Topic
beginners
27 articles on beginners for Japanese learners.
Japanese Vocabulary for Family, Home, and Daily Life
Japanese vocabulary for family members, rooms and household items — including the own-family vs. someone-else's-family distinction beginners miss.
Common Japanese Adjectives: 50 i- and na-Adjectives to Know
50 common Japanese adjectives, both i-adjectives and na-adjectives, with readings and meanings — the descriptive words behind almost every sentence.
Japanese Vocabulary for Travel: Words You Will Actually Use
Japanese vocabulary for travel — airport, trains, hotels and shopping words — organized by where you will need them, not alphabetically.
Beginner Japanese Vocabulary: Question Words and Time
Beginner Japanese vocabulary that word-frequency lists undercount — question words, time expressions, and frequency adverbs you need from week one.
How to Memorize Japanese Vocabulary Without Forgetting It
How to actually memorize Japanese vocabulary — context, spaced repetition, active recall and audio — and why flat word lists don't work on their own.
Common Japanese Vocabulary for Everyday Conversation
Common Japanese vocabulary for talking about feelings, opinions and small talk — words the frequency lists and phrasebooks both tend to skip.
Why Vocabulary Should Come Before Grammar in Japanese
Vocabulary or grammar first? The case for learning Japanese words before rules, and how to fold grammar in without stalling out.
Learn Hiragana and Katakana Free with Cotobara
Cotobara's free 32-lesson hiragana and katakana course: taught on the kana chart itself, with audio, three question directions, word building, and a speed round.
The 50 Most Common Japanese Words for Beginners
The most common Japanese words and why frequency order pays off faster than any themed list, plus how far the first 1,000 words actually get you.
The Best Apps for Learning Japanese in 2026
Cotobara, Anki, WaniKani, Bunpro, renshuu, Duolingo and more, ranked by which job they do best, with a comparison table and the combinations that actually work.
Essential JLPT N5 Vocabulary: 80 Words Every Beginner Needs
The most essential JLPT N5 vocabulary, grouped by theme with kanji, readings and meanings, plus how to actually make the words stick.
How Many Kanji Do You Actually Need to Know?
2,136 jōyō kanji is the number everyone quotes, and the wrong target for most learners. What each range of kanji actually buys you, by JLPT level.
JLPT N5 Grammar List, Grouped by What Each Point Does
The complete JLPT N5 grammar set: particles, verb forms, adjectives, sentence patterns, grouped by what each one actually does, not alphabetically.
The Best Way to Learn Kanji Without Burning Out
Radicals, mnemonics, RTK, handwriting, or kanji inside real words: the main approaches compared, and how to pick the one that fits your goal.
い-Adjectives vs な-Adjectives: The Difference
Japanese has two adjective classes that conjugate differently. How to tell them apart, the full conjugation grid, and the exceptions that catch everyone.
The 50 Most Common Japanese Verbs, with Readings and Groups
The most common Japanese verbs with readings, meanings and example sentences, grouped by conjugation type so you can use them, not just recognise them.
Japanese Numbers and Counters: A Practical Guide
How to count from 1 to 10,000 in Japanese, why 4 and 7 have two readings, and how counters like 人, 枚, 本 and 個 work, with the ones you really need.
Japanese Particles Explained: は, が, を, に, で, and More
は, が, を, に, で, と, の and more: what each Japanese particle does, with clear examples and the distinctions beginners get wrong most often.
How to Learn Japanese by Yourself: A Realistic Plan
A month-by-month self-study plan for learning Japanese without a class: what to study in what order, what to pay for, and the traps that stall you.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Japanese?
How long it really takes to learn Japanese, by goal: travel-functional, conversational, JLPT N3, and fluent, with the study hours behind each.
は vs が: The Difference Explained Simply
は marks the topic, が marks the subject, the most-asked question in Japanese grammar, explained with clear examples you can actually rely on.
Japanese Sentence Structure: Why the Verb Comes Last
Japanese word order for English speakers: SOV, particles instead of position, dropped subjects, and modifiers before nouns, with clear examples.
Japanese Verb Conjugation: The Three Verb Groups
Japanese verbs split into three groups, and once you can tell them apart conjugation becomes predictable. How to identify each group and conjugate it.
Japanese Greetings and Basic Phrases, and When to Use Them
Konnichiwa, arigatou, sumimasen: the Japanese greetings and phrases beginners need, plus the register traps that make textbook Japanese sound wrong.
Hiragana and Katakana: Your First Step in Japanese
Learn hiragana and katakana in about two weeks: what each script is for, the characters that trip everyone up, and why romaji costs you time later.
Is Japanese Hard to Learn? An Honest Answer
Japanese is ranked one of the hardest languages for English speakers. What is genuinely hard, what is surprisingly easy, and how long it really takes.
How to Start Learning Japanese: A Beginner Roadmap
A step-by-step roadmap for absolute beginners: kana first, then core vocabulary, grammar and kanji, in the order that actually keeps you going.