Learning Japanese on your own?

You don't need an app, an account, or a subscription. Print 5 pages tonight, finish them tomorrow morning, and you've started.

The 30-day starter path

If you're brand new to Japanese, this is the order we recommend:

Days 1–7: Hiragana basics — print all 50 hiragana worksheets and do the trace sheets first (15 sheets), then recognize (15), then write (20). ~30 min/day.
Days 8–14: Katakana — same flow with katakana worksheets. By Day 14 you can read every sound in Japanese.
Days 15–25: N5 grammar — work through all 20 grammar worksheets at 2 per day. Each sheet has examples and a writing space.
Days 26–30: Start N5 kanji — 80 kanji worksheets, one per kanji. Aim for 16/day for 5 days, or stretch to 8/day for 10 days.

That's 30 days, 200 worksheets, ~$0. By the end you'll have the foundation to take the JLPT N5 (or just confidently read manga furigana).

Switch the language to your native one

The instructions are translated into Bahasa Indonesia and Yorùbá so far. Use the language picker (top right) to switch — same content, your language. Want your language added? Open an issue.

What if I'm already past N5?

Phase 1 covers N5 only. N4 → N1 are coming in Phase 2. In the meantime, check our curated resource list for great materials in other languages.

How to actually use a printed worksheet

Trace sheets: trace the faded character with a pencil. Don't worry about perfection.
Recognize sheets: draw a line connecting kana with romaji, or pick the right kana for a sound.
Write sheets: see the romaji prompt, write the kana below from memory. Check the small reference at top.
Kanji sheets: read the meaning + example words, then trace the character in the practice grid.
Grammar sheets: read the topic + examples, then write 3 of your own sentences in the practice space.

Tips that actually help

Print on cheap paper. You'll throw it away in a week. That's fine.
20 min/day beats 3 hours on Sunday. Always.
Say each character out loud as you write it. Muscle memory + audio memory both stick.
Don't skip katakana. You'll read it constantly (loanwords, brand names, food menus).
Stuck? Go back to a previous worksheet and re-do it. Repetition isn't failure.

Not a learner but a teacher? See /teachers/.