Learn Japanese youâll actually use.
Bento Japanese turns real topicsâtravel, food, games, cultureâinto graded readers with vocabulary you can save and practice.
Why We're Building Bento
Ok, so weâve tried all kinds of ways to study Japaneseâapps, drills, textbooksâyou name it, we've probably tried it. Learning a language takes a lot of time, and it can be really demotivating when you donât feel like youâre making progress. You might memorize words but still canât read your manga (boo), or take a trip to Japan only to feel super shy about your Japanese skill that you revert to English (guilty as charged).
We've also found that many learners don't know where to even start. Thereâs so much conflicting advice online about what to learn first or where to focus that itâs easy to get stuck.
And finally, it doesn't help that Japanese is a complex, contextual language. Much of what we write about on our blog was learned the hard way, by embarrassing ourselves in Tokyo. But what if you learned some cultural ins-and-outs with the language? And on relevant topics in our modern age? So that you can go to a Tokyo event and actually make a friend?
We want Bento Japanese to feel different. Learning should be guided by the things you love, like anime/manga, games, food, travel, samurai culture, and more. By making it fun and personal, and giving you reading that feels doable at your skill level, Bento hopes to help you finally see real progress and build the confidence to use Japanese in everyday life.
How to Learn Japanese with Bento
Our goal is to make Japanese as fun and easy to learn as possible.
Pick Your Starting Point
New to Japanese? Start with Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji basics. Then try an L0 graded reader.
Learn How to Learn Japanese â
Start Reading at Your Level
Click the JLPT level toggle to see the same topic with easier or harder Japanese. Move up when youâre ready.
Explore Graded Readers âRead the Blog â
Collect Vocabulary
See a useful word? Save it. Review your Collection and practice the vocabulary that appears in what you read. Test yourself if you want. Gotta catch 'em all.
Sign Up to Save Vocab â
Our Vision
Unlock the joy of learning languages for students everywhere.
Our Mission
We guide learners through Japanese with a clear, gamified structure that makes progress visible. By combining leveled content on real-world topics with ranks and daily âbentos,â we turn study into a fun, sustainable, and rewarding journey.
We make learning Japanese entertaining so it doesnât feel like a chore.
Who We Are
đź Built JLRPG (Japanese Language RPG)
đŸ Still fights with kanji, but leveling up daily
I studied Japanese for 2 years in college on a whim and moved to Japan 15 years later barely remembering hiragana. Over 5 years later in Tokyo, my Japanese has barely improved due to Tokyoâs English-speaking tech world and lack of motivation to improve.
So I started building tools to fix that. I made JLRPG to learn through a game and immersion. It took off, and I realized I wasnât the only one who needed more engaging ways to study. Now with Bento, I'm using my Design and Development background to build a language learning tool for people like me that struggle to learn by traditional methods that are too boring.
đ Learned from anime, manga, and games
đŒ JLPT N1 & ex-Rakuten
Japanese was my first language, but English was always my primary one. My parents spoke basic Japanese at home, and I didnât take formal classes until college. My first real learning came from reading the Fullmetal Alchemist manga (no furigana!) and playing the visual novel Hiiro no Kakera, using an electronic dictionary to work through kanji and vocabulary.
I eventually passed the N1 and worked in a Japanese-speaking office, where I found real-life Japanese differs greatly from classroom lessons. I learned more by copying colleaguesâ emails and repeating what they said in meetings than from textbooks. Immersion and real-world context made all the difference, and I believe that should be central to language learning.
Start Reading Japanese Today
Create a free account to get weekly reads, save vocabulary to your Collections, and track your progress.