🇯🇵 AI Japanese tutor
Practice speaking Japanese with an AI tutor who corrects you in real time
Quick answer
SpeakBase's AI Japanese tutor, Kate, holds live voice conversations in Japanese, corrects particles and verb forms as you make mistakes, and explains in English. The first lesson is free with no card; Premium is $11.99 a month for daily practice.
Kate is a live voice tutor. You talk in Japanese, she talks back like a real person, and the moment you make a real mistake she stops, corrects it and explains why in English, then steers the conversation so you use the right form again. No scripts, no recorded phrases, no waiting for a booking.
First lesson free · no card · in your browser
What a lesson looks like
- Pick a situation: 48 role-plays from ordering coffee to a job interview, or type your own (“dinner with my partner’s parents”) and Kate rehearses exactly that.
- Talk for five to ten minutes. Kate adapts the speed and vocabulary to your level and keeps the conversation moving.
- Every real mistake is corrected in the moment and explained in English.
- At the end you get a recap of your mistakes with corrected phrases; they come back in later lessons until you get them right.
A real correction, as Kate makes it
学校を行きます。Gakkou o ikimasu.
学校に行きます。Gakkou ni ikimasu.
A destination takes 'ni' (or 'e'), not 'o'. Kate explains this in English the moment you say it, then asks where you are going tomorrow so you use 'ni' again.
Why Japanese needs a live tutor, not another app
Particles carry the meaning
'Wa', 'ga', 'o', 'ni', 'de': small words after the noun decide who does what to whom and where. 'Gakkou ni ikimasu' is 'I go to school'; 'gakkou o ikimasu' is a mistake every learner makes. You learn particles by being corrected in sentences you actually say.
Politeness is built into the verb
The same sentence changes form depending on who you are talking to: 'taberu', 'tabemasu', 'meshiagarimasu'. Learners from anime often speak too casually; textbook learners sound stiff. Kate uses polite desu/masu forms by default and tells you when a form fits or does not.
Reading ability is not speaking ability
Many learners pass reading tests and still cannot answer a simple question out loud in time. Japanese word order puts the verb last, so you have to plan the whole sentence before you finish it. That planning speed comes only from speaking practice.
How it compares
| Feature | SpeakBase | Duolingo | Babbel | Human tutor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live voice conversation that answers what you said | ||||
| Corrects the mistake as you make it | ||||
| Explains the correction in English | partly | partly | ||
| Available the moment you have 5 minutes | ||||
| Role-plays for your own situation | ||||
| Mistakes come back as review cards | ||||
| Monthly cost for daily speaking | $11.99 | $0 to $13 | $8 to $18 | $150 and up |
Competitor prices are approximate published US list prices and change often; human-tutor cost assumes five 30-minute sessions a week at $15 an hour.
Pricing
Your first lesson is free, with no card. Premium is $11.99 a month, or $10 a month billed annually, in US dollars, and includes daily Japanese conversation practice with Kate, all role-plays, the level test whenever you want it, and your personal review cards. Cancel any time.
Frequently asked questions
Does Kate speak polite or casual Japanese?
Polite desu/masu Japanese by default, the form you need with anyone you do not know well. Ask her to switch to casual speech and she will, and she will tell you when each one fits.
Does the AI tutor correct particles?
Yes. 'Gakkou o ikimasu' instead of 'gakkou ni ikimasu' is the classic learner mistake, and Kate catches it in the moment and explains in English why the particle changes.
Can I prepare for a trip or a job in Japan?
Yes. Pick a role-play (restaurant, hotel, station, job interview) or type your own situation and Kate will rehearse it with you in Japanese.
How much does it cost after the free lesson?
$11.99 a month for daily practice, billed in US dollars. That is less than one hour with a private Japanese tutor.
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First lesson free · no card · then $11.99/month