Nowadays, you can find tons of learning resources on the internet, but there aren’t many opportunities to learn Japanese online with a teacher.
Sure, there are programs for online tutors. However, the schedule of the teacher might not be as flexible as you wish. Besides, professional teachers normally charge $25-40/hour, so it can get expensive for repeated lessons.
I offer self-paced online courses at my school, Smile Nihongo Academy.
No matter where you are in the world, you can open any lessons anytime and learn at your pace.
I answer your questions and support your learning. So, you can learn Japanese online with a teacher without time restriction.
Does It Work? Try Mini-Courses (free)!
Every learner has a different learning style. Therefore, it’s always best to see if the course fits your learning style before you invest your time and energy in it.
The only way to find out is to try the lessons. Hence, I offer free mini-courses for students.
Pick the one that suits your level below. You can sign up with your name and email address. (No need to provide payment information)
Mini-Course 1: Start from ZERO
Mini-Course 1 is designed for complete beginners. You’ll learn how to say basic things about yourself (name, nationality, and occupation). I will teach you how to speak properly, even with your very limited skills in Japanese.
- Lesson 1 – Your nationality in Japanese
- Lesson 2 – Let’s talk about yourself!
- Lesson 3 – Don’t want to sound funny in Japanese?
- Lesson 4 – Introduce yourself in Japanese
- Printable Materials (PDF): Vocabulary list
Mini-Course 2: Numbers & Money【2-Week Access】
Mini-Course 2 covers Japanese numbers and money. It will walk you through how to say numbers from 1 to 999 with the correct pronunciation. After that, I cover how to say prices in the Japanese yen, dollars, pounds, euro, and other currencies in the world.
NOTE: This course is free, but access is limited to 2 weeks, So plan accordingly.
- Lesson 1 – Numbers 1 to 19
- Lesson 2 – Numbers 20 to 99
- Lesson 3 – Japanese Money
- Lesson 4 – Numbers 100 to 999
- Lesson 5 – World Currencies in Japanese
- Printable Materials (PDF): Vocabulary list & Number list (3 pages)
This course also will be a good prep course for your next trip to Japan since it covers how to say prices. ?
Mini-Course 3: Verbs 【3 Week- Access】
Mini-Course 3 covers the basics of Japanese verbs and particles.
You will learn how to say things you do or don’t do, such as “I drink coffee every morning” or “My boyfriend plays golf on weekends.”
NOTE: This course is free, but access is limited to 3 weeks, So plan accordingly.
I will show you how systematic Japanese sentences are and how to build them on your own. I will also explain the difference between Formal and Informal speech in Japanese and what you can do to avoid sounding awkward when you speak Japanese.
- Lesson 1 – Word order doesn’t matter much
- Lesson 2 – Do I sound like a child?
- Lesson 3 – TWO tips – Not only correct but NATURAL
- Lesson 4 – Now, can you say this in Japanese?
- Printable Materials (PDF): Vocabulary list & Verb list (21 pages)
All PDF materials are prepared in both Hiragana/Katakana and Romaji. Therefore, you don’t need to know Japanese letters to learn from these Mini-Courses.
Learn Japanese Online with a Teacher
Why is it important to learn Japanese online with a teacher? Because it is crucial to have professional support when you learn a challenging language like Japanese.
It’s tough to stay motivated when no one is there to encourage you and answer your questions, isn’t it? I have heard from many of my students that they signed up for a Japanese learning website before, but there was no one there to answer their questions and explain things.
I always answer your questions and support your learning!
Who is Sensei (teacher)?
A little about me. My name is ゆうこ (Yuko), and I am a native Japanese who was born and raised in Kyushu, Japan.
I have M.A. in Japanese Pedagogy (Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language) and have been teaching Japanese as my profession for over 20 years. I have taught at colleges in the USA.
I am specifically trained to teach English-speaking learners. Therefore, all of my lessons are conducted in English. However, I also have many students from non-English speaking countries in my online school.
Teaching is my calling. I so enjoy supporting Japanese learners’ progress and growth!
If you want to learn Japanese online with a teacher, try the free courses and see how you feel.
Other Japanese Courses
Aside from free mini-courses, I offer full courses for various levels. You can download the lesson list for each course below.
Japanese 1
Download the Japanese 1 Lesson List
Japanese 2
Download the Japanese 2 Lesson List
Japanese 3
Download the Japanese 3 Lesson List
Japanese 4
Download the Japanese 4 Lesson List
Japanese 5
Download the Japanese 5 Lesson List
Japanese 6
Download the Japanese 6 Lesson List
Japanese 7
Download the Japanese 7 Lesson List
Listening Course
Download the Listening Course Lesson List
Kanji Startup Course
Download the Kanji Course Lesson List
I look forward to having you as my student and being part of your learning journey!
ゆうこせんせい Yuko-sensei