Visited 4 hours ago
Monica
Professional TeacherTeaches
Japanese
Native
English
Speaks
Chinese (Mandarin)
French
Russian
Welcomes students at all levels—from complete beginners to those with some experience and beyond!
Teaches
Japanese
Native
English
Speaks
Chinese (Mandarin)
French
Russian
Welcomes students at all levels—from complete beginners to those with some experience and beyond!
About Me
Me as a Teacher
My lessons & teaching style
From JapanLiving in Cebu, Philippines (21:56 UTC+09:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Jul 9, 2019InterestsHistoryTravelPets & AnimalsArtWriting
はじめまして、こんにちは！私の名前はモニカです。
横浜出身の日本人で、今はフィリピンに住んでいます。
色々なお話をしながら、いっしょに楽しく日本語を学びましょう！
Hello, future Japanese speakers! I'm Monica — nice to meet you :)
You can call me Moni-sensei (which means "Teacher Moni" in Japanese).
I’m originally from Yokohama, Japan, and I’ve travelled to and lived in many countries, including the UK, Nepal, and now the Philippines.
I love learning about different cultures and languages — recently I’m studying Chinese and Spanish!
I believe learning a new language is an amazing journey that opens up your world.
In our lessons, we’ll talk about Japan, its culture, and daily life — all while having fun learning Japanese together!
I look forward to meeting you soon :)Me as a Teacher
I'll create a personalized lesson plan just for you, based on your goals, strengths, and things you'd like to improve. That’s why I really value good communication during our lessons.
I’ve been teaching Japanese for 6 years since getting my teaching certificate in Tokyo. Even before that, I was volunteering as a Japanese tutor.
As someone who’s learned English and a few other languages, I know how tough it feels when you start learning a language from scratch—so I always try to make lessons fun and easy to stick with.
I also love sharing about Japanese culture, so you’ll get more out of your lessons and enjoy your future time in Japan even more! My lessons & teaching style
I offer different lesson contents tailored to your current level and learning goals.
If it’s your first time taking my lesson, I recommend starting with a trial lesson or a 30-minute conversation practice. During this time, we’ll do a quick level check and discuss your study plan moving forward :)
You’ll only need to prepare the main textbooks (Genki, Try N3, or Tobira), depending on your level. I’ll provide additional materials like quizzes, flashcards, and more online.
As part of your learning, you’ll also write short diary entries for homework—about your daily life, favourite movies, trips you’ve taken, and other daily conversation topics.My teaching material
- PDF file
- Audio files
- Flashcards
- Articles and news
- Quizzes
- Homework Assignments
5.0
Rating
333
Students
2,083
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
99%
Response rate
Japanese Lessons
Japanese
English
Trial Lesson
211 lessons completed
USD 8.00+
Japanese from ZERO with GENKI 1&2 (Beginners)
A1 - A2Language Essentials1,328 lessons completed
USD 22.00+
Package with 12% off
Conversation Practice (Intermediate & Advanced levels)
A2 - C2Conversation168 lessons completed
USD 16.00+
Upper Intermediate (N2) lessons with TOBIRA
B1 - B2Language Essentials1 lessons completed
USD 32.00
Package with 7% off
Reading, listening and discussions with NHK online news (Intermediate ~ advanced)
A2 - C1Language Essentials6 lessons completed
USD 30.00
Beginner / Intermediate Class for 2 students
A1 - B1Language Essentials21 lessons completed
USD 41.00+
Package with 18% off
Brush up basic grammar (pre-intermediate / N3 level)
A2 - B1Language Essentials1 lessons completed
USD 32.00
Availability
Based on your timezone (UTC+00:00)
194 Reviews
Remi
12 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
Manaka sensei knows the material very well. I'm taking her class to review the Genki textbook, and the lessons are going swimmingly! Definitely recommend her lessons especially if you feel rusty & want to brush up a bit.
Aug 27, 2024
Bjoern
1 Japanese lesson
Teacher’s pick
Manaka-san is a FANTASTIC teacher! If you are looking for an excellent Japanese teacher to study search no further. She is VERY patient and KIND correcting all my mistakes and explains everything very clearly to me. She goes above and beyond when it comes to teaching! Very awesome teacher! Alot of fun! とても楽しかった!
Mar 15, 2020
Brandon Mehmet
2 Japanese lessons
Very relaxing lesson, plenty of speaking practice!
Feb 5, 2026
Chris Cukman
78 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
I've been studying Japanese since the start of February this year and without Manaka Sensei i wouldn't be anywhere near where i am. I still have a very long way to go, but i honestly couldn't image having a better teacher. She is extremely knowledgeable, very patient and she adapts lessons to your needs. She is very organised, professional and polite. Thank you sooooo much Manaka Sensei!!! I look forward to many more lessons to come.
Nov 30, 2022
Bert
1 Japanese lesson
My first lesson with Monica was great. She was courteous and patient with me. She provided clear next steps for the next class. Looking forward to it!
Feb 14, 2026
Keith W
8 Japanese lessons
Moni-sensei was incredibly helpful in both working to make sure that I was on track for my trip to Japan, but also answering the small questions and clarifications I had about quirks of the Japanese language. She also gave me examples of more common speech patterns to help me not to speak such rigid textbook Japanese.
Feb 2, 2026
Trial Lesson
USD 8.00
Your final payment will be made in USD