Learn Japanese by playing stories
In every scene you choose what to say in Japanese, and the story follows what you answer. Furigana over the kanji, a translation when you want it, narrated audio, and a lesson and a game at the end of each episode.
New free story: Picnic in the Park
You and Aya buy picnic food at the konbini: what to bring and how many, without going over budget. Learn to count with つ and to ask いくつ, then finish with the lesson and a shopping-basket game.
Free to play right now
5 stories (3 at N5 and 2 at N4), from start to finish, with the lesson and the game.
How an episode works
Read with support
Furigana over the kanji and a tap on any word for its meaning. The translation stays hidden until you ask for it.
Choose what to say
Three answers in Japanese. Pick one: your companion reacts, and if you slip, the story brings you back on track.
Try without help
At the end, a grammar lesson, a game that uses what you learned, and a new situation to check what stuck.
Here's how Japanese is learned, step by step
I made one app for each stage. All of them start free; begin with the one that fits you.
1. First, learn hiragana and katakanaThe Hiraganas KingBoth syllabaries turned into memory and reflex games.
2. Next, the basics and a bit of grammarMasterNihongoN525 interactive lessons to get ready for the N5.
3. At the same time, kanji and start readingJapanese Tales: Read & LearnInteractive stories with furigana, audio and tap-to-translate.
4. Last, play and study kanjiKanjiGuessGuess the kanji of the day: hot or cold, one more try.
Frequently asked questions
- Is it free?
- 5 stories (3 at N5 and 2 at N4) are completely free to play on the web. The others are played in the app. Starting out is free; a subscription unlocks the rest.
- Do I need to know Japanese?
- Not for the first N5 stories. Kanji come with furigana, every sentence has a translation you can reveal when you want it, and every choice has a hint. If you can't read hiragana and katakana yet, begin with the first app in the study path below.
- Which levels are there?
- 28 stories today: 20 at JLPT N5, 6 at JLPT N4, 2 at JLPT N3. Each is a short episode set in a real situation: a train station, a café, a market, a ticket machine.
- Do the stories have audio?
- Yes. Every scene, every answer, every key expression and every lesson example is voiced.
- Where can I play?
- In your browser on this site, and in the app for iPhone and Android.
Take it with you
The whole library, your progress and the review of the words you missed, on iPhone and Android.