Learn Japanese
Learn Japanese built for you
Lumi Language is Japanese for two weeks in Tokyo, a year in Osaka, or following a show without subtitles. You get romaji with every word, polite speech when that is who you will be talking to, and a first unit of restaurant and host phrases rather than a textbook chapter on animals.
Not “Japanese, beginner” — “two weeks in Tokyo in April — ordering in restaurants and chatting with my Airbnb host”.
Restaurant and host phrases before colours and farm animals.
First-month Japanese phrases
- Housing — Viewing a flat, asking what is included, agreeing a date.
- Town hall — Registering, asking where to queue, the document they will ask for.
- Doctor — Booking, saying where it hurts, understanding the next step.
- Neighbours — The first hello in the stairwell, and the first small ask.
Longer: what to say at a Japanese ward office · what to say at a Japanese flat viewing.
Questions
Do I need kanji before I start?
No. Lessons show Japanese script with a romaji reading. You can answer in romaji. Kanji appear on the words you are actually learning, not as a prerequisite.
Will I learn polite Japanese or casual?
Whichever you will need. A course for a teacher or a host uses です／ます; one for close friends does not. Say who you will be speaking to.
Is two weeks in Tokyo a realistic goal?
You will not become fluent. You will have the phrases for ordering, trains, and a short conversation with a host — which is what two weeks is actually for.
Hiragana, katakana, or romaji?
You see all three as they come up, with romaji on every word. The character picker is there when a lesson asks you to type Japanese script.