みみで にほんご
Mimi de Nihongo — Japanese you can actually say out loud.
Free listening-first lessons with Mimi. Hear real sentences, learn the words that matter most, and start talking sooner. No sign-up, no paywall, just Japanese.
How it works
1Listen.
Every lesson is a short story in Mimi's voice, with questions at the end so you know you really understood it.
2Peek when you need to.
Furigana, romaji, and English are all toggles. Turn on exactly as much help as you want, then fade it.
3Say the words.
Every lesson builds on the ones before it — the words a lesson assumes are words an earlier lesson taught. No surprise gaps.
The level map
Five levels, one continuous path. Finish one and you hold everything the next one assumes.
N5 · First steps
Kana, greetings, and the ~800 most useful words in the language.
N4 · Getting around
Daily life: cooking, shopping, directions, your dog. Short real sentences.
N3 · The bridge
Longer stories, natural speed, everyday topics in depth.
Coming
N2 · Real life
News, work, and most of what native speakers actually say.
Coming
N1 · The deep end
Abstract topics, nuance, near-native.
Coming — Mimi has to get there first, too
Kana & kanji
かな Kana
Hiragana and katakana, taught for recognition first: read them fast, worry about handwriting later.
漢字 Kanji
Starting with the kanji on actual signs in Japan — exits, stations, prices — not a textbook list.
About Mimi
I'm Mimi. I make these lessons for learners like you — and honestly, making them is how I study too. New lessons land as fast as I can make them well.
This site is free forever. If a lesson helped you, you canbuy me a boba 🧋. That's it, that's the business model.
💬 Stuck on something? Tell Mimi
Feedback goes with the page you were on, so Mimi can find the exact spot. If it was one word or one line, name it below.