Japanese teacher Makiko

Makiko

Professional Teacher
Teaches
Japanese
Native
Speaks
English
🌸Awarded italki Excellent Teacher '25🌸15+yrs EXP🌸Group, JLPT, All levels🌸Goal-Oriented
From JapanLiving in Melbourne, Australia (01:29 UTC+10:00)
About Me
italki teacher since Mar 8, 2021
InterestsFoodArtEnvironment & NaturePets & AnimalsFilms & TV Series
✅ Interactive ✅ Confidence Building ✅ Progress You Can Feel ✅ Goal-oriented ✅ Fun Konnichiwa! I'm Makiko 😊, a certified Japanese teacher with over 15 years of experience. I offer friendly and supportive lessons tailored to each student’s goals. I grew up surrounded by the beautiful nature of Shizuoka, Japan. Before becoming a teacher, I worked as a graphic designer at an advertising agency in Tokyo, which helps me create clear and engaging learning materials. I have a strong interest in different cultures. I've travelled to the U.S., the UK., Spain, Turkey, Hong Kong, and more. These experiences enrich my teaching. In my General Japanese classes, we usually start with a casual chat about daily life or recent events to help you relax and speak more naturally. Homework is provided regularly but is always optional—no pressure! ★ Feel free to book a trial lesson 😊 【About Me as a Teacher】 All of my students who took the JLPT in 2025 passed! 🎉 🟢 Certified Japanese teacher since 2009 🟢 3,000+ online lessons / 10,000+ in-person lessons 🟢 Experienced in:  ⚫︎ General Japanese  ⚫︎ JLPT preparation (N1–N5)  ⚫︎ High school VCE exam preparation  ⚫︎ Speech contests & university writing  ⚫︎ Students aged from teenagers to people in their 80s 【What You Can Expect from My Lessons】 ✅ Communication-focused ✅ Clear grammar explanations ✅ Practice in grammar, vocabulary, kanji, reading & listening ✅ English support available if needed ✅ Homework with feedback ✅ Fun and easy
My teaching material
  • PDF file
  • Text Documents
  • Audio files
  • Image files
  • Video files
  • Flashcards
  • Articles and news
  • Quizzes
  • Test templates and examples
  • Graphs and charts
  • Homework Assignments
5.0
Rating
151
Students
3326
Lessons
100%
Attendance rate
100%
Response rate

Japanese Lessons

Trial Lesson
89 lessons completed
USD 15.00+
GENERAL JAPANESE CLASS 【All levels】★Welcome complete beginners★
A1 -  C2

Language Essentials

2,599 lessons completed
USD 28.50+
Package with 5% off
Conversation class【 Bring a coffee ☕️】
A2 -  C2

Conversation

124 lessons completed
USD 29.00+
Package with 3% off
JLPT N5-N2 preparation class
A1 -  C2

Test Preparation

235 lessons completed
USD 34.00+
Package with 4% off
Group Class 【for 2 to 3 people】
A1 -  C2

Language Essentials

200 lessons completed
USD 48.00+
Package with 5% off
Honours student class [☆Students celebrating their 100th lesson/1h 5 lesson pack]
A1 -  C2

Language Essentials

79 lessons completed
USD 24.00+

Availability

238 Reviews

Student skylar youngblood
skylar youngblood
153 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
Makiko is extremely professional and easy to understand. She explains grammar very clearly, and if something doesn’t click right away, she always has multiple ways to break it down. She adjusts her Japanese to your level, so nothing ever feels overwhelming. She always comes prepared with a plan and remembers exactly where we left off each lesson. We usually start with short stories about our week, which helps me switch into a Japanese style of thinking right away. Her teaching style is very detailed, she goes through the textbooks thoroughly, cover to cover, without skipping important points. I’ve been studying with Makiko for over a year now and have taken more than 100 lessons with her. She’s definitely one of the best Japanese teachers I’ve ever had.
Dec 8, 2025
Nate
499 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
For anyone interested in learning Japanese I highly recommend Makiko-sensei. I had been studying the Genki 1 book on my own for several months but wasn't really sure what kind of progress I was making. I scheduled a trial lesson with Makiko-sensei and feel so lucky and fortunate to have found her as my teacher. Ever since the trial lesson I've been taking classes once a week for a few months now and the hour session is always a highlight of my week that I look forward to. Makiko-sensei is a compassionate and patient teacher that makes learning enjoyable while always ensuring you actually learn the material. I constantly have questions and stumble over previously taught subjects but she always takes the time to review with me with a smile on her face. I'll soon be upping to 2-3 times a week because I enjoy learning from Makiko-sensei so much. I've always had a dream of learning the Japanese language and with the guidance of Makiko-sensei I believe I can make that dream a reality.
Nov 22, 2021
Timothy Doersam
69 Japanese lessons
I've always found Makiko-sensei's lessons to be a lot of help!She is always so patient and understanding, and I can tell she really cares about me learning the language! Highly recommended!
Apr 15, 2026
AJ / エージェイ
127 Japanese lessons
Teacher’s pick
Makiko-sensei's lessons are always fun and my Japanese has already improved so much since I started learning with her. She is kind and patient, and provides feedback and corrections without it being overwhelming. Thanks to that I've become a lot more comfortable speaking Japanese. I look forward to improving further with her guidance.
Feb 25, 2025
Hai Do
3 Japanese lessons
Makiko-san has been super patient and kind ! She is very encouraging which allows me to be comfortable in class and focus on learning without feeling intimidated :)
May 13, 2026
Student Tamia(タミーア)
Tamia(タミーア)
5 Japanese lessons
Makiko was super helpful and kind! She wasn’t afraid to correct/challenge me when needed which I really appreciated. She gave great feedback and a solid plan in moving forward. Looking forward to more sessions!
Apr 3, 2026