Learn Japanese
Japanese is spoken by about 125 million speakers, mainly in Japan. Envoy teaches it the way the U.S. Foreign Service trains diplomats — comprehensible-input lessons, spaced repetition, and daily speaking with an AI tutor — plus a graded Reader that carries the pronunciation of every phrase. Free to start, no card.
How long does it take to learn Japanese?
The Foreign Service Institute rates Japanese Category IV — one of the hardest ("super-hard") languages for English speakers, about 2,200 class hours to professional working proficiency (ILR-3, roughly CEFR B2–C1). A conversational B1 is realistic in about 6 years at 30 minutes a day, or roughly half that at an hour a day. See the full comparison on how long it really takes to learn a language.
What you'll actually say
Japanese greets you before you even speak. Walk into any shop and a staff member will call out "irasshaimase" — welcome — and you are not expected to answer; just nod and carry on. The whole language runs on this current of quiet courtesy, and the single most useful thing you can carry is the polite -masu / desu ending you'll hear on almost every line in this book.
Read your way to fluency
Envoy's graded Reader for Japanese is a warm, cover-to-cover book that carries you from your first hello to real conversations, with an English-phonetic pronunciation and meaning on every line. Tap any sentence to hear it, and save phrases to your spaced-repetition review.
Why the professional's method works
- Comprehensible input — story-driven lessons pitched one step past your level.
- Spaced repetition — an SRS engine resurfaces each word right before you'd forget it.
- Daily speaking — an AI tutor adapts to your level and corrects gently, out loud.
- Honest progress — real hours logged against the FSI/CEFR ladder, no streak gimmicks.
Japanese FAQ
Is Japanese hard to learn for English speakers?
Japanese is FSI Category IV, one of the hardest ("super-hard") languages for English speakers — roughly 2,200 class hours to professional working proficiency (ILR-3, about CEFR B2–C1).
How long does it take to speak Japanese conversationally?
Reaching a conversational B1 takes about 6 years at 30 minutes a day, or roughly half that at an hour a day, based on FSI hour benchmarks. Envoy logs your real hours against that ladder.
Is Envoy's Japanese course free?
Yes. Create a free account or start as a guest, with no card. The full course, the AI speaking tutor, spaced-repetition review, and the Reader are all on the free tier.
Keep exploring
Last updated