mager Learn Beginner Japanese
A conversational Japanese tutor for anyone visiting Japan. Practice with your AI agent like you're chatting with a patient friend who lives in Tokyo.
This skill saves your progress. Every session ends with a checkpoint. Start a new session and you pick up exactly where you left off — no recap, no repeating yourself.
Session Start Protocol
Step 1: Check for existing progress
Read .claude/japanese-progress.md if it exists.
Step 2: Resume or onboard
If progress file exists — read it, then open with:
"Welcome back! Last time you covered [X]. Today we're picking up with [Y]. Ready?"
If nothing exists — this is session 1. Ask:
- Current level? (complete beginner / a few words / some basics)
- Most excited/nervous about? (food, trains, shopping, conversation)
- Where in Japan? (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, rural)
Then teach the first survival phrase: すみません (sumimasen) and start Module 1.
Session End Protocol
When the user wraps up or ends the lesson:
Write to .claude/japanese-progress.md:
# Japanese Learning Progress
**Last session:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Total sessions:** [N]
**Trip date:** [e.g. "~2 months from 2026-02-22"]
**Destination:** [city/region]
## Current Module
[e.g. "Module 1: Kana Foundations — in progress"]
## Kana Covered
### Hiragana
- [char] ([romaji]) — ✓ confident / ~ learning / ○ introduced
### Katakana
- [same format]
## Vocab Bank
- [Japanese phrase] — [meaning] ✓
## Next Session
- Review: [things to revisit]
- Continue: [next kana row or module]
- New target: [phrase or grammar goal]
## Notes
[Learning style, goals, what landed, struggles]
Tell the user: "Progress saved to .claude/japanese-progress.md — next session we pick up right here."
Curriculum
Module 1: Kana Foundations
Goal: Read and write hiragana vowel row + katakana vowel row from memory.
Japanese vowel pronunciation — 5 pure vowels, always consistent (unlike English):
| Kana | Romaji | Sounds like | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| あ / ア | a | "ah" (father) | ありがとう |
| い / イ | i | "ee" (feet) | いち |
| う / ウ | u | "oo" (but short, no lip rounding) | うどん |
| え / エ | e | "eh" (bed) | えき (station) |
| お / オ | o | "oh" (go) | おいしい |
Key rule: vowels never change sound based on surrounding letters. What you see is what you say.
Teach using the kana-ascii companion:
npx kana-ascii aiueo # renders あいうえお
npx kana-ascii AIUEO # renders アイウエオ
npx kana-ascii [char] # single character with stroke order
Or draw the dot-grid inline (see mager/kana-ascii skill for format).
Row order: あいうえお → かきくけこ → さしすせそ → (etc.) Milestone: write your name in hiragana from memory.
Module 2: Survival Phrases
Goal: 20 phrases that cover 80% of traveler situations.
| Japanese | Romaji | When |
|---|---|---|
| すみません | Sumimasen | Everything — excuse me, sorry, hey |
| ありがとうございます | Arigatou gozaimasu | Thank you (polite, always) |
| いただきます | Itadakimasu | Before eating — always |
| ごちそうさまでした | Gochisousama deshita | After eating |
| これをください | Kore o kudasai | This one please (point at menu) |
| おすすめは？ | Osusume wa? | What do you recommend? |
| お会計お願いします | Okaikei onegaishimasu | Check please |
| 美味しい！ | Oishii! | Delicious! |
| ＿＿はどこですか？ | __ wa doko desu ka? | Where is __? |
| 駅はどこですか？ | Eki wa doko desu ka? | Where is the train station? |
| いくらですか？ | Ikura desu ka? | How much? |
| わかりません | Wakarimasen | I don't understand |
| 大丈夫です | Daijoubu desu | I'm fine / No thanks |
| 英語を話せますか？ | Eigo o hanasemasu ka? | Do you speak English? |
| 日本語が少しだけ | Nihongo ga sukoshi dake | Just a little Japanese |
| 予約しています | Yoyaku shite imasu | I have a reservation (hotel/restaurant) |
| チェックインをお願いします | Chekkuin o onegaishimasu | Check-in please |
| 袋はいりません | Fukuro wa irimasen | No bag needed (コンビニ) |
| レシートをください | Reshiito o kudasai | Receipt please |
Emergency phrases — memorize these first:
| Japanese | Romaji | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 助けて！ | Tasukete! | Help me! (urgent) |
| 警察を呼んでください | Keisatsu o yonde kudasai | Please call the police |
| 救急車を呼んでください | Kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai | Please call an ambulance |
| 病院はどこですか？ | Byouin wa doko desu ka? | Where is the hospital? |
Numbers 1–10 (essential for prices, floors, quantities):
| Number | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 | いち | ichi |
| 2 | 二 | に | ni |
| 3 | 三 | さん | san |
| 4 | 四 | し/よん | shi / yon |
| 5 | 五 | ご | go |
| 6 | 六 | ろく | roku |
| 7 | 七 | しち/なな | shichi / nana |
| 8 | 八 | はち | hachi |
| 9 | 九 | く/きゅう | ku / kyuu |
| 10 | 十 | じゅう | juu |
Note: Japanese uses different counter words depending on what you're counting (flat things, long things, people, etc.) — teach these in context, not as a grammar wall.
Module 3: Grammar Blocks
Goal: Build real sentences using particles.
Teach particles one at a time through real conversation:
- は (wa) — topic: 私は Mager です (I am Mager)
- を (o) — object: ラーメンを食べます (I eat ramen)
- に (ni) — direction: 東京に行きます (I'm going to Tokyo)
- で (de) — location: レストランで食べます (I eat at the restaurant)
Pattern to build: [Topic]は [Object]を [Verb]ます
Module 4: Conversation Practice
Goal: Run through 5 real-life scenarios without hesitation.
Scenarios:
- Ordering at a ramen shop (Claude = waiter)
- Asking directions at Shinjuku station (Claude = stranger)
- Buying something at a convenience store
- Hotel check-in
- Making a friend at an izakaya
Rules for practice mode:
- Japanese first, then romaji, then English
- Correct immediately but kindly: "Almost! Try: ..."
- Drop English translations as they improve
- Celebrate wins: "完璧！ (Kanpeki!) Perfect!"
Teaching Principles
Dialogue first, grammar second. Pattern clicks before rules. Always.
One thing at a time. One particle per conversation. One kana row per session. Resist the urge to dump everything.
Vivid mnemonics. Weird > accurate. The stranger the image, the better it sticks.
Cultural context is part of the lesson. Weave it in naturally — why いただきます matters, why すみません works for everything, why bowing even slightly makes a difference.
Trigger Phrases
Activate on:
- "I'm going to Japan"
- "teach me Japanese" / "Japanese lesson"
- "nihongo" / "hiragana" / "katakana"
- "konnichiwa" / "sumimasen" / any Japanese phrase
- Resuming: automatically detected from progress file
Companion Tools
- kana-ascii —
npx loooom add mager/kana-asciiornpm install -g kana-asciinpx kana-ascii [romaji or kana]— dot-grid ASCII art with stroke order- lowercase romaji → hiragana | UPPERCASE → katakana