30-Day Beginner to Conversational Japanese Plan
Week 1: Foundation & Immersion
Daily Goals:
- Speaking (15 min): Greetings, self-introductions, basic questions.
- Listening (15 min): Beginner YouTube videos or anime with English subs (JapanesePod101,
Erin's Challenge).
- Reading (10 min): Learn and drill Hiragana & Katakana.
- Writing (20 min): Write your name, basic sentences, and kana practice.
Focus:
- Kana: Hiragana & Katakana.
- Grammar: ■, ■, ■■, ■■.
- Vocabulary: Numbers, days, family terms.
Week 2: Build Vocabulary & Simple Conversations
Daily Goals:
- Speaking (20 min): Practice Q&A; (Where are you from? What do you like?).
- Listening (20 min): Switch to Japanese audio with Japanese subs.
- Reading (15 min): Read simple manga (e.g., Yotsuba&!) or children’s stories.
- Writing (20 min): Write 2–3 sentences/day about daily activities.
Focus:
- Grammar: ■, ■, ■, sentence structure (SOV).
- Vocabulary: Food, places, daily actions.
- Kanji: Start with 10–15 (e.g., ■, ■, ■, ■).
Week 3: Real-Life Scenarios & Practice
Daily Goals:
- Speaking (30 min): Roleplay real-life scenarios (restaurant, shopping).
- Listening (30 min): Slice-of-life anime/dramas (Shirokuma Cafe, Terrace House).
- Reading (20 min): Dialogues, menus, signs.
- Writing (25 min): Write mock dialogues or diary entries.
Focus:
- Grammar: ■-form, casual speech.
- Vocabulary: Travel, shopping, directions.
- Kanji: Add 20–30 more.
Week 4: Output & Daily Japanese Use
Daily Goals:
- Speaking (40 min): 5–10 min monologues, language exchange.
- Listening (30–40 min): Shadow dialogues.
- Reading (30 min): NHK Easy News, graded readers.
- Writing (30 min): 1-paragraph stories/opinions.
Focus:
- Grammar: Conditionals, giving/receiving (■■■, ■■■, ■■■).
- Vocabulary: Emotions, opinions, weather.
- Kanji: Reach 80–100 total.
Tools & Apps
- Flashcards: Anki.
- Speaking: HelloTalk, Tandem.
- Listening: JapanesePod101, YouTube, anime.
- Reading: NHK Easy News, Graded Readers.
- Writing: Notion journal, LangCorrect.
Tips
- Shadow audio for pronunciation.
- Use a habit tracker.
- Mix casual and polite Japanese.
- Don’t stress perfection—focus on communication.
You’ve got this!