Kana first, and quickly
Hiragana and katakana are 92 characters with almost no exceptions, and most adults can read both within two weeks of focused work. Romaji is a dead end that makes everything afterwards harder, so it goes early.
Online Japanese lessons
An online Japanese tutor for JLPT, kanji and the keigo nobody teaches
The JLPT tests reading and listening and never asks you to speak, which is why so many people hold an N2 and freeze in a meeting. We prepare for both problems.
- JLPT N5–N1
- Kanji
- Business keigo
- Conversation
- Kana from scratch
こんにちは — Konnichiwa
Exam preparation
Pick the rung you are actually aiming at
Each exam below has its own page, its own format and its own way of failing candidates. Start from the certificate your employer, university or visa office named — not from the level you feel you are at.
- A1Getting started
- A2Everyday basics
- B1Independent
- B2Working level
- C1Advanced
Why learn here
What you get that a marketplace will not give you
Kanji taught by component, not by flashcard volume
Two thousand characters memorised as pictures does not scale. Learning radicals and phonetic components means a new kanji is usually a recombination of things you know, and readings become predictable rather than arbitrary.
The JLPT does not test speaking, so we do
The exam has no speaking or writing production section. That is a genuine gap: candidates pass N2 and then cannot hold a work conversation. Lessons include output practice even when the exam does not reward it, because your job will.
Keigo as a working skill
Honorific and humble forms are where competent Japanese speakers still cause offence. Business keigo is taught as a separate course with real scenarios — client email, phone manner, introductions and apologies.
Levels we teach
From the first lesson to working in Japanese
Japanese is spoken by about 125 million people. These are the CEFR levels we teach it at, and what each one actually lets you do.
A1
JLPT N5 territory
Hiragana, katakana, around 100 kanji, basic sentence patterns, and enough to introduce yourself and handle simple exchanges.
A2
JLPT N4
Roughly 300 kanji, past and te-forms, and everyday conversation on familiar topics at a slow, clear pace.
B1
JLPT N3
The bridge level. Around 650 kanji, more complex sentence structure, and reading speed that keeps up with an exam clock.
B2
JLPT N2
Around 1,000 kanji, newspapers, and the level most Japanese employers ask for on a job application.
C1
JLPT N1
Roughly 2,000 kanji, abstract and academic text, and the register a professional or academic environment assumes.
Specialist courses
Japanese for a particular job
Kanji
Learners at any level who have stalled on kanji, self-taught students drowning in flashcards, and JLPT candidates whose reading speed is holding back their score.
Business Japanese & Keigo
Professionals working in Japanese companies, candidates preparing for Japanese job interviews, and learners around N3 or above who need to operate credibly at work.
What students say
Reviews from Japanese students
No Japanese reviews are published here yet. We would rather show you nothing than write our own. Once students leave verifiable reviews on Trustpilot or Google, they appear on this page with a link back to the original.
Japanese questions, answered properly
How long does it take to pass JLPT N3?
From N5, most learners need nine to eighteen months of steady study. N3 is where the exam genuinely steps up: reading volume increases, sentence patterns become less formulaic, and the listening section stops being generous. The Japan Foundation suggests roughly 450 hours of study for N3 for learners without a kanji background, which matches what we see in practice.
Do I need to learn kanji, or can I use romaji?
You need kanji. Japanese does not put spaces between words, and kanji is what makes a sentence parseable at a glance. Romaji is fine for the first fortnight while you learn kana and useless after that. Every serious resource, including all five JLPT levels, assumes you read Japanese script.
Which JLPT level do Japanese employers want?
N2 is the usual threshold for a role conducted in Japanese, and N1 for professional, academic or client-facing work. N3 is sometimes accepted for technical roles in international teams. Bear in mind the JLPT tests only reading and listening, so an employer who needs you to speak will interview you in Japanese regardless of the certificate.
Is Japanese one of the hardest languages for English speakers?
Yes, on the written side. The US Foreign Service Institute places it in its hardest category, at around 2,200 hours to professional proficiency, and the writing system accounts for most of that. The spoken grammar is regular, pronunciation is straightforward for English speakers, and there is no tone system. It is a long project, not an impossible one.
Can you teach business Japanese and keigo?
Yes, as a separate course. It assumes around N3 to begin, and covers honorific and humble verb forms, client email conventions, telephone manner, meeting language and the apology formulas that carry real weight at work. Keigo is where otherwise fluent speakers most often cause unintended offence, so it is worth treating as its own subject.
Who teaches you
Your Japanese tutor
No tutor profile is published for Japanese yet. We will not put up a card with a stock photograph and a first name — if you are going to hand someone your Tuesday evenings, you should be able to see their name, their face and the body that issued their qualification.
Lessons are running. Message us on WhatsApp and we will tell you who is currently teaching Japanese, what they are qualified in, and when they are free. You will find a Japanese tutor listed here as soon as their paperwork is verified.
Try your first Japanese lesson before you pay for one
You meet the tutor, they work out where you actually are, and you both decide whether to carry on. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.