22 Best Free Online Japanese Courses

Learning Japanese?

Online you can learn it for free with excellent, high-quality courses at all levels.

Here are:

Our Favorite Free Online Japanese Courses

Diploma in Japanese Language

Diploma in Japanese language

This is a diploma course in English and languages. Japanese is spoken to more than 120 000 000 people worldwide. It is a useful languages to know if you are wishing to travel to Japan or do business with Japan. You will be introduced to the basics as you look at Kanji and Hiragana scripts. You will learn pronunciation and how to count after which you will learn conversational phrases, common expressions, verb conjugations and how to ask questions. Each section has assessments to guide you in ascertaining your progress. This course covers 20 modules: Module 1 – Introduction to Japanese Scripts; Modules 2 &3 – Conversational Introductions in Japanese; Module 4 – Response Phrases; Module 5 – Assessment 1; Module 6 – People, places, and things; Module 7 – Discussing Cost; Module 8 – Discussing hobbies and time; Module 9 – Japanese Time Expressions; Module 10 – Second Assessment; Module 11 – Demonstrative and Verbs; Module 12 – Time and Verbs; Module 13 – Objects and Time Duration; Module 14 – Months, Location, and Counting; Module 15 – Third Assessment; Module 16 – Location; Module 17 – How to inquire after someone; Module 18 – Formal Conversations and the Past Negative Tense; Module 19 – Adjectives and Module 20 – Fourth Assessment and finally course final assessment. . Skills Duration: Japanese, Language, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Homeschool English and Languages, . Duration: Approx 10 15 hours

What are the Top Free Online Japanese Courses

After much research on all online Japanese Courses on offer, we have found the top 22 Japanese courses to make it easier for you to choose

22 Japanese Pod

Japanese Pod 

This pod will teach you to speak the basic of Japanese. You can download a series of PDF cheat sheets and access online resources to help you master Japanese. Go to the following link to sign up (no money and no credit card required) to learn and achieve your goals https://goo.gl/QME6Wz

This series teaches about Japanese particles and how to use them correctly. Particles are a very important part of the Japanese languages. They are used in a sentence providing critical information about the total meaning of the sentence so if the wrong particles are used the meaning of the sentence could change. This video is make for beginners and will help you take your Japanese to a higher level. Skills Acquired: Japanese Language. Duration: Approx 1 hours

21 Japanese Calligraphy

Japanese calligraphy

This is a beginner level and this course is level 1 of the series out of 7 courses. Level 1 is for the absolute beginner without any knowledge regarding Japanese Calligraphy. You will be able to manage 2 basic strokes and 2 ideographs (KANJIs) of Japanese Calligraphy in Kaisho style together with the basic knowledge of SHODO (Japanese Calligraphy). And finally, you will learn about the correct tools for SHODO and how to use them. This course is designed to show you the beauty of the art of SHODO and is presented in Japanese with subtitle in English. This series will ultimately provide you with 30 basic strokes and 100 KANJI’s Skills Acquired: Calligraphy, Japanese, SHODO, Nohoh Method. Duration: At your own pace , 1 – 2 hours video

20 Japanese Lessons

Japanese lessons

These lessons will teach you the basic Japanese language for use of travelers, or those wanting a rudimentary knowledge of the language. Some of the lessons include, apart from the usual basics: Colours; Body Parts; Clothes; Animals, Mistakes, Survival; Weather; Countries;School; Objects; Plural; Gender and more of the basics. Skills Acquired: Japanese, Language , Vocabulary, Phrases and Grammar. Duration: At your own pace

19 Essential Japanese

Essential Japanese

This course will teach you the essential phrases of Japanese and can be taken in English or one of 5 other languages. The course covers: No 1 – The Basics of Basics; No 2- Asking Directions; No 3 – Shopping and Ordering; No 4 – Removing Language; No 5- Useful Adjectives; No 6 – Introduction Yourself; No 7 – How are you; No 8 – Key Greetings; No 9 – Bosai (measures to save your life) and No 10 – Evacuation. Videos are between 45 seconds to 90 seconds in duration. Skills Acquired: Japanese, Language and Essential Japanese, and Phrases. Duration: 10 Episodes @ 45 to 90 seconds each – at your own pace

18 Easy Japanese Grammar Lessons

Easy Japanese travel grammar

This course is designed for those who are planning to travel to Japan for the first time. The course looks at the most common phrases you will need and each 3 minute episode will give you basic expressions that you will be able to use immediately. It offers tips for getting around Japan and is based on the popular radio Japan program called “Easy Japanese”. Some of the themes are: At the University; Shipping and Restaurants; Travel and Outing; Special Occasions; and Japaneses Culture to name a few. Skills Acquired: Japanese, language, and Grammar. Duration: At your own pace

17 Japanese Conversation

Japanese conversation

In this course you will see the different script wiring in Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. This learning program is offered in 18 languages by NHK World-Japan international broadcasting service. This 48 part series features fun short videos that ultimately form a story and you can learn basic easy to use phrases to introduce yourself, use in shopping, and many other basic situations. This program is rich in information and insights into Japanese culture and manners and meets the Japan Foundation standard. The emphasis is on communication skill in every day situations and to promote respect for different cultures. Skills Acquired: Japanese, Language, Conversation, and Scripts

Duration: Self paced 

16 Marugoto Japanese Course

Marugoto Japanese 

This online course in English and offers instruction in 8 other languages and is operated by the Japan Foundation, based on the JF standard for Japanese-language education. The course also teaches Japanese culture. The course is designed for adult education and suits those who are studying Japanese part time due to work or household pressures and without a Japaneses education centre close by. The course covers: A1 and A2 levels where the A1 level teaches understanding of familiar every day expressions and phrases. You will be taught how to introduce yourself and others and teaches how to ask and answer personal questions. It also teaches basic conventional skills. A2 level teaches understanding sentences and expressions related to areas like basic personal and family information, shopping, geography, locality and employment; can communicate in simply and routine tasks requiring simply and direct instructions; can describe simply aspects of his or her background and areas of immediate need. A1 and A2 are currently open. Skills Acquired: Japanese Language, Language and Culture. Duration: At your own pace

15 Steps in Japanese for Beginners 1 Part 1

Steps in Japanese for beginners 1 Part 1

This is a beginner level course in English to learn Japanese. This is a part of a series which teaches conversational Japanese. It is a very basic course in which you will learn to greet, introduce oneself, and it will cover the expression of taste of food, and how to order basic foods at the local shop. The other parts in this series will grown your Japanese vocabulary and conversational skills. A you progress you will acquire more knowledge and skills in Japaneses. The aim of series 1 is to be able to greet,and introduce yourself, series 2 develops your small talk describing your health and expressions, series 3 solves problems which happen daily and you will learn expressions when relationships broaden or deepen and so on. Skills Acquired: Conversation Japanese, Vocabulary, and Grammar

Duration: Approx 5 weeks long at a pace of 3 – 5 hours per week/or self paced

14 10-Day Hiragana Challenge

10-day hiragana challenge

This course is available on YouTube and you will learn to read and write Hiragana script. The best way to learn Japanese writing is to start with Hiragana, the simplest writing systems and then to move to Katakana. Thereafter, you should proceed to the Kanji series for the more complex character. Video 1 – Introduces Hiragana and the Hiragana vowels; Video 2 – Hiragana K-column; Video 3 – Hiragana S-column; Video 4 – Hiragana T-column; Video 5 – Hiragana N-column; Video 6 – Hiragana H-column; Video 7 – Hiragana M-column; Video 8 – Hiragana R-column; Video 9 – Hiragana Y-column and the Japanese Digraphs and then in Video 10 – Hiragana W-column and N. Skills Acquired: Japanese Language, Language and Hiragana Script. Duration: 10 days

13 10-Day Katakana Challenge

10-day Katakana challenge

This course is available on YouTube and you will learn how to read, and write Japanese in Katakana script. The videos cover: Video 1 – An Introduction to Katakana and the Katakana vowels; Video 2 – The Katakana K-column; Video 3 – Katakana S-column; Video 4 – Katakana T-column; Video 5 – Katakana N-column; Video 6 – Katakana H-column; Video 7 – Katakana M-column; Video 8 – Katakana R-column; Video 9 – Katakana Y-column and more digraphs and Video10 10 – Katakana W-column and N. Skills Acquired: Japanese Language, Language and Katakana script. Duration: 10 days

12 Japanese Made Easy

Japanese made easy

This course is an intensive playlist curated by Class Central and consists of 202 podcasts and videos. The beauty of this is that you can choose from the best that Class Central has to offer to aid your Japanese tuition and if you are just refreshing your ability in Japanese everything Japanese is covered.. Skills Acquired: Japanese Language, Language, Grammar and Scripts. Duration: At your own pace

11 Learn Japanese While Sleeping

Learn Japanese while sleeping

The course consists of 11 podcasts of which 8 are of a duration of 1 hour in which your brain will be fed English and Japanese phrases while you relax or sleep. The background music is gentle and relaxing. The next few podcasts are 8 hours each long and will still teach you basic phrases while you relax or sleep. Skills Acquired: Absorbing whilst sleeping, and Japanese Language. Duration: at your own pace

10 You Can Speak Japanese – Learn Japanese with Practical Conversation

You can speak Japanese

These videos on Youtube will teach you how to introduce yourself in Japanese and how to talk about where you live in Japanese and it also teaches how to talk about your work, and how to give your phone number in Japaneses. From there you will progress to talk about your family and spouse and children while learning Japanese sentence structure. The course covers common ways to say good-bye and how to ask someone how they are. This is covered in a series of 11 videos, and each video is about 20 minutes long. Skills Acquired: Japanese Language, Language and Conversation. Duration: At your own pace

09 Introduction to Japanese Language and Culture – II

Intoduction to Japanese language and culture-II

This course is in English and is perfect for those wanting a working knowledge of written and spoken Japanese to assist them with interactions with the Japanese people and companies in their personal or working life. This course will also benefit those travelling to Japan for training, education, business, tourism, and so forth. There are no formal prerequisites necessary but it is expected that you have some understanding of the Japanese language, including grammar. You will however have revision on the necessary background in the first few classes. The syllabus covers: 1 – Japanese Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, Ideograms and Pictograms; 2 -Language and Grammar; 3 – Daily Conversation including time, daily conversation, use of interrogatives, asking direction, phone conversations, giving and receiving, making request and commands, likes and dislikes, permission, conditionals, direct and indirect speech, making speeches, writing mail, polite Japanese; 4 – Japanese Culture, Festivals, and Lifestyle; and number 5 – Audio and Pictures. Skills Acquired: Japanese Language, Language,Culture, Scripts, Ideograms and Pictograms. Duration: Approx 12 weeks – At your own pace

08 Introduction to Japanese Language and Culture

Introduction to Japanese language and culture

The course is in English via video instruction. With the expansion of Japanese industry into other world countries this language is beneficial to individuals to foster relations with the Japanese and for their own professional development. The course focuses on conversational skills and basic sentence construction, basic situational conversation, grammar, and elements of the Japanese script. There are no prerequisites to undertake this course. The syllabus includes: Week 1 – Introduction to Scripts and Particles including Introducing yourself; Week 2 – Interrogative words, pronouns and adjectives; Week 3 – Conversation with time expressions and simple Verbs; Week 4 – Verbs in Negative Form and Locational Nouns; Week 5 – Conversation over the phone, conjunctions and volitional form of verbs; Week 6 – Types of Adjectives; Week 7 – Negative form of Adjectives; Week 8 – Negative forms of Verbs; Week 9 – Potential form of Verbs, some Proverbs, and Expressions; Week 10 – Expressing Intent for Purpose; Week 11 – Permission, Seeking Approval, and basic Kanji and finally Week 12 – Filling out forms, Conditional form of Verbs and Kanji continued. Skills Acquired: Japanese Language, Language, Scripts and Particles, Conversation, and Culture. Duration: Approx 12 weeks – at your own pace

07 Introduction to Japanese Kanji

Introduction go Japanese Kanji

This course introduces you to all the Kanji radicals which will enhance your ability to read and write Japaneses Kanji characters. Each radical is taught as a separate module to teach you Kanji. The course is via video medium and you will read and write Japanese accordingly. There are 22 modules in this course. Skills Acquired: Language, Japanese, Kanji. Duration: At your own pace

06 Japanese Language Lesson

Japanese language lessons

This course has 24 Modules in English. The Modules cover: Module 1 – Introduction to Japanese; Module 2 – Counting 1 to 100: Module 3 – Days of he Week and Months; Module 4 – Going to a Destination; Module 5 – 4 Verbs; Module 6 – To do (verb); Module 7 – To Give and to Receive; Module 8 – Family Members; Module 9 – Telling Tie; Module 10 – Language Lesson – Particles; Module 11 – Language Lesson in Interrogatives and Counters; Module 12 – Interrogatives; Module 13 – Locations; Module 14 – To Like, to Understand, to Be good At; Module 15 – Adjective; Module 16 – Invitations; Module 17 – Te form conjugation; Module 18 – Te form: Sentence Connection; Module 19 – Te form: Te Kudasai; Module 20 – Te form: Te mo ii desu ka; Module 21 – Te Imasu; Module 22 – Nai-Form; Module 23 – Nai-de Kudasai and finally in Module 24 – Nakerebe Narimasen

Skills Acquired: Japanese Language, and Communication. Duration: At your own pace

05 Japanese Learning Strategies and Tips

Japanese learning strategies and tips

This course looks at how best to approach your study of the Japanese Language and some of the courses cover staying motivated while learning; training your Japanese skills; tips to Japaneses fluency; self-study strategies; Benefits of Learning Japanese; Ways to Learn Japanese Faster; Tips for Practicing Your Japanese Speaking Skills; Learning Hacks to Get Better at Japanese; Steps to Japanese immersion experience at Home; Ways to Learn Japanese Better; Ways to Learn Japanese in Your Car; Ways For Beginners to Learn Conversational Japanese and others. Skills Acquired: Japanese, Language, Learning, Motivation, and Strategies
Duration: At your ow pace

04 Japanese Language: Introduction to Japanese Scripts

Japanese language: Introduction to Japanese scripts

This course consists of 5 modules covering 41 topics in English. The modules cover:Module 1 –  Introduction to Japanese Script; covering the Script and Pronunciation of Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji, together with pronunciation. You will also learn how Japanese is written and learn vocabulary including 1 – 10; Module 2 – Covers Introductions and Greeting, Expression, numbers continued and pronunciation practice; Module 3 – covers Introductions and Expressions in Positive and Negative form, where are you from?, numbers continued; Module 4 – Pronunciation practice and more about Numbers, Vocabulary, and more; finally Module 5 – Course Assessment. Skills Acquired: Japanese Language, Pronunciation, Vocabulary and Scripts. Duration: Approx 1 – 3 hours per module

03 Learn Japanese

Learn Japanese

This step-by-step guide in English will help you to become Japanese fluent but it is going to take a lot of effort and hard work. It is assumed that you have no prior knowledge of Japanese language and in this course you will cover the reading, writing, speaking and listening and you will learn what you should use, when, and why. There are no tests or quizzes but keep your mind completely on the work and be aware that some steps may appear to be counter-intuitive and may seem slow but all works together to achieve your goal faster. Skills Acquired: Japanese, Language, Vocabulary and more
Duration: At your own pace

02 Japanese for Beginners

Japanese for beginners

This short beginner course in English, will take you through the very basic of Japanese. It will provide you with the information and skills to understand and enjoy a basic Japanese conversation. You will first look at 3 different writing scripts and the significance and use of each style. There are different ways to introduce yourself and you will learn the different phrases and how to pronounce them so you sound like a native. The course then teaches you how to greet and address others politely and with respect. You will then understand numbers, foods, and learn the names of fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy products. The final section teaches how to tell and write the time and the date. The module covers: Fundamentals of Japanese; Introduction to Japanese; Japanese Vocabulary-basic; Japanese Vocabulary- advanced and Fundamentals of Japanese – summary. This is followed by course assessment. Skills Acquired: Japanese Language, and Languages. Duration: Approx 1 – 3 hours per module

01 Diploma in Japanese Language

Diploma in Japanese language

This is a diploma course in English and languages. Japanese is spoken to more than 120 000 000 people worldwide. It is a useful languages to know if you are wishing to travel to Japan or do business with Japan. You will be introduced to the basics as you look at Kanji and Hiragana scripts. You will learn pronunciation and how to count after which you will learn conversational phrases, common expressions, verb conjugations and how to ask questions. Each section has assessments to guide you in ascertaining your progress. This course covers 20 modules: Module 1 – Introduction to Japanese Scripts; Modules 2 &3 – Conversational Introductions in Japanese; Module 4 – Response Phrases; Module 5 – Assessment 1; Module 6 – People, places, and things; Module 7 – Discussing Cost; Module 8 – Discussing hobbies and time; Module 9 – Japanese Time Expressions; Module 10 – Second Assessment; Module 11 – Demonstrative and Verbs; Module 12 – Time and Verbs; Module 13 – Objects and Time Duration; Module 14 – Months, Location, and Counting; Module 15 – Third Assessment; Module 16 – Location; Module 17 – How to inquire after someone; Module 18 – Formal Conversations and the Past Negative Tense; Module 19 – Adjectives and Module 20 – Fourth Assessment and finally course final assessment. . Skills Duration: Japanese, Language, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Homeschool English and Languages, . Duration: Approx 10 15 hours