Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Japanese vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and audio.
Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.
You will start with everyday Japanese words like the food (食べ物), the drink (飲み物), the cup (カップ) — the vocabulary that appears most often in real conversations.
| English | Japanese | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the food | 食べ物 | The food is delicious. 食べ物は美味しいです。 |
| the drink | 飲み物 | I want a drink. 私は飲み物が欲しいです。 |
| the cup | カップ | The cup is full. カップがいっぱいです。 |
| the bottle | ボトル | The bottle is empty. ボトルは空です。 |
| the plate | 皿 | The plate is clean. 皿はきれいです。 |
| the spoon | スプーン | I use a spoon. 私はスプーンを使います。 |
| the fork | フォーク | I eat with a fork. 私はフォークで食べます。 |
| the knife | ナイフ | The knife is sharp. ナイフは鋭いです。 |
| the breakfast | 朝食 | I eat breakfast. 私は朝食を食べます。 |
| the lunch | 昼食 | We have lunch at noon. 私たちは正午に昼食を食べます。 |
| the dinner | 夕食 | They eat dinner together. 彼らは一緒に夕食を食べます。 |
| the bread | パン | I buy bread. 私はパンを買います。 |
| the butter | バター | I put butter on the bread. 私はパンにバターを塗ります。 |
| the cheese | チーズ | I eat cheese. 私はチーズを食べます。 |
| the milk | 牛乳 | I drink milk. 私は牛乳を飲みます。 |
| the coffee | コーヒー | I drink coffee in the morning. 私は朝にコーヒーを飲みます。 |
| the tea | お茶 | I like tea. 私はお茶が好きです。 |
| the juice | ジュース | I drink juice. 私はジュースを飲みます。 |
| the soda | ソーダ | I drink soda. 私はソーダを飲みます。 |
| the rice | 米 | I eat rice. 私はご飯を食べます。 |
Every word explained individually – with example sentence: Browse all 1000 words →
The 100 most important Japanese words →
The 100 most important Japanese verbs →
| to borrow | 借りる |
| to buy | 買う |
| to clean | 掃除する |
| to close | 閉める |
| to cook | 料理する |
| to do | する |
| to drink | 飲む |
| to eat | 食べる |
| to find | 見つける |
| to get | もらう |
| She is my friend | 彼女は私の友達です。 |
| They have fun together | 彼らは一緒に楽しんでいます。 |
| We eat lunch together | 私たちは一緒に昼ごはんを食べます。 |
| She smiles a lot | 彼女はよく笑います。 |
| He tells funny jokes | 彼は面白い冗談を言います。 |
| I visit my friends | 私は友達を訪ねます。 |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for listening before you fall asleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Type your own words – AI translates them, adds example sentences and the trainer practises them with you.
Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.
Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.
With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.
Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.
Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.
For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Japanese vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with audio.