The 11 Best Japanese Beginners Podcasts (2026)

Nihongo con Teppei is one of the most prolific and beloved Japanese learning podcasts ever made, with over 1,500 episodes and counting. Host Teppei speaks entirely in Japanese, but he does so with a warmth and clarity that makes even total beginners feel welcome. His approach is built on repetition and natural speech patterns -- he circles back to key words and phrases multiple times within each short episode, letting listeners pick up meaning through context rather than translation. Episodes cover everyday topics like cooking, weather, hobbies, and daily routines, all spoken at a measured pace that sits right in the sweet spot between natural and accessible. What sets this show apart from structured textbook-style podcasts is its conversational feel. Teppei talks to you like a friend catching up over coffee, not like a teacher running through drills. That casual tone makes it easy to listen for extended stretches without fatigue, which is exactly what language acquisition research says works best. The show updates twice a week and has maintained that schedule consistently for years, building one of the largest back catalogs in the Japanese learning podcast space. Transcripts are available through Patreon for listeners who want to read along. Whether you are working through your first month of Japanese or reinforcing basics after a year of study, this podcast meets you where you are and keeps you engaged.

Japanese with Shun stands out in the beginner podcast space because host Shunsuke Otani deliberately limits his vocabulary and grammar to what appears in the Genki 1 and Genki 2 textbooks, targeting JLPT N5 and N4 levels. That means every episode is genuinely calibrated for beginners rather than just labeled as such. With over 330 episodes published weekly, there is no shortage of listening material. Shun speaks clearly and at a pace that gives learners time to process each sentence without feeling like the content has been unnaturally slowed down. Topics range from Japanese holidays and food culture to personal stories and current events, all delivered in a friendly monologue style. The show has earned a 4.9-star rating from over 150 reviews, with listeners consistently praising how understandable the Japanese is even for those in their first year of study. For those who want to go deeper, Shun offers transcripts on Patreon and runs a 60-day Beginner Japanese Bootcamp. He also publishes a companion show, Oyasumi Japanese with Shun, designed for relaxed listening before bed. The combination of textbook-aligned grammar, genuine personality, and a massive episode library makes this one of the strongest choices for anyone working through beginner Japanese and looking for real listening practice that matches their level.

JapanesePod101 is one of the longest-running Japanese learning podcasts on the internet, active since 2005 and backed by Innovative Language, the company behind dozens of language learning podcast brands. The Apple Podcasts feed offers a curated selection from their enormous lesson library, spanning absolute beginner through advanced levels. Each episode typically features two or more hosts working through a dialogue, then breaking it down piece by piece -- explaining grammar points, vocabulary, and cultural context in English before practicing the Japanese again. This format works well for people who want explicit instruction rather than pure immersion. The beginner episodes start with fundamental scenarios like introducing yourself, ordering food, asking for directions, and navigating public transport, all built around practical phrases you would actually use in Japan. Episodes run about 10 to 15 minutes each, making them easy to fit into a commute or lunch break. The show has accumulated over 600 reviews on Apple Podcasts with a 4.4-star average. While the free podcast feed gives you solid content, JapanesePod101 also operates a subscription platform with line-by-line audio, flashcards, and detailed lesson notes. For beginners who prefer structured, teacher-led instruction with English explanations woven throughout, this remains one of the most comprehensive options available.

Learn Japanese Pod has been a fixture in the Japanese learning community since 2005, hosted by Alex Brooke alongside Japanese co-hosts Ami and Asuka. The show runs in a bilingual format where the primary discussion happens in English, with Japanese phrases introduced, repeated, and explained in context. This makes it particularly approachable for beginners who are not yet ready for full immersion content. With close to 190 episodes and an impressive 4.8-star rating from nearly 770 reviews, the show has clearly found a format that resonates. Each episode picks a topic -- sometimes practical like travel phrases or restaurant ordering, sometimes cultural like seasonal festivals or workplace etiquette -- and builds a conversation around key vocabulary and grammar. The hosts have an easy rapport that keeps episodes feeling like a chat between friends rather than a classroom lecture. What listeners frequently highlight is the attention to grammatical nuance. Rather than just teaching you a phrase and moving on, the hosts dig into why a particular particle is used or how politeness levels change the sentence structure. Fun Friday episodes bring in interviews with people doing interesting work in Japan, adding variety to the regular lesson format. Premium members get access to show notes, full dialogues, and audio drills through Patreon. For beginners who want thorough English explanations alongside their Japanese, this podcast delivers.

Slow Japanese does exactly what the name promises, and it does it remarkably well. Created by Akari, a certified Japanese language teacher, the podcast is built around one core principle: speaking slowly enough that beginners can actually follow along without constantly reaching for the pause button. The show launched in 2021 and has grown to over 140 episodes, updating twice a week. What makes the pacing work is that Akari does not just speak slowly in a robotic way -- she maintains natural intonation and rhythm while giving each word enough space to land. The first 49 episodes are designed specifically for absolute beginners, with the difficulty gradually increasing as the series progresses. By episode 50 and beyond, the content shifts toward high-beginner and low-intermediate territory, so the podcast grows with you. Episodes typically run 10 to 16 minutes and cover topics like Japanese history, daily life, travel, and cultural traditions. The show targets A1 through B1/B2 learners on the CEFR scale. Akari offers transcripts and exclusive bonus lessons through her Patreon, and her philosophy that even beginners can start speaking from day one comes through in how she structures each episode. With a 4.7-star rating, listeners consistently praise the pacing as genuinely suited for early-stage learners, something that many podcasts claim but few actually achieve.

NHK Easy Japanese comes from Japan's national public broadcaster, and that pedigree shows in the production quality and pedagogical structure. The course follows Tam, a fictional university student from overseas, through everyday situations in Japan -- from moving into a new apartment to navigating campus life, shopping, and socializing. Each of the 48 episodes runs about 10 minutes and focuses on one specific conversational scenario, introducing a handful of key phrases and grammar points within a natural dialogue. The Japanese is spoken clearly with English translations and explanations provided throughout. What makes this podcast particularly valuable for beginners is its practical focus. Rather than abstract grammar drills, every lesson is built around a situation you would genuinely encounter in Japan. The show covers making requests, expressing preferences, describing experiences, comparing options, and talking about future plans. Cultural insights woven into the end of each episode add context that textbooks often skip. With a 4.6-star rating from over 115 reviews, listeners appreciate the professional production and immediately useful content. While the podcast completed its run in 2020 with 48 lessons, the entire catalog remains freely available and works as a self-contained beginner course. NHK also offers companion materials on their website. For learners who want a polished, structured introduction to conversational Japanese from a trusted source, this is hard to beat.

Nihongo Storytime takes a different approach to beginner Japanese by wrapping grammar and vocabulary lessons inside short stories. Host Noriko, a Neurolanguage Coach, narrates brief tales and personal anecdotes in simple Japanese, giving learners something to follow narratively while they absorb new language patterns. With close to 200 episodes published on a weekly schedule, the show has built a substantial library that covers JLPT grammar from N5 through N4 levels. Episodes are intentionally short, usually running three to five minutes, which makes them easy to replay multiple times -- a strategy Noriko encourages for building comprehension. The storytelling format means you are not just memorizing isolated phrases but hearing them used in connected, meaningful contexts. Recent episodes focus on specific JLPT grammar points like potential forms and conditional expressions, presented through narrative rather than dry explanation. Transcripts with furigana readings are available through the Japanese Together community, which also offers practice meetups and personal coaching sessions. Noriko brings professional language coaching credentials to the table, and her understanding of how the brain acquires language shows in the deliberate way episodes are structured. The 5-star rating speaks to the loyal listener base that has formed around this show. For beginners who learn better through stories than through drills, this podcast fills a niche that few others in the Japanese learning space address.

Momoko To Nihongo is structured as a morning radio show -- called Asaradio -- where host Momoko talks about Japanese culture, daily life, and current topics in gentle, accessible Japanese aimed at beginners and intermediate learners. With nearly 180 episodes and a 4.9-star rating from 54 reviews, the show has earned a devoted following. Each episode runs about 10 minutes, covering subjects like how Japanese people choose baby names, seasonal traditions, regional foods, and everyday habits. Momoko speaks at a natural but unhurried pace, choosing vocabulary and sentence structures that beginners can follow with some effort. The morning radio concept gives the show a cozy, routine-friendly feel that listeners appreciate -- many use it as part of their daily Japanese study habit. One detail that sets this podcast apart is the availability of full episode scripts on the show's website. Being able to read along while listening is enormously helpful for beginners who are still training their ears to parse spoken Japanese. Momoko also takes topic requests through Instagram, which keeps the content responsive to what her audience actually wants to learn about. The show has a YouTube channel with Japanese-language vlogs that complement the podcast, and a Patreon for supporters who want to contribute. Listeners frequently describe this as the podcast that made Japanese listening practice feel achievable rather than intimidating, which is exactly the kind of encouragement beginners need.

Learn Japanese with Sally is hosted by a certified Japanese teacher with 30 years of teaching experience, and that depth of expertise shapes every episode. The show targets JLPT N3 to N4 level learners -- solidly in the beginner to lower-intermediate range -- with three distinct episode formats that rotate throughout the week. Educational episodes introduce grammar concepts and vocabulary through themed lessons. Reading episodes feature Japanese texts spoken aloud at a learner-friendly pace, building listening comprehension alongside reading skills. Grammar-focused episodes zero in on specific patterns with clear explanations and examples. With around 90 episodes and a publishing pace of multiple episodes per week, the catalog is growing quickly. Sally runs Japanese Club SOLA and also offers supplementary courses on Udemy with subtitles in English, Spanish, German, French, and Chinese, reflecting her commitment to reaching a global audience of Japanese learners. Episodes typically run four to eight minutes, making them compact enough to fit into any schedule. The variety in episode types means you can choose what to focus on based on your mood -- active grammar study one day, passive listening practice the next. Recent episodes cover topics like Japanese cats and sakura culture, blending language instruction with cultural content that keeps the learning engaging. For beginners who want a teacher-led experience with structured progression, Sally brings classroom-quality instruction to the podcast format.

Japanese Beginner's Podcast by RiceBurger takes a distinctly cultural angle on beginner Japanese learning. Host Hide focuses on what he calls nihon no kokoro -- the heart of Japanese -- blending language instruction with deeper explorations of Japanese values, social customs, and ways of thinking. The idea is that understanding the culture behind the language makes you a better communicator, not just a more grammatically correct one. With about 150 episodes running 12 to 17 minutes each, the show covers substantial ground. Hide speaks in a bilingual format, mixing Japanese phrases and expressions with English explanations, making each episode accessible even to listeners in their first weeks of study. Topics go beyond typical textbook fare to address things like the unspoken rules of Japanese social interaction, workplace etiquette, and how to build genuine friendships with native speakers. The show maintains an active presence on YouTube through the RiceBurger Studios channel, and Hide also engages with listeners on Instagram. A Patreon offers additional perks for supporters. While many beginner Japanese podcasts stick to vocabulary lists and grammar drills, this one fills a gap by teaching the cultural fluency that textbooks rarely cover. Understanding why Japanese people communicate the way they do is just as important as knowing the correct particle to use, and Hide makes that case convincingly through personal stories and practical advice.

Japanese Radio with Ann is a newer entry in the beginner Japanese podcast space, launched in 2025, but it has quickly established itself with a focused format and consistent publishing schedule. Host Ann discusses daily life events, Japanese culture, and current news topics entirely in Japanese, keeping the language simple and the delivery clear enough for beginners to follow. Episodes run about 10 minutes each and cover a wide range of subjects -- from money-saving strategies and Tokyo Disney Resort to bear encounters in rural Japan and the effects of social media on daily life. The variety keeps things interesting while the beginner-level vocabulary stays consistent. What makes this podcast particularly useful for new learners is the supporting material available through Patreon at just one dollar per month. Subscribers get full scripts with furigana readings above the kanji, English translations of each episode, and vocabulary lists. Having a transcript to follow along with while listening is one of the most effective ways to build reading and listening skills simultaneously, especially in the early stages. With 13 episodes published biweekly as of early 2026, the catalog is still small but growing steadily. The topical range and accessible price point for supplementary materials make this a promising show for beginners who want current, culturally relevant content delivered in straightforward Japanese. Ann brings a personal touch to each episode that makes the listening experience feel like tuning into a friend's radio show.