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Can you learn kana in a week?

A 7-day hiragana plan

• Day 1: the 5 vowels あいうえお and the K row.
• Day 2: S and T rows. Review days 1-2.
• Day 3: N and H rows.
• Day 4: M, Y, R rows, わ, を, ん.
• Day 5: the dakuten marks (が, ざ, だ, ば, ぱ).
• Day 6: small ゃゅょ combinations (きゃ, しゅ) and the small っ.
• Day 7: read real words: names, food, words you know from anime.

10 to 20 minutes a day, plus a quick review in a spaced-repetition app, is enough.

What makes it stick

• Mnemonics: a picture story for each shape (free guides like Tofugu's use this).
• Reading, not just recognising: as soon as you know a row, read real words with it.
• Skip writing for now if your goal is reading. It is slower, and optional at the start.

After kana

Kana lets you read sounds, not meaning. The next step is words and sentences you hear in context. That gap is the moment many learners stall; we wrote what to do when you can read it but understand nothing.

“Now, are you feeling lost at the start? That's normal. Don't panic. Everybody feels it.”Languy · from a recorded lesson

Questions people also ask

Should I learn hiragana or katakana first?

Hiragana first. It is used for grammar and native words everywhere; katakana is mostly for foreign words and names.

Do I need romaji?

Only for the first day or two. Moving to kana quickly makes everything after it easier.

When should I start kanji?

After kana, gradually, learning kanji inside words you actually meet rather than as a list of isolated characters.

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Keep reading

• Can you learn Hangul in a day?
• Japanese for beginners: where do I start?
• I can read it, but I understand nothing. What now?
• The best free apps for learning Japanese (honest comparison)
• All answers