Mei 芽衣（めい）
20, an art student in Tokyo. Bright, curious, and a little teasing. She loves food and trains, and gets excited easily.
わあ、屋台がいっぱい！
まず何食べる？
Wow, so many stalls! What should we eat first?
Japanese conversation practice, out loud
Talk your way through Japan.
Order ramen. Ask the way. Catch up with a friend over drinks. It's the speaking practice you've been missing: the conversations you'll really have, out loud, with characters who answer in their own voice, until the Japanese comes without thinking.
Free to start. Go Premium to practice every day, anywhere.
How it works
Real conversations, before the real thing.
Step into a scene
A ramen counter at lunch, a lost moment on a train platform. You know who you're talking to, and the words worth knowing, before you say a thing.
Say it your way
No script and no multiple choice, just conversational Japanese. Answer the way you would, typed or spoken, and find out how much you can already say.
Hear them answer
They laugh, tease, and get flustered, out loud, in their own voices. Every exchange you get through makes the next one easier.
Corrections
Know what you got wrong. And why.
Every line you send is checked for a real mistake: grammar, a word, or the politeness the moment called for. You get it back with only the mistake fixed and a sentence on why, beside what you said rather than in place of it, so the character still answers what you meant.
Subtitles off
Start with subtitles. Finish without them.
Furigana, romaji, and a translation are there on every line, so you're never lost. Let them go as you grow, one at a time, until it's just you, a voice, and Japanese: listening practice that sneaks up on you.
あの、大丈夫ですか？何かお困りですか？
Ano, daijōbu desu ka? Nanika okomari desu ka?
Excuse me, are you all right? Is something the matter?
Switch them off, one at a time.
Real places
Practice where it happens.
A ramen counter at lunch, a wall of apartment listings, a dentist's chair, and a sales meeting. Whether you're coming for two weeks or staying for good, it's better to fumble the first one here than on the day.
- Lunch at a ramen shop芽衣（めい） · Ramen shopcasual
- Asking the way蓮（れん） · Train stationpolite
- First day at the office陽子（ようこ） · Officepolite
- Running into a neighbor健二（けんじ） · Convenience storepolite
- Autumn at the temple芽衣（めい） · Templecasual
- At the record shop蓮（れん） · Record shopformal
- Planning a trip陽子（ようこ） · Travel agencyformal
- A sales meeting健二（けんじ） · Meeting roomformal
- Late-night snack run芽衣（めい） · Convenience storecasual
- Drinks after work蓮（れん） · Izakayacasual
- Celebrating a finished project陽子（ようこ） · Izakayacasual
- Yakitori under the tracks健二（けんじ） · Yakitori barcasual
- Coffee and cake芽衣（めい） · Cafécasual
- A night at the arcade蓮（れん） · Game centercasual
- Opening an account陽子（ようこ） · Bankpolite
- Picking up a prescription健二（けんじ） · Pharmacypolite
- Summer festival芽衣（めい） · Summer festivalcasual
- Cherry blossoms in the park蓮（れん） · Parkcasual
- Registering where you live陽子（ようこ） · Ward officepolite
- Bargains at the supermarket健二（けんじ） · Supermarketpolite
- In the art studio芽衣（めい） · Art studiocasual
- Sending a parcel home蓮（れん） · Post officecasual
- A stain before a meeting陽子（ようこ） · Dry cleanerpolite
- Buying a rice cooker健二（けんじ） · Electronics storepolite
- Waiting at the clinic芽衣（めい） · Cliniccasual
- Looking for a place to live蓮（れん） · Real estate agencycasual
- A trip to the dentist陽子（ようこ） · Dental clinicpolite
- Booking the bullet train健二（けんじ） · Ticket officepolite
- Asking for a haircut芽衣（めい） · Hair saloncasual
- Something left on the train蓮（れん） · Police boxcasual
- Checking in陽子（ようこ） · Airportformal
- Signing up at the gym健二（けんじ） · Gympolite
- Sorting out your phone芽衣（めい） · Phone shopcasual
- Choosing new glasses蓮（れん） · Glasses shopcasual
- A job interview陽子（ようこ） · Interview roomformal
- Picking up the rental car健二（けんじ） · Car rentalpolite
- Camping by the river芽衣（めい） · Riverside campsitecasual
- At the top of the mountain蓮（れん） · Mountain summitcasual
- A hot spring getaway陽子（ようこ） · Hot spring townformal
- A night at the ballpark健二（けんじ） · Baseball stadiumpolite
Keigo when it counts
Sound natural, not just correct.
Japanese shifts with who you're talking to: casual with friends, polite with coworkers and neighbors, keigo with clients and customers. Practice all three, so you never come across as rude, or stiff.
casualMei, with a friend at lunch
ねえ、何にする？ここの味噌ラーメン、すごくおいしいよ！
Hey, what are you getting? The miso ramen here is really good!
politeYoko, on your first day at work
おはようございます。今日から同じチームですね。わからないことは何でも聞いてください。
Good morning. We're on the same team from today. Ask me anything you're not sure about.
formalKenji, at a sales meeting
本日はお時間をいただき、ありがとうございます。さくら食品の山本と申します。
Thank you for making time for me today. I'm Yamamoto, from Sakura Foods.
Meet the cast
Characters worth talking to.
Ren 蓮（れん）
24, works at a record shop in Shimokitazawa. Calm, kind, and dry-humored. He notices small things and never rushes anyone.
Yoko 陽子（ようこ）
38, plans tours at a travel agency. Warm, organized, and quietly funny: the colleague everyone asks for help. Hot springs are her weakness.
Kenji 健二（けんじ）
43, a sales manager at a food company. Steady and cheerful, with a dad joke ready. He loves baseball, and cooks for his family on weekends.
Like learning Japanese with anime, except these characters wait for your answer. They react to what you say, and you see it on their faces. A friend your age, a coworker, a neighbor, a client: talk with the people you'll really meet.
