Guides for reading real Japanese
Free study guides, JLPT strategies and interactive reading tools, from your first hiragana through native-level reading.
案内 あんない About Yomimaru Learn
What is Yomimaru Learn?
Yomimaru Learn is Yomimaru's free collection of 21 guides to reading real Japanese. They cover study methods from your first kana onward, JLPT preparation, what to read next, comparisons of Japanese reading tools and Yomimaru's own reading tools. Each guide carries the name of Maxime Pitaval, Yomimaru's founder, who reviews it before it is published.
New to Japanese? Start here
Four pages that take you from your first kana to your first real Japanese text, in the order a beginner needs them.
- Learn hiragana and katakana. The two kana scripts, with a seven-day plan and a three-day version.
- What furigana is and how to read it. The small readings above kanji that let a beginner read real text.
- How to start reading native Japanese. The 95% rule for picking a text at your level, and a reading path from N5 to N1.
- Easy Japanese texts for beginners. Short graded reads in kana and simple sentences, free.
Who is behind the guides?
Maxime Pitaval founded Yomimaru. He learned Japanese on his own and then at a language school in Tokyo, and still reads it every day. He decides what each guide covers, checks it, and approves it before it is published, and his name is on every one.
Questions about the guides
Are the guides free?
Yes. Every guide is free to read, and you do not need an account. Some guides end with a link to the Yomimaru app, which has a free plan.
Do the guides cover the JLPT?
Yes. The JLPT section holds 8 guides: reading strategies for the exam, and a kanji and vocabulary index for each level from N5 to N1.
What if a guide gets something wrong?
Please tell us through the contact page, so it can be corrected. Each guide shows the date it was last updated.
JLPT & Test Prep
JLPT N2 Reading: 9 Strategies to Pass 読解
Nine tactics for the N2 読解 section: read the questions first, track hedging language, use the T-chart on comparative passages, and a 60-minute plan.
- JLPT N2 Reading: 9 Strategies to Pass 読解 (19 min read)
- JLPT N3 Reading: 8 Strategies to Pass 読解 (13 min read)
- JLPT N1 Kanji List & Vocabulary (Interactive) (10 min read)
- JLPT N2 Vocabulary List and Kanji List, Free (9 min read)
- JLPT N3 Kanji List and Vocabulary List, Free (9 min read)
- JLPT N4 Kanji List & Vocabulary (Interactive) (9 min read)
- JLPT N5 Kanji List & Vocabulary (Interactive) (9 min read)
- JLPT Reading Comprehension: Strategies N5–N1 (16 min read)
Reading Tools
Japanese Grammar AI Explainer: How It Works
Highlight any Japanese sentence and get a live structural breakdown: particle roles, embedded clauses, dropped subjects and conjugation chains.
- Japanese Grammar AI Explainer: How It Works (9 min read)
- What Is Yomikana? Yomimaru's Free Kana Course (13 min read)
Tool Comparisons
Migaku Alternatives: 4 Options Without Anki
Migaku needs Anki plus a browser extension. Compare Yomichan, Language Reactor, LingQ and Yomimaru on setup, iOS support and reading library.
- Migaku Alternatives: 4 Options Without Anki (14 min read)
- Furigana Reader Online: 5 Tools Compared (2026) (12 min read)
- Satori Reader Alternatives: Is It Free? (13 min read)
- NHK Web Easy Alternatives: 4 Better Sites (2026) (14 min read)
Learning Guides & Methods
Hiragana vs Katakana vs Kanji: When to Use Each
Hiragana writes native words and grammar, katakana writes loanwords and names, kanji carries meaning. Which to learn first, and how to tell them apart.
- Hiragana vs Katakana vs Kanji: When to Use Each (11 min read)
- Hiragana and Katakana: A Beginner's Guide (15 min read)
- What Is Furigana? Meaning and How to Read It (13 min read)
- Master Japanese Vocabulary: SRS + Reading (5 min read)
- Graded Readers Fail. Native Japanese Content Wins (6 min read)
Reading Roadmaps
What to Read After WaniKani Level 60
You know 2,000 kanji and still stall on page one. What to actually read after WaniKani, by type and difficulty, plus a 90-day plan to close the gap.
- What to Read After WaniKani Level 60 (9 min read)
- How to Start Reading Native Japanese Content (14 min read)