The fastest way to learn Japanese is to spend most of your study time on Japanese you can mostly understand. That kind of Japanese is called comprehensible input. What you read and listen to should change as you improve, so the plan below shows what to do at each level and how to split an hour of study.
What to Do at Each Level
Find the level that sounds like you. Its bar shows how to spend an hour of study.
- First Week
I can't read hiragana yet.
Learn hiragana 40 min. Listen 20 min.
Hiragana and katakana each have 46 basic characters, and each one stands for a sound. Learn hiragana first and then katakana, and listen to easy Japanese while you do, so the sounds start to feel familiar.
- Level 1
I can sound out words but not much else.
Read and listen 35 min. Review 15 min. Speak 10 min.
Read short dialogues with audio, a translation and furigana, the small hiragana printed over kanji to show how they are read. Add short videos in simple Japanese, then review the words you saved and say a few lines out loud.
- Level 2
I can handle simple exchanges.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 10 min. Speak 10 min.
Hide the translation and look up only the words that stop you. Read free graded readers that start with picture stories, and retell what you read to a tutor or a friend.
- Level 3
I follow conversations on familiar topics.
Read and listen 40 min. Review 5 min. Speak 15 min.
Add easy news from NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, and listen to each lesson once more without reading along. Talk about what you read for longer.
- Level 4
I understand most content but miss some nuance.
Read and watch 45 min. Review 5 min. Speak 10 min.
Watch anime and dramas with Japanese subtitles, one episode a week. Hide furigana in your lessons, and show it only when a kanji stops you.
- Level 5
I read complex topics but rare words slow me down.
Read and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Read manga and web novels, and watch anime without subtitles. Look up only the words that block the story.
- Level 6
I read at near-native level.
Read and watch 50 min. Speak 10 min.
Read novels and news written for adults, where most kanji have no furigana, and talk about them for their own sake.
Move up a level when your lessons start to feel easy, and move back down if you lose the thread by the third line.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Japanese?
Japanese takes about 2,200 class hours to reach professional fluency, according to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute. That puts Japanese in its hardest group for English speakers, with Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese and Arabic.
| Language | FSI group | Full-time weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish, French | Category I | 30 |
| German, Indonesian | Category II | 36 |
| Russian, Vietnamese | Category III | 44 |
| Japanese, Korean, Mandarin | Category IV | 88 |
A 2022 report from Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs expects 350 to 520 hours of study to reach B1, the level where you can get by on your own in Japanese, and 700 to 1,070 hours to reach B2. Here is how long those take at different amounts of study a week:
| Study per week | B1 (350–520 hours) | B2 (700–1,070 hours) | FSI professional fluency (2,200 hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3½ hours | About 2 to 3 years | About 4 to 6 years | About 12 years |
| 7 hours | About 1 to 1½ years | About 2 to 3 years | About 6 years |
| 14 hours | About 6 to 9 months | About 1 to 1½ years | About 3 years |
| 28 hours | About 3 to 4 months | About 6 to 9 months | About 1½ years |
These are mostly class hours, so treat them as a rough guide. Time you spend understanding Japanese on your own counts too.
What Slows Learners Down
- RomajiJapanese in Latin letters puts off reading, because Japanese books and subtitles use kana and kanji.
- Kanji Lists AloneA kanji such as 人 (person) has several readings, and only the word around it tells you which one to use.
- Content Far Too HardAn anime episode where you know one word in five teaches you very little.
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. Our Japanese app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Can I learn Japanese in three months?
You can learn hiragana and katakana and enough Japanese to order food and introduce yourself. At 14 hours a week, three months is about 180 hours, which is more than the 100 to 150 hours Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs expects for A1, its first level.
How much should I study Japanese each week?
Aim for three to five hours a week of Japanese you understand, in sessions of at least 15 to 30 minutes. A longer session lets you get lost in a story, which teaches more than five minutes a day, and steady time each week matters more than a daily streak. Our post on deep sessions over daily streaks explains why.
Is Japanese hard for English speakers?
Yes, by the Foreign Service Institute's measure: it is in the hardest group, with Korean and Mandarin. The kana are the quick part, and most of the time goes into words and kanji. Japan's list of kanji for everyday use has 2,136 characters, and you pick them up fastest from Japanese you understand.
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.
The Hiragana and Katakana courses and the Japanese lessons on this site are also free and need no account.
