I built Japan Ready Coach because I kept buying Japanese books and apps, starting with good intentions, and then drifting away. The problem was not a lack of material. It was a lack of a path I could see and finish. This guide is the front door I wanted: learn one kana row, finish it, continue, and know what comes next.
What Kana Are
Japanese uses two phonetic scripts called Hiragana and Katakana. Each basic character represents a sound rather than an English-style letter. Both scripts cover the same core sounds, but they do different jobs.
- Hiragana appears in native Japanese words, grammar endings, and particles. It is the first script I would learn.
- Katakana often appears in foreign names, loanwords, sound effects, and emphasis. It uses the same sound order with different shapes.
- Kanji are meaning-based characters. They matter later, but they are deliberately outside this first foundation.
There are 46 basic characters in each kana script. Voiced sounds such as ga, za, da, and ba, plus combinations such as kya and sho, build on these shapes. Japan Ready Coach starts with the 46-character base instead of putting every variation on the first screen.
The 22-Lesson Order
The app teaches the 11 basic rows in Hiragana first, then repeats the same sequence in Katakana. Most rows have five characters. The Y row, W row, and final N are shorter because modern basic kana do not fill five slots there.
- Vowels: あ い う え お / ア イ ウ エ オ - a, i, u, e, o
- K row: か き く け こ / カ キ ク ケ コ - ka, ki, ku, ke, ko
- S row: さ し す せ そ / サ シ ス セ ソ - sa, shi, su, se, so
- T row: た ち つ て と / タ チ ツ テ ト - ta, chi, tsu, te, to
- N row: な に ぬ ね の / ナ ニ ヌ ネ ノ - na, ni, nu, ne, no
- H row: は ひ ふ へ ほ / ハ ヒ フ ヘ ホ - ha, hi, fu, he, ho
- M row: ま み む め も / マ ミ ム メ モ - ma, mi, mu, me, mo
- Y row: や ゆ よ / ヤ ユ ヨ - ya, yu, yo
- R row: ら り る れ ろ / ラ リ ル レ ロ - ra, ri, ru, re, ro
- W row: わ を / ワ ヲ - wa, wo
- Final N: ん / ン - n
Sounds Worth Slowing Down For
Romaji is useful at the beginning, but it is only a reminder. Japanese sounds do not always land exactly where an English speaker expects.
- し / シ (shi), ち / チ (chi), and つ / ツ (tsu) break the otherwise regular S and T row pattern.
- ふ / フ (fu) is softer than a typical English f. Treat the romaji as a cue, not a perfect pronunciation spelling.
- The R row is not a plain English R or L. Early recognition matters first; careful listening and speaking practice should follow.
- を (wo) keeps its traditional romaji label in charts but is normally pronounced like o when used as the object particle.
- ん / ン (n) is a standalone nasal sound, not the five-character N row.
How One Guided Lesson Works
- Look at one kana character without opening the answer chart.
- Choose its matching sound from four choices.
- Correct each character in the active row once to finish that lesson.
- Use the single Continue button to move to the next row.
- Return later through Practice Extras for the stricter three-correct mastery deck, reverse recognition, chart reference, and worksheets.
Completing a row is a first recognition pass, not a claim of mastery. That distinction matters. A visible finish line keeps the session manageable, while the deeper review tools remain available when you are ready to strengthen recall.
A Two-Week Starter Plan
This is the pace I would use if I were rebuilding the habit from zero. It is a suggestion, not a deadline. Repeat a day when the shapes still feel slippery.
- Days 1-2: Hiragana vowels and K row.
- Days 3-4: Hiragana S and T rows.
- Days 5-6: Hiragana N, H, and M rows.
- Day 7: Hiragana Y, R, W, and final N, followed by a short review.
- Days 8-13: Repeat the same order in Katakana.
- Day 14: Use reverse recognition and a blank worksheet to find the characters that still need attention.
Ten focused minutes that you actually complete is more useful than an ambitious hour you avoid. Stop at the end of a row, record the win, and come back for the next one.
Use Writing To Make The Shapes Stick
Writing helped me when I studied Japanese in class, which is why the app includes printable workbook-style practice. Open Step 1 in the app, expand Practice Extras, and choose the printable worksheet.
- Select Hiragana, Katakana, or both scripts.
- Print all rows or narrow the sheet to vowels, K/S/T, N/H/M, or Y/R/W plus final N.
- Use Trace mode to copy a model, then write one from memory.
- Use Blank Quiz mode when you want prompts plus an answer key.
- Print on paper or use the browser's Save as PDF option. Nothing is uploaded.
Turn Recognition Into Reading
After the Hiragana rows feel recognizable, practice following a complete thought instead of adding harder characters immediately. The first Hiragana reading routine shows how to decode, group, and check five short scenes already available in the app. It includes a finite 15-minute session and a printable five-scene study log.
Your Stage 1 Readiness Check
You do not need beautiful handwriting or perfect speed before moving forward. I would look for these practical signs:
- You have completed all 11 guided Hiragana rows and all 11 guided Katakana rows.
- You can recognize most basic kana without opening the chart.
- You can work in both directions: kana to sound and sound to kana.
- You know which small group is still weak and can deliberately review it.
- You can attempt a blank writing sheet, then use the answer key honestly.
The app saves row progress in your current browser and includes it in the local backup export. There is no account or server sync, so export a backup before clearing browser data or changing devices.
What Comes After Kana
The broader roadmap is intentionally simple: basic kana first, sound combinations, practical N5 vocabulary, progressive grammar sentence builders, foundational kanji, and comprehension scenarios. The curriculum now delivers all 100 JLPT N5 kanji, 300 core vocabulary words, 25 grammar lessons, and 20 reading scenarios, while further expansions remain active build targets, not completed-course claims.
Before leaving kana, strengthen your pronunciation and reading combinations with the Kana Sound Bridge Guide covering voiced dakuten, handakuten, small yōon glides, double consonants, long vowels, and katakana loan-word sounds.
The vocabulary track begins with the first 50 Japanese words, continues through Words 51-100, and completes the full 300-word foundation in the Words 101-300 Guide across 30 ordered units.
Grammar study progresses through three companion guides: the worked guide for Grammar Lessons 1-5 (particles and connections), the guide for Lessons 6-10 (existence, location, and question words), and the guide for Lessons 11-25 covering desires, ongoing actions, permissions, comparisons, obligations, and intentions.
Reinforce your reading with 20 beginner passages in Hiragana Reading Practice, master character recognition with the 100 JLPT N5 Kanji Guide, and expand your intermediate study with the JLPT N4 Foundation Guide (100 kanji, 200 vocabulary words, 15 grammar sentence builders, and 10 reading scenarios).
Japan Ready Coach is also not official JLPT preparation, a substitute for a teacher, or a guarantee that every explanation sounds natural in every setting. The current useful promise is smaller: a beginner can see the first path, complete short lessons, review weak kana, print practice, and know what should come next.
Start The First Row
Begin with the five Hiragana vowels. Complete that one row, use Continue, and let the sequence do the organizing.