Janai School
Learn Japanese with Mana
Next cohort starts January 4 · enroll by January 3
You just want to
actually speak Japanese.
I've mapped the path all the way to conversation.
You just walk it.
Free account — no card, no newsletters.
Zero to N4
across two levels
12 weeks
each level
5 lessons a week
from 15 min a day
$180
per level
Sound familiar?
You just want to hold a conversation. But everything out there is aimed at grammar, test prep, or fragments in an app, and finding input at the right level is its own chore.
So the flashcards pile up, hopping between materials wears you down, and when it's finally time to speak, nothing comes out.
The rules worth shortcutting, you learn fast; the rest, you pick up from real Japanese. Janai School is your clear path there — all the way to speaking.
What's inside
Everything conversation needs,
in one place
One Jump Start lesson a day: a single pattern, about fifteen minutes. Slow Japanese and the Practice Dojo are there when you want to go deeper. All gathered in the right order, so there's no hunting across apps and no guessing what to study next.
The patterns
Jump Start
Two levels built for speaking — 58 lessons in Core, 57 in Plus. Learn by doing: little explanation, seven example sentences until the pattern sticks, grammar there if you want it. Usable the day you learn it.
The input
Slow Japanese
Real Japanese at a level you can follow. Tap any word for its meaning, drill the vocabulary with flashcards — and build the very skill of learning from real Japanese on your own. A library that keeps growing.
The reps
Practice Dojo
Hiragana, katakana, particles, verbs, adjectives — focused drills for whatever needs strengthening, whenever it does.
It all works on your computer or your phone. Want to get your hands on it? Try it free.
How a lesson works
One lesson, start to finish
One Jump Start lesson a day, learned by producing it yourself, then checked by Mana, not an algorithm.
- 1See seven example sentences, with audio, furigana, and a translation.
- 2Say them yourself, with the Japanese hidden.
- 3Read a short explanation — the grammar's there if you want it.
- 4Take a quick review quiz.
- 5Write your own sentence if you like, and share it with the cohort.
- 6Done. Mana checks it and adds her stamp.
From there it's yours: a Dojo drill, a Slow Japanese episode, or just review. Whatever you feel like.
The cohort around it
A set start, a steady pace,
someone watching
Most people don't quit Japanese for lack of willpower. They quit because nobody notices whether they showed up. A cohort fixes exactly that.
A set start and a steady pace
Twelve weeks, together, five lessons a week. You're never wondering what to do next.
Mana's stamp on every lesson
A real person checks your work and marks it, not an algorithm. Someone notices when you show up.
A checkpoint every 4 weeks
A quiz and a little sentence-making you submit to Mana, a real look at your progress, not a graded test.
A shared notebook
Post a sentence you made; it doesn't have to be perfect. When others are there, you'll cheer each other on too.
Why it works
The method
Small steps, kept up
It's the ones who keep going who get there. So it all stays small, the same few things coming back for another go — again and again, until it's just there.
Belong before you understand
You're in the language from day one, not once you're “ready.” Staying in it while things are still fuzzy is how it sinks in.
Listen, feel, copy
A language isn't a set of rules: it's sound and meaning, paired. Once the essential patterns are in, you step into real Japanese you can follow, and imitate it until it sticks on its own.
Learn how to learn
You don't just get fed Japanese here. You pick up how to digest it on your own, so you keep growing long after the course, under your own power.
This is what I've watched actually work, after years of teaching and four languages of my own. — Mana
About Mana
Here to run alongside you.
I've taught Japanese online for six years, to 700+ students around the world. I've learned English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin myself, so I know the difference between studying a language and actually using it, and exactly what gets in the way.
Janai School is what I kept wishing existed, for my students and for myself learning other languages.
6+
years teaching
7,000+
lessons taught
700+
students worldwide
From Mana's students
Mana is a wonderful teacher. … Anyone learning Japanese should take a lesson from her.
Read the full review
Mana is a wonderful teacher. We always have fun conversations, talking about travel and things we like. She also prepares good material for reviewing and corrects my mistakes in a kind way. Anyone learning Japanese should take a lesson from her.
Mana-San is not only a brilliant teacher, she’s very patient, encouraging and a joy to work with. … とても楽しかったよ。
Read the full review
Mana-San is not only a brilliant teacher, she’s very patient, encouraging and a joy to work with. I have struggled with speaking Japanese but can see so much improvement. とても楽しかったよ。
I went from not even knowing all the kana to passing N3, and now, with her help, I’m working toward N2 — I feel like I’ve learned so much.
Read the full review
I’ve been taking lessons with Mana for the past ten months. In that time I went from not even knowing all the kana to passing N3, and now, with her help, I’m working toward N2 — I feel like I’ve learned so much. Mana is lovely and completely down-to-earth. She corrects my mistakes with endless patience, and she’s funny too — talking with her is always relaxed and enjoyable.
过去10个月的时间一直有在上Mana老师的课，10个月中我从50音还认不全的程度，到N3合格，再到现在在Mana老师的帮助下朝着N2合格努力，真是觉得自己学到了很多。Mana老师既漂亮又没架子，每次都很耐心的纠正我的错误，而且Mana老师风趣幽默，和她聊天总是轻松愉快。
I have struggled to find a learning resource that sticks, but this resource is exactly what I needed!
Read the full review
The Janai School has been a great resource. It has helped me learn different parts of the language in bite-sized chunks. I have struggled to find a learning resource that sticks, but this resource is exactly what I needed! I highly recommend you give it a try!
These come from students Mana has taught 1-on-1 on italki and people who had early access to the curriculum. The cohort itself is just starting, so its own reviews are still to come.
Find your level
One cohort, two starting points
Core and Plus are the same 12-week cohort with the same rhythm and support, just entered at the level that fits you.
Janai Plus
From polite basics to casual speech and a much wider range, roughly JLPT N4.
See Janai PlusPrefer private, at your own pace? 1-on-1 with Mana is the other way in.
Common questions
Do I need any Japanese to start?
How much time does it take each day?
What's the difference between Janai Core and 1-on-1?
What happens after 12 weeks?
Can I try before buying?
More questions? Read the FAQ.
Ma, bochi bochi ikoka. — take it easy, step by step.
Start where you are.
A free account opens the first Jump Start lessons, hiragana practice, and the two newest Slow Japanese episodes today. No credit card. If you join the cohort later, your progress carries straight over.
Try for free