Learning a new language is a great way to exercise your brain, and Japanese is a perfect place to start! Luckily, learning Japanese can be broken down into steps that are easy to follow, and the process can be a lot of fun if you enjoy Japanese culture!

So, how do you learn Japanese step-by-step? Here’s how you can learn Japanese from beginners

Research Japanese Culture
Practice Japanese Pronunciations
Learn Hiragana
Explore Kanji
Learn Katakana
Practice typing both Hiragana and Katakana
Start Learning Basic Vocabulary
Add in Japanese Grammar
Find a Good Textbook or Program
Keep Pushing Through

Let’s Learn Japanese

Before you get started on the steps to learning Japanese, it’s important to approach the process with the correct mindset. Japanese differs from English and other Western languages in many different ways.Japanese uses an entirely different set of letters that look nothing like the English alphabet. In fact, there are three writing systems that you’ll need to learn. Don’t be surprised when you struggle with basic lettering.

If you’re ready to go, then strap in. It’s time to learn Japanese!

1. Study Japanese Culture

This might sound like a strange place to start when you’re trying to learn a language, but it’s the most crucial step to ensuring your success as you try to teach yourself Japanese. If you’ve tried learning another language before, then you know how important this step is.Languages tend to reflect the culture of the area it’s spoken in; this is why people often talk about languages as living. If you want to learn a language, it’s difficult to do if you don’t understand the ‘why’ behind things like sentence structures and grammar.

When you start learning a language, you’ll find out that most things don’t translate perfectly. Most languages don’t have the exact same set of vocabulary, and it’s hard to understand diction when you don’t understand the culture properly.

If you can start analyzing the language and understanding the reasons behind certain phrases, then you’ll have a much easier time compared to trying to directly translate all the time.If you’ve ever learned a second language from English, it’s more than likely another Indo-European language (see this language tree here). This includes languages such as Spanish, Russian, and even Greek.While these languages might not sound similar to your ears, they all share a common root language, making it easier to learn them after you know another. Japanese is not one of these languages, making it a difficult language to learn for English speakers.

You’ll have to dedicate yourself to really understand Japanese culture before you try jumping into this difficult language. Japanese culture differs from most Western cultures, so it’s even more important when you’re learning Japanese compared to other languages. However, if you’re trying to teach yourself Japanese, you probably know a little bit about Japanese culture from popular media.

You should do this before and during your study of Japanese. Immersing yourself as much as possible is the best idea when you’re learning any language, and pop culture things like movies, small books, and music can help you out.

2. Practice Japanese Pronunciations

Japanese sounds are very different from English sounds in a variety of ways, and it’s important that you understand the various sounds before you really get into the nuts and bolts of the language.

For instance, some people get tripped up by the fact that some Japanese characters that are represented in English by one letter sound like a completely different letter (like ‘r’ and ‘d’). Japanese can also be confusing because letters don’t fit together with consonants and vowels the same way that they do in English.

There are several sounds in Japanese that simply don’t exist in English. You’ll have to learn these sounds, and you’ll need to give your mouth and vocal region time to get used to making the noises. It’s not something you can do in 10 minutes—at least give yourself a few days before moving on to more complicated sounds.

Step two and step three go somewhat together; you’ll more than likely want to start learning the hiragana with the correct sounds. While you’re doing this, you’ll probably feel frustrated, and that’s ok.

In general, when you’re learning a new language, you have to try and rely on your primary language as little as possible. For example, you can’t learn each letter or sound by associating it with the English version (and in Japanese, it’s impossible in several instances). Instead, try to focus solely on the character and sound in Japanese. Once you get your brain adjusted to learning like this, it’s a lot easier to remember and digest new languages.

You’ll find that popular Japanese media will be a huge help here. You’ll start to understand how the pronunciations and how the language flows if you’re listening to Japanese music or watching Japanese movies and TV shows.

3. Learn Hiragana

Think of Hiragana as the Japanese alphabet. While there are three writing systems, hiragana is the best place to start, and it’s going to be required before you can study from any textbook or online resource.While most traditional classes would spend months learning how to read and write hiragana, you can choose what you’d like to do. Learning to write hiragana can be strange, and it’ll be difficult for your hands to get used to writing such different letters.Some people find it easier to wait until later on to start practicing writing; besides, once you can read a language, writing comes a lot easier. Besides, it’s more beneficial to learn how to type hiragana compared to writing it.

While it’s a good idea to think about how professionals teach Japanese, remember that you’re not sitting at a desk in a classroom. You can set your own pace as long as you’re honest with yourself about your process, and you can use whatever techniques best help you, whether you’re a visual, kinetic, auditory, or writing learner.

This is a pillar of your Japanese learning; don’t advance before you’re ready. Make sure you’ve got hiragana memorized; no matter how slow you are, as long as you don’t cheat, you’re ready to move on!

While you don’t want to move too fast, you don’t want to move too slow either. Moving too slow can take away your motivation and cause you to get ready to give up.

You’ll want to learn how to read and pronounce these letters; see how step two is helping already? Once you’ve gotten to where you can pronounce and read through the letters without any additional help, even if it takes you a few seconds, then you’re ready to move on!

4. Explore Kanji

Kanji is singlehandedly the most difficult part of learning Japanese. In fact, most native Japanese speakers don’t know every single kanji that exists, and many kanjis have multiple definitions. You can learn more about kanji’s history and uses here.

Expect to spend a lot of time here, and you’ll want to keep adding to your kanji vocabulary as you go. The official kanji for everyday use includes 2,136 characters. Don’t worry; you don’t have to learn all of these before deepening your studies, but you’ll want to get a good start.

Kanji is combined with hiragana and katakana to create full, grammatical-correct sentences. Therefore, before you learn how to read Japanese, you’ll have to learn some kanji. By getting a good grasp of kanji early on, you’ll save yourself time and frustration further down the road.

Here are a few different things you’ll need to pay attention to when you’re learning kanji:

The English Meaning. On average, each kanji character has three English translations. This means that things can get confusing quickly. You’ll want to pay attention to the most common meaning while tucking away some of the lesser-used meanings of each character.

Japanese Context. As expected, you can tell which kanji meaning is being assumed by the surrounding Japanese vocabulary. While you’re learning what each kanji represents, try memorizing what vocabulary is used with each meaning. This will make things a lot easier when you get to Japanese grammar.

This step requires a lot of memorization, so make sure you set a pace that works for you. Try not to go too fast or too slow; you don’t want to get bored or burn yourself out. Learning a new language, especially Japanese, requires motivation and perseverance. Pacing yourself can help you maintain these feelings.

5. Learn Katakana

Finally, it’s time to learn the third and final writing system in Japanese: katakana! This step is extremely similar to learning hiragana; you’ll more than likely have an easy time deciphering these characters, and the process will be quicker compared to the beginning. Hooray for progress!This is the perfect thing to do while you’re still adjusting to learning kanji characters. Because it’ll be easier for you at this stage in the game, you’ll be able to get the hang of kanji characters while still progressing with your study of Japanese language.

While you’ll probably grasp katakana quicker, be prepared for it to be challenging. Katakana is actually harder than hiragana to learn—however, once you’re at this stage of the game, your brain will be more flexible and will digest the learning easier.

Once you’ve gotten to where you can read katakana with no help, go ahead and move on. You may have to revisit this step in the future because katakana isn’t used as much as hiragana and kanji in simple sentences, so don’t waste too much time perfecting this area.

Even though you won’t really start using katakana until later on, it’s a good idea to go ahead and get versed in it now compared to later. It’ll be easier to brush up on later compared to trying to learn it all when it starts showing up. Plus, it’s a natural step since you’ll know the other two Japanese writing systems!

Once you’ve completed this step, recognize how far you’ve come! Learning one writing system is difficult; imagine learning three different alphabets. At this stage, you should have a decent grasp on three different writing systems. Remember to celebrate the victories along the way to becoming fluent in Japanese; this is how you’ll be able to push yourself when things get tough.

6. Practice Typing Both Hiragana and Katakana

The next step is practicing your typing skills! This will help your knowledge of both hiragana and katakana sink in, and you’ll have a practical way to apply your expertise in Japanese. The good news is that you can practice typing with any keyboard with a Japanese keyboard program. There are plenty to choose from, so find one that looks good to you, and start going.

While it’ll be a challenge to learn to type both writing systems at once, it’ll push you to remember and cement each system into your brain. It’s also going to work out those brain muscles even more and in different ways than learning one by one would.

If you find this step challenging, then remember that it’s ok! Try slowing down your pace, or go back to just studying the writing systems on their own to get a better grasp of them. You set the pace when you’re teaching yourself a language, so don’t feel bad if you have to slow down.

The key to success is realizing how you learn best and the ideal pace for you. If you’re not someone who is strong when it comes to typing English, then this step is going to be even more difficult.

However, don’t skip it! Typing is one way that you can put these skills to good use, and it’ll help you in the long run. Imagine writing Japanese; that’s much harder and would take much more time to learn. Typing is a much easier place to start, and it’s a great way to review and end your basic Japanese instruction.

7. Start Learning Basic Vocabulary

If you’ve followed steps one through six, then you’ve been learning Japanese vocabulary this entire time! Now that you’ve learned every writing system Japanese uses, it’s time to really start dedicating as much vocabulary as you can.

There are three main steps to learning how a Japanese sentence works:

Hiragana, kanji, and katakana

Vocabulary

Grammar

At this point, you’re ready to start learning Japanese grammar. However, you can’t do that unless you know the words in each sentence. Imagine trying to figure out how nouns and verbs fit together without even knowing what each word means!

While some programs will have you learn vocabulary while learning grammar, we recommend not doing so. This makes grammar much more difficult to grasp (think of how difficult English grammar can be, and you know the words!).

It also leaves you feeling frustrated more often than not, and that’s not going to help you push on. You only have yourself to rely on, so it’s important to make sure that you don’t set yourself up for failure. Really studying vocabulary before moving onto grammar is going to propel you through your grammar studies.

It’s helpful to set a vocabulary schedule for yourself. This will take some time to plan out, but it’ll make the task easier, and it’ll keep you on track without missing any major vocabulary categories.

For example, you’ll want to break down language by the words you use most. You can use these categories as a starting point:

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it’s a great place to start. After you’ve done that, then set a goal for how many vocabulary words you want to memorize in a certain amount of time. For example, you could learn 20 vocabulary words every day. (Remember, you’ll also have to review these words every day, so make it a realistic number based on how much time you spend studying.)

A Quick Note on How Language Works:

As you learn this vocabulary, try steering away from your native language as much as possible. Instead, associate the words and characters with the visual of each one. This applies to everyone, not just visual learners. Studies show that this is the best and quickest way to commit vocabulary to memory.

While no one quite knows how children learn languages, it’s thought that they see things and correlate words for them because of the order that children learn words and sentence structures. You want to mimic this as much as possible when you’re trying to learn any language.

8. Add in Japanese Grammar

Once you feel like you have a good grasp on hiragana, kanji, katakana, and Japanese vocabulary, then it’s finally time to learn how to put sentences together! This is where you’ll really start to see yourself excel, and the progress you’ve made so far will become apparent.

This is going to be the most satisfying area of your studies. Make sure to remember the feelings of accomplishment as you’re able to understand and craft simple Japanese sentences; you’ll need that serotonin boost very soon.

Japanese grammar is similar to any other language in that it’s confusing; there are a lot of rules and a lot of things that break those rules. Grammar is hard, and it’s going to take awhile to start understanding Japanese grammar.

You can use things like lyric breakdowns and young children’s books to progress. Once you start learning basic grammar, you should be able to get through small children’s books, and even some music lyrics.

There are several ways to go about the rudimentary Japanese grammar rules; since this is a self-learning guide, we want to make sure you go as far as possible before relying on any outside programs.

With that being said, this is about as far as you can go on your own. It’s going to be difficult to find comprehensive guides on beginning Japanese grammar online, and it’ll leave you with more questions than they can typically answer. Once you’ve exhausted the resources you’ve been able to find, it’s time to move onto step nine.

9. Find a Good Textbook or Program

Congratulations, you’ve finally arrived at the point where you’ve taught yourself as much as you can! If you’re ready to go further in your Japanese language studies, then you’re going to have to invest in a language learning tool.

Luckily, there are plenty of resources out there to help you. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best Japanese textbooks and programs that you can get—check these out if you’re ready to move forward.

Japanese from Zero! 1. Proven Techniques to Learn Japanese for Students and Professionals

This is a series of books that is going to help you take your Japanese studies to the next level. These workbooks are excellent at taking the best language learning trends and applying them to Japanese for English learners. Plus, the fun art style will help you remember how Japanese culture is. The writers of this series have taught Japanese all over the world.

Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana: Workbook and Practice Sheet.

If you struggled with the writing systems, then this workbook will help you with grammar while reinforcing both hiragana and katakana. This book was created by both an English and Japanese writer to bring you the best learning tools whether you’re studying at home or with other people. The practice sheets will help you test your knowledge as well, which will help keep you on track with your goals.

A Guide: A Japanese Approach to Learning Japanese

This guide is meant to help you learn Japanese as it is spoken in Japan—this is going to be a bit different than a lot of other guides out there. You’ve heard of slang in your own language; it exists in every language, and this guide is going to teach you how to learn Japanese with slang. If you’re looking to sound as native of a speaker as possible, or you’re learning Japanese for pop culture purposes, then this is a great resource.

Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System

This is another great resource for anyone who’s looking to reinforce their knowledge of hiragana and katakana while learning Japanese grammar. This guide will make sure you’re learning correctly with plenty of visuals and mnemonics; if you found yourself struggling in the earlier steps, then this is a great option for you.

Basic Japanese: Learn to Speak Everyday Japanese in 10 Carefully Structured Lessons

If you’re an auditory learner, then this is a great resource for you. The book includes downloadable audio to help you learn Japanese grammar through listening and responses; it’s one of the most user-friendly guides on the market. With 10 lessons, you’ll be able to follow along and keep yourself on track as well.

A dictionary of basic Japanese grammar

While we’ve discussed how important it is to have as much vocabulary memorized as possible, it’s a process that is going to take you months, if not years, to do. Having a dictionary by your side is better than googling every character, and this specific dictionary will have everything you need.

10. Keep Pushing Through

You’ve finally made it to intermediate Japanese learning! Now that you’ve gotten this far, there is a bit of bad news to share: there really aren’t many guides or textbooks that can help you take Japanese farther than a beginner’s level.You can find a lot of instruction on advanced Japanese grammar, but most of it isn’t very user-friendly; typically, they rely on you having a teacher or mentor to help you learn at this stage of the game.

This is the most difficult part of any language-learning process; up until now, you’ve probably felt confident and excited in the progress you’ve made.However, most people at this point begin to question how much they truly know. Earlier on, you were finding out all sorts of things, and you were more than likely focused on what you did know at any point in time. Once you’ve reached an intermediate level, the majority of people start realizing and focusing on how much they don’t know.

If you’re serious about becoming fluent in Japanese, it’s very important to recognize these feelings so that you can overcome them. The more you push through, the better you’ll be in the end. Don’t let this be something that stops your language acquisition.

Here are some next steps you can take if you’re struggling to understand the advanced books;Take a trip to Japan and immerse yourself in the language.Hire a tutor or mentor online who can help you and answer questions you have.Read more Japanese fiction books; this is a way to naturally progress your language skills.

Can You Learn Japanese without Kanji

Many new students of the Japanese language are often bothered about whether they need to learn kanji or not. This is largely due to the difficulty associated with learning kanji, which is an essential Japanese writing system. Without a doubt, kanji is difficult to understand and even sometimes messy to learn. Besides, mastering it requires a long learning process.

Well, the truth is that you can learn Japanese without kanji. You can just concentrate on learning hiragana and katakana. This is because as long as you have a good understanding of hiragana and katakana, you can communicate to an extent in Japanese.

Without understanding a single character of kanji, you can learn Japanese enough to communicate with other Japanese-speaking individuals daily. You can even live in Japan and also communicate with people at work, home, and even on the road.

Generally speaking, most Japanese kids don’t learn anything about kanji until they get to Grade 2. By this period, these kids are around age 6 and understand the basics of the Japanese language as they can communicate with their family, friends, and so on.

Besides, there are numerous foreigners in japan that can speak the language but have never learned kanji. Despite this reality, most of these foreigners still enjoy their time in Japan as they can converse with other Japanese speakers. All these points establish the fact that you can learn Japanese without kanji.

Why this is not advisable

Although you can learn Japanese without kanji, it is not advisable. This is because of some reasons that will be described below:

Not learning kanji impedes your Japanese literacy level

Before you ditch kanji in your journey to learn Japanese, you should understand that kanji is still important if you want to be literate in the language. In other words, if you want to be able to write and read in the Japanese language, it is not reasonable to learn Japanese without kanji.

Based on experiences, it is near impossible for anyone to read the Japanese language without understanding kanji. The Japanese language doesn’t use any sort of empty spaces between words. Therefore, kanji is utilized for indicated the ending of a word and the beginning of another word. That is, it breaks a sentence down to make it easy for anyone to read.

Hence, as long as you have not learned kanji, reading will be a herculean task for you. Even if you try to read without kanji, there will be so many errors in your interpretation of each sentence because different words will be jumbled.

Not learning kanji confuses the meaning of words

In English and other languages, the contexts often determine the particular meanings of many words. The same thing applies to the Japanese language. In some cases, kanji characters are the ones that will show you the context of a particular sentence written in hiragana. Hence, you will rely on kanji to determine the meaning of the words. Therefore, if you have learned Japanese without kanji, such words will look confusing to you.

In addition, if you have learned the Japanese language without kanji, there will be several instances where you will say or read some awesome phrases without understanding their real significance or meaning. Just imagine how bad that will be for you if you are saying something without even knowing its meaning.

It will be almost impossible to pass the JLPT without kanji

Are you planning to write the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)? If yes, you should understand you cannot do so without kanji. From the easiest and lowest level of JLPT (N5) to the hardest and highest level (N1), you will be tested on your understanding of kanji. In fact, you are expected to understand some kanji characters before taking any level. By the time you are writing JLPT N1, which is the highest level of the test, you would have understood more than 1,000 kanji characters.

Overall, without kanji, you cannot pass this test. Of course, there are tons of consequences for not passing the exam. The most significant include difficulty with getting some job opportunities as many employers will request you to submit your JLPT certification. So, if you want to get a great job in Japan, your refusal to learn kanji may be a barrier.

Learning without kanji may be impossible in some cases

If you plan to learn Japanese from the book, it will be near impossible for you to do without learning some basic kanji. This is because kanji in most written Japanese books regularly. Therefore, you will need some understanding of kanji to be able to make sense of what you are reading in the book.

Notably, you can only learn Japanese without Japanese if you are living in Japan or around Japanese speakers that communicate with you in the language. Otherwise, it will be impossible to learn Japanese without kanji.

Learning kanji is cool

Even though you may not agree, writing in kanji is actually cool. This is because this Japanese writing script looks awesome. Therefore, if you are crafting out any idea with this kanji, it will look beautiful. So, if you don’t want to miss out on such a sweet feeling, you should not shy away from learning kanji along with other essentials of the Japanese language.

Imagine going out and not able to read and understand signposts, restaurants’ menus, posters, etc. Well, this is what you may experience if you learn Japanese without kanji. So, although you can learn Japanese without kanji, it is not advisable.

Although many individuals are running away from learning kanji because it is generally believed to be difficult to learn, you should not be discouraged. As long as you are fully committed to learning, it could easy for you to learn kanji and even become an expert at using this awesome writing system. Join a Japanese language class, get the right resources, and continue studying until you reach the level of fluency you have always desired in the language.

Can You Learn Japanese in 3 Months?

The truth is that learning a new language is definitely one of the most challenging yet stimulating tasks you can ever do. Of course, if you are focused and consistent in learning Japanese, there are lots of things you could have learned within 3 months.

In fact, learning in 3 months may be enough for you to have basic conversations in Japanese and even read some texts. Indeed, there is no language that you cannot learn in 3 months. The only thing that is not guaranteed in 3 months is your fluency.

So, if your target is to be fluent in Japanese, this is almost impossible to accomplish within 3 months. Fundamentally, within the first few months of learning the language, the basic understanding of Japanese that you have may be enough to ask a few simple questions, say some basic things about yourself, etc.

However, if you want to learn Japanese to be able to speak or read it professionally, watch anime subtitles and understand everything, or take the higher levels of Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), it is unrealistic to think you can learn Japanese in 3 months. This is because these exercises require a near-perfect knowledge of Japanese.

How long does it really take to learn Japanese?

If you intend to learn Japanese for any reason, you are likely going to be concerned about the duration it will take you to understand the language. However, it is important to understand that there is no straightforward answer to the vital question. When you are learning a new language, a complex process is involved in determining how you will understand what you are learning. It is worthwhile to understand this complex process relies heavily on numerous individual factors that are within or out of your control.

Anyway, what are these numerous factors that can affect your learning of Japanese?

The languages you already understand

People that already speak two or more languages have higher chances of learning Japanese in 3 months, though they may not be fluent too. Being bilingual or multilingual eases the whole process of learning Japanese as you are already exposed to a wide range of languages before. Resultantly, it will be easier for you to start learning step by step until you achieve fluency.

Also, the particular language you already understand will affect your ability to learn Japanese. For instance, if you already understand Chinese, it will likely be easier for you to learn Japanese. This is because both the Chinese and Japanese languages use some symbols for their writing scripts. Besides, Chinese is believed by many people to be harder to learn than Japanese.

However, if you only have good knowledge of European languages like English, French, German, and lots more, you may struggle with learning Japanese. The first few months may be wasted on just understanding the basics of the unfamiliar characters of the language. As a result of this, it will take a long period to learn Japanese.

Your motivation

There is no doubt about the fact that your motivation to learn Japanese will affect your speed of learning. For instance, someone who is just learning this language for fun may not learn as quickly as someone learning to get a life-changing job.

So, as you start learning Japanese, make sure you stay motivated throughout the process. Focus on how learning Japanese can improve your life in diverse ways.

Your schedule for learning

If different people are learning Japanese at the same time, the fluency of these people after three months will rely on their schedule for learning. Those that have dedicated several hours per day to learning Japanese will learn better and faster than others that don’t.

So, if you are trying to learn Japanese in just three months, you will have to spend lots of hours each day learning the language. Immerse yourself in the learning and you may surprise yourself at the end of the 3 months.

Your attitude towards learning

If you see the process of learning Japanese as fun and interesting, you will be positive about the whole experience. This positive will make it easier for you to have a good knowledge of this language. Also, it will spur you to commit more hours to learn Japanese every day.

Therefore, in case you are still targeting learning Japanese in three months, you must be positive, focused, and determined to achieve your goals.

The method of learning

There are loads of methods of learning Japanese or any other language. However, some methods are known to increase the speed and accuracy of learning than others. In general, learning in the classroom and from interaction with native speakers is the best way to learn Japanese. This is because such a learning process will combine an understanding of the fundamentals of the language with day-to-day experience. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that you will probably learn faster if you are learning in class and still living among native Japanese speakers.

Overall, if you want to learn Japanese in 3 months, consider living the locals, watching Japanese anime and movies, reading and listening to local news, and so on. With regular exposure to Japanese, your chance of having an impeccable understanding of the language in 3 months will increase.

After all is said and done, the learning speed of each individual differs. Therefore, after the first 3 months of learning Japanese, your level of learning Japanese may not be the same as someone who started learning the same language at the same time. While some people may be good enough to take the lower levels of the JLPT after 3 months, others may not be able to hold a simple conversation with it.

Again, it is almost impossible to learn Japanese in 3 months and be fluent. The language doesn’t look like most European languages that you are already probably used to. Hence, learning it will be somewhat difficult.

Conclusively, we suggest that you don’t rush learning Japanese. Take the time to be equipped with the basics of the language and continue enhancing your fluency.

How to learn Japanese to understand anime

Learning Japanese can sound like a very tiresome chore on its own and learning Japanese for the purpose of enjoying your favorite anime can sweeten up the deal. To learn Japanese you can use a number of ways starting from a textbook to long hours of class, but why not integrate your learning with anime. It is logical to first cover basic vocabulary and grammar, to understand anything in Japanese. This means that, you must have a textbook and some other tools for tutoring Japanese. If you want to learn Japanese to understand anime, then it makes sense to know how to use anime as a learning tool. It is highly debated that Japanese language learners can actually learn the language using anime. This article is going to discuss the relationship between anime and learning Japanese and how you can use anime to learn Japanese.

Disclaimer about the Japanese used in anime

The reason why it is debated as to whether standard learning of Japanese can match the style of the language used in anime is that, the Japanese language used in anime is casual and uses informal vocabulary. The Japanese language has an honorific approach in its structure that goes way beyond the formal and informal distinction. The Japanese language has a different approach when it comes to addressing your relatives, friends, work colleagues, customers, etc. So the way you will have to approach the universe of anime that has its own tone and grammar style should be with caution if you are a learner. It is popular that Japanese language professors often correct students who boast in using the Japanese they learned for and from anime. If you are to learn Japanese used in anime, then you might sound to natives like a child or a street vagabond. Some of the words used as a signature by anime characters are gibberish and made up slangs. This can cripple your Japanese while talking to natives or your instructors. But this doesn’t remove the fact that the Japanese used in anime is real Japanese and you can still learn to understand the language in such media.

The best course to take while learning Japanese for anime

There are two possible courses a learner can take when learning Japanese to enjoy and understand anime. The first way is, they will learn with anime comprehension as their goal from the beginning so they will use anime as a source of learning early on. As this type of learner becomes more informed about standard Japanese, they will comprehend the informal nuances used in anime and might be able to sort things apart. The second way is when the learner begins with assimilating the Japanese language using textbooks, classes or other educational methods. Then after they are about an intermediate level, they will integrate anime as a learning and recreational Japanese language tool. In this case, they won’t be confused by the informal and invented grammar and vocabulary in anime as they have a solid foundation in the language. The above facts make the second method much more recommended to learners who want to grasp Japanese for understanding anime.

Stumbling blocks to avoid if you learn Japanese for anime

There is a lot to be discussed about the distinction of real-life Japanese and the Japanese used in anime. With this in mind, Japanese language learners should avoid some pretty common mistakes. First and foremost, it’s not practical to learn Japanese solely for anime purposes. This is because, you might find that you put the effort into learning quite important aspects of the Japanese language that will never be used in anime. And this can be discouraging, and thus you might give up on your progress on real-life Japanese. Also, you should not adopt anime vocabulary unless you are sure it’s used in the real world, some words like “dattebayo” used by Naruto are invented for entertainment. Furthermore, the tone and speech used in anime might fool you into thinking you know much about real-life Japanese speech, so as you learn Japanese make it a goal to understand real-life Japanese first. All this doesn’t mean anyhow that the anime is not a great tool to learn the Japanese language, especially when it comes to building comprehension and listening skills.

Tips to understand and learn Japanese for anime

Since you are going to be learning the Japanese language for anime, you should understand how to use your time watching them as a learning tool and thus improve your Japanese language level. There is anime for everyone and once you find the niche that suits you, make sure you pick high-quality anime in terms of the Japanese used. If the Japanese used is uncommon, this will definitely impact your learning curve. If you have to associate anime with learning Japanese, it’s better to stay clear of shows involving giant super robots, magic and fantasy worlds due to the concentration of informal slangs in their scripts. The genres that have more real-life Japanese language are detective dramas, sports anime, and high school shows. Listening will be most improved while watching anime so make sure to not rely on subtitles and turn your watch time into practice. Be an active consumer and make sure to note down new vocabulary and grammar, you might even note slight variations in the use of what you already know. Double-check to see if your new discoveries are not show oriented before using them in real-life conversations.

How do I start learning to read Japanese?

These days it became popular and cool to know more than one language, and on your list of languages, you might have Japanese. Japanese is a language with its own characteristics, undoubtedly different from the English language in all aspects. So you are probably going to face a challenge, but nothing that good tips and specific information won’t solve. If you are learning the Japanese language and choose to practice using reading materials, then this article is for you. We are going to look at the approach you can take for your Japanese learning through reading to be fruitful.

Understanding the challenge involved with the approach

Once you have a grasp of the kanji and the Hiragana, you might feel so prepared to start learning Japanese through written content. Well, to your surprise some materials will just be impossible for you to fully grasp even though you know all or most of the vocabulary. If this happens, it’s normal. You have to understand that there is a reading spectrum. For example, you can easily read a funny story in your native language, but might have a tremendous struggle comprehending a lawyer document in the same language. This is the same for Japanese. When you want to learn Japanese by reading you have to know your spectrum and start where you can handle to get a sense of familiarity and ensure progress.

Use a note system while you are reading

Once you understand your reading spectrum in Japanese, the next best thing is to come up with a note-taking system for all the new stuff you are going to discover in your reading. This can be a simple notebook that you keep in hand while reading or a flashcard app. Make sure to organize the new grammar and vocabulary in a way that is easy for you to go over later. The use of flashcards if possible is best as flashcards are easy to revise once you get familiar with this system. There are popular applications like Anki that you can easily find a tutorial on creating easy flashcards decks. These notes are what you will use in your Japanese learning, if you don’t keep anything then probably you are not learning by reading.

Understand intensive and extensive reading

Another key point is being aware that there is a difference between the type of reading in terms of length and material. Depending on what you read, you have to either use intensive or extensive reading when you try to learn by using written text. Short content or stories are suitable for intensive reading. This means that, when you read these short texts try to know about everything. Make sure you dive into every sentence, explore the grammar structures, look up idioms and vocabulary, take notes and make sure to extract all possible new stuff from your short text. For long texts or novel books, you don’t need to go hard trying to grasp every vocabulary. You can simply get the general context of the passage and build your comprehension in the Japanese language this way. If you try to dive into every vocabulary while reading a long piece, you are probably going to tire out, and this will hinder your progress. So take into account those necessary vocabularies and note them down for revision later.

Use a digital reading tool with a built-in dictionary

There is a variety of digital tools out there for learning Japanese by reading, and whether it’s an online platform or an app, they solve one big problem for learning the Japanese language. When you want to learn Japanese through reading, you are going to face a difficulty of homophones. These are different words that can be written the same way in a written context. Thus, the digital tools that have an integrated dictionary will help you uncover the meaning of the word without having to look it up and allows you to guess the meaning from the writing. Tools such as BliuBliu, or LingQ will save you tremendous time in your learning especially with reading that has no kanji at all. Make sure to use these tools for your advantage if your way of approach to learning Japanese is by reading.

Debutants should begin with graded readers

Whether you are at a beginner, or intermediate level in the Japanese language, you sure can use a lot of help from graded readers. These are tools that take professionally written text and tune it to a certain level according to the JLPT grading. They let you learn what you need at a level you can handle and allow you to upgrade tactfully. There are different graded readers to choose from depending on whether you are in Japan or elsewhere in the world. White readers are books that can be found in Japanese university libraries, they are written to meet the JLPT requirements. So they start from N5 to N1 teaching you Japanese by reading. You should note that, they are comparatively expensive. The 10 minutes read series are Japanese written books for kids used in japan to teach kids to learn. They are easily affordable and will take your learning through stepping stones until you become pretty much comfortable in the Japanese language.

If you are out of japan then you can access graded readers online. Recommendations would be the NHH News, Wasabi and ChocoChoco and the satori reader. The NHH news offer real news and interviews written in simple Japanese and on the platform you can find simple explanations on the passages. The Satori reader offers a variety of articles with varying difficulty levels, Wasabi and ChocoChoco is the cheapest option among the above offering quality content.

How can I learn Japanese at home fast?

Set realistic goals

The truth is you are not going to master Japanese overnight. As they say, overnight success is actually a result of a series of hardworking hours. So the first thing you need to do is to draft your goals. Be realistic, it’s going to take you more than six months to grasp the basics on your fingertips. It can take you up to a year or more to master everything in great detail. Do not be in a hurry to see results. Remember, those daily hours that you are going to devote to learning Japanese are going to produce the end result. Hence, as you set your goals, make sure to set short term and long term goals. This means that you need to be clear about your daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals and so on.

Devote some time every day to learning Japanese

There are many ways you can do this. The Japanese language is mainly different from the common languages in the sense that it looks like a pattern. Therefore, you need to devote time to grasp the writing skill. Take at least thirty minutes every to polish your writing. Learning a language also means knowing how to read, speak and listen. Hence, you need to be wise in allocating your time.

Change the language on your phone to Japanese

We devote a reasonable amount of time to our phones each day. Whether it’s making calls, texting or playing games. How about you challenge yourself a little bit. Don’t think too hard about making the decision. Switch to the Japanese language on your phone. This means that everything that you are going to do, from searches to basic operations on your phone, the Japanese language is going to be the main language.

This might feel very suffocating at first as you try to find your way around your phone. Nonetheless, it’ll surely pay off with time. The more you allow yourself to be uncomfortable with the new change, the more you are going to push yourself to learn Japanese. And, the more you get used to seeing it in your day to day operations, the more it’ll be easier for you to master Japanese.

Often listen to Japanese audios

There are a vast number of Japanese audios that you can choose from according to your personal preferences. There are audios that are based entirely on grammar, those that base on simply knowing basic Japanese and many more. Do not be in a hurry to grasp all the information at once. Listen to a maximum of two audios a day. The trick here is to not break the chain. Make sure you make it an objective to not skip a day of listening. How about you listen to Japanese audio the first thing when you wake up, and you listen to the last audio as you go to bed. Gear up your brain so that it gets used to listening to the language. This way, it’ll be easy for you to pick up sentences as someone speaks. It’ll sharpen your hearing abilities.

Maximize the advantage of social media

In most cases, you are going to spend more than half of your day on social media. Use this fact to your advantage. Manipulate your brain by making it believe you are still having fun on social media. However, you must make some huge changes to what you focus on as you go on social media. Join a lot of groups that are Japanese based. Be it education or entertainment groups. Make sure that you contribute to the group discussions. The moment you feel less confident about participating, remember what a Japanese native would sound like if they try to learn your language. The trick here is on exposure. The more you expose yourself to the language, the better chances of you mastering it.

Watch more Japanese podcasts and tutorials

Set aside time for achieving this particular goal. Focus on tutorials that will give you some form of exercise at the end. It is much easier to follow a podcast or a tutorial than it is to gather the willpower to read an educational book. Tutorials tend to provide more detailed focused explanations that are easier to grasp. Another advantage is that you can actually get the chance to learn Japanese in your own language. This makes it much easier for faster progress.

How can I learn Japanese without getting bored?

Now, let’s look at some examples of how you can achieve your normal fun as you learn the Japanese language.

Watch Japanese comedy

Most of us can’t restrict ourselves from laughing at a very good joke. How about you laugh your way through your journey of learning Japanese. This way, you will be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle and at the same time master the skill you have always desired. It is more advisable to watch comedies with subtitles as you commence. This is because you don’t want to end up overwhelming your brain.

All you need is to grab your popcorn, sit back and relax as you learn. The good vibes that also surround a comedy show will make you remember the Japanese language faster. So if you want to learn Japanese, and you enjoy comedy shows, then the next time you think of watching a comedy, replace your normal show with a Japanese one.

Listen to Japanese music

Music has the ability to soothe the heart and uplift the soul. It can impact on someone’s mood like magic. We all have our tastes when it comes to music. Nevertheless, there is no denying the fact that everyone enjoys a good tune. It’s just the type that differs. Hence, how about you take your music type and use it to your advantage.

Look for Japanese music that perfectly fits your preferences. Replace your everyday language songs with Japanese ones. This way, you don’t need to put any effort into learning the language. All you need to do is to just hit that play button and you are good to go. Incorporate the habit of listening to Japanese music as you do most things. For instance, you can enjoy a certain jam as you do your jogging routine.

Resort to Japanese animation

When it comes to animation, it’s not only restricted to kids. The animation industry has evolved in such a way that suits all age groups. Hence, during the first month do some trials. Look for that particular animation that you really enjoy that is premiered in the Japanese language. Then, make sure to not miss an episode. Make the experience relaxing and flexible by watching more Japanese cartoons. That way, you can have something to look forward to that’ll benefit you in various ways.

Watch more Japanese movies and shows

If you intend on learning Japanese, then this is a very fun way to go about your objective. You can learn Japanese by making sure that you put Japanese subtitles all the time as you watch your movie. This means that it’ll be a double win. As you enjoy your favorite movie, you will be perfecting your Japanese reading skills. The vice versa also works perfectly. You can always watch your favorite movie in the Japanese language. You can then put your language subtitles. This way you can perfect your listening skills as you enjoy your movie. This is the best way to enjoy your way through learning Japanese easily.

Allow your hobbies to revolve around the Japanese language

We all have that sport that we love doing. Or, maybe it’s an outdoor entertainment activity. The point is aside from our everyday busy lives, we all have that hobby that we enjoy. You can actually turn your hobby as a tool for learning the Japanese language. For example, instead of playing your favorite tennis game with the same people that you always played with, you can resort to playing with Japanese natives. This way as you enjoy your favorite sport, you can get the chance to be exposed and interact with the Japanese language more. If it’s your favorite sport, you are obviously going to devote a reasonable portion of your time to play it. This, in turn, means more time of exposure to the Japanese language. Hence, you do not need to worry about trying to fit in that time to learn the Japanese language in your schedule. You can easily learn your way through the sport.

What order should I learn Japanese grammar?

Japanese grammar is very interesting and can be challenging especially if your mother language is widely different from the Japanese language. To take on this challenge we are going to review a series of tips you can use. Note that, it is crucial to get professional help if you want to advance quickly or in some cases stuck.

Grasp and understand a grammatical form and exercise around it

While learning Japanese grammar, you are going to learn several structures and these vary from the level at which you are. Part of learning has to do with understanding what the rule or structure means and then you can apply it. If you are using a textbook or other sources, there will be examples for every structure. Use the examples given as a guide and then play around it to see if you comprehend the concept. To do this, make use of any senior in the language depending on your level. Simply put, find a native or advanced Japanese speaker to correct and check the way you used the new learned forms. Make sure to leave your comfort zones and exercise around the structure in all possible ways, the more mistakes you make the more you will learn new tips and get better over time.

Get a detailed grammar book that works for you

You are going to need a memorable grammar book to make it easy for your learning. Different books are designed for different levels and specifically for classrooms or self-learning. You have to understand how your course will be in the beginning and do the research for a preferable book. There are recommended books such as Genki, but the top recommendations might not work for you. After having a solid long-term plan for your language learning, start reviewing suggested best books and see whichever best fits your needs. It’s not uncommon to combine two or more books as you learn grammar if they compliment each other. The trick is to build sustainable momentum. Let yourself discover one structure at a time and practice with it then move to the next. It’s recommended by seniors and teachers to take one pattern a day, and tune it to the way native speakers say and write it. Don’t be hasty, take one step at a time.

Obtain a detailed Japanese grammar dictionary for reference

When you get a Japanese grammar book, it’s usually laid out in topics. A Japanese grammar dictionary is in alphabetical order and thus used as a reference. When you learn grammatical forms from your textbooks and tutorial, you will need to grasp the many examples of its use in writing and speech. This is where the reference grammar dictionary comes in handy. These dictionaries are packed with many examples from every possible angle. This will help you in learning how to use the grammatical structures. As a recommendation, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese by Seiichi Makino and Michio Tsutsui is a great place to start. It comes in three different variations, these being basic, intermediate and advanced. Use it as a reading book to pick up inspirations while you practice new grammatical forms. And as a working tip, keep coming at it to familiarize yourself with various structures over time.

Anticipate using other sources rather than your grammar book

For illustration, if a language was a sport, then grammar would be the rules of the game. And we know that knowing all the rules of the game is not what makes a great player, they have to play. The same applies when learning Japanese grammar. If you’ve completed all the book’s assignments on the pattern, it’s best to practice them with native speakers and get a real sense of the use. The best way to easily connect nowadays is on the internet. Online Japanese forums such as Jgram can be of great help. Other recommended forums are, maggie sensei, take Kim’s guide to Japanese, etc. With the correct keywords, you can research communities that match your level and integrate them for your practice. Mobile apps are also helpful in giving you tones of sentences and daily use examples.

Use different ways to practice listening and reading with native

This is the part where you test your Japanese grammar knowledge. We can all agree that it’s no fun if you spend all your time revising and never see any real-world use for what you learn. Part of learning Japanese grammar means taking your time to test yourself on real-world content. Use video or audios of your favorite content and see if you can spot grammatical forms that you have already learned. It is much better if you hang out with Japanese natives and try to listen when they engage in conversation. It for sure will be impossible to follow at first but, as you learn more your ear will start to tune in to real-life grammar. In this way over time you will learn more. Practice makes perfect. If you can’t find Native Japanese in your area, use online media. One great practice to get your grammar fast is using subtitles in Japanese. As you read the subtitles you will match the meaning from what’s been said in the scene and patterns will start to make more sense as you do this. A lot of mobile apps like FluentU offer great grammatical courses using media to make the learning much more memorable. Make sure to do your research on which real-world method is best suited for your Japanese grammar practicing.

How to learn Japanese in the best way for free

It is actually amazing that you are keen on investing in your education and learning the Japanese language. You may need to give up a few hours of your time for this, but the difference it will make in your life is priceless. There are a lot of free resources online that you can learn from. Just create time, get a computer, and a quality internet connection, and you are good to go.

Below are some free resources that I’ve put together to help your Japanese learning process.

PODCAST AND AUDIO LESSONS

JapanesePod101

This is an audio-based Japanese language resource that is considered great for beginners. JapanesePad101 offers a free podcast where you can listen and start practicing to speak right away. It also has a YouTube channel with rich content that you can easily access for free. Their lessons range from beginner to advanced lessons, and they also offer courses for JLPT preparation. Although, you may have to pay a subscription fee at some point to access some advanced lessons.

NHK world easy Japanese

This is an audio and text-based course with 48 lessons for a beginner. It was created by the Japanese national broadcaster, NHK. Every course begins with dialogue or expression, and a well-detailed explanation afterward. Since this course is designed for people living in Japan, it is best for anyone moving to Japan, who wants to learn the basics of the Japanese language for easy communications.

Learn Japanese pod

This is an excellent choice for a beginner seeking to master useful Japanese phrases and vocabulary. Some people consider this the best Japanese language podcast because there is an English explanation to guide listeners through for every conversation made.

Japanese listening advanced (JLA)

Just as the name applies, it is a podcast for advanced Japanese language learners looking to brush up their speaking ability. Listening to this podcast daily will help improve your language skills. Also, there are downloadable scripts in Japanese with English translations made available in case you find it difficult to understand any part of the conversation.

YouTube Japanese language lessons

Videos are definitely an interesting way to learn anything, including languages. YouTube has made it easy for you to find free, easy, and educative content on learning the Japanese language. There are a few Youtube channels that make learning the Japanese language easy. On these channels, you can find several topics and content ranging from the basics of learning the Japanese language for beginners to various topics that serve the needs of both intermediate and advanced learners. Some Youtube channels with insightful content for learning the Japanese language include:

Learn Japanese
JapanesePod101
Easy languages
Chop
That Japanese Man Yuta
Japanese Ammo with Misa
Puni Puni japan
Learn Japanese pod.

FREE JAPANESE LANGUAGE APPS

Duolingo

This is one of the most popular language-learning apps that also teach you Japanese language vocabulary and grammar. It’s a gamified platform; hence it makes learning easy and fun. This app is best for beginners who are looking to learn Japanese in a fun way, and also for traveling purposes.

Busuu

This app has a list of many languages to learn from, including the Japanese language. It is a great platform for both beginners, intermediate and advanced learners with over 150 courses to learn from. For intermediate and advanced learners, it tests you on your current knowledge in order not to go back to the introductory stage and to repeat what you already know. Although much of the app is free to use, you may need to pay for a 3, 6, 12, or 24- month subscription in order to get a better learning experience. Hence, for a full learning experience, it is advised that you go for a 12 or 24-month subscription.

Websites that teach Japanese for free

Learn Japanese free.com

On this website, you don’t have to register before you can access the lessons for free. It isn’t gamified like some other site, but it provides simple explanations that are easy to understand. Its course is basic for beginners and contains 28 lessons and special vocabulary lessons. It Is mostly text-based, and so is recommended for those who learn well from such materials.

MLC Japanese

Although they are a real-life school in Tokyo, they share most of their resources on their website, making it easy for anyone to learn from any part of the world. Although, the website does not have all the required information that can make up a free full course. They do have lots of examples and printable worksheets, so if you are looking to get more help on your learning process, you can get the extra help from the resources available on this website.

There are so many platforms where you can learn the Japanese language for free. I hope this article was helpful enough.

What Japanese Alphabet Should I Learn First?

Once you have shown interest and readiness to learn the Japanese language, there are tons of questions you will be looking for answers to. One of such questions is – what Japanese alphabet should I learn first?

Without mincing words, hiragana is the Japanese alphabet you should learn first. This Japanese writing script is not only easy to learn, but it also has some elements that can help you to learn other alphabets. Besides, hiragana can serve as a factor that will motivate you to be successful in your learning journey. So, if you are ready to learn Japanese, you should kick-start it by learning hiragana.

What is hiragana?

Assuming you are a new learner, you probably don’t know what hiragana is. So, before explaining why you should start your learning process with hiragana, let’s first describe what hiragana is. Basically, hiragana is a Japanese writing system. It is the basic script that is used by millions of Japanese-speaking people for day-to-day communication.

Hiragana has a total of 46 fundamental characters. Each character comes with a specific phonetic syllable. These characters are usually written together to represent different Japanese sounds. Generally, hiragana is simple and easy to write and read as long as you have an excellent grasp of its meaning.

The three basic functions of this writing script include:

For indicating the grammatical function of a particular Japanese word
For replacing Japanese that don’t have kanji and katakana equivalents
For changing the meaning of adjectives, verbs, and adjectives in the Japanese language

Why hiragana should be the first Japanese alphabet you learn

As indicated earlier, hiragana should be the first Japanese alphabet you will learn. However, this decision is based on a wide range of reasons including:

You can learn hiragana characters quickly

Hiragana contains only 46 characters. That is, you only need to study 46 characters repeatedly, and then you would have understood Japanese hiragana. When you consider the fact that English has a total of 26 capital letters, 26 small letters, and some extra punctuation marks, you will realize that the English language has more than 80 characters. So, learning 46 characters should not be a big issue for you.

Factually, if you are determined to learn hiragana, you can learn all characters in just one or two days. Even if you don’t want to rush, you can master five different characters each day and, resultantly, complete everything in less than 2 weeks.

Hiragana is easy to learn

When learning to write and read Japanese, Japanese kids often start with hiragana. Of course, this is because hiragana is easier to learn than the other two popular writing systems of Japanese (katakana and kanji). As a beginner, you are not different from Japanese kids as you only have basic knowledge of the language. Therefore, you should start where the Japanese often begin their learning process.

Hiragana is the commonly used Japanese writing system

As long as Japanese is concerned, hiragana is used more often than other writing scripts in day-to-day conversations. Whether you are reading newspapers, subtitles of Japanese anime or films, listening to podcasts, etc., you will see lots of hiragana regularly. As a consequence, a new Japanese learner will get the most natural and best opportunities to study the writing and reading parts of the language when they understand hiragana.

Learning hiragana aids pronunciation of different Japanese sounds

As suggested before, the foundational phonetic writing script of Japanese is hiragana. It is the basic writing system that can be used for symbolizing every specific sound. So, if you start learning the writing system of Japanese with hiragana, you are likely to experience little or no difficulty when pronouncing some Japanese sounds.

Long lines of katakana can hardly make sense without hiragana

Foremost, katakana represents words that are borrowed from other languages. Without a doubt, you can use katakana symbols to form independent texts. But it will be extremely difficult for anyone to understand a long line of different katakana characters.

Fortunately, you can add some hiragana characters to the long lines of katakana texts to make them meaningful. Therefore, if you begin your study with katakana, you will need to learn hiragana or kanji for a better understanding.

Hiragana can aid other writing characters

Once you have learned hiragana, your knowledge can be applied to various other scenarios. But this is not applicable for katakana and kanji, which are two other writing systems of the Japanese language. For example, when you want to write furigana and yomigana (these are reading aids that help you to pronoun kanji symbols appropriately), you will need to know hiragana. Therefore, your understanding of hiragana will go a long way in assisting you to learn several other writing Japanese characters.

In addition to this, hiragana characters have corresponding hiragana symbols. So, when you understand hiragana, learning katakana will be easier for you.

Several resources are available for hiragana

Whenever you want to learn a new language, you need to go through lots of resources. Out of all Japanese writing scripts, hiragana has the most abundant resources. So, whether you are looking for the simplest resources or the most difficult ones, you can rest assured that you will find them.

As a beginner, most kids’ books are written in hiragana. So, you can start learning like a Japanese kid by picking one of the kids’ books. The vast availability of these resources will be pivotal to ensuring that you understand Japanese as quickly and expertly as possible.

Hiragana can motivate you to learn other parts of the language

If you are learning Japanese or any other language, you need to find motivations that will keep you going. Since hiragana is easy to learn, it can serve as the factor that will motivate you to continue learning the other parts of the language. Resultantly, you will likely experience massive success in your whole learning experience.

What’s the best Japanese self learning textbook for beginners

These textbooks do not only have the required resources for beginners, but they can also make learning easy and fun-filled.

Minna no Nihongo 1
Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese (English and Japanese Edition)
Japanese from Zero! 1: Proven Techniques to Learn Japanese for Students and Professionals
Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana
Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System

With the information provided in this article, you now know the essential textbooks that you can use if you are new to the Japanese language. These books have been written in such a way that beginners can use them to start the journey to become a Japanese speaker.

1. Minna no Nihongo 1

The first book on this list is Minna no Nihongo 1, which is undoubtedly one of the most famous books for individuals that are learning Japanese. This textbook introduces you to Japanese and shows you the basic things you need to start communicating in the language. It is the first book in the popular Minna no Nihongo series.

Published by Three A Network, Minna no Nihongo 1 is often recommended by the majority of Japanese language schools because of its relevance to beginners. This textbook focuses on helping new learners to study Japanese by using several exercises. However, the entirety of this textbook is in Japanese; hence, it may be difficult for you to understand it at the beginning. Don’t get worked up over this as you can just get translation and grammar notes in English; hence, you will be able to understand everything in the book regardless of the level of your understanding of Japanese.

The main features of Minna no Nihongo 1

Suitable for beginners

Foremost, Minna no Nihongo 1 is entirely written in kana that is easy to be read by beginners. Therefore, if you have some understanding of kana, you will have no issue with using this textbook. Besides, you can get the English translation notes to make it easier for you.

Well-structured units

The second important feature of Minna no Nihongo 1 is its detailed structure. Generally, this textbook has 25 units that comprise the essential things you need to kick-start your Japanese learning experiences. Each unit focuses on different areas of the fundamental subjects that you need as a beginner. The textbook takes advantage of several exercises to test your understanding of the language.

Also, you will come across tons of dialogues that introduce you to Japanese in life-like scenarios. These dialogues will also make you learn different vocabulary words that beginners need for effective and efficient communications in the Japanese language.

Similarly, this book has been written in such a way that you can complete it within 100 to 150 hours of study. All you have to do is to follow its study flow to grab the basic things you need to flourish in knowing Japanese.

Additional CD

Since it can be difficult to learn a new language without listening to people speaking it, Minna no Nihongo 1 comes with a CD. So, just put this CD into a CD player and start hearing various dialogues in Japanese. Apart from enhancing your learning experience, this CD also makes it possible for you to learn Japanese without getting any assistance from a tutor.

Answer key and numerous questions for revision

Based on the experience of many Japanese learners, questions play a key role in improving learning speed. Therefore, Minna no Nihongo 1 comprises numerous questions that you can use for revising what you have read. These questions will help you to refresh your memory of the Japanese language. Besides, if you are interested in taking JLPT or any other Japanese language exam, these questions can be quite useful as they will let you know whether you are set for those exams or not.

In addition to the questions, this book has an answer key. This answer key shows you the best way to answer each question in Minna no Nihongo 1. In addition, this can come in handy if you are writing any Japanese proficiency test.

2. Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese (English and Japanese Edition)

If you are learning the Japanese language in a language school, it is likely that you would have come across Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese before. This is because it is the most commonly used textbook for teaching Japanese as lots of people believe that it covers everything a beginner needs.

Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese touches all areas of the Japanese language such as speaking, writing, reading, and listening. A team of authors (Yutaka Ohno, Eri Banno, Chikako Shinagawa, and Yoko Sakane) works together to make it the one-stop book that all beginners can count on.

The main features of Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese

Easy-to-understand and non-intimidating study flow

Let’s face it – Japanese can be intimidating to learn, especially for people that only understand languages like English. Hence, if the study flow looks difficult, you may lose interest in learning the language. Luckily, the authors of Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese understands this reality; hence, this book introduces you to Japanese via a non-intimidating method. Notably, this textbook has a total of 12 main lessons that teach you the foundational elements of Japanese. A few of the subjects that the book covers include time, seasons, greetings, shopping, and health.

Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc., this textbook makes learning Japanese seems like an easy task so that you can have an interest in it. Furthermore, the structure of the lessons is usually predictable. You don’t have to think too deep before knowing what you can expect in the next lesson. This predictability makes learning fun, easy, and straightforward. It also gives you a sense of having some basic understanding of the language; hence, encouraging you to learn more.

Supplementary yomikakihen section

Apart from the 12 main lessons of Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, there are also 12 supplementary yomikakihen lessons. These lessons are designed to teach you how to read and write Japanese in line with the main lessons. With these supplementary lessons, you can begin to study hiragana, katakana, and kanji without much hassle.

Lots of practice exercises

Like many other Japanese language textbooks, Genki I – An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese has loads of practice exercises. These exercises assess your understanding of these things you have learned. Notably, each section of the book has several practice exercises.

Loads of pictures

Without a doubt, pictures aid learning, and this is why most kids’ books have lots of pictures. Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese has numerous images that will make you visualize what you are studying. While the pictures may make the book look like a children’s book, it plays an essential role in making it easier for you to remember everything you have learned. Also, it makes learning Japanese fun and less intimidating regardless of your previous knowledge of the language.

MP3 CD

As you study Japanese, it is equally vital to put a voice to the things you are learning. In view of this, Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese provides you with an MP3 CD which is important for listening comprehension. Since it is an MP3 media, you can get it on your smartphone or even tablet and continue learning the Japanese language anywhere you find yourself. Imagine how this MP3 can make your learning experience to be non-stop.

Culture Notes

If you are getting the revised edition of Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, it will have a new segment called Culture Notes. This section is mainly designed to assist you to learn about Japanese culture. It shows you etiquette and different scenarios that you may come across in Japan. This enables you to learn the language as well as the culture of the native speakers.

Supplementary workbook

Apart from the exercises in the book, you can also buy the workbook written to boost how you study Japanese. This workbook contains numerous writing composition prompts, character sheets, fill-in-the-blanks, and translation practice.

3. Japanese from Zero! 1: Proven Techniques to Learn Japanese for Students and Professionals

Are you entirely new to the Japanese language? Would you like to get a book that simplifies everything for you whether you are a student or a professional? If yes, don’t hesitate to get Japanese from Zero! 1: Proven Techniques to Learn Japanese for Students and Professionals. With this textbook, you will study reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension.

Written by George Trombley and Yukari Takenaka, this textbook uses a new, unique, and holistic approach to handle the way beginners learn Japanese. It is worthwhile to know that the experienced and professional authors of this book have used the techniques and lessons of the book for more than a decade with many students. Therefore, there is a certainty that these techniques and lessons can perform magic when it comes to teaching Japanese.

The main features of Japanese from Zero! 1: Proven Techniques to Learn Japanese for Students and Professionals

More than 800 new words and expressions

When learning a new language, expanding your vocabulary is essential. Japanese from Zero! 1 will boost your vocabulary by giving you more than 800 new words and expressions. These new words and expressions have been particularly handpicked by experts to make sure they are commonly used by native speakers. Therefore, you will not only study new words, but you will also learn how you can use them to communicate seamlessly in Japanese.

Introduction to the hiragana writing system

Hiragana is believed to be the most commonly used Japanese writing system. The other two popular writing scripts are katakana and kanji. Japanese from Zero! 1 will give you an overview of hiragana and also teach you how to read and write it. By the time you are done with this textbook, you should be able to write and read simple Japanese greetings, signboards, food menus in restaurants, etc.

Integrated workbook with answer key

Some textbooks for learning Japanese have separate workbooks that you need to buy differently. However, Japanese from Zero! 1 makes life easier for learners as its workbook is integrated. Therefore, as you are buying the textbook, you will also get a workbook that you can use to evaluate what you have learned.

Also, the workbook has an answer key that shows you the best way to answer the questions. All these features come together to improve your learning experience significantly.

Easy-to-understand example dialogues

Japanese from Zero! 1 has several sample dialogues. These dialogues will provide you with some scenarios and conversations between some individuals. The example dialogues available in this Japanese book are easy-to-understand for beginners. In addition, they describe realistic scenarios that every learner can relate to. All these factors make it easy for the students to remember the scenarios as well as the new words introduced.

Culture points

This section is entirely dedicated to giving you useful lessons about Japan. This ensures you don’t only know the Japanese language, but you also learn about the culture of the native speakers. This can be instrumental in allowing you to learn etiquettes and other vital factors that can affect your communication skills in the newly learned language.

Bilingual glossaries

In addition to all the features above, Japanese from Zero! 1 comprises of bilingual glossaries – both kana and romaji. The glossaries explain different terms in the book and aid your comprehension skills.

4. Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana

Hiragana and katakana are two of the three commonly used Japanese writing systems. These two systems are collectively called kana. Without these two systems, it will be impossible for you to write or read anything in Japanese. Kanji is the third writing system, but you cannot even use it without having a great understanding of hiragana and katakana. So, if you want to study these two Japanese writing systems, Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana is the book you need.

This detailed and systematic Japanese workbook is good for individuals that want to learn Japanese on their own, but it is also commonly used in classroom settings. Since this book is for beginners, it features the foundational hiragana and katakana phonetic symbols you need to start writing simple words in Japanese.

The main features of Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana

A basic introduction to the Japanese kana system

Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana introduces the basic hiragana and katakana phonetic systems to you. By the time you read the whole book, you would have learned the primary function, pronunciation, origin, and usage of 92 hiragana and katakana phonetic characters. The book will also teach you how you can combine different characters. You will also be equipped with the variations of these characters and how you can write them without missing out on any stroke order.

Practice spaces

This workbook offers lots of spaces for practice, self-test, and review. These practice spaces come in different stages as you will find some after a topic, section, etc. Hence, you can always assess what you have learned and how much of them you can still remember vividly. The new edition of the book even comes with more reading and writing exercises that will test your understanding of Japanese.

Unlimited access to online audio files

To aid your ability to pronounce the hiragana and katakana phonetic symbols correctly, you will be provided a link to online audio files. Wherever and whenever you want, you can just go online and access these files for the right pronunciation of the various vocabulary words, characters, and sentences in Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana.

Useful and culturally relevant vocabulary

As you are using Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana to study the major Japanese writing systems, you will also be shown some vocabulary words. It is important to note that these words have been specifically selected because of their usefulness and cultural relevance. So, you can rest assured that the vocabulary will be useful in your day-to-day communication with Japanese speakers.

Helpful extra information with romanized Japanese

If you are one of the learners that are already used to romanized Japanese, Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana can be quite important for you. This is because it has lots of additional information that you can use to learn different aspects of Japanese. This feature is a major difference between Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana and many other books for beginners.

5. Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System

Like many other languages, there are some basic things you need to learn to be able to write in the Japanese language. Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System promises to show you the introductory elements for studying hiragana and katakana, the two most important Japanese writing systems. The publisher of this textbook also offers Japanese Kanji for Beginners which teaches kanji, the remaining important Japanese writing system.

Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System takes a different but holistic approach towards teaching students how to write hiragana and katakana. Nonetheless, this innovative approach has been used for several learners in Japan, the USA, and other countries, and the results are immensely encouraging.

The main features of Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners

Comprehensive mnemonic-basic approach

Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System takes advantage of a mnemonic-based approach to show students the most essential 92 characters they need to learn to start writing and reading Japanese. As you are learning the Japanese characters of these writing systems, the method will be allowing you to relate their sounds and shapes with some images. In addition, you will be associating the new characters with some common English words that you already know. With this method, anyone can learn Japanese as long as they are ready to put in the required effort.

Lots of exercises

To provide learners with different opportunities to practice, write, read, and use the hiragana and katakana characters in the book, you will come across several interesting exercises. These exercises will play an important role in making it easy for you to remember everything you have studied in Although Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System.

Additional opportunities for improving your knowledge

Apart from the regular exercises in Japanese Hiragana & Katakana: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System for Beginners, this textbook also has lots of other methods for testing your understanding of Japanese. These methods include fill-in-the-blanks, word searches, timed recognition quizzes, crossword puzzles, and lots more. With these methods, you will find an engaging way to evaluate what you have read.

The CD-ROM

Generally, Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners: First Steps to Mastering the Japanese Writing System is more concerned about equipping you with how to write and read in Japanese. However, this book also comes with a CD-ROM that can be used to print out flashcards. These flashcards contain all the same mnemonic images that you are found in the textbook. Therefore, by using these flashcards, you can continue reviewing and practicing hiragana and katakana phonetic characters wherever you are.

While some of these books have English translations or romaji, others are completely written in Japanese. Therefore, before selecting any of these beginner Japanese textbooks, you should take a second look at their main features to decide whether they are suitable for your particular need or not.

Is It Better to Learn to Read or Speak Japanese First

Therefore, when you start learning Japanese, you may be torn between starting with reading or speaking. I recommend that you should learn to speak Japanese as it makes it easier for you to converse with others. This, in turn, enhances your overall understanding of this language.

Without mincing words, no thumb rule determines whether you should start with reading or speaking Japanese first. Nevertheless, many individuals feel that learning to speak Japanese first is better.

As expected, there are tons of reasons for learning to speak Japanese first. In this article, I will explain some of the reasons you should start by speaking Japanese first.

Speaking helps your conversation

Generally, the best method to learn Japanese or another language is using a conversational approach. Simply put, this conversational approach means that you converse with other individuals that also have a good understanding of the language. Without a doubt, speaking is the best way to engage other individuals.

When you learn to speak with other individuals, you will definitely understand Japanese and have a grasp of how several words are pronounced when speaking to other learners.

In addition, it is usually recommended by some experts that you should have conversations in Japanese when you are learning the language. This is because it is the best way to practice what you have learned. However, you cannot hold conversations in Japanese if you are only learning to read it.

Speaking is easier and more encouraging than reading

Let’s face it – reading Japanese can look like a herculean task for a beginner. This applies to kanji, katakana, and even hiragana. You will have to commit lots of effort to learn it. Furthermore, it may take you several years before achieving your aim. You will also need to learn numerous characters before you can read the Japanese scripts correctly. These enormous time and effort requirements can be highly discouraging if you are not careful.

On the other hand, speaking Japanese is relatively easier than reading. When you want to learn to speak, you only need to focus on the basics. Once you have understood the basics, you can go ahead to hold conversations with anyone you want. Besides, learning to speak will also be instrumental in knowing how to understand it when someone speaks the language to you.

Speaking helps your accent

Like other languages, Japanese has a certain accent that most speakers will love to have. However, you will hardly know the accent if you only focus on reading. Learning to speak first will let you understand how you can pronounce different words even before you can read or write them.

Speaking can even improve your reading

Generally, when learning a new language, there are so many words that you do not know. However, as you continue speaking with others, you will come across several new words that will boost your vocabulary. Whenever you come across these new words in your reading, they will be familiar to you as speaking has improved your vocabulary. As a consequence, speaking Japanese will enhance your ability to read the same language.

Speak spurs you to be creative with Japanese

If you are speaking to another person in Japanese, you tend to be creative with your little knowledge of the language. This is because your conversation will likely go to areas that you don’t understand. As a consequence, you will be forced to come up with new sentences that you never knew existed. Even if you have to say some incorrect words, the other speaker may correct you. This will give you a context that will make it easier for you to remember the right sentences or words to use in similar situations in the future.

Speaking makes it easier for you to test your knowledge

Foremost, you should note that reading Japanese also tests your knowledge of the language. However, it doesn’t do so as much as speaking does. By speaking, you are focused to remember most of the vocabulary that you already know. This doesn’t only force you to hold a good conversation, but it also tests your knowledge.

Speaking may encourage you to think in Japanese

To have a good mastery of any language, thinking in such a language is essential. When you start thinking in Japanese, it means that you are already applying the language in different areas of your life. From experiences, speaking in Japanese spurs you to converse quickly and this, in turn, encourages you to think in Japanese.

Speaking may make it easier for you to live among the locals

If you want to stay in Japan or any other Japanese-speaking community, reading Japanese cannot help you much. Speaking, on the other hand, comes in handy in such instances. This is because most other Japanese speakers will be open to talking to you irrespective of your poor understanding of the language. Therefore, speaking can make it easier for you to live among others that understand the language.

Notably, conversing with the locals is undoubtedly the best way to improve your knowledge of Japanese. So, this also shows why you should prioritize learning to speak Japanese over reading it at the beginning of your study.

Although learning to speak Japanese first is great, this does not mean learning to read the language is important. In fact, if you don’t read Japanese well, you may have a hard time understanding some basics of the language. This further establishes the importance of learning to read the language. Also, speaking and reading Japanese go hand in hand; therefore, every learner needs both.

So, as you start your journey into learning Japanese, get started with learning how to speak.

Top 10 free resources to learn Japanese

If you are on the road to learning Japanese, then there are quite many ways that can help you to grasp the language. There are very few free learning sites or books that you can get access to, but it doesn’t mean that you won’t find them. If you are a dedicated learner, then we have compiled a list for you to check out the free resources for learning the Japanese language so that it’s for you to have access to these resources.

Anki- The software’s page says that it has powerful and intelligent flashcards that help you to retain a specific type of language. It is an efficient way to remember and keep a tab on things. The program consists of audios, videos, and images that help a person to be more fluid in the language that they are set to learn. So, if you want to learn Japanese, then go to this app and have a more robust understanding of the subject through their techniques of memorizing. The algorithms and the tools, especially for Japanese language Kanji.
Tae Kim’s Guide to Japanese Grammar- This handbook mainly focuses on Japanese grammar more than the language. The guide has been created with the sole purpose of providing the enthusiasts an intuitive and rational way through which they can learn more about the Japanese language. The manual talks about how they make a person learn Japanese grammar, not through the English style, but by making them understand it, the Japanese way. Also, the guide supports some text in Japanese, so even your device should be able to support Japanese text. It is available in pdf download format, paperback, ios app, and Android app store, so choose your option from your comfort zone and learn Japanese in free.
Imabi- It is a simple website that solely aims at providing information to the readers about Japanese grammar. One can go through the mini-lessons that the creators of the site have presented and learn the language most easily and simply. There are so many examples that go with their explanations that are well informed and helps a person to understand the language and the grammar fully. Also, no lesson is related much to the previous one, so one can choose between a beginner, intermediate, and expert level that promises a ton of information on the language.
Tagaini Jisho- This is one of the best and most importantly, free Japanese dictionary that one can use to look up words for Japanese and Kanji language. The lookup tool is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems for the convenience of the readers. The dictionary helps the learner to train entries that they want to study and follow the process through memorizing them. It can also print a small booklet or list the entries that you don’t review. Also, you get a complete stroke order animation for more than 6000 Kanji symbols on your screen with this online dictionary. In all, it is a beneficial tool if you are looking for learning Japanese at the ease of your device.
Japanesepod101- This website houses a lot of content for you to access for learning Japanese. Most of all, it is for free, and you don’t have to worry about paying anything. The most significant aspect of japanesepod101 is that there are more than 2,500 free access to audios and videos that are not even going to take up any space in your device as everything is available on the easy to access a website. If you have any doubts, the site also hosts live discussion sessions where you can have clarity on the subject. It is more like your online tutor with detailed Pdf notes on Kanji, vocabulary, and JLPT learning sessions. There are free Japanese lessons that are released every week on this website.
Forvo- The Japanese language consists of many complicated words that can be searched through Forvo, where you can see several different ways of reading Kanji. One can also find new words in this application to find their meaning and how they can be used. Forvo is a language program that can assist you, just like an enhanced and informative English dictionary. You can also listen to the pronunciation of each and every word that, too, in the native accent. The program is set to have an extensive database, and you can search for almost all Japanese dialects.
Easy Languages- This is a YouTube channel that podcasts daily Japanese life. The hosts interview various people roaming around in Japan. It is really very attractive to watch people speak in their native language. Regular videos from the channel cam teach you quite many Japanese phrases that you can use in your daily life. Also, one can check the culture and language through this series and know in-depth about all things Japanese. Practice what you learn from watching the videos as it would teach you the dialect in a more natural way.
NHK Japanese- This website is beautifully curated to fulfill your need to learn the Japanese language. The animated website provides you a lot of information on all Japanese aspects focusing on language as it’s central aspect through colorful visuals. NHK is a Japanese new distributor that has given its viewers a unique and simple way to learn the art of the Japanese language. You can check out the series where the language has been taught simplistically while focusing on most of the syllables that are involved in Japanese. They claim that in approximately, one can learn the language in 48 weeks with their online tutor sections.
Matcha- If you are looking for free material online to be read in Japanese, then this online magazine can be a lot helpful. You can go through various sections, as mentioned on this website, as it contains a lot of articles about Japanese culture, food and travel, and much more. Just try to test your skills on this web page by reading the Japanese content. Practice daily to read this kind of stuff for learning the Japanese language.

How to learn japanese language for beginners