# Beginner Japanese

> Learn conversational Japanese for traveling in Japan. Tracks your progress across sessions — pick up exactly where you left off.

- Skill: `mager/beginner-japanese` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mager/beginner-japanese`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mager/beginner-japanese/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: mager (https://skillmd.com/u/mager)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mager/beginner-japanese

---


# 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:
1. Current level? (complete beginner / a few words / some basics)
2. Most excited/nervous about? (food, trains, shopping, conversation)
3. 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`:

```markdown
# 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.

Teach using the `kana-ascii` companion:
```bash
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 __? |
| 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 |

### 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:
1. Ordering at a ramen shop (Claude = waiter)
2. Asking directions at Shinjuku station (Claude = stranger)
3. Buying something at a convenience store
4. Hotel check-in
5. 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.

---

## Real Pronunciation Guide (vs. Textbooks)

**Textbooks lie.** Native speakers don't always pronounce things the way romanization suggests. Here's what learners actually hear:

### The Silent "U"
Romaji shows: **Arigatou gozaimasu**  
What you actually hear: **Arigatoh gozaimas** (the final "u" drops off)

Same with verbs:
- 食べます (tabemasu) → sounds like **tabemas**
- 飲みます (nomimasu) → sounds like **nomimas**

**Why?** Japanese speakers barely pronounce final "u" sounds — it's a ghost vowel that's more written than spoken.

### "Gozaimasu" Isn't "Go-Zai-Mas"
Textbook rhythm: "Go-ZAI-mas-su"  
Real pronunciation: **"Go-ZY-mas"** (the い makes it slide into a zy sound)

Common examples:
- ございます → **go-zy-mas** (not go-zai-mas-u)
- ございません → **go-zy-masen**
- ざいます → **zy-mas**

### The Sliding い (i) Rule
When い comes after z/s/t/d sounds, it becomes a sliding sound:
- ざい → "zy" (not "zai")
- さい → "sy" (not "sai")
- Sounds connect, not separate

**Bottom line:** Say the romaji naturally, let the "u" sounds drop off, don't stress perfection. Native speakers will understand and genuinely appreciate the effort. 🎯

**When teaching:** Acknowledge this gap early. Show learners what they'll hear vs. what textbooks show. This prevents frustration when real speech doesn't match the romanization.

---

## 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-ascii` or `npm install -g kana-ascii`
  - `npx kana-ascii [romaji or kana]` — dot-grid ASCII art with stroke order
  - lowercase romaji → hiragana | UPPERCASE → katakana