How long does it take to learn Japanese?

To speak: simple everyday conversation in three to four months of daily speaking practice; comfortable conversation in a year to eighteen months. To read: kana in two weeks, everyday kanji over one to two years. The speaking timeline is much shorter than people assume.

Is Japanese hard to learn?

The writing is hard. The speaking is not — the sounds are easy, there's no gender, no plurals, no verb conjugation for person, and the grammar is strange but regular. Separate the two jobs and Japanese becomes very learnable.

Should I learn hiragana or start speaking first?

Both, in parallel: speak from day one by sound, and learn hiragana in the evenings of the first week. Don't delay speaking until you can read — but don't lean on romaji for long either.

Do I need kanji to speak Japanese?

No. Kanji is for reading and writing. Learn it after you're already speaking, and only for words you already use.

What's the best app to learn Japanese?

For speaking, one that answers back and corrects your particles: a tutor, a partner, or an AI conversation teacher like Sui on SpeakingVibes (free to start, romaji shown while you learn kana). For kana and kanji, any good flashcard app.

How to learn Japanese as an adult: speaking first, kanji later

Updated 24 October 2026 · 9 min read

Japanese has the most intimidating reputation of any major language, and almost all of it comes from the writing — three scripts, thousands of kanji. Here's the thing nobody tells beginners: you don't need any of it to speak. Spoken Japanese has simple, clean sounds, no verb conjugation for person, no gender, no plurals, and a grammar that is strange but extremely regular.

This plan separates the two jobs. Speaking starts in week one, in sound. The scripts come in a sensible order — hiragana in a week, katakana the next, kanji only when you're already talking.

The short version

Week 1: the sounds (easy — five pure vowels) and your first 20 words and phrases, out loud. Start hiragana in the evenings.
Weeks 2–4: 200 words and the polite -masu form of ten verbs; one short spoken exchange every day. Katakana in the evenings.
Months 2–3: daily ten-minute conversations about real situations, corrected afterwards. Particles (は, を, に) arrive through the corrections. Kanji only now, and only for words you already say.
Always: speak before you feel ready. Japanese people are extraordinarily encouraging to anyone who tries.

Week 1: the sounds and hiragana

Japanese pronunciation is one of the easiest for English speakers: five vowels (a i u e o, pure and short), consonants that are mostly familiar, and no stress accent to get wrong — syllables get roughly equal weight. The two things to watch: long vowels change meaning (obasan aunt vs obaasan grandmother) and the r is a light tap between English r, l and d.

Hiragana — 46 characters, each one syllable — is a week of 15 minutes a day. Do it. Romaji (Japanese in Latin letters) is a crutch that becomes a problem fast, because real Japanese never uses it. Katakana (the same 46 sounds, used for foreign words — koohii, terebi) is week two. Both are completely phonetic.

Kanji can wait. Thousands of Japanese children speak fluently before they can read a newspaper; so can you.

Weeks 2–4: the 200 words and the -masu form

Greetings and the set phrases (ohayou gozaimasu, arigatou, sumimasen — Japanese runs on them), numbers, the verbs desu / arimasu / imasu / ikimasu / tabemasu / nomimasu / shimasu / wakarimasu, question words, food, directions, time, family. Learn verbs in the polite -masu form first: it's what you'll use with everyone you don't know, it's completely regular, and it never offends.

Our Japanese vocabulary by topic groups 200 words by situation, with romaji while you're still learning kana; ten a day, aloud. Daily rule: one sentence to someone, today. Konnichiwa, genki desu ka? counts.

Months 2–3: situations, corrections, particles

Ten minutes a day on one real situation — the konbini, ordering ramen, introducing yourself, asking the way — repeated until easy. Corrections after the thought: what you said, the natural version, one line on why.

This is where the particles sort themselves out. は marks the topic, を the object, に the destination or time, で the place of action — and you will mix them up for months. Each correction (densha ni norimasu, not densha wo) moves one of them from your head to your mouth. No chart does that.

Word order will feel backwards — verb at the end — for about three weeks, then stop feeling like anything.

What to skip (for now)

Kanji, until month three. Then learn them only for words you already say, ten a week, by reading not writing.
Keigo (honorific speech). Shop staff use it on you; you don't need to use it back. -masu is polite enough for a year.
Casual speech from anime. Fun to understand, risky to copy. Learn polite first; casual comes naturally from friends.
*Counters beyond tsu and nin. Hitotsu, futatsu for things and hitori, futari* for people get you through most of daily life.

How long does it really take?

Speaking: simple everyday conversation in three to four months of daily 15–20-minute practice (roughly A2), comfortable conversation in a year to eighteen months — the grammar is regular, so this is not much slower than German. Reading is a different timeline: kana in two weeks, the ~1,000 kanji you need for daily life over one to two years of gentle, steady exposure. Keep the two timelines separate in your head and you won't get discouraged.

Where to practise speaking

In order of how much they'll make you speak: a patient Japanese-speaking friend (free, rare), a private tutor (the best feedback, €15–30 an hour), a language-exchange partner (free, hit-and-miss), and an AI conversation teacher (unlimited patience, available at 11 pm, free or cheap). Most people end up combining the last two.

If you want to try the AI route, Sui on SpeakingVibes is a Japanese teacher you talk to out loud: she answers in Japanese with romaji under every line while you learn kana, slows down when you ask, corrects your particles gently afterwards and saves every new word to your flashcards. The free account covers the daily ten-minute conversation this guide is built around.

Questions people ask

How long does it take to learn Japanese?: To speak: simple everyday conversation in three to four months of daily speaking practice; comfortable conversation in a year to eighteen months. To read: kana in two weeks, everyday kanji over one to two years. The speaking timeline is much shorter than people assume.
Is Japanese hard to learn?: The writing is hard. The speaking is not — the sounds are easy, there's no gender, no plurals, no verb conjugation for person, and the grammar is strange but regular. Separate the two jobs and Japanese becomes very learnable.
Should I learn hiragana or start speaking first?: Both, in parallel: speak from day one by sound, and learn hiragana in the evenings of the first week. Don't delay speaking until you can read — but don't lean on romaji for long either.
Do I need kanji to speak Japanese?: No. Kanji is for reading and writing. Learn it after you're already speaking, and only for words you already use.
What's the best app to learn Japanese?: For speaking, one that answers back and corrects your particles: a tutor, a partner, or an AI conversation teacher like Sui on SpeakingVibes (free to start, romaji shown while you learn kana). For kana and kanji, any good flashcard app.

Start the plan today

Ten minutes, out loud, with Sui. Free account, no credit card.

Have your first Japanese conversation

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