Making Japan make sense.

日本を分かりやすく——Hiratizeする雑誌。

Learn Japan. Explain Japan. In Japanese and English.

日本を知る。日本を伝える。日本語と英語、その両方で。

Print

Print Edition

Delivered to your door, every month

紙の雑誌 ─ 毎月お手元へ

Hiragana Times Print Magazine Collection

Inside the Print Edition

Hiragana Times Print Edition sample 1 Hiragana Times Print Edition sample 2 Hiragana Times Print Edition sample 3 Hiragana Times Print Edition sample 4 Hiragana Times Print Edition sample 5 Hiragana Times Print Edition sample 6

Swipe to see inside / 横にスワイプして誌面をご覧ください

Bilingual Layout

Japanese and English text appear side by side. Furigana appears beneath the kanji so learners can try reading the kanji before checking the pronunciation. Hiragana Times also uses Glomaji (Global Romaji), an original system for understanding Japanese sound patterns and connecting them to keyboard input.

日本語と英語の文章を対訳で掲載。漢字を読む練習の機会を残すため、ふりがなは漢字の下に配置。さらに、独自の「グローマ字(Global Romaji)」で、日本語の音韻体系の理解とキーボード入力をつなげます。 Glomaji / グローマ字 →

Audio via QR

Each issue offers three audio versions. The alternating English–Japanese version lets you grasp the meaning in English first, then hear how the same idea is expressed in Japanese. The English-only version supports English learners and comprehension, while the Japanese-only version challenges learners to listen without relying on translation.

各号には3種類の音声を用意しています。日英交互版では、まず英語で内容を理解し、そのあとで日本語ではどう表現するかを確認できます。英語のみの音声は英語学習と内容理解に、日本語のみの音声は訳に頼らず日本語だけで聞き取る挑戦に活用できます。

Print Becomes App

Each issue includes its own dedicated ID and password. Enter them into the Hiragana Times app, and that same issue becomes available to read on your phone or tablet. Subscribing to the app also unlocks every back issue, going all the way back to 2013.

各号には専用のID・パスワードが記載されています。Hiragana Timesアプリに入力すると、同じ号をスマートフォンやタブレットでも読むことができます。アプリをサブスクすると、2013年までさかのぼってすべてのバックナンバーをお楽しみいただけます。

App

App Edition

Every issue since 2013, in your pocket

アプリ版 ─ 2013年からの全記事を手のひらに

Annual subscribers get exclusive access to our complete archive dating back to 2013 — every issue, on your smartphone or tablet, wherever you are.

年間購読の方は、2013年からの全号をアプリでご覧いただけます。スマートフォンでもタブレットでも、どこにいても手元に——13年分の誌面が、そのまま持ち歩けます。

Hiragana Times App — home screen Hiragana Times App — issue archive Hiragana Times App — audio learning Hiragana Times App — bilingual comparison Hiragana Times App — Japanese reading with furigana

Swipe to see more / 横にスワイプしてご覧ください

200+ Issues
5,000+ Bilingual articles
対訳記事
2013 Archive begins
アーカイブ開始
1 Download the app / アプリをダウンロード
2 Create your account / アカウントを作成
3 Enter ID & password from magazine / 雑誌記載のID・パスワードを入力
4 Enjoy all content / すべてのコンテンツをお楽しみください

* Annual subscribers can access all back issues from 2013.
*年間購読者は2013年以降のバックナンバーすべてが閲覧可能です

Subscribe on our website and save 30% 公式Webサイトからの年間購読で通常価格より30%OFF Subscribe / 年間購読 →
Digital

Digital Edition

Open a link and start reading

デジタル版 ─ ブラウザで、すぐに

The Digital Edition in your browser — the same pages as the printed magazine.

No App to Install

Open a link in any browser — phone, tablet, or computer — and every page appears exactly as it does in print.

ブラウザで開くだけ。スマートフォンでもパソコンでも、印刷版と同じ誌面をそのままお読みいただけます。

No Shipping, No Customs

Nothing is posted, so nothing is held at the border. One price everywhere, including within the EU.

発送がないため、関税も通関手数料もかかりません。EU圏を含め、世界中どこからでも同じ価格です。

Read Straight Away

Six or twelve issues come as one package, available to read immediately after purchase.

6冊・12冊をまとめたパッケージ。決済後すぐにお読みいただけます。

What You Gain

Read, Listen, and Speak — from the Same Issue

読む・聴く・話すが、一冊の中でつながる。

Every issue gives you articles to read, the same articles to hear, and a live session to speak about them. Three skills, one magazine.

Reading

Elevate Your Reading Proficiency

リーディング力が強化できます

Japanese, furigana, romaji, English — four layers in every article. Meaning and reading are right there on the page, so you never have to break your flow to look something up. And reading volume is what builds reading ability.

The articles cover current news and topics related to Japan.
今、旬な日本のニュースや話題が記事に。

Every article explores contemporary Japan through content written by professional Japanese journalists. English and Japanese text blocks appear side by side, allowing instant comparison without a dictionary.

Sample Article
Furigana Below Kanji — Learn Naturally
ふりがなは、漢字の下に。チャレンジしながら読み進められる。

Unlike traditional placement, we position furigana below each kanji to encourage visual familiarity with kanji forms while maintaining reading fluency.

Furigana Example
Reading Method

Unique Four-Level Structure

独自の「4階建構造」

Sample Article
4th Floor

Regular Japanese

Challenge your true reading ability.

Challenge yourself with standard Japanese text. This is the realm of native Japanese — authentic, unfiltered, and alive. Mastering this section is the ultimate goal of your reading journey.

3rd Floor

Furigana Assist

Furigana beneath Kanji — for clarity and flow.

We place furigana below each character. This unique format allows smoother eye movement and a natural reading rhythm — blending visual comfort with cultural authenticity.

2nd Floor

Romaji (Glomaji) Assist

A window into the sound world of Japanese.

Our original "Glomaji" system connects pronunciation, writing structure, and typing into one seamless experience. Rather than just reading sounds, you will gain a deeper understanding of the Japanese language itself through typing.

About Glomaji →
1st Floor

English Assist

Your entryway into Japanese thought.

Each Japanese phrase is aligned with its English counterpart. By seeing how ideas shift between languages, you don't just translate Japanese — you inhabit it.

4階(最上階)

標準日本語

日本語読解の真の力に挑戦

通常の日本語で書かれており、これは日本人が実際に読む言葉そのものです。自然な日本語の流れや感覚を体験しながら、読解力の最終到達点を目指します。

3階

ふりがな

漢字の下にふりがなを配置 ─ 読みやすさと流れの両立

一般的な「上にふる」形式ではなく、漢字の下にふりがなを配置しています。読者の声から生まれたこの独自スタイルは、視線の流れを滑らかにし、より自然な読書リズムを実現します。

2階

ローマ字(グローマ字)

音・文字・タイピングをつなぐ架け橋

独自に開発した「グローマ字(Global Romaji)」は、単なる発音ガイドではありません。日本語の音韻構造を可視化し、そのままタイプするだけで正確な日本語に変換される、文字の仕組みから学べる学習ツールです。

グローマ字について →
1階

分解された英語

日本語思考への入口

日本語の語句ごとに対応する英語を並べ、意味の移り変わりを視覚的に理解できます。単なる翻訳ではなく、日本語の内側に「住み込む」ように理解を深める仕組みです。

And it prepares you for the JLPT / JLPT対策にもなります
N1
N2

The JLPT emphasizes reading and listening comprehension, but its unpredictable questions make preparation difficult. Expressions and kanji common at N2 and N1 appear naturally throughout our articles — so the reading you enjoy builds the proficiency the test measures.

Listening

Strengthen Your Listening with the Same Articles

リスニング力が強化できます

Every article comes with audio. Read and listen at the same time, and the written word and the spoken word connect — you start hearing what you can read. Three versions let you set the difficulty: English + Japanese to grasp the meaning first, then hear it in Japanese; English only for the content itself; Japanese only to listen without a translation to fall back on. Over time, you no longer need the page.

Audio QR example in Hiragana Times

Every issue includes audio QR codes across the app, digital edition, and print edition. Tap in the app, click in the digital edition, or hold your smartphone over the printed QR code to start listening instantly.

Speaking

Free Monthly Live Session

毎月のライブセッション ─ 購読者は無料

Free Monthly Live Session

Reading and listening give you input. Speaking turns that input into output. Once a month, join an experienced coach to talk about the articles you have read that month. Because you already understand the content, you can focus on expressing your own thoughts in Japanese. The session is free for subscribers.

読む・聴くことでインプットした日本語を、今度は話すことでアウトプットします。月に一度、経験豊かなコーチとともに、その月に読んだ記事について話します。内容はすでに理解しているので、あとは自分の考えを日本語で表現することに集中できます。購読者は無料でご参加いただけます。

1 Subscribe & create lesson account / 年間購読でアカウントを作成
2 Log in to the portal / ポータルサイトにログイン
3 Join free monthly sessions / 毎月60分のセッションに無料参加
Subscribe & Join / 購読して参加 →
Why Trust Us

Trusted Since 1986

40年分の信頼

01

Featured annually in Japanese university entrance exams and school textbooks. Also used by overseas universities.

大学入試問題や教科書に採用。海外大学でも使用される確かな品質。

02

Our bilingual corpus has been licensed to major technology companies, and our sentences appear as examples in widely used online dictionaries.

日英対訳コーパスを大手テクノロジー企業へ提供。有名オンライン辞書の例文としても採用されています。

03

Universities and global companies use our article data to train and improve machine translation.

大学やグローバル企業が、機械翻訳の精度向上のための学習データとして活用。

04

Our articles appear in the in-room magazines of Japanese hotel chains, read by travellers during their stay.

国内ホテルチェーンの客室備え付け誌に記事を提供。滞在中の旅行者に読まれています。

05

Companies use Hiragana Times in Japanese-language and cross-cultural training, helping international teams find common ground.

企業の日本語研修・異文化研修の教材として採用。多国籍化する社内の相互理解を支えています。

06

All content converted to Braille for visually impaired readers.

全記事を点字化し、視覚障がいのある方にも提供。

07

Two-time Grand Prize winner at the NTT All Japan Town Magazine Festival.

NTT全国タウン誌大賞で2度のグランプリ受賞。

08

Read by embassy staff, foreign entrepreneurs, interpreters, and tour guides.

各国大使館、通訳者、観光ガイドが愛用する「日本紹介の参考書」。

09

Among the most borrowed magazines in libraries across Japan.

全国の図書館で貸出率トップクラス。

Language Is Only Half of It

Fluency alone does not make a person at home in Japan. Many learners speak well and still find the culture out of reach — because language teaching tends to drill usage while leaving values and context unspoken. Hiragana Times was built the other way round: each article is a piece of Japan, told as a story, with the language attached.

If You Are Learning Japanese

日本語を学ぶ方へ

You learn not only what people say, but why they say it. Read enough of these stories and Japan stops being a set of rules to follow, and becomes a place you understand from the inside.

If You Are Japanese

日本人の読者へ

Studying abroad, working with international colleagues, hosting visitors — sooner or later, someone asks you about Japan. Answering well is where trust begins. What you need is not facts to recite, but stories worth telling, and the English to tell them in.

Start Your Journey Today

Discover Japan through language — in print, in the app, or in your browser.

日本を、あなたの言葉で世界へ届けよう。紙で、アプリで、ブラウザで。

Annual subscriptions are available in Print, APP + Print, and APP formats. Digital Packages and Print Back Issues are available in multi-issue sets, including five-issue and half-year packages.