Babbel does not offer a Japanese course. Its official homepage lists 13 languages, and Japanese is not one of them. If you need Japanese now, LingoDeer, Pimsleur and Speakly all list it on their official sites, and Speakly has a free plan. Otherwise you can build your own routine with Anki and video.
Which languages does Babbel teach?
The course list on babbel.com, checked on November 4, 2026, shows 13 languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Danish, Dutch, Indonesian, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish and Turkish. Japanese does not appear, and the page has no coming-soon label or launch date for it. Some third-party reviews also report no announced timeline. We could not find any statement from Babbel that says otherwise, so any article that still lists Babbel as a Japanese option is out of date.
Why doesn't Babbel teach Japanese?
Babbel does not explain the gap in public. Many reviewers point to the three writing systems (hiragana, katakana and kanji) and to pitch accent as reasons a course is harder to build. That is a reasonable guess, not something Babbel has said. What matters for you is simpler: a catalog without Japanese cannot be your Japanese course, so you need one of the options below.
If your next language is one of the 13 on Babbel's list, Babbel remains a fair option. This article does not compare the quality of its courses for those languages, only its absence of Japanese.
Which apps teach Japanese instead?
LingoDeer
The LingoDeer homepage lists 20 languages, Japanese among them, with a link to its Japanese course. The page shows a promotional banner offering 75% off three-year access to all languages, but it shows no regular price, no currency and no free tier. We cannot quote a monthly price for LingoDeer, so check the price inside the app or on the store listing before you pay.
Pimsleur
Pimsleur's official languages page lists Japanese among its top languages, next to Spanish, French, Italian, German, Mandarin Chinese and Russian. Pimsleur is built around audio, so it suits learners who want to practice speaking while walking or commuting. We did not verify its current prices or trial terms, so check them on its site before you subscribe.
Speakly
Speakly's official site lists Japanese as live. The same list shows English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Hindi, Russian, Italian and Norwegian as live, and Swedish as coming soon. The site says the app is in open beta. As of November 4, 2026, its free plan includes one lesson a day and 10 vocabulary reviews a day. Pro costs $2.99 per month and AI Pro costs $9.99 per month, according to that page. One stat box says 7 languages, which does not match its own list, so confirm the current list inside the app.
Anki and video on your own
If you mainly want vocabulary and listening, a cheap setup works: a deck for kana, kanji and words, plus content you already watch. The Anki Japanese guide explains how to set that up. It takes more discipline than an app, but it costs little and you choose the material.
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| Option | Teaches Japanese | Free plan (official site) | Paid price (official site) | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babbel | No | Not relevant | Not relevant | Its 13 listed languages |
| LingoDeer | Yes | Not described on the page | Promotion only, no regular price shown | Studying inside one app |
| Pimsleur | Yes | Not checked | Not checked | Audio practice and speaking |
| Speakly | Yes | 1 lesson and 10 reviews a day | Pro $2.99 per month, AI Pro $9.99 per month | Low-cost daily practice |
Each option answers a different need. An audio course helps if you want to speak early. A free daily app helps if you want a habit before you spend anything. A deck and video routine helps if you already watch Japanese material and want to learn the words in it.
Which option should you choose?
Start from your goal. If you want to speak soon and practice in the car or on a walk, try an audio-first option such as Pimsleur. If you want a daily habit at almost no cost, start with the Speakly free plan and see whether one lesson a day is enough for you. If you want to read and watch, pair any app with video and a flashcard routine.
Whichever you pick, give hiragana and katakana a few focused days of their own. Scripts need repetition, and most apps move on to vocabulary quickly. Ten minutes a day on the kana for a week will make every later lesson easier to read.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Trusting an old list that still names Babbel for Japanese. Check the official language list before you pay anything.
- Buying a yearly plan before you have tested the free tier for at least a week.
- Skipping pitch accent. If you want to sound natural, the pitch accent guide is a good place to start.
- Judging an app by its catalog size. For Japanese, a short lesson you finish every day is worth more than a large library you never open.
What should you check before you pay?
Check four things on the official site and in the store: the current language list, what the free plan limits, the price and billing period, and whether the app is in beta. A beta can change its limits without much notice, so note the date you checked.
How do you test an alternative in a week?
Give any option one week before you decide. Use its free plan or first lessons, practice at the same time each day, and write down the words you can recall the next morning. If you can say a few sentences without looking, the app is teaching you something. If the streak is the only thing you remember, try the next option. The test costs nothing and works for every app in this article.
Where does Metheus fit?
Metheus is our tool, so weigh this with that in mind. If you already watch Japanese shows or videos on YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ or Viki, the Metheus extension adds interactive subtitles, a one-click dictionary and spaced repetition. The free plan includes those features and module 1 of each course. It does not replace a structured course, and on other sites you turn it on from the extension popup.
Related posts
- Best Japanese learning apps compares more options by level.
- Best apps to learn Japanese words focuses on vocabulary.
- Best Japanese textbooks if you prefer paper.
- Anki Japanese guide for the self-built routine.
FAQ
Does Babbel offer Japanese in 2026?
No. The course list on Babbel's official homepage, checked on November 4, 2026, shows 13 languages, and Japanese is not one of them. The page shows no launch date or coming-soon label, so there is no announced date to wait for.
What is the best Babbel alternative for Japanese?
It depends on your goal. For audio-first speaking, Pimsleur lists Japanese on its official site. For a low-cost daily habit, Speakly lists Japanese and has a free plan. LingoDeer also teaches Japanese, but its page shows no regular price, so check the store before you commit.
Is Speakly free for Japanese?
Its official site lists a free plan as of November 4, 2026, with one lesson a day and 10 vocabulary reviews a day. The paid Pro plan costs $2.99 per month. The site says the app is in open beta, so the limits and prices can change.
Can Babbel teach me hiragana and katakana?
Not as a Japanese course, because Babbel does not offer Japanese. Use a dedicated kana drill or an Anki deck instead, and give the scripts a few focused days before you judge any Japanese app. Scripts reward repetition more than long lessons.
Do I still need a course if I use Metheus?
Metheus adds interactive subtitles, a one-click dictionary and spaced repetition to videos you already watch. It does not replace a structured course. Pair it with a course or textbook if you want a clear sequence of lessons. Metheus is our tool, so use it as a companion to whatever course you choose, not as the course itself.
2026 Immersion Report
Language learning in 2026 isn't about finishing daily streaks. The fastest path to fluency combines three elements: comprehensible input from real media you enjoy, active vocabulary capture while consuming that content, and spaced repetition to lock words into long-term memory. Gamified apps build the habit. Immersion tools build the fluency. The most effective learners use both—in that order.
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