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Japanese for Beginners: First Steps Explained in English

Name: Japanese for Beginners: First Steps Explained in English
Rating: 4.4 (3 reviews)

A free beginner-friendly course covering Japanese basics, greetings, food vocabulary, and numbers

Created byTomoko Yamashita

Last updated 3/2026

English

What you'll learn

Understand the basic structure and features of the Japanese language
Use common Japanese greetings and useful everyday expressions
Recognize and use basic food-related nouns in Japanese
Count and understand Japanese numbers from 0 to 1000

Course content

8 sections • 32 lectures • 1h 36m total length

Welcome! Let's study together.1:43
Notes on Romanization and Readings1:23

2-1. Greeting and Useful expressions8:26
In this lecture, you’ll learn common Japanese greetings and useful expressions.
This lesson is divided into two parts (Part 1 and Part 2).
You are currently watching Part 1.
After finishing this video, please check out the Repeat After Me practice video to reinforce what you've learned.
2-1a. Practice video 14:46
Let’s practice what you’ve just learned.
This is a Repeat After Me practice video for Part 1.
Use this video to practice pronunciation and reinforce the expressions you learned.
Repeat each sentence out loud.
2-2. Greeting and Useful expressions3:26
This lesson (Part 2) is divided into two videos: the first half and the second half.
You are currently watching the first half of Part 2.
Make sure to watch the second half to complete this lesson.
2-2a. Greeting and Useful expressions3:59
This is the second half of Part 2 of this lesson.
If you haven’t watched the first half yet, please go back and watch it first.
After finishing this video, continue with the Repeat After Me practice video to review and practice.
2-2ba. Practice video 22:37
This is the Repeat After Me practice video (first half) for Part 2.
Practice speaking by repeating each sentence out loud.
Don’t forget to watch the second half as well.
2-2bb. Practice video 2a3:40
This is the Repeat After Me practice video (second half) for Part 2.
If you haven’t practiced the first half yet, make sure to do that first.
Keep practicing and repeat each sentence out loud.
After taking quizzes, next lecture is noun.
Let's check your understanding.

3-1. Food Vocabulary 1 – Ingredients5:10
In this lecture, you’ll learn basic Japanese words for common food ingredients.
Focus on pronunciation and try to connect each word with ingredients you already know or use.
3-2. Food Vocabulary 2 – Cuisine2:56
In this lecture, you’ll learn Japanese words for popular dishes and types of cuisine.
Listen carefully and say each word out loud to become familiar with how food names sound in Japanese.
3-3. Food Vocabulary 3 – Sweets and Drinks2:04
In this lecture, you’ll learn Japanese words for common sweets and drinks.
Say each word out loud and imagine ordering them in a café or restaurant to help the words stick.
Next, we will practice using these words.
3-4. Practice video2:10
This video completes our lesson on basic food vocabulary.
Up next is Japanese numbers, from 0 to 1000.
Let's check your understanding.

4 Japanese Numbers 0-1000(overview)0:57
4-2. Japanese Numbers 0-92:15
4-3. Japanese Numbers 10-192:22
4-4. Japanese Numbers 20-292:42
4-5. Japanese Numbers 30-392:45
4-6. Japanese Numbers 40-492:42
4-7. Japanese Numbers 50-592:33
4-8. Japanese Numbers 60-692:43
4-9. Japanese Numbers 70-792:38
4-10. Japanese Numbers 80-892:43
4-11. Japanese Numbers 90-992:42
4-12. Japanese Numbers 100-1000(overview)3:08
Let's check your understanding.

Practice Numbers in Real Situations3:34
A short review of how to count small items and people in Japanese.
Practice Numbers in Real Situations 22:40
A simple lesson showing that long numbers can be read one digit at a time, which is clear and natural in real situations.
Practice Numbers in Real Situations 34:52
A short lesson on how to use the numbers you’ve learned in real situations, including platform numbers (-番線/-ban-sen) and the counter for flat objects like tickets (-枚/-mai).
Japanese Numbers in Real-Life Situations Quiz

Requirements

This is introductory course. No preliminary knowledge is required.
A device to watch videos and download PDFs
Motivation to practice simple Japanese phrases

Description

Learn Japanese with clear, simple English explanations from a native Japanese instructor.

This beginner‑friendly course introduces the basics of Japanese step by step and is designed as the very first step in your Japanese‑learning journey.

Most of the narration in this introductory course is recorded by the instructor.

In later bonus or mini‑courses, some English explanations or dialogue lines may use TTS (text‑to‑speech) to provide clearer pronunciation and add variety to the voices.

AI is used only for these TTS segments.

All main lesson content in this first‑step course is created and narrated by the instructor.

You will begin with an overview of the Japanese language, including its basic characteristics and how it differs from English. This will help you understand how Japanese works before memorizing words or grammar rules.

Next, you will learn common Japanese greetings and useful everyday expressions that are frequently used in real-life situations.

To build basic vocabulary, the course also introduces food-related nouns that are practical and easy to remember. In addition, you will learn how to say and understand Japanese numbers step by step, from 1 to 100, and continue with an overview of numbers up to 1,000 through short, focused video lessons.

This course is not a complete Japanese program. Instead, it is a gentle introduction designed to help absolute beginners gain confidence and prepare for further Japanese study.

All videos are provided in high quality, and downloadable PDF materials are included. This course can also be used by non-native Japanese teachers as supplementary material for beginner-level classes.

It is ideal for absolute beginners who want a smooth, stress-free introduction to Japanese before moving on to more detailed grammar or conversation-focused courses.

No prior knowledge is required, and the course is suitable for self-study, classroom support, or anyone curious about starting Japanese in a clear and structured way.

This course may be expanded with occasional short bonus lessons based on learner feedback.

All additions will stay beginner‑friendly and follow the original course structure.

Most of the narration in this course is my own voice.

For a few bonus videos, I also use TTS to provide clear pronunciation and add a bit of variety to the listening experience.

Who this course is for:

Absolute beginners who want to start learning Japanese
Learners who want a gentle, stress-free introduction to Japanese
Learners preparing for JLPT N5–N4
Students preparing to study Japanese more seriously in the future
Non-native Japanese teachers looking for beginner teaching materials
Travelers interested in Japanese culture

Japanese for Beginners: First Steps Explained in English

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Welcome & How to Use This Course2 lectures • 3min

Features and configuration of Japanese Language3 lectures • 12min

Greeting and Useful expressions6 lectures • 27min

Basic Food Vocabulary4 lectures • 12min

4 Japanese Numbers 0-1000(overview)12 lectures • 30min

Practice videos for Numbers3 lectures • 11min

Final: Thank You & Next Steps1 lecture • 1min

Bonus Lecture1 lecture • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: