Japanisch lernen in 7 Tagen: Die Mini-Challenge vor deiner Japan-Reise

46 characters. That’s all you need to read Hiragana completely, the first of the three Japanese writing systems. For comparison: In German, you use around 30 letters every day, if you count umlauts and the ß. The leap is smaller than everyone claims.

I’m Tama, and I’m with you this week. You’re flying to Japan soon, maybe in two weeks, maybe in six. You don’t want to be perfect. You don’t want to stare helplessly on the platform, just point at pictures in the izakaya, or flinch in shock at the first ’sumimasen‘. That’s exactly what this challenge is for.

One small task per day. Maximum 25 minutes. On the seventh day, you’ll stand in front of the mirror and have your first mini-conversation in Japanese. I promise.

How the challenge works (1 minute read)

Each day has three parts: the task , the success criterion (how you know you’re finished), and why it’s worth it . You complete the task in the morning on your way to work, in the evening on the sofa, or even in a spare moment while waiting for a doctor. No flashcard apocalypse. No „I’ll continue tomorrow“ drama.

If you miss a day, you don’t jump back. You continue where you are and make up for the missed day at the end. That’s how you maintain the rhythm.

Language learning rarely fails because of grammar. It fails because day three never happens.

Tama

Day 1: The five vowels that decide everything

Task: Say these five vowels aloud, one after the other, twenty times: a, i, u, e, o . In Japanese they sound like a (as in ‚man‘), i (as in ‚love‘), u (short, with loose lips, not a German ‚u‘), e (as in ‚bed‘), o (as in ’sun‘).

Success criterion: You can recite the sequence from memory without hesitation. Say it aloud to your roommate, your cat, or your reflection in the mirror.

Why it’s worth it: Japanese has only five vowels. Five. In German, with umlauts and diphthongs, you have at least twice that. If you pronounce these five accurately, you’ll immediately sound more understandable in Japan than 80 percent of all tourists who arrive with an English ‚Konnichiwaaa‘. Every hiragana, every word, every sentence is built on these five sounds. Today, you’re laying the foundation.

Day 2: Hiragana Sprint, Part 1 (a to to)

Task: Learn the first 25 hiragana: あ, い, う, え, お, か, き, く, け, こ, さ, し, す, せ, そ, た, ち, つ, て, と. Write each character three times by hand on a piece of paper. Yes, by hand. That sticks it in your head.

Success criterion: You can read and pronounce the 25 characters in random order. Create flashcards in an app like Anki, or even better, write them on sticky notes and stick them on the refrigerator.

Why it’s worth it: Hiragana is the phonetic bridge between you and the whole country. Menus often have furigana, small hiragana characters overlaid on the kanji, that tell you how to read them. Train stations display both hiragana and romaji. If you’ve mastered half of the 46 characters today, tomorrow the rest will just be a review with bonus material.

Day 3: Hiragana Sprint, Part 2 (na to n)

Task: Learn the remaining 21 hiragana: な, に, ぬ, ね, の, は, ひ, ふ, へ, ほ, ま, み, む, め, も, や, ゆ, よ, ら, り,る, れ, ろ, わ, を, ん. (Yes, that’s technically 26, a few overlap with rows, but don’t let that stress you out.) Same method: write each character three times, then shuffle cards.

Success criterion: You can read a simple word likeありがとう( arigatou , ‚thank you‘) orすし( sushi ) character by character. That’s the moment you grin.

Why it’s worth it: Reading hiragana changes how you experience Japan. Suddenly, signs aren’t just wallpaper anymore, they’re clues. You recognize the の ( no ) between two words and know: something belongs together. These little „aha!“ moments are the real reward of this week. If you want more structure, check out the 14-day sprint for Japan travelers ; we build on this very foundation.

Day 4: Three polite words that open doors in Japan

Task: Learn these three words and say them out loud as often as necessary until they feel natural:

• すみません( sumimasen ) means ’sorry‘, ‚forgive me‘, and ‚thank you for going to the trouble‘ all in one. A Swiss Army knife of Japanese politeness.
• ありがとうございます( arigatou gozaimasu ), ‚Thank you very much‘, the polite full version. Say it to the cashier, the taxi driver, the hotel staff.
• お願いします( onegaishimasu ), ‚please‘, when you ask for something. ‚Water, please‘ becomes omizu, onegaishimasu .

Success criterion: You can say all three fluently in succession without thinking. Practice in front of a mirror or with an AI tutor who corrects you.

Why it pays off: Japan values ​​politeness, not perfect grammar. These three words won’t make you a language expert, but they will make you a welcome guest. That opens doors to smiles, recommendations, and second helpings.

In Japan, politeness opens doors that perfect grammar merely stares at.

Tama

Day 5: Ordering like a local

Task: Learn this mini-script for a restaurant:

• Enter and say:一人です( hitori desu , ‚One person‘) or二人です( futari desu , ‚Two persons‘).
• Point to the card and say:これをお願いします( kore o onegaishimasu , ‚This here, please‘).
• If you want something specific:ラーメン、お願いします( ramen, onegaishimasu ), swap ramen for sushi , udon , tempura .
• Finally:ごちそうさまでした( gochisousama deshita , ‚It was a feast‘). Say this, and the cook behind the counter will smile briefly.

Success criterion: You play through the entire scene once, from ‚entering‘ to ‚leaving‘, in one go. In your head or out loud.

Why it’s worth it: In Japan, eating is an experience, not just refueling. If you know even these four phrases, you won’t eat at the tourist restaurant by the train station, but at the small stall on the side street where the owner recognizes you on your second visit.

Day 6: Finding the way (and understanding what comes back)

Task: Learn the question about directions and three answers you will hear.

You say:すみません、〇〇はどこですか？ ( sumimasen, ___ wa doko desu ka? , ‚Excuse me, where is ___? ‚). Insert:駅( eki , train station),トイレ( toire , toilet),コンビニ( konbini , convenience store).

Answers you should recognize:

• まっすぐ( massugu ), straight ahead.
• 右( migi ), right.左( hidari ), left.
• あそこ( asoko ), over there (often with a pointing gesture).

Success criterion: You can ask the question and immediately point in the correct direction upon hearing the three answers. Test yourself: Listen to the audio, raise your hand.

Why it’s worth it: Most travelers learn how to ask questions . Few learn how to understand the answer . If you can do both today, you’ll no longer be lost in the labyrinthine Tokyo train stations. That’s the day learning Japanese feels like a superpower.

Day 7: The mirror test

Task: Stand in front of a mirror or open the front camera of your phone. Play this short scene for yourself:

1. Sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka? (Excuse me, where is the train station?)
2. Arigatou gozaimasu. (Thank you very much.)
3. (You arrive at the restaurant.) Hitori desu. Ramen, onegaishimasu.
4. (You eat.) Gochisousama deshita.

Success criterion: You can recite all four sentences in one go, without hesitation or looking anything up. Film yourself. Watch it. You’ll be surprised.

Why it pays off: A language lives in the mouth, not in a notebook. If your mouth forms the words today, they’ll form the same way in Shibuya in two weeks. Learning languages ​​is like building muscle, and the mouth is a muscle, too.

What happens after the seven days

You now have: all 46 hiragana, five clean vowels, three polite words, a restaurant script, and a directions question with three answers. That may sound like a small amount. It’s more than 95 percent of travelers have upon arrival.

If your trip isn’t for another five weeks, you can simply tack the challenge onto the end: a second week for katakana (the script for foreign words like kōhī for coffee), a third for numbers and prices, a fourth for taxi small talk. If you need a patient sparring partner who won’t tire of correcting your hundredth “ sumimasen ,“ an AI tutor like Praktika is honestly the most convenient option. You speak, it responds, you improve, and you’re done.

And now for the flashback: Do you remember the 46 characters from the beginning? You know them now. All of them. The number was never the problem. The problem was always just getting started.

Mata ne , meaning see you soon, and have a good trip. If you take a picture in Japan of a sign that you can read right now, that’s the moment when the whole week is worth it.

Common mistakes: Am I perhaps doing it wrong?

(The short answers to the questions you send me by email once you start.)

Frequently Asked Questions

I practice every day, but my hiragana isn’t sticking. Am I doing it wrong?

You probably only read instead of writing. Hiragana only becomes ingrained when your hand forms the characters. Write each new character five times by hand on the first day, three times on the second day, and twice on the third. This is faster, not slower.

I’m only learning polite phrases. Is that really enough for the trip?

For a trip of one to three weeks, yes. You’re a guest, not a diplomat. High politeness (masu forms, onegaishimasu) is accepted in every situation. You’ll learn the more casual slang later, once you have Japanese friends.

I don’t understand the answers, even though I’m asking the question correctly. Why?

You mostly practice speaking, not listening. That’s the most common mistake. Schedule two minutes a day for pure listening, ideally with the question you’re currently learning and three possible answers. Internship tutors will role-play exactly these kinds of mini-dialogues with you.

Shouldn’t I learn Kanji first, since that’s the actual writing system?

No. For a two-week trip, kanji are the worst possible starting point. Hiragana covers menus with furigana, platform displays, and polite endings. Kanji is a lifelong project, not a travel preparation topic.

I’m shy and don’t dare to speak in front of others. Will that be a problem in Japan?

It’s quite the opposite. Japan is surprisingly polite to hesitant learners. But you need to have said the sentences at least once before you’re in the restaurant. So practice aloud at home, ideally with an AI tutor who won’t judge you.

Is an app enough, or do I also need a language partner?

For the first seven days, an app is sufficient because you’ll be automating vocabulary and hiragana. From day eight onwards, a conversation partner is a huge help, even if it’s AI. You only learn to speak by speaking, not by reading.