Learn the bricks. Build your sentences.
Instead of memorising lists of phrases, you learn reusable words and the rules that put them together. You build, transform and listen to sentences you have never seen before.
Six families of bricks
Every word comes in Japanese script, with its rōmaji transcription, its audio and a meaning in context.
The subject is followed by は, read wa, which announces the topic of the sentence. When the context is clear, it is often left out.
The verb goes at the end of the sentence and never changes with the person. The -ます form is the polite form.
No articles, no gender, no compulsory plural: お茶 can mean “tea”, “the tea” or “teas” depending on the context.
Negation and questions are added at the end: -ません to say no, か to ask. The particles を and に show the role of each word.
The rules for putting bricks together: the verb always comes last, with a particle after each word. Nothing is glued word for word.
Two syllabaries of 46 basic signs, hiragana and katakana, plus kanji borrowed from Chinese. Each kana is always read the same way.
The same bricks, everywhere
At a restaurant, on the move or meeting someone new, a few bricks are enough to make yourself understood.
Where is Japanese spoken?
Japanese is the language of Japan, spoken throughout the archipelago; its standard form is based on the speech of Tokyo. Outside Japan, it lives on in communities descended from late 19th- and 20th-century emigration, in Brazil, Peru and the United States, and it is spoken by Japanese expatriates in Asia and Europe.
- Japan — Tokyo: the standard language is based on its speech
- Brazil — São Paulo: the largest community of Japanese descent outside Japan
- Peru — Lima
- Hawaii (United States)
- California (United States) — Los Angeles
- Canada — Vancouver
- China — Shanghai, expatriate community
- Thailand — Bangkok, expatriate community
- Germany — Düsseldorf, expatriate community
Homeland or official language Community · Approximate positions. Natural Earth.
The sentence builder
Every combination is checked against the grammar. Bricks marked ≠ don’t go with your choice: pick them to find out why.
Fifteen minutes a day
Adjustable from 5 to 30 minutes. Missing a day costs you nothing: your progress waits for you.
Eight weeks of discovery
A path, not a promise of a level. Each week targets a skill you can see for yourself.
Two syllabaries, one sound per sign.
Japanese mixes three scripts: hiragana, katakana and kanji. Each kana stands for one syllable, always pronounced the same way: once you know the kana, you can read anything written without kanji.
Learn the kanaLearning Japanese with KilaTalk
What is KilaTalk, and what does learning “by construction” mean?
KilaTalk is a language-learning app. Instead of memorising lists of phrases, you learn reusable words — people, actions, things, places — and the rules that put them together, then you build, transform and listen to your own sentences.
Do I need an account? Is it free?
The sentence builder and the method, pronunciation and reading pages are open to everyone, with no account. The eight-week course, reviews and your word list require an account, which is free to create.
How much time does it take each day, and what is in the eight-week course?
A session lasts fifteen minutes, adjustable from 5 to 30: the day’s reviews, new bricks, sentences to build and a listening task. The eight weeks go from the first sounds to real-life dialogues, through negation, questions, numbers and polite requests; it is a discovery path, not a promise of a level.
How is pronunciation taught?
Every word and sentence has audio you can play at normal speed or slowly (0.5×, without distorting the voice). Words come with a transcription suited to the language: pinyin for Mandarin, Yale romanisation for Cantonese, rōmaji for Japanese, Revised Romanization for Korean, the International Phonetic Alphabet for Vietnamese and most European languages, and a transliteration for Russian.
Which languages can I learn from?
The interface is available in six languages: English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese and French. Explanations and translations are written for each of them, with comparisons drawn from the learner’s own language.
Who is behind KilaTalk, and can I trust the sentences?
KilaTalk is designed and published by SDiTech, a software publisher based in France. Every sentence in the builder is checked by a grammar engine: a combination that doesn’t work is refused, with the rule explained and correct alternatives offered.
Lay your first brick.
Choose your goal and your pace, and the first lesson starts straight away.