This page is intended as a footstep to the Japanese language for the English speaker. It is not intended as an intensive course; rather, I hope to give whoever may read this page enough information to begin their own self-directed study. However, as more content is added, there should be a substantial range of information from grammar to vocabulary to kanji learning.

The Japanese script in these pages is represented by images that can be loaded on the page unless otherwise specified. Any non-image Japanese will be in SJIS.

Phrase learning, once it's up, will be accompanied with sounds from Japanese anime as best as I can do so. Kanji learning will provide an image of the kanji, stroke order, pronunciation, and all words using the single kanji, as well as an attempt to find some way to help you remember it better ^_^;

Any romanization on this page follows modified Hepburn romanization rules:

• The second syllable of the s group is written "shi".
• The second and third syllables of the t group are written "chi" and "tsu".
• The third syllable of the h group is written "fu".
• The subject particle is written "wa", the object marker is written "wo", and the destination marker is written "e" (not "he").
• The "syllabic n" is always written n, even when followed by an m, b, or p syllable: konban, kanmuri, kanpai
• When the syllabic n is followed by a vowel or y syllable, an apostrophe shows that they are two separate syllables: ken'in, kon'ya
• Long vowels are represented as they would be written with kana: aa, ii, uu, ei, ou. There are exceptions, such as "tooi", but this is because the kana are written as "to-o-i", not "to-u-i". Basically, vowels are exactly as the kana would appear.
• "Stretched consonants" (soku-on) where a consonant gets a syllable of its own are represented with the consonant doubled: konna, ressha, obocchan, mittsu
• Katakana are represented with capital letters, except for some names: KISU, HAATO, "GOMEN ne sunao ja nakute" (from Moonlight Densetsu)