Does Babbel Teach Japanese?
No. Babbel's App Store listing names 14 languages, from Spanish and French to Turkish and Indonesian, and Japanese isn't on the list. Babbel is known for lessons made for speakers of your own language, so an English speaker and a French speaker learning Spanish get different lessons. It also has Babbel Speak, an AI conversation partner that gives you feedback while you talk.
For tutors and reading apps too, see our best apps to learn Japanese.
Which Japanese Apps Offer What Babbel Offers?
| What Babbel Offers | Japanese Apps That Offer It |
|---|---|
| Lessons built around real conversations | Bubblegum, JapanesePod101 |
| Grammar explained when you need it | Bubblegum (ask Poppy), LingoDeer, JapanesePod101 |
| Practice talking out loud | Bubblegum (live voice chat with Poppy), Pimsleur (AI Voice Coach) |
| A way to review new words | Bubblegum (Regenerative Review™ and Anki export), Pimsleur, JapanesePod101 |
| Lessons you can take offline | LingoDeer, Pimsleur |
Japanese Lessons Built Around Your Goals
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Japanese. You learn from Japanese you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
In Bubblegum, Poppy, your AI tutor, writes each Japanese lesson at your level about something you want to do. When a sentence confuses you, ask her why it's built that way, and she explains the grammar right there.
Poppy builds your journey from what you've told her, so when you finish the izakaya lesson, the next one is already there. The trade-off is that no person checks your progress. For a teacher who answers your questions, JapanesePod101 below offers one with its Premium PLUS plan.
- Tell Poppy you want to order at an izakaya or talk about anime, and she writes Japanese lessons for it.
- Say your Japanese out loud to Poppy in live voice chat, and she answers you.
- Turn furigana on over the kanji, then turn it off when you're ready.
- Saved words come back inside new lessons through Regenerative Review™, and you can export them to Anki as flashcards.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Kana
Mobile
A Japanese Course in a Set Order
LingoDeer
LingoDeer's Japanese course is made for English speakers, with short lessons and timed quizzes. The course runs from A1, for complete beginners, to B1, where you can join everyday conversations. It suits learners who liked Babbel's grammar notes and want to know exactly what comes next.
- Grammar tips take you through Japanese one point at a time.
- Real speakers voiced every word and sentence, Travel Phrasebook included.
- Save the whole Japanese course to your phone and study without the internet.
- Teaches Kana
MobileWeb
Learn Japanese by Listening and Speaking
Pimsleur
Each Pimsleur lesson is a conversation you listen to and answer out loud. New words come back right before you'd forget them, which Pimsleur calls Graduated Interval Recall. It suits learners who liked speaking out loud in Babbel and want to learn Japanese away from a screen.
- Five levels of audio lessons, each about 30 minutes, made for complete beginners.
- Its AI Voice Coach gives feedback on how you sound.
- Lessons work hands-free and offline, so you can learn on a walk or in the car.
- Teaches Kana (partly)
MobileWeb
Japanese Lessons With a Teacher
JapanesePod101
JapanesePod101 has thousands of lessons, and you can pick them by goal, such as travel or grammar. Word lists and flashcards help you review what you heard. It suits learners who like having a teacher's voice walk them through Japanese.
- Short audio and video lessons where teachers explain each word and phrase.
- Hear each conversation again slowly, then go through it one line at a time.
- Record your voice and compare it with Japanese speakers.
- Flashcards
- Teaches Kana
MobileWeb
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Japanese app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Japanese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Pimsleur if you'd rather speak before you read, since its Japanese course is made for people who know no Japanese at all.
Does Babbel plan to add Japanese?
We don't know. On October 15, 2026, Japanese wasn't among the 14 languages in Babbel's App Store listing, and the listing didn't mention plans for it.
Should I learn hiragana before I start a course?
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Babbel: App Store listing (14 languages, courses built for your native language, Babbel Speak)
- LingoDeer: Learn Japanese (grammar tips, audio by native speakers, offline course, A1 to B1)
- LingoDeer: Getting comfortable with the script (a kana unit for Japanese)
- Pimsleur: Learn Japanese (five levels, 30-minute lessons, AI Voice Coach, 7-day free trial)
- JapanesePod101: Learn Japanese online (audio and video lessons, study tools, a teacher with Premium PLUS)
- JapanesePod101: Japanese alphabet (kana video lessons and a kana eBook)
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 15, 2026 against each app's own pages.
