Two weeks ago this was noise. Now read this straight through, no romaji, and feel it: you understand Japanese.
Understand this — tap “Hear it”
わたし は にほんご を べんきょうしています
I’m studying Japanese.
わたし watashi — Iは wa — (topic)にほんご nihongo — Japaneseを o — (object)べんきょうしています benkyoushiteimasu — am studying
まいにち すこし よみます
I read a little every day.
まいにち mainichi — every dayすこし sukoshi — a littleよみます yomimasu — read
あした も がんばります
I’ll do my best tomorrow too.
あした ashita — tomorrowも mo — tooがんばります ganbarimasu — do my best
A couple of new pieces you can already feel out: べんきょうしています = “am studying” (an ongoing action), and も = “too / also.” Two weeks ago these were shapes; today they’re a paragraph you understand.
Words to use today — tap a row to hear
べんきょうしますbenkyoushimasu
study
よみますyomimasu
read
すこしsukoshi
a little
もmo
too / also
がんばりますganbarimasu
do my best
できますdekimasu
can do
ぜんぶzenbu
all
にほんごnihongo
Japanese
Your turn — say it, then check
Say: “I read every day.”
まいにち よみますmainichi yomimasu
Say: “I study Japanese too.”
にほんご も べんきょうしますnihongo mo benkyoushimasu
Quick check
What does ～ています add to a verb?
ongoing action (“am ___-ing”)
What does も mean?
too / also
No new characters
You’ve learned them all — today’s sentences are pure kana. Just read (and listen).
👀 Today’s input · ~10 min — where fluency actually comes from
Read your first real books
You can read kana now — so read. Open a Level 0 Tadoku graded reader: picture books made for absolute beginners, almost all kana. Sound each page out loud and don’t stop to look up every word; getting the gist is the goal.
Phase 0 complete. You can read kana and you’ve been speaking real Japanese for two weeks. Tomorrow — Day 15 — grammar begins, and it just names everything you’ve already been doing.