Japanese resource list - WORK IN PROGRESS Ver 2.5

[Myogan]

The following is an incomplete list of Japanese language reference and educational websites, apps, and suggested accessories. Incomplete in part because there are always new things popping up, and also that everybody has their own preferred way of learning. Of course instruction from an experienced teacher is best, but for what we are trying to do here these tools should be adequate for now. More will be added if there is consensus on the utility.

Book Sets

• Genki - An integrated course in elementary Japanese - has 2 volumes with associated workbooks, along with a self study room and resources on the website, and 3 flashcard apps for vocabulary, Verb and Adjective conjugation, and Kanji. Only the Self study room is free.
  http://genki.japantimes.co.jp/index_en
• Nakama - Popular in college settings - Books/e-books, workbooks, Student activity manuals, CD's, DVD's, and web services can be purchased separately, as a pack or for rental.
  http://www.cengage.com and https://www.cengagebrain.com - Search for nakama
  Japanese from Zero
• http://yesjapan.com

Websites

• Jisho.org - the Japanese word for dictionary (辞書, じしょ) is a free site with the ability to search in English, Japanese, and Romanji (phonetic English spelling)
• japaneseverbconjugator.com - for those more interested in the past, the imperfect, the negative - sounds like Dukkha
• japanesepod101.com - originally a podcast teaching conversational Japanese, it has grown in to a subscription based learning system (most recent podcasts can still be subscribed for free) you can use the app or website and get the original podcasts, choose a learning path based on skill level, create flashcards, listen/watch lessons on culture as well as the language.
• guidetojapanese.org -
• imabi.net -
• thejapanesepage.com -
• wasabi.jpn.com - designed as part of a paid tutoring deal, you can still use the written and audio for free.
• iinenihongo.com -
• punipunijapan.com -
• elon.io - learn Japanese, Turkish, math & science, and a bit of Spanish.
• www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/ - From NHK world, I also like their Meet and Speak show which many people have posted on youtube.
• sakuramani.com - a travel and language blog
  

Apps

• drmoku.com - a paid app, but good for those who learn better from mnemonics
• HumanJapanese.com - another paid app, but not a bad value compared with a full textbook, unfortunately there's a separate purchase cost between platforms, it doesn't carry over
• Google translate- ok, ok I know. I and many others advise against using this but where this app is good at is using the camera to capture complex characters(kanji), then cut and paste the character someplace better

Flashcard apps and websites - better ones use spaced repetition and games to help learn

• www.quizlet.com - make your own flashcards or use other people's sets, search by topic or even by book - also good for other studies. Has simple games.
• www.memrise.com - Make your own course sets, use other people's, or the ones created by memrise which includes videos. Free app available and free to use, but memrise created sets are limited. The pro version can be paid by the month, or lifetime purchase. Pro purchase adds; Grammabot, Pro chats, Difficult Words Mode, Speed Review, Listening Skills Mode, Video Mode, Learning Stats
• Anki - https://apps.ankiweb.net
• kanji.koohii.com - a kanji flashcard site that allows you to create mnemonic stories to go with the kanji you are trying to learn
• wanikani.com - a kanji site and app (need extra step to use) that uses spaced repetition to learn to read and pronounce (not write) kanji. Has 60 levels, first three are free, then subscription or purchase. Unique in that it forces you to take a break and let the knowledge sink in.
• bunpro.jp - a flashcard site for Japanese grammar - refers to JL sites for lessons

Additional help

Typing in Japanese on your device

https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/how-...nese-keyboard/

Gassho
Sat
Inconsistent student of Japanese for 7 years, no JLPT taken.

[Mp]

Thanks for this Myogan, looking forward to the studying. =)

Gassho
Shingen

SatToday/LAH

[Jundo]

皆さん、頑張ってください!

(minna-san, ganbatte Kudasai! = "Everyone, hang in there!")

Minna = everyone + respectful "san"

Verb ganbaru (頑張る), "to stand firm" from kanji 頑 (stubbon, firm) and 張る (stretch out, expand)

Kudasaru = verb "(please) give down to (me)" (also written "下さい")


Gassho, Jundo (30 year Japanese student, still learning each day ... now trying not to forget more with age than I learn! )

[Chishou]

I started teaching myself Japanese, which is why I started practising Zen.

I use Japanese from Zero books, by George Trombley. He also hase a free online course to go with Book 1 and free videos on YT. It is a much slower pace that Genki, but I like it as it walk you through at a steady pace.

http://yesjapan.com/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Japanese-Zero-Methods-Integrated-Workbook/dp/0976998122/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504797336&sr=8-3&keywords=japanese+from+zero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsrakMT1h2g&list=PLOcym2c7xnBwRNLWXOAtlN-9dbLkctxV-

Metta,
Simon.
今日は座りました

[Kyonin]

Great thread! Thank you guys!

I would recommend the Genki books. I have been learning from them and if I can learn, anyone can!

http://genki.japantimes.co.jp/index_en

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

[Eishuu]

I am currently using Genki, Heisig, Anki and Memrise. I use the Jisho.org site a lot. I did the first Japanese From Zero book too, but am very taken with the Genki books and hope to then move on to Tobira and the New Kanzen Master series. I use the free Microsoft IME Japanese thingey for changing my keyboard to Japanese.

I think that it's great that there's a Japanese learners area...thanks for doing this Myogan! I'm interested to see where this goes.

Lucy
ST/LAH
18 mnths intermittent study.

[Mp]

Great thread! Thank you guys!

I would recommend the Genki books. I have been learning from them and if I can learn, anyone can!

http://genki.japantimes.co.jp/index_en

Gassho,

Kyonin
Sat/LAH

I agree ... my friend Akiko recommends those books and I have a couple from her as well. =)

Gassho
Shingen

SatToday/LAH

[Kakunen]

Japanese resource list - WORK IN PROGRESS

みなさん頑張って下さい。わたしも英語の勉強を頑張っています。

Please do better to learn Japanese.
I do better to learn English^_^

しかし一番大切なことはコミュニケーションです。

But very important thing is open mind.

廓然の日本語教室ハングアウトを企画できるか、少し考えます。

I think I can open Japanese study group at Hangout.

But I need little bit time.Please wait.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Meitou]

I am currently using Genki, Heisig, Anki and Memrise. I use the Jisho.org site a lot. I did the first Japanese From Zero book too, but am very taken with the Genki books and hope to then move on to Tobira and the New Kanzen Master series. I use the free Microsoft IME Japanese thingey for changing my keyboard to Japanese.

I think that it's great that there's a Japanese learners area...thanks for doing this Myogan! I'm interested to see where this goes.

Lucy
ST/LAH
18 mnths intermittent study.

Lucy, thanks for this, I checked out and downloaded Memrise, I really liked it. Another app I use ( therefore excellent for total beginners) is this one https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....jp_kana&hl=en a very easy way to learn kana.
I have the Japanese from Zero book on my desktop, but I'm looking at buying the Genki. However, they are horrendously expensive, so I would like advice on the best to buy for a beginner - book 1 obviously, but do I need the workbook too?
A few years ago I downloaded a PDF of Remembering the Kanji - I got so far with it but my difficulty is bringing everything together. I can memorise the kana, memorise the kanji, but find it hard to connect the dots. For example today, I was trying to write hello using katakana, but kept getting it wrong because I was writing the word 'hello', forgetting that it had to be translated into Japanese, duh!! And then when I think I've got it, I find that a word is written in kanji
How have others tackled this, is it in finding the right books to learn from?

Gassho
Frankie

satwithyoualltoday/lah

[Shoka]

Frankie,

My suggestion is to pick on main text to learn from and then supplements for additional kanji practice. They book will link the items together, and build on what it has already taught you.

But also don't try to put everything together at once, it takes time to get all the things. The progress when I was first learning was romaji, then katakana and hiragana. At that point everything was written in hiragana and katakana and we dropped using romaji. Even after years of study I had not gotten to the point of using all the kanji that should be used, but people could understand what I was writing because they could read the hiragana.

Gassho,

Shoka

My japanese study background is 3 years in college, a semester aboard, and I have a degree in Japanese Language and Culture. But I don't study or use Japanese very often anymore, so it has become very rusty.

[Chishou]

What about selecting a book for us all to study from and having regular hangouts to discuss a topic? Or maybe post a video of your progress.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Eishuu]

Lucy, thanks for this, I checked out and downloaded Memrise, I really liked it. Another app I use ( therefore excellent for total beginners) is this one https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....jp_kana&hl=en a very easy way to learn kana.
I have the Japanese from Zero book on my desktop, but I'm looking at buying the Genki. However, they are horrendously expensive, so I would like advice on the best to buy for a beginner - book 1 obviously, but do I need the workbook too?
A few years ago I downloaded a PDF of Remembering the Kanji - I got so far with it but my difficulty is bringing everything together. I can memorise the kana, memorise the kanji, but find it hard to connect the dots. For example today, I was trying to write hello using katakana, but kept getting it wrong because I was writing the word 'hello', forgetting that it had to be translated into Japanese, duh!! And then when I think I've got it, I find that a word is written in kanji
How have others tackled this, is it in finding the right books to learn from?

Gassho
Frankie

satwithyoualltoday/lah

Hi Frankie,

I was initially very hesitant about Genki because of the price. In the end I got it anyway, I think because Kyonin recommended it (thanks Kyonin!) plus the workbook and answer book and it was so worth it. I got it from Amazon from a marketplace seller I think for around £40. Sometimes also amazon drops the price by 30% so watch out for that! Just recently I have discovered a great shop in Japan that does all the Japanese language books much cheaper. Genki is about £26 on here. You can select a cheaper shipping charge. With airmail, the Graded Reader I ordered arrived in 4 days and the postage was £9. There is a cheaper option too for around £5 postage. Obviously you may be charged 20% vat but apparently that's random. There is also a possibility of Parcelforce charging an £8 fee but in my experience they don't seem to do that. Just to warn you though the postage seems to be by weight so the more you buy the more expensive the postage gets http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/NEODAI-11890

I would recommend getting it with the workbook and answer book. There are a lot of practice questions in the main book but I find the workbook really helps to see where the gaps in understanding are. There are answers on the audio CD, but I find it helpful to see it in writing. The answer book covers both Genki 1 and 2.

Personally I found learning the 2200 kanji first from Heisig makes learning vocab and going through Genki easier. Even if you are still struggling to remember them (which I am) you'll probably recognise them and know which primitives make them up, which I find makes it quicker picking up vocab. I also read 'The memory book' which explains how mnemonics work and helps you to concoct memorable stories easily. To remember both the kanji and the hiragana I sometimes make up two sets of mnemonics and link them or just weave both the pronunication and the kanji into one story. If I don't do it for the hiragana then I usually don't remember the word.

Heisig has a second book to learn the pronunciation of the kanji. I bought it but then decided to learn the pronunication whilst learning words as it seemed more natural. Some people put their vocab in an SRS (spaced repetitionsystem) of flashcards like Anki. I can't do that as I struggle to type so I use pre-made Anki decks. I also used 2 sources of JLPT N5 vocab (Anki and Memrise) and bombarded myself with them til some went in.

If you ever decide to go back to Heisig, this site/app really helped me: https://kanji.koohii.com/ Actually, I think one could use it without the book. Some of the stories are a bit lewd or distasteful (I think to make them memorable) but you don't have to use them. The most popular, and I would hope effective mnemonics, are listed first, so you don't even have to do the work of coming up with a story, you just pick a catchy one. You can also test yourself every day with the SRS flashcards.

In general I find Genki is very integrated in the sense that it gives you a list of vocab and then it uses a lot of that vocab in the examples, which helps you to learn it. It also goes over the material from previous chapters in later chapters. I just found it user friendly.

Feel free to PM me if you want to ask anything else.

Gassho
Lucy
ST/LAH
18 months intermittent study

[Meitou]

Dear Shoka and Lucy, thank you both so much for invaluable advice which has helped me make some decisions. I will look out on Amazon for Genki, especially offers and second hand, I'll check out the Japanese site because I don't mind waiting for shipping and I've gone back to Heisig too, as I feel I have more motivation and know a bit more this time around. I'll be taking my time with this because of my commitment to Ango/Jukai. There's also a calligraphy book on Amazon that I've been hankering after for the longest time, this may be the moment....deep bows to you both.

Gassho
Frankie
satwithyoualltoday/lah

[Tenrai]

Hi
I am thinking I would like to try to learn. Years and years ago I did a little bit of conversational Japanese and culture study which was just a 30 min session after a martial arts class. That is in the distant past now so I would be starting from scratch as a complete beginner with zero knowledge. Would I be best starting with the japanese from zero book.....or would folk recommend the Genki books....given that I am a total novice?

Gassho
Richard
SAT
Zero knowledge

[Eishuu]

Hi Richard,

I started with Japanese From Zero, but honestly haven't retained an awful lot of it. I found Genki better and found the vocab more integrated with the practice exercises and grammar, but that's just me. Might take some experimenting to see what suits you...everyone learns a bit differently.

You can also use the JLPT (Japanese Learning Proficiency Test) levels to structure learning as well. The beginning level is N5. Genki 1 is supposed to be about that level and there is also lots of free JLPT material online and decks on Anki and Memrise. I found doing JLPT N5 vocab on Anki and then Genki 1 worked well together as it was the same vocab, but then I like to approach things from several angles at once to make sure it goes in.

The basic thing is, I reckon, pick somewhere to start. Start. And then see if you need to adjust your approach, change materials, or whatever. There are several Japanese learning websites I follow and on one of them the guy said 'just keep swimming'....basically, jump in and keep going. I thought that was good advice.

Gassho
Lucy
ST/LAH