# Japanese study plans for 15, 30, and 60 minutes a day > One Japanese study plan with 15, 30, and 60 minute versions. Reviews first, then a course chunk, then input you can finish. Canonical: https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/japanese-study-plan-30-minutes-a-day Last updated: 2026-09-01 Use an ordinary weekday, not a Sunday burst. Fifteen minutes keeps the path alive. Thirty minutes is the default. Sixty minutes adds a second input or production block, not a second course. Our team owns Inku. [Disclosures](https://studyjapanese101.com/disclosures) Published: 2026-09-01 8 min read beginner · intermediate ## How to follow this guide 1. Pick the 15, 30, or 60 minute box that matches an ordinary weekday. 2. Finish due reviews before adding new cards or a new lesson. 3. Spend the middle of the slot on one course chunk. 4. End with reading or listening you can finish. 5. Cut new reviews before you cut input when the day shrinks. Thirty minutes a day is enough Japanese if one course owns the sequence, reviews stay small, and you finish a short piece of input. It is not enough for three apps that each want a full lesson. Use an ordinary weekday. Do not plan from your most motivated Sunday. If kana is still the whole problem, use [Learn kana in two weeks](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/learn-kana-in-two-weeks) inside these boxes. If the calendar is already a pile of icons, cut tools with [Too many Japanese apps](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/too-many-japanese-apps) first. ## Direct answer | Time you can protect | Do this | Do not do this | | --- | --- | --- | | [15 minutes](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/japanese-study-plan-30-minutes-a-day#15-minutes) | Due reviews, or one short input item if the queue is empty | New cards, a new app, a second course | | [30 minutes](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/japanese-study-plan-30-minutes-a-day#30-minutes) | Reviews, one course chunk, one short reading or listening item | Two textbooks, a full SRS catch-up | | [60 minutes](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/japanese-study-plan-30-minutes-a-day#60-minutes) | The 30-minute shape, plus a second input block or light production | A second full course, a new kanji method | The resource names below are examples. Swap in the course and input you already chose on the [beginner hub](https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/beginner) or [intermediate hub](https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/intermediate). If you still need names for each job, use the [study stack builder](https://studyjapanese101.com/tools/study-stack-builder). ## 15 minutes This day exists so the habit survives travel, illness, and deadlines. 1. Open the one review loop you kept. [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku), [Anki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/anki), or a course SRS. Finish due items only. Add nothing new. 2. If the queue is empty, play one [Nihongo con Teppei](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nihongo-con-teppei) episode or read half of an [NHK News Web Easy](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nhk-news-web-easy) article. 3. Stop on time. Zero new cards is correct. The [SRS burnout guide](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/how-to-use-srs-without-burning-out) is the longer version of that rule. ## 30 minutes This is the default adult plan. 1. **Reviews (about 10 minutes).** Due work first. Stop when the box ends. 2. **Course (about 10 to 15 minutes).** One [Genki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/genki) section and workbook spread, or one [Irodori](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/irodori) page with audio. Finish the chunk. Do not start the next unit to feel ahead. 3. **Input (the remaining minutes).** One easy article or a short audio segment. Finish it. If reviews eat the whole half hour, add no new cards tomorrow. Input is the thing the reviews were supposed to support. ## 60 minutes Use the extra half hour for more Japanese, not more tools. 1. Run the 30-minute shape. 2. Add a second input block: another page, a longer audio segment, or the same article again without looking up every word. 3. Optional: five to ten minutes of production, such as writing three sentences from today's lesson or speaking the dialogue aloud. That is not a reason to subscribe to a new speaking app unless speaking is the named bottleneck. Do not spend the second half hour comparing [WaniKani](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/wanikani) to another kanji method. If kanji is the job, pick one path and keep the reviews inside the first block. ## How the three days connect Move down the table when a smaller day has been stable for two weeks. Move up when life gets crowded. The 15-minute day is the path back, not a failure. For wiring a textbook to SRS and input, use [How to combine a textbook, SRS, reading, and listening](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/how-to-combine-a-textbook-srs-reading-and-listening). For leaving a habit app, use [What to use after Duolingo](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/what-to-use-after-duolingo). ## Frequently asked questions ### Is 30 minutes a day enough to learn Japanese? It is enough to run one course, a small review loop, and a short input item. It is not enough to run three full programs. Consistency beats a longer plan you skip. ### What if I only have 15 minutes? Do due reviews, or do a short input item if the queue is empty. Add no new cards. The 15-minute day exists so you can return to the 30-minute shape tomorrow. ## Evidence and sources Product details can change. Evidence pages and their individual check dates appear below. Page updated 2026-09-01. - [Genki official site](https://genki3.japantimes.co.jp/en/) - official publisher · checked 2026-09-01 · Official beginner textbook used as the example course owner in the timed plans. - [Irodori official site](https://www.irodori.jpf.go.jp/en/) - official product · checked 2026-09-01 · Official free course used as an alternative sequence in the timed plans. - [NHK News Web Easy](https://news.web.nhk/news/easy/) - official product · checked 2026-08-28 · Official short reading and audio source used as the finishable input block. ## Related - [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku) - Japanese flashcards on iPhone and the web, with ready-made decks, custom cards, pronunciation audio and spaced review. - [Anki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/anki) - A programmable review system for cards you create, import, or mine. - [Genki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/genki) - A beginner textbook series covering the four skills, with audio and a workbook. - [Irodori](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/irodori) - Free Japan Foundation textbooks for daily-life Japanese, with audio. - [NHK News Web Easy](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nhk-news-web-easy) - Free graded Japanese news with furigana and audio. - [Nihongo con Teppei](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nihongo-con-teppei) - A free beginner Japanese podcast for daily listening.