Kotoyokai · Japanese conversation practice

Learn hiragana, katakana and kanji from zero, then use them in real conversations with yokai — the spirits and shapeshifters of Japanese folklore.

Start with kana, move on to words, numbers, sentences and kanji, and build up to JLPT N5 one step at a time. Then chat with characters who answer in Japanese, read your words back with furigana, and gently fix your mistakes.

What you can do

Kana: hiragana & katakana

• A full chart of hiragana and katakana, including combined sounds like きゃ, with every sound read aloud
• Practice writing each kana in the right stroke order
• Games: bounce falling kana into words in Kana Bounce, and get used to the Japanese flick keyboard in Kana Flick

Words, numbers & sentences

• Everyday words in kana, like family and days of the week, read aloud
• Numbers the way you meet them in Japan: dates, times, counting, age and prices
• Read whole sentences in kana: where each word ends, and how は, を and へ are read

Kanji

• Collect the kanji you know, from N5 to N1, and see how many words you can read with them
• Watch each kanji's stroke order and see example words. For some kanji, watch the character turn into a picture of what it means

Phrases for your trip

• Phrases you'll use in Japan, grouped by place: café, restaurant, convenience store, train, airport, hotel and more. Read them with furigana and listen
• Search for what you want to say, like asking for the bill
• Hear a price in Japanese and pay it with yen bills and coins

Review

• Add what you learned to Review. Cards come back on the days you need them, and you recall the answer before you see it

Chat with yokai

• Talk in Japanese with Mameta the tanuki and Okon the fox
• Type or speak, in Japanese or English
• Every reply comes with furigana, an English translation, and a gentle correction when your Japanese needs one. Hear every reply in the character's own voice
• Tap any word for its meaning and examples, and save it to your word list
• The character you pick stays with you as a buddy on every page and cheers you on

Pricing

Kana, words, numbers, sentences, kanji and phrases are free. Chat uses daily points that come back every day. The optional Premium Pass (30 days, does not renew) adds more chat points, unlimited saved words and Review, premium chat backgrounds, and extra outfits for the characters.

All characters are AI, not real people.