syllabus.

Is Breni an alternative to Duolingo for Japanese?

Yes. Breni teaches Japanese in short lessons that unlock in order, with immediate feedback on every answer.

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