あア Articles

Japanese learning guides.

Field notes on hiragana, katakana, and the study habits that actually make them stick — written for the way people really learn.

Latest

New 8-part seriesJapanese Food & EatingOctober 12, 2026 Katakana Mnemonics · Part 10Katakana's Odd Ones Out: ワ, ヲ, ン and the End of the 46-Character SetOctober 2, 2026 Hiragana Mnemonics · Part 10Hiragana's Odd Ones Out: わ, を, ん and the End of the 46-Character SetSeptember 4, 2026

Start here

New to Japanese? Read these three in order: hiragana first, then katakana, then your first real phrases.

hiraganabeginner

Getting Started with Hiragana

Learn the 46 hiragana characters in the order that actually works: what to study first, how long it really takes, and which look-alike pairs trip up most learners.

January 15, 20267 min read

katakanaintermediate

Understanding Katakana

Why katakana trips learners who already know hiragana — the confusing lookalike pairs, how to read any English loanword, and how to write your name in Japanese.

January 20, 20268 min read

phrasesbeginner

5 Essential Japanese Phrases Every Beginner Should Know

Five Japanese phrases that unlock real conversations from day one — written form, formal and casual variants, and the cultural rules that change when you use each one.

April 11, 20268 min read

Lesson series

Step-by-step courses meant to be read in order. Each part ends with practice.

10-part series · 53 min total

Hiragana Mnemonics

All 46 hiragana, one row at a time, with a visual mnemonic, audio, and practice words for every character. Start here if you are brand new to kana.

Start with Part 1 →

10-part series · 100 min total

Katakana Mnemonics

All 46 katakana, one row at a time, with a memory hook, audio, and practice words for every character, plus the look-alike pairs that trip people up.

Start with Part 1 →

8-part series · 71 min total

Japanese Food & Eating

Eight lessons built on N5 vocabulary, from the meals of the day to ordering, cooking, and dessert, with a grammar point and tap-to-reveal exercises in each.

Start with Part 1 →

Kana deep dives

The rules that sit on top of the basic 46: dakuten, combination sounds, loanwords, and the mistakes almost everyone makes.

dakutenhandakuten

Understanding Diacritical Marks: Dakuten and Handakuten

What the two small strokes next to a kana character actually do — how dakuten and handakuten transform か into が and は into ぱ, with a complete voiced-sound reference table.

January 1, 20265 min read

contractedcombinations

Contracted Sounds: Combination Characters in Japanese

The 33 contracted sound combinations (きゃ, しゅ, ちょ...) that extend kana beyond the basic 46 — how they are formed, why they are written smaller, and how to read them without guessing.

January 5, 20265 min read

katakanavocabulary

Katakana Loanwords: How English Words Become Japanese

Once you know katakana, you can already read hundreds of Japanese words. This guide covers how English gets transformed into Japanese loanwords and how to decode katakana words you've never seen before.

June 20, 20269 min read

tipsbeginner

Common Mistakes When Learning Hiragana and Katakana

The seven most common mistakes learners make with hiragana and katakana — including the romaji dependency trap and why similar-looking characters keep getting confused.

January 10, 20266 min read

Phrases, study tips & JLPT

Everyday Japanese you can use right away, how to study it, and what the JLPT means for living and working in Japan.

beginnervocabulary

How to Say Dates, Months, and Days of the Week in Japanese

Japanese months are just numbers plus 月, but the days of the month are a memorization project of their own. Here's the full system: months, weekdays, and the counters that trip up every beginner.

July 24, 20268 min read

tips

Effective Learning Tips for Japanese Characters

The spaced repetition schedule and active recall techniques that make hiragana stick — plus the two study habits that undo your progress every time.

January 25, 20269 min read

jlptvisa

Japan's New Work Visa Now Requires JLPT N2

Japan added a Japanese language requirement to its most common work visa in April 2026. Here's what changed, who it actually affects, and what it means if you're serious about working in Japan.

May 25, 20265 min read