Learn Japanese
Updated October 29, 2026
WanderMundo is an AI language learning app where you learn Japanese with short lessons, real conversations with an AI tutor and graded stories. The tutor uses polite です/ます Japanese by default. Start on the free plan in your browser, with no download and no credit card, and say your first sentences today.
What you'll learn in the first 30 days
The Japanese course has 10 units from A1 to A2. You start with polite self-introductions and likes, order food by unit 4, and by unit 5 you already tell what you did yesterday with ready-made past forms like 行きました (I went) and 食べました (I ate), because real conversation is mostly telling what happened.
Each unit has four lessons of 3 to 5 minutes, so one lesson a day takes you through the first five A1 units in about a month. The table below lists them exactly as they appear in the course, with the grammar tip card each unit teaches and one of its lesson titles.
Japanese course, A1 (your first month)
| Unit | Topic | Grammar tip | Sample lesson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Hello and who I am | Introduce yourself with は and です | Introduce わたしは |
| Unit 2 | What I like | Likes with がすきです | Ask すきですか |
| Unit 3 | Numbers, age and what is there | Age and existence | Things: あります |
| Unit 4 | Ordering food and drinks | Request with をください | Price: いくらですか |
| Unit 5 | Telling what happened yesterday | Yesterday with ready-made ました chunks | Went: 行きました |
Japanese course, A2 (what comes next)
| Unit | Topic | Grammar tip | Sample lesson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 6 | Family and belonging | Family connections with の | Belonging with の |
| Unit 7 | Everyday polite actions | Daily verbs with を, に, and で | Objects with を |
| Unit 8 | What did not happen | Past negatives and past questions | Did not: ませんでした |
| Unit 9 | Describing the past | Past descriptions with でした and かったです | い-adjective past: 寒かったです |
| Unit 10 | Plans and invitations | Let’s go and would you like to? | Invite: ませんか |
Unit names are taken from the WanderMundo course. Content may grow over time.
How a lesson works
Every unit opens with a tip card: one grammar point in plain English, plus one memorable trick for remembering it. In unit 1, for example, the tip card shows how わたしは (watashi wa) marks the topic and です (desu) politely finishes the sentence, so わたしはサムです means "I am Sam." Build-the-sentence exercises use word tiles, since Japanese is written without spaces.
Then you practice with eight exercise types, mixed so you read, listen, write and speak in every lesson:
- Tap the pairs: match words to their meaning.
- Build the sentence: put word tiles in order.
- Listen and pick: hear a sentence and choose what it means.
- Listen and type: write what you hear.
- Say it: read a sentence out loud with the microphone.
- Fill the blank: complete a sentence with the missing word.
- Fix the mistake: spot and correct a typical learner error.
- Translate: turn an English sentence into Japanese.
Practice chat at the end of each lesson
Each lesson ends with a short practice chat with the AI tutor, built around what you just learned. You answer by typing or speaking, and when you make a mistake you see a correction card with the right sentence and a one-line reason in your own language.
There are no hearts or lives. Mistakes never block you; they come back later and are saved to Review, where saved words also become flashcards. Path lessons are free and unlimited on every plan.
Speak from day one
You do not have to wait until you can read kanji to start talking. In Talk you chat with the tutor by text, microphone or a live voice call. You can pick a scenario like ordering at a restaurant, checking into a hotel or asking directions, or just have a free conversation. Beginners get tap-to-answer reply ideas and slow audio.
Walk & Talk works in Japanese too: a hands-free spoken lesson of 10 to 60 minutes with headphones, with warm-up, grammar, drills, a short story and a role play. Voice commands like "slower", "repeat that", "pause" and "how do you say..." keep it going without touching your phone.
Listen to graded Japanese stories
Listening is how you learn the rhythm of Japanese and hear particles like は, が and を in real sentences. Listen has podcast-style story episodes graded by level, with a read-along transcript in Japanese, English or both, and speeds from 0.6x to 1.25x. Beginner episodes include English support that fades as your level goes up.
Track your level
Not sure where to start? Take the free placement test (about 8 minutes). It gives an estimated level from A1 to C2 and drops you at the right place in the course. It is an estimate, not an official certificate. You can also simply pick your level and start.
6 Japanese starter phrases
These six polite phrases cover greetings, thanks and ordering. Romaji is a guide only: say each syllable evenly, keep vowels short unless marked long (ō), and note that the particle を is pronounced "o". Learn hiragana early so you can read them without romaji.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | Hello |
| はじめまして | hajimemashite | Nice to meet you (first meeting) |
| よろしくお願いします | yoroshiku onegaishimasu | Please treat me well / Nice to meet you |
| ありがとうございます | arigatō gozaimasu | Thank you (polite) |
| すみません | sumimasen | Excuse me / Sorry |
| これをください | kore o kudasai | This one, please |
Free vs Pro
The free plan includes every Path lesson, unlimited, plus 15 tutor messages and 3 minutes of live voice a day, one 10-minute Walk & Talk session a day, Listen, Review and the placement test. You do not need a credit card to sign up and there are no ads.
Pro adds unlimited text conversation with the tutor, 30 minutes of live voice a day and Walk & Talk sessions up to 60 minutes. See pricing.
Want a full plan? Read best way to learn japanese, see best app to learn japanese in 2026, or start with how to learn a new language.
Who it's for
- Total beginners who want a clear start
- Anime, travel and culture fans who want to speak
- Learners who read some kana but freeze when talking
- Busy people with 5 to 15 minutes a day
Who it's not for
- People who need an official certificate (levels are estimates)
- Learners who want a human teacher
- Anyone looking for a course beyond A2 in Japanese today
Frequently asked questions
Can I learn Japanese for free?
Yes. WanderMundo's Japanese course lessons are free and unlimited, and the free plan adds 15 tutor messages and 3 minutes of live voice a day. No credit card, no ads, nothing to download.
How long does it take to learn Japanese?
The US Foreign Service Institute estimates about 88 weeks (2,200 class hours) for English speakers to reach professional working proficiency in Japanese. Basic polite conversation comes much sooner if you practice speaking a little every day.
Is Japanese hard for English speakers?
Japanese is one of the harder languages for English speakers because of its three writing systems (hiragana, katakana and kanji) and a different word order, with the verb at the end. Pronunciation is fairly easy, though: it has only five vowel sounds, and polite speech follows clear patterns.
Can I learn Japanese with an app?
An app can take you a long way if you speak every day. WanderMundo combines short lessons, a tutor that corrects you and graded listening; adding real conversations with people later makes it even stronger.
What should I learn first in Japanese?
Learn hiragana and a polite self-introduction first: はじめまして, your name with です, and よろしくお願いします. Then add katakana, likes with がすきです and ordering with をください, as in units 1 to 4 of the course.
Related guides
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