1. Pick your JLPT level, tap Play
Choose N5 to N1 on Home and tap Play. A fresh 20×20 grid is built on your phone from the words tagged for that level, so an N4 puzzle only asks for N4 words. Resume picks up a puzzle you have not finished.
Japanese crossword · JLPT N5 to N1
Type “kyou,” get きょう. A Japanese crossword that reads romaji.
My Senpai Crossword is a free Japanese crossword for learners: every clue shows a word in kanji with its English meaning, every answer is a JLPT word, and you type the reading in romaji while the grid fills in hiragana. Tap Play for a fresh 20×20 grid at your level, N5 to N1: 4 free puzzles a day in the app, 1 a day in your browser, with no account and no Japanese keyboard.
Get it on Google PlayDownload the free appDownload on the App StoreDownload the free appPlay free in your browser
Android
iPhone
On a computer? Scan with your phone to install.
Free. No account needed.Free on Android and iPhone: Google Play · App Store
- 7,195 JLPT words, N5 to N1
- 20×20 grid at your level
- 4 free puzzles a day in the app
- Solve with a friend
- No account
1 AcrossSchool4 squares
Type gakkou and watch the squares fill in.
How the Japanese crossword works
It works like an English crossword, but every answer is a Japanese word. Three things make it a learning tool rather than a quiz you can only finish if you already know Japanese.
2. Read the clue, type romaji
The clue shows the word in kanji with its English meaning, for example 来週 “next week”. Type raishuu and the squares fill with らいしゅう. No Japanese keyboard needed. While you type, the clue sits in the bar above the keyboard and the header tucks away, so more of the grid stays in view.
3. Stuck? Ask for a letter
Each word has 2 one-letter hints and a full reveal. A romaji chart is one tap away, so you can play before you know every kana.
JLPT N5 to N1 crosswords, level by level
7,195 words, each tagged with its JLPT level. Pick the level you are studying, and the puzzle stays there. Example clues and answers from each level:
| Level | Words | Example clues → answers |
|---|---|---|
| N5 Beginner | 574 | newspaper → しんぶん 新聞car → くるま 車summer holiday → なつやすみ 夏休み |
| N4 Elementary | 582 | earthquake → じしん 地震glove → てぶくろ 手袋kindness → しんせつ 親切 |
| N3 Intermediate | 1,654 | to reach → とどく 届くhair → かみのけ 髪の毛musical performance → えんそう 演奏 |
| N2 Upper intermediate | 1,485 | snowstorm → ふぶき 吹雪ticket window → まどぐち 窓口sold out → うりきれ 売り切れ |
| N1 Advanced | 2,900 | flower bud → つぼみ 蕾view → みはらし 見晴らしenthusiasm → ねつい 熱意 |
Levels follow the official JLPT level summary. Answers are written in kana, so N1 puzzles test whether you can produce the reading, not just recognise the kanji.
New: two-player mode
Solve a Japanese crossword with a friend, or anyone at your level
Open the Together tab and tap Play with someone. Join someone waiting at your JLPT level, open your own puzzle for anyone, or send a friend a link or a 6-character code (they tap Have a code?). You both fill in the same grid at the same time, each on your own phone.
- Letters and hints show up on both phones within about a second
- Your partner’s current word is outlined in their colour
- Nobody joins in 2 minutes? A practice partner, marked PRACTICE, solves with you
- Quick messages instead of chat: Nice!, Stuck on 5 Down, Be right back
- Leave for now: your puzzle waits in the Together tab, saved for 7 days after the last move
- 1 free puzzle together every day
Play free in your browser, or get more in the app
| Browser | Android and iPhone app | |
|---|---|---|
| Free 20×20 puzzles at any JLPT level | 1 a day | 4 a day, counted from your local midnight |
| Solve with a friend | No | 1 free a day |
| Streaks, stats, words seen per level | No | Yes |
| Your phone’s own keyboard, including a Japanese IME | No | Yes |
| 6 colour themes, dark mode | No | Yes |
| Account needed | No | No |
Ad-Free
Removes the ads and lets you play fully offline.
Unlimited
Removes the limit of 4 puzzles a day and the limit on puzzles with someone.
Bundle
Ad-Free and Unlimited together.
All three are one-time purchases, not subscriptions. The store shows the price in your currency before you buy.
Inside the app
Six themes, six words to learn
- Aizome Washi 藍染和紙: indigo-dyed paper
- Ink & Ember 墨と柿色: ink and persimmon
- Chashitsu Green 茶室: tea room
- Yuyami Cobalt 夕闇: evening dusk
- Kasuga Vermillion 春日朱: named for Kasuga Shrine
- Sakura Komorebi 桜木漏れ日: cherry blossoms in dappled sunlight
Watch a puzzle being solved
29 seconds, recorded on an earlier version of the app: typing romaji, the level picker and a hint. More on the My Senpai YouTube channel.
Japanese crossword questions
How does a Japanese crossword work?
It works like an English crossword, but the answers are Japanese words written in hiragana. In My Senpai Crossword, each clue is a JLPT vocabulary word shown with its English meaning. You type the reading in romaji, for example “kyou”, and the grid fills in the hiragana (きょう).
Where can I play a Japanese crossword online for free?
You can play one free 20×20 My Senpai Crossword puzzle a day in your browser at my-senpai.com/crossword/app/, with no download and no account. The Android and iPhone apps give you 4 free puzzles a day, counted from your local midnight.
Is My Senpai Crossword free?
Yes. The app gives every player 4 free puzzles a day, counted from your local midnight, and 1 free puzzle with someone, with ads. The browser version gives you 1 free puzzle a day. Ad-Free, Unlimited and the Bundle are optional one-time purchases, not subscriptions.
Do I need an account to play?
No. My Senpai Crossword works without sign-up in the browser and in the app. Your progress is stored on your device.
What is the difference between the web version and the app?
The web version gives you 1 free 20×20 puzzle a day. The app gives you 4 free puzzles a day at any level, solving with a friend or anyone at your level, streaks and stats, your phone’s own keyboard, six colour themes, and offline play for Ad-Free and Unlimited members.
Which JLPT levels are covered?
All five, N5 to N1. My Senpai Crossword uses 7,195 words tagged by JLPT level: 574 at N5, 582 at N4, 1,654 at N3, 1,485 at N2 and 2,900 at N1. Pick a level and the 20×20 grid only uses words from it.
Can I play a Japanese crossword with a friend?
Yes. In the Together tab of the My Senpai Crossword app you can send a friend a link or a 6-character code, or join anyone waiting at your JLPT level, and the two of you fill in the same grid live, each on your own phone. One puzzle together a day is free.
Does the Japanese crossword work offline?
Ad-Free and Unlimited members can play fully offline once the app is installed. The free tier needs a brief connection at the start of each puzzle to load the ad, and the web version always needs a connection.
Can I type with my phone’s own keyboard?
Yes, on both iOS and Android. Switch to your device’s own keyboard, including a Japanese IME if you have one set up, and it types directly into the grid. The in-app romaji keyboard is the default and you can switch back any time in Settings.
Can I play if I don’t know hiragana yet?
Yes. You type romaji, the English-letter spelling of each sound, and the grid shows it in kana. A built-in romaji chart shows what each kana sounds like. Learning the kana first, for example with Kana Challenge, makes the grid easier to read.
Does a crossword help with JLPT vocabulary?
It trains recall. Each clue gives you the English meaning and you have to produce the Japanese reading yourself, which is harder than recognising a word on a flashcard. Research on the testing effect found that this kind of retrieval practice improves long-term retention more than rereading.
What if I get stuck on a word?
Each word allows two hints, which reveal one letter each, and one full reveal. Revealed letters lock in place, so you can keep solving the crossing words around them.
Sources: JLPT level summary (Japan Foundation and JEES); Roediger and Karpicke (2006), Test-Enhanced Learning, Psychological Science 17(3).
More from My Senpai Crossword
- How the crossword worksClues, romaji input, levels, free puzzles and Together mode.
- My Senpai Crossword updatesRelease notes for Android and iPhone, newest first.
- Two-player crossword (Together mode)Join someone at your level, or invite a friend with a link or code.
- Crossword in your browserThe web player: 1 free 20×20 puzzle a day, no download.
- JLPT study guides N5 to N1What each level tests, pass marks, a 10-question check and the word list each crossword level is built from.
Keep building your Japanese vocabulary
- Two-player Japanese crossword (Together mode)How to invite a friend, join a game and solve together.
- Free Japanese crossword in your browserThe web player: 1 free 20×20 puzzle a day, no download and no account.
- Kana ChallengeLearn hiragana and katakana first, so the grid reads easily.
- Building Japanese vocabularyHow to turn new words into words you keep.
- YoMooRead Japanese news with furigana and meet the same words in context.
- JLPT grammar lists by levelGrammar guides for N5 to N1.
Your next puzzle is one tap away.
Free on Android and iPhone, or in your browser. No account.