Learn to read and write Hiragana and Katakana, the two essential Japanese writing systems every beginner needs to know. This lesson breaks down each character step by step with clear explanations, pronunciation guidance, and practice to help you build confidence reading Japanese. By the end, you’ll be able to recognize, write, and sound out foundational Japanese words and phrases.

Foundation in Japanese verb conjugation with core verb forms including present, past, affirmative, and negative conjugations in polite form.

Master essential Japanese particles with foundational particles including は, が, を, に, and で, with clear explanations and contextual practice.

Learn how to ask questions naturally in Japanese using essential sentence patterns and question words. This lesson covers how to form basic questions, use words like “what,” “where,” “who,” and “when,” and understand the role of か in Japanese sentences. With practical examples and beginner-friendly explanations, you’ll gain the confidence to start asking and answering simple questions in conversation.

Learn how to describe people, places, and things in Japanese using い-adjectives and な-adjectives. This lesson will teach you how Japanese adjectives work, how to use them naturally in sentences, and how to express descriptions like “interesting,” “quiet,” “beautiful,” and more. With clear explanations and practical examples, you’ll begin building more detailed and natural Japanese sentences with confidence.

Learn how to use casual verb forms in Japanese to sound more natural in everyday conversations with friends, family, and people you know well. This lesson introduces dictionary forms and negative casual forms, teaching you how to move beyond polite Japanese and understand the forms commonly used in real-life speech, media, and casual communication. Through step-by-step explanations and examples, you’ll build confidence using informal Japanese naturally and correctly.

This unit is packed, but very important! Learn the Japanese て-form, one of the most important and versatile grammar patterns in the language. This lesson teaches how to conjugate verbs into the て-form and use it to connect actions, make requests, describe ongoing activities, and build more natural sentences. With clear breakdowns and practical examples, you’ll begin understanding a grammar structure that appears constantly in everyday Japanese.

Take your understanding of casual Japanese further by learning how to expand and use common informal sentence endings naturally in conversation. This lesson explores patterns often heard in everyday speech, helping you sound more natural while improving your listening comprehension of real Japanese. Through examples and explanations, you’ll gain confidence understanding and using casual expressions commonly used among friends and in media.

Learn how to count objects, people, animals, and more in Japanese using counters, an essential part of everyday communication. This lesson introduces the most common Japanese counters, explains how counting works differently from English, and teaches you how to use numbers naturally in real situations. With practical examples and guided practice, you’ll build confidence talking about quantity, age, frequency, and everyday items in Japanese.

Learn how to talk about your wants, plans, and future intentions in Japanese using essential beginner grammar patterns. This lesson covers how to express things you want to do or have, as well as how Japanese talks about future actions through context and time expressions. With clear explanations and practical examples, you’ll begin speaking more naturally about goals, plans, and everyday desires in conversation.

Congratulations on making it to the final review of Nova Nihongo! 🎉

By this point, you’ve learned an incredible amount of beginner Japanese — from reading Hiragana and Katakana to building sentences, using particles, conjugating verbs, describing things with adjectives, understanding casual speech, using counters, expressing wants and opinions, and much more.

This lesson is designed to help you:

• review everything you’ve learned

• connect grammar points together

• build confidence using Japanese naturally

• recognize how much progress you’ve already made

Instead of focusing on only one grammar point, this review combines multiple concepts together the way real Japanese works in actual communication.

Remember:
You do NOT need to understand everything perfectly to communicate successfully. Language learning is about gradual progress, repetition, and confidence over time.

Recommended Resources

Nova Nihongo was created to make Japanese feel approachable, understandable, and realistic for adult learners. Instead of overwhelming memorization or confusing explanations, this course focuses on clarity, confidence, and consistent progress.

No! Nova Nihongo is designed for complete beginners. The course starts from the very beginning, including Hiragana, Katakana, pronunciation, and foundational grammar.

Yes. You can move through the lessons at your own pace and revisit the material whenever you need review or extra practice.

That depends on your study pace and schedule. Some students may complete the course in a few weeks, while others may take several months. The goal is consistent progress, not rushing.

This course is primarily focused on building practical beginner Japanese skills and strong grammar foundations. Many of the concepts covered overlap with beginner JLPT-level material. The signature course is aimed for JLPT N5.