Japanesepod101 and Japanese the manga way


. Will re-structure the article and give you my personal laid out plan how I would start learning Japanese.
Revisited: 13.02.2015 Small update to the layout. Added my favorite Japanese dictionary App.
Revisited: 29.09.2015 Added a section on productivity and how to stay motivated for long-term learning (and with this, success).
Revisited: 16.08.2017 Added a study routine.
If you buy the books through my links, I’ll get a small referral fee which will be used to buy even more awesome books for review.
In the beginning, it’s always comfortable when you have a list you can go through. A numerical one at best with all the steps you should take in an orderly fashion. The tips in this posts aren’t random but for a beginner, it may be a little confusing with what to start nonetheless. That’s why I decided to break my Japanese learning process down. Let’s begin:
1. Learn Hiragana and Katakana
The two Japanese syllabaries are essential for every book and tool in this list. Hiragana is used for everything that’s not written in Kanji (the complex Chinese characters), Katakana, on the other hand, is used for “imported” English words or when Japanese want to stylise a word. I found the Dr. Moku Apps the absolute best for this purpose. It’s available for iOS, Android and on your Desktop so there should be a way for everyone to learn from the Doctor. If you prefer a physical version you should check out these here
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2. Get a textbook. My favorite:
Genki (second edition with a lovely MP3 CD)
An awesome textbook which teaches you the basics of Japanese grammar in two volumes and 25 lessons. Everything is very well explained with lots of example sentences, recurring characters who take part in various short stories and the exact right amount of vocabulary for each section. The MP3 Cd contains the text and vocabulary read out loud which is crucial to work on your listening comprehension at an early stage. It won’t get more easy when you wait with this step, trust me. There is also a corresponding workbook available but there is more than enough stuff to practice within the main book itself.
Still, I got both workbooks and went through them as well. Each one is accompanied with an MP3 Cd (in the same manner like the main textbook) which contains all the text and dialogue spoken by a native speaker. If you got both down and the main books, basic Japanese grammar shouldn’t be a hurdle for you anymore. To sum it up, you don’t need the workbooks but some extra practice never hurts, right. Your call.
Forget Minna no nihongo and all the other books which are just crappy for self-learners. Genki is the real deal. Don’t forget to buy the answer key which contains every answer for both work- and textbook for Genki I & II in one single volume.
Buy the book: Genki I & Genki II // Answer Key (crucial!)// Workbook I & Workbook II
WRJ


has it also in store. If you include the shipping costs from Japan, it’s not such a bad deal even if it’s more expensive. And I got the feeling you might want to get the textbooks as fast as possible.
There is also a pretty neat iOS App available which lets you train conjugations. Trust me on this one – just get it while studying the mighty Genki textbooks.

My guide to self-studying JapaneseIt’s time to contribute my little share to all the websites out there telling you how to learn...Read more »
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