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 native-speaker 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.
| English | Japanese | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the apple | りんご | I eat the apple. 私はりんごを食べます。 |
| the book | 本 | She reads the book. 彼女は本を読みます。 |
| the cat | 猫 | The cat is sleeping. 猫が寝ています。 |
| the dog | 犬 | The dog is barking. 犬が吠えています。 |
| the car | 車 | He drives the car. 彼は車を運転します。 |
| the house | 家 | We live in a house. 私たちは家に住んでいます。 |
| the chair | 椅子 | She sits on the chair. 彼女は椅子に座っています。 |
| the table | テーブル | Put the book on the table. 本をテーブルの上に置いてください。 |
| the window | 窓 | Open the window. 窓を開けてください。 |
| the door | ドア | Close the door. ドアを閉めてください。 |
| the pencil | 鉛筆 | I write with the pencil. 私は鉛筆で書きます。 |
| the paper | 紙 | The paper is on the table. 紙はテーブルの上にあります。 |
| the school | 学校 | The school is big. 学校は大きいです。 |
| the teacher | 先生 | The teacher teaches math. 先生は数学を教えています。 |
| the student | 学生 | The student is studying. 学生は勉強しています。 |
| the boy | 男の子 | The boy is playing. 男の子が遊んでいます。 |
| the girl | 女の子 | The girl is singing. 女の子が歌っています。 |
| the adult | 大人 | The adult is working. 大人が働いています。 |
| the friend | 友達 | My friend is here. 私の友達はここにいます。 |
| the tree | 木 | The tree is tall. 木が高いです。 |
| to accept | 受け入れる |
| to add | 追加する |
| to agree | 同意する |
| to allow | 許可する |
| to ask | 尋ねる |
| to believe | 信じる |
| to borrow | 借りる |
| to break | 割る |
| to bring | 持ってくる |
| to build | 建てる |
| I like apples | 私はりんごが好きです。 |
| She is my friend | 彼女は私の友達です。 |
| It is a sunny day | 晴れた日です。 |
| He runs fast | 彼は速く走ります。 |
| We are happy | 私たちは幸せです。 |
| They play soccer | 彼らはサッカーをします。 |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for learning while you sleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
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 native-speaker audio.