普通
Local ticket
Free
いこう
ikō
ひらがな
hiragana
- The intro, and Hiragana 1 to 4
- Greetings, with every line voiced
- Practice and all three games for them
- Day and night on every station
有効ForeverNo. IB-0001
IB01
いこう
ikō
Let's go
Previous stop: えいごEnglishNext stop: にほんごJapanese
Learn Japanese one stop at a time.
A year in Japan, drawn as a train line. Short lessons with a voiced cast, arcade games that lock words in, and exams that make them stick. Start with hiragana today, free.
Six lessons free. No card needed.
The line has 13 stations, from Basics to Festival and Graduation.
IB02
見る
miru
Watch
Previous stop: いこうNext stop: 路線図
The whole line, in under two minutes.
The line, the lessons, all three games, the exams and the iPhone app, played for real. Sound on.
IB03
路線図
rosenzu
The line
Previous stop: 見るNext stop: 読む
Thirteen stations, from あ to graduation day.
The course follows a year at a Japanese university, from orientation in sakura season to fireworks at graduation. Each station is a unit and each stop is one short lesson: 71 in all, from hiragana to the grammar of JLPT N5. Pick a station to ride there.
N50111 stops
基本
kihon
Basics
Next stop: オリエンテーション
Sunrise over Fuji. Learn to read: hiragana, katakana and your first greetings.
11 lessons, 6 free
- Free
Intro
- あFree
Hiragana 1
- はFree
Hiragana 2
- がFree
Hiragana 3
- きゃFree
Hiragana 4
- Free
Greetings
- ア
Katakana 1
- ハ
Katakana 2
- ガ
Katakana 3
- キャ
Katakana 4
- ウィ
Katakana 5
IB04
読む
yomu
Read
Previous stop: 路線図Next stop: 聞く
Lessons that read like a trip, not a textbook.
Each lesson opens with its station sign, then goes stop by stop. Patterns become tiles you can see, conversations become chat bubbles, and the English waits until you tap.
- Readings over kanji, or hide them when you're ready.
- Flowcharts drawn as little line maps you can follow.
- A checklist at the end, then straight into practice.
Are You a Student?
Stop 4 of 6 · Example conversation
STOP 2
Asking a question
TOPICXはNOUNYQUESTIONですか
山田さんは先生ですか。
Are you a teacher, Yamada-san?
STOP 4
Example conversation
IB05
聞く
kiku
Hear
Previous stop: 読むNext stop: 練習
Hear every word, then hear it again.
Words, examples and conversations are voiced by the story's cast. Press play and each word lights up as it's spoken. Tap a word to hear it from there, or slow it down.
I am a student.
Greetings
Tap one to hear it.
IB06
練習
renshū
Practise
Previous stop: 聞くNext stop: 遊ぶ
Then practise until it's yours.
Practice happens right at the lesson's stop. Pick a mode and the rules, then go. Right answers spark; wrong ones show you exactly what you missed.
Each stop on your map fills its ring as you master it, and a finished lesson comes back round for a review a week later.
Games
- Type it
- Pick one
- Flashcards
- Browse
Rules
- Endless
- Hearts
- Timer
- Target
Hiragana 1, with hearts
00
に
What is this?
IB07
遊ぶ
asobu
Play
Previous stop: 練習Next stop: 改札
Revision, disguised as an arcade.
Every lesson with five or more words opens its games, played with the words you just learned. Chasing a high score turns out to be a sneaky way to remember them.
Go on, have a go. It's Hiragana 1, with the lesson's own audio.
- Relaxed, Normal or Fast in Bubble Pop and Sky Climb
- Missed words come back at the end, with their audio
- Made for the web and the phone from the same rules
450
シャボン玉
Bubble Pop
Type each bubble's romaji before it lands: か → ka. Forty-five seconds, three lives, combos up to ×3.
Space clears what you've typed.
シャボン玉
Bubble Pop
Words drift down in bubbles. Type the answer to pop each one before it lands.
- Three lives
- Combos to ×3
- Freeze and firework bubbles
てっぺん
Sky Climb
Jump to the platform with the right answer while the tower rises faster and faster. Combos flip you.
- Six skies, up to outer space
- Four climbers
- Speeds up every 30s
一刀両断
Clean Cut
New
A word goes up on the sign and lanterns fly. Swipe through the one that answers it, and never the firework.
- Three lives
- Two in one swipe for a bonus
- Six ways to ask
IB08
改札
kaisatsu
Exams
Previous stop: 遊ぶNext stop: 携帯
Pass the ticket gate. Get the stamp.
When a lesson feels solid, its exam is waiting at the gate: fifteen stations, no furigana, and a ticket with three spare punches. Pass and the lesson's first station stamp goes in your book.
Pass it again on another day, then again, and the lesson is mastered for good. That spacing is the point: getting it right after time away is one of the most reliable ways known to make a memory last.
Ten kinds of question, from recognising to producing
- 意味Meaning
- 聞き取りListening
- 読解Reading
- 組み合わせPairs
- 表記Writing
- 助詞Particles
- つづりSpelling
- 並べ替えWord order
- 読み方Reading aloud
- 作文Translation
Get on a run and your train gets faster
- 快速 Rapid · 3 in a row
- 急行 Express · 5 in a row
- 特急 Limited express · 8 in a row
試験
Lesson exam · What is This?
- 4
- Stations
- 3
- Spare tickets
- No
- Furigana
Each miss punches your ticket. In the app an exam is fifteen stations; this is a four-stop taste of the first grammar lesson.
IB09
携帯
keitai
iPhone
Previous stop: 改札Next stop: 覚える
Coming to iPhone, made for the commute.
Ten minutes on the train is a lesson, a round of Sky Climb, or a run of Clean Cut. The iPhone app is on its way, and these are its real screens.
- Built natively, with the games running smooth on the phone itself
- The same map, worlds, lessons and games as the web
- Day and night, with the stars out on the commute home
- One pass for both: your commuter pass will work in the app too
The line, stop by stop
Read, practise or play at every stop
Lessons that walk you through
Sky Climb, to the moon and beyond
Bubble Pop, with your misses to review
Every station its own world
Quick practice on the go
IB10
覚える
oboeru
Why it sticks
Previous stop: 携帯Next stop: 切符
Fun on the surface. Memory science underneath.
Every game, exam and review on the line follows a handful of ideas about how people actually remember things. None of them are new; the whole app is just built around them.
- 01
一歩ずつ
ippo zutsu
One idea per stop
Kana first, then one grammar point and a handful of words per lesson, in a story about a year at a Japanese university that carries on from stop to stop.
- 02
思い出す
omoidasu
Recall it, don't reread it
Karpicke & Zaromb, 2010Games and exams make you pull the answer out of your head, and exams ramp from recognising a word to producing it, which sticks better.
- 03
間を空ける
ma o akeru
Space it out
Rawson & Dunlosky on successive relearningPass a lesson's exam on three different days and it's mastered.
- 1Today
- 2Tomorrow
- 3Three days on
Pass the exam to stamp the first one.
- 04
あとで答え
ato de kotae
Answers at the end
Butler & Roediger, 2008Exams mark you right or wrong as you go, and save the right answers for the review at the end. Delayed feedback has been measured to beat instant answers on later tests.
IB11
切符
kippu
Tickets
Previous stop: 覚えるNext stop: 質問
Ride free. Get a pass when you're hooked.
The first six lessons are free for good. When you want the rest of the line, the pass opens every station for $11.99 a month, or $79.99 a year.
to
定期
Commuter pass
$11.99a monthor $79.99 a year
いこう
ikō
日本語
nihongo
- Everything on the free ticket
- Katakana 1 to 5
- Twelve more stations: 60 grammar lessons through JLPT N5
- Every game and practice mode, for every lesson
有効Monthly or yearly, cancel anytimeNo. IB-0007
IB12
質問
shitsumon
Questions
Previous stop: 切符Next stop: 日本語
Questions before you board.
Do I need to know any Japanese?
No. The first stop is a short intro, then hiragana from あ. Words come with audio and kanji come with their readings, so you can start from zero.
What's free?
The intro, Hiragana 1 to 4 and Greetings: six lessons with their audio and every practice game. No card needed.
What does the pass add?
Katakana 1 to 5 and the other twelve stations, 71 lessons in all, through the grammar of JLPT N5. It's US$11.99 a month or US$79.99 a year, with set prices in Australian dollars, pounds, euros, Canadian dollars and yen.
Can I cancel?
Yes, anytime. You keep the pass to the end of the month or year you've paid for, and there are no pro-rata refunds for a part-used period.
Who are the voices?
Every word and line is voiced by the story's cast of seven characters, made with ElevenLabs' most natural Japanese voices and checked lesson by lesson. You can slow any recording down, and every sound has a report flag if something sounds off.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. Ikou Benkyou runs in the browser on your phone or laptop, and your progress follows you when you sign in. A native iPhone app is on its way, and your pass will work there too.
What are the games?
Bubble Pop, Sky Climb and Clean Cut, played with the words of the lesson you're on. Every lesson with five or more words or kana gets Bubble Pop and Sky Climb, and Clean Cut joins when five of them are short enough to read on a flying lantern.
How do exams work?
Every lesson has one, and it opens once the lesson's readiness reaches 80%: fifteen questions, no furigana, and a ticket with three spare punches. Pass and the lesson is stamped and complete. Pass it again on a later day, then again three or more days after that, and it's mastered.
Is there a dark mode?
There's night. Flip the switch at the top: the stars come out and every station lights its windows, here and in the app.
IB13
日本語
nihongo
Japanese
Previous stop: いこうLet's go終点Last stop
Next stop: 日本語.
It starts with あ. Your first six lessons are free, and the next train leaves whenever you're ready.