About Mimi ・ みみについて

I'm Mimi. I make listening-first Japanese lessons for people who want to talk — travelers, dog people, home cooks, and anyone whose textbook Japanese evaporates the moment a real person speaks.

Honestly? Making these lessons is how I study, too. The site grows as fast as I can make new lessons well, and it growsupward: as my Japanese climbs toward the next level, so does the site.

How the lessons work

• Listen first. Every lesson is a short story in my voice. Ears before eyes.
• Peek, then fade. Furigana, romaji, and English are independent toggles on every lesson. Use all the help, then turn it down as you grow.
• One chain, no gaps. Lessons build on each other in order. Every lesson prints the words it assumes you know — and by the rules of this site, each of those words was taught by an earlier lesson. If you ever find a gap, that's a bug, and the feedback form on every page is how you report it.
• Prove it to yourself. Each story ends with questions about the story. Answer out loud, then check.

About the levels

The five levels borrow the JLPT ladder (N5 → N1) because learners already know it — but this is a conversation course, not test prep. The real JLPT never asks you to speak; speaking is the whole point here. So: levels roughly match JLPT N5–N1 in vocabulary and grammar scope, sequenced our way — conversation and travel value first.

The tip jar 🧋

This site is free forever — no accounts required, no paywall, no ads. If a lesson helped you and you want to say thanks, you can buy me a boba. That's it, that's the business model.

Tip jar link coming soon

Say hello

The feedback form at the bottom of every page is stamped with the page you were on — use it to report a confusing word, a gap in the chain, or just to say the lessons helped. Mimi reads everything.