I think Takoboto is the best Japanese dictionary on Android by far. It's a free offline dictionary with lists, pitch accent information and example sentences. It can also be used online in a browser.
While the app "Japanese" looks pretty awesome, something else I found is "Japanese Dictionary Takoboto". It looks to have a very similar set of features.
@@muskit_ It might be it is delisted from the store but still works if already downloaded. I can't see it present, but I'd be happy to be corrected on that
I find japanese game "let's play" videos on youtube to be a tremendous aid in learning because they are mostly always talking about what is going on on screen, meaning that it is absolutely wonderful comprehensible input for immersion
No joke, watching Japanese Let's Plays is soooo underrated. I wanted to play Witcher 3 in Japanese, but figured there was too much dead time when running arround between quests, that is was not worth immersing, but when watching a Let's Play there is no dead time practically, as you either here the ingame voices, or the let's players narration, perfect combo in my opinion.
@@sakamotoscarf Just search for whatever game your interested in in Japanese. "実況プレイ" means Let's play so you can put that after whatever game interests you. I liked おついちs witcher 3 let's play really good for example but you have to watch what's interesting to you.
Definitely think a kanji series would be great. WaniKani works really well for me personally, but I think having a completely free resource for people the other tools just don't work for is really important.
@@sparklesparklesparkle6318 Many folks like Busuu and LingoDeer more than Duolingo, but I'm afraid you're in for a pretty big time commitment no matter what, haha. I wish it was possible to pack more into the day, but ultimately, you just have to get those study hours in to make progress. Fortunately, studying can be extremely fun and satisfying once you get into the groove!
@@sparklesparklesparkle6318 No matter which tools you use, if you don’t dedicate a significant amount of CONSISTENT time learning Japanese, your progress will be very slow and feel stagnant. After all, Japanese is amongst the top 3 hardest languages to learn for a native English speaker, which might be the reason why you probably feel like you’re not progressing fast enough (hence the reason you’re looking for better apps). Depending on how fast you want to learn, you’ll have to re-adjust your schedule to make more time for Japanese. Personally, I recommend at least 1hr a day (bare minimum). Anything less will not give you the results you’re probably expecting, just being frank with you. And even that is going to be slow. Sure, anything is better than nothing, but It all boils down to time, and unfortunately Japanese is one of those things that requires a lot of it. Heck, ANY language requires a significant amount of time to learn properly, imagine Japanese. Anyway, I’m not trying to scare you, or anything like that. I’m only giving you a reality check, so that you can set your expectations accordingly. Personally I don’t know of any app like Duolingo, but better. Perhaps someone else can point to one. However, I suspect that you’ve tried enough apps to realize what I’ve been saying, and thus you’re looking for a “shortcut”, sort of speak. Everything that Andy mentioned in this video is actually amongst the best free tools for learning Japanese. He didn’t mention BunPro, given it’s a paid subscription website to learn grammar, which is a great resource btw. But also Andy’s website is excellent!!. I highly, highly, recommend it, if you can afford it (which is not expensive at all). If you’re not satisfied with his list, then I don’t know what will be better. Hope you can find what you’re looking for though. Well, good luck. And I hope you keep learning this incredible language.
Arguably the WaniKani Anki deck is basically getting WaniKani for free. 😅 That's what I've been using. But agree, more good free Kanji resources is always good.
@Kaleigh C there is a WANIKANI Deck, and I dont have to pay Anki 300.00 USD?? I have Anki, but how do i get another deck, and how do I make sure it wont replace or screw up my only deck(genki) that I use??( how do i toggle decks?)... as the app Totally confuses me more than japanese itself.
After 3 years of self-study (trying to stay as free as possible minus an Italki lesson or a textbook here and there), I find that Kanji are the only thing that I haven't been able to find a great way to study... so seeing you agree made me feel a little better about that. I would love to see a series for Kanji here!
I was an on and off self learner too for like 4-5 years and also felt that my kanji was lacking. But then I discovered Heisig's Remembering the kanji and it was an absolute game changer. I think I reached N2 level within 1 year.
Yes please do a series on kanji on your channel, I absolutely love your teaching methods especially with the Genki series so a kanji one will be super appreciated!
Personally, changing my phone's language setting to JP had an amazing effect. First, seeing kanji everyday decreases my resistance to it, and sometimes even picking up and reinforcing what I've learned. Second, it's not that bad. It's really bad for the first three days, but after that, most basic functions you remember well will return with relatively high proficiency. Special functions will force you to read japanese, and that's a good things. Three, my phone automatically became a reminder for to learn jp everyday, since I'm staring at it everyday.
Ha, you masochist! MS office on my laptop accidentally put itself into Japanese (when I tried to install a hiragana keyboard opiton) and it couldn't be put back (until eventually I phoned the helpline.) I certainly learned the kanji for "save" and "print" pretty quickly, but they were stressful times I don't want to repeat.
A KANJI SERIES!? That would be awesome! I'm a second year student at depaul university in chicago and japanese Studies is my major. My class is using the genki series and I watch your videos before we start each class. A kanji break down from you would be awesome!
I'm glad to hear that the Genki series is useful for you! I've got my work cut out for me with the kanji series! I hope I can make it just as useful as the Genki videos. =)
Really suprised you haven't mentioned Kanji Koohii. It's a pretty popular free site for learning Kanji that's been around for almost 20 years now. It allows users to share their mnemonics based on the Heisig method, to select favorites, and to remember them with an SRT system akin to Anki. I honestly think that it is just plain better than working through the RTK book(s) on your own.
for kanji, there's a free dictionary I've been using for 500+ days which is called kanji study. it's honestly so helpful and it contains writing and reading exercises (reading is a bit limited). I've bought the premium version like a month ago but I've been using it before completely free and it's a lifesaver honestly. I totally recommend it! Also thank you so much Andy for the video, I really look forward to the videos you make a lot :)
For Kanji, I’ve started just learning vocabulary first and looking up the word in the Jisho dictionary app/website. If it’s usually written in Kanji, I’ll write it down. That way, I learn the kanji within the context of vocabulary I already know and it makes it much simpler than learning the kanji itself when the kanji can mean so many different things. I only need to know what it means in the context I’m currently learning, and when I come across that kanji in another word I’ll learn that word too. Jisho is a great dictionary app because it also teaches you how to write the kanji!
Learned all hiragana in 5 days with tofugu. Learned 30 katakana in a day after that. Surprised how good the tool is, and how relatively easy it has been!
I just learned to read and type Hiragana and Katakana in 3 days using the tofugu guides! I thought it would take me weeks at least to get good at it but with the mnemonics it was so easy and fun! However I still can't handwrite them but I don't need that for now to keep advancing in learning Japanese
The Migaku Kanji God Anki add-on is absolutely brilliant and completely free. It scans your existing vocab decks and automatically generates Heisig style cards which display the words from your collection containing that kanji. Unlike when doing RTK traditionally or with a premade deck, it allows you to prioritise learning the kanji relevant to your own vocabulary rather than having to follow some arbitrary order. There's also a feature where you can just give it a bunch of text and have it automatically add all the unknown kanji from there, so it's easy to generate relevant cards even if you don't actually use anki to memorise vocabulary. I used to feed it lyrics from songs I liked so I could learn to recognise the kanji first, and then used that knowledge to help me learn the readings in the context of words just by listening to music and reading a whole lot of children's novels with furigana. I've memorised well over 2000 kanji in the 10 months since I started learning Japanese, can't recommend this add-on enough :)
I highly recommend Renshuu as an alternative to Anki or Memrise. I find it much better than either, as it is specifically built for Japanese. It handles kanji particularly well, both for learning kanji individually (e.g. their meaning and readings), and smoothly transitioning your vocab "decks" from hiragana to kanji as you learn them. It has audio, nmenomics, example sentences, grammar lessons, etc.
Yeah this is the best Japanese app I have found throughout my years learning. I just love all the extra things that help you engage with the app (Shiritori, daily challenges, their discord, your GARDEN lol).
Glad that learning by gaming was included (don't see that very often as a suggestion), because in my opinion it's a really great way to learn Kanji and vocabulary without it getting tedious or feeling like a chore. Another thing I'd like to add is just surrounding your everyday life with the language you want to learn. English isn't my first or even second language and when I decided that I want to get better at it (because I sucked at it during school), I started playing all my games in english and also started watching youtube almost enitrely in english among other things (and now I'm trying to do the same with japanese).
Another tool that I've found that's super helpful (it's pretty much free with some extras that you can pay for) is Renshuu. I haven't heard many people talk about it tbh. It's got kanji learning, vocabulary with sentence examples, user generated mnemonics, games, a weekly forum, and so much more. Some draw backs is that it can be a bit of a learning curve when starting out and it's online only (the app needs internet to function too), but the cloud syncing is nice and it's got a lot of features.
Yeah same I never see it on these type of lists or videos, it's so good and one of my staples next to Satori reader. Level 264 in renshuu and going strong! 2,586 terms the grind has been real lol
@@Bizzareadventurefan I downloaded it last week and it seems to be ok. Sometimes I have to cick the audio button a few times. I think it just takes a while to download as the app is lightweight
I have just been doing the WaniKani Anki deck as my free Kanji learning, and it works well enough for me. It's like a slightly stripped down WK experience. I am super excited to see TokiniAndy Kanji lessons though. Your teaching style is so easy to understand and relatable, I'm sure it'll be great and mega helpful.
This kanji series is absolutely necessary and you're doing a really good thing here. This is one of the biggest barriers to basic entry and it's because of the same lack of easy, free options to do so you're talking about.
Kanshudo has wonderful free content; I love how they display the "cascade" of kanji components, which breaks the kanji down to its most simple parts. It really gives you a clear sense of how each kanji is built.
I liked this as soon as he talked up Tofugu cause honestly finding that resource first was the best thing that happened when I started learning Japanese.
I saw this video on my feed a few weeks ago and forgot to watch it. Here I am again at 1 AM and the video is in my feed. Fate probably. I've started learning Japanese 42 days ago and I am studying roughly an hour sometimes 2 a day. If it wasn't for creators like you I would of never started. Thank you can keep going. Hopefully I comment more on your videos and we talk one day.
OMG! Thank you! I've been trying to learn just using repitition. I've memorized more in fifteen minutes with Tofugu then I did in 15 weeks on my own! Thank you!! - Subscribed and looking forward to more suggestions!! :)
Tadoku! I tell everyone about those graded readers! I start by just listening to them without looking at the text (besides looking at pictures to get a sense of what's happening.) I replay it until I can understand it almost all the way, then go through it again while reading along. It's very good listening practice. The Tadoku website is a wonderful resource too. I just wish they had more of the higher level stories.
idk if anyone mentioned this yet but a great (and maybe little offensive) resource is Kanji Damage. It has all the things that kanji learner could ask for and has an Anki deck
Love to see Matt and Andy helping each other out and yeah Game Gengo is a brilliant channel, him and Andy are some of the best free resources out there!
this is probably the first video to have something that might just help me get started for good, cause every time I start using some tool or another I always stop idk why but this looks like it could help me
I would love a kanj series. I'm on chapter 3 of Genki 1 with your premium content and it's been an incredible value for money. Not only is the content amount great for how much you pay, but it's by far the most I've ever progressed with my learning. If anyone is on the fence about the TokiniAndy premium content and is wanting a guided course to go through the Genki series it's a must have!
Just starting out learning Japanese after visiting Japan recently, some great recommendations here I'd never have thought of - the Nintendo Switch one is a brilliant idea!
As far as games go I have been finding the Yakuza series to be a nice addition to my learning and exposure. One of the things I like the most is that it is set in towns covered in Japanese signage so I get loads of reading practice.
Seconding this! I accidentally learned how to play riichi mahjong because of Yakuza 0, which made me interested in learning the Japanese terms used. Now I spend half my time playing just staring at the signs and slowly figuring out what they mean! A couple of days ago I realised you can go into first person mode by clicking in the right joystick, and it's made it much easier to look at stuff :)
@@CaptainSlowbeard Right on. I just finished up Ghostwire Tokyo the other day and had the same experience again. I love combining gaming and learning. :)
I knew about graded readers and the app for them but had no idea they had free stories on their website! I used graded readers in college and they were awesome. Thanks for sharing!
4:10 a free Kanji tool I absolutely love, which is also combinable with Anki is an app called Kanji Study, you can practice stroke order, etc. but to unlock guided revision one must pay something. However, what I do is I just import the words from the app to Kanji (there's a button in the app) and then review the words and when I forget the reading of a Kanji I'll just click on the word in Anki which will open the app where I can practice writing the Kanji a couple of times
The tofugu blog post on kana literally taught me hiragana and katakana in a week and i remembered them for a long time before I actually started trying to learn the language
Double yes please for a kanji series, Andy!! One tip that I found fun one afternoon was just talking to Google translate in Japanese and seeing if it picked up what I intended to say when it translated the sentence to English. As I rarely get a chance to practice speaking, it was soooo satisfying when Google understood me and provided some great instant feedback. It was also pretty funny when I got it wrong too 😅
For kanji, I’d recommend Nihongo pro. It’s got kanji lists in order of JLPT levels, school grades, as well as stroke order animation, kun’yomi and on’yomi readings, frequency in newspapers and example words with the knowledge level associated with it.
Please do the Kanji series! I'm currently doing an Anki deck based on RTK, and I've memorized around 500 kanji since July. It is incredibly hard to find good material for free, and learning a language should be something accessible for everyone (like education in general should be)
Kanji Damage has a free Anki deck. It presents the kanji by introducing a radical and then various kanji made with that radical and other kanji you already know. The order is very logical and it covers most of the jōyo kanji. They also introduce example vocab for each kanji. However, it is not good for everyone as the mnemonics are immature!
I'm so happy to hear you're gonna do a series on Kanji!!! Been using your Genki series for months now and have made progress with Kanji too but it's way slower than I'd like. Thank you 🩷
When it comes to learning how to write kanji or hiragana / katakana I use 2 different apps on iPhone “kanji!” And “Japanese!” Highly recommend, you buy all content for a small amount
Holy crap! YouGlish has blown my mind at how simple it is (database is probably just the search term with the video's URL + timestamp)! While I've only been slowly using Anki (~2 years now) to learn kanji (also a bit of vocab), it's hard to believe this site never appeared while I was looking up tips to learn Japanese. Other than that, I've been using Mazii for a dictionary because it's writing search matches the shape of the kanji rather than the strokes you used to make it. Jisho won't know the kanji if you didn't write it with the correct stroke order. I couldn't guess (4 strokes) how 世 was written correctly and Jisho failed. Mazii got it first try and I discovered it was actually 5 strokes in an order I hadn't encountered before.
I used the paid programs "Human Japanese" and "Human Japanese Intermediate" to learn grammar, pronunciation and kana. About 120 Kanji as well. Continuing from there I am reading and learning vocab using "Satori Reader", among many Japanese websites and a dictionary, of course!
Agreed, new kanji series would be great. I've struggled learning kanji and I have been taking a lot of time to wrap my head around how you learn them. Do I memorize everything regarding every kanji (onyomi, kuyomi, meaning, stroke order)? Do I start with memorizing the radicals and their meaning, come up with a mnemonic to memorize various kanji after that?
I'll definitely have to work on it! =) Don't bother learning everything. Learn what a kanji is made of, what it means, and then when you learn new words make sure to learn them with their kanji, that way you will learn the readings naturally. =)
I use Obenkyo for learning both Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana. It also acts as a dictionary and has multiple choices and some quizes good for memorization on vocabulary and kanji.
He’s back with a new hair cut! You should make more videos about what it’s like as a teacher in Japan! I love your videos glad to see you back at it again
Been on and off with my Japanese studies, but Renshuu works really well for practice. Especially for Hiragana, Katakana, & Kanji! For the Kanji kana and sentences/phrases I use the built-in dictionary within the app. There's also reading practice with the short comics and the daily 1-panel strips. There's even games and activities to practice your skills such as Haiku, Shiritori or Crosswords. There are other games that I haven't tried out yet. I think the only thing that's missing is the listening practice (that or I haven't found that function yet). Thanks for the ones you mentioned too, Andy! I'll look into those!
Oh yeah, as a person who watched hundreds of begginer videos on learning Japanese but never learned anything, this video is best out of them all I feel I could actually learn something
A free kanji app I really like to use is kanji teacher. You can change the setttings to fit your need and it brakes up every part of the kanji. It’s honestly one of my favourite study tools 10/10 would recommend. but i think its only available one the apple app shop. The app looks like a red square filled with the kanji for character in white
おはよう！Right now i'm learning Hiragana and Katakana, I already know some Kanjis, because i'm learning Chinese in my school, and this help me a lot! Good luck to those who are learning japanese too!
Please please do a kanji series..❤️❤️ That would be a great help...❤️🩹 I wanna start kanji... But unable to find a good free resources....so please help us 🥲
If you made a free kanji series of videos (similar to your Genki and Quartet series) you would easily be the best resource for English speakers to learn Japanese on RUclips. I can only imagine how difficult it would be though… では、がんばって！
My lifehack was to just enroll in my university's Japanese Studies major- only is free if you live in a country that offers free tertiary education though. And heavily depends on the city you live in, since East Asian departments are usually pretty small and much more commonly found in higher density cities.
The Migaku Kanji GOD Plugin for Anki is a godsend when it comes to learning Kanji. It looks through your decks and finds kanji that you don't know and makes flashcards for them first starting with the particles them the kanji itself. I highly recommend this method since you can learn the meanings AND readings to kanji in real time.
It trully is awesome but it's full of glitches which made it unusable for me, though I also have the newest Anki version which might explain things... May I ask what Anki version you are running and whether you have encountered any bugs?
@@adriangrana1239 I updated anki at some point last year and the update broke kanji god for me (...and some other add-ons too) so I just went back to using version 2.1.49 and everything works perfectly just as before, I haven't noticed any issues - maybe try downgrading?
@@languageoclock Yea I maybe am gonna downgrade it, only reason I haven't is because of laziness and I also like the more modern look anki has in its newest version. I am also a bit afraid that downgrading might break other add-ons... But I should give it a try nonetheless.^^
@@adriangrana1239 I would say it’s worth it anyway just for kanji god, it’s my favourite deck and I’m kinda sad now that I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t really need to add new cards anymore (almost at 3000) and my daily reps are starting to peter out :P Does the update make that drastic a difference? I have a couple of of other add-ons that make Anki look less industrial and I use a nintendo switch controller instead of the keyboard or on screen buttons… took a while for me to figure it all out but I reckon the combination makes even using an old version a pretty pleasant experience for me at this point.
I've been using Duolingo to learn hiragana and katakana as well as some basic vocabulary and grammar and I've been using Mondly to learn how to read kanji in context as well as learn more vocabulary and grammar. There's also an app I never hear anyone talk about called "Teuida" which is free and has entire courses recorded on video by a native japanese speaker and designed in a way where it feels like they're personally sitting down with you to teach you their language which is a really awesome and clever way to learn. The app makes you speak what it's teaching you into the microphone with the person who recorded the videos giving you feedback on your results as if it were in real-time even though it's not. In addition to that, I enabled my computer to let me type in japanese and have been using ChatGPT to practice my japanese typing and ask questions about different phrases, how to say different things, and etc. I also have ChatGPT teaching me everything about a different kanji each day by telling me the meanings of the kanji character, kanji characters' that it's a radical in, different sentences that use that kanji, situations I might encounter that kanji character in daily life in japan, and etc. On top of that, I've been watching a bunch of Japanese youtube channels for some of my own special interests. For instance, I used to watch a bunch of Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and other lets players but I've since started watching only japanese lets players. I also used to love watching paranormal countdown channels like Nuke's Top 5, Sir Spooks, among others and I've gone and replaced those with japanese channels doing the same thing there as well. I'm also watching japanese urban explorers and ghost investigators, japanese art channels, japanese cooking channels, and more. I'm also someone who's seen a number of disney movies enough times to completely remember the english scripts of the entire movie so I switched my Disneyplus account over to Japanese and have begun rewatching those favorite movies of mine like Tarzan, The Lion King 2, Mulan, and more in Japanese with the goal of memorizing the japanese script at the same level I've memorized the english scripts. (Hakuna Matata from the first lion king movie is hilarious in japanese by the way, no idea why but I just think it is, lol.) On my spotify account I've also compiled an eclectic playlist of japanese music (over 3600 songs or 246 hours of music so far and growing) that's become almost exclusively the only music that I listen to. The playlist features japanese artists from all of my favorite genres going from rap, rock, pop, metal, death metal, metalcore, jazz, hip-hop, punk, ska, house, edm, nu-metal, dubstep, trap, singer-songwriter, spoken-word, and much much more. I'm also of course taking advantage of Anki cards and the like as well, and then channels like your own, Japanesepod101, and several others.
When you learn enough Japanese to be able to read most sentences, i would recommend using the japanese to Japanese dictionary for searching unknown words. it immerses you in the language and gives you a better understanding.
You are the best Japanese teacher I could wish for, I come back to your grammar explanation videos all the time! That being said, there is no doubt I would enjoy the kanji series from you! So looking forward to that!
I love the default android keyboard setted for japanese. As you input the hiragana, it shows suggestions to equivalent kanji. If I'm in doubt, I copy paste it to Google translator, to check if I chose the right one.
for kanji there is also the learning kanji youtube channel. I mixed this with building an anki deck. I found that actually writing them out and the example words that he gives are really helpful
Kanji study combined with the kanji learner's course with the genkoyoshi book is personally what works best for me. You may spend like $30 but I think it's well worth it. Kanji Study also just introduced SRS
RE: kanji learning for free- your local library may have a copy of Remembering the Kanji or be able to get it in for your from other libraries in the network. That way it's free, but obviously time limited to the length of the loan. My local library will let you renew some books for as long as 8 weeks, so you should hopefully be able to get a good head start on the kanji in that time.
an awesome free resource for learning both kanji and vocab that I've been using for a while now is kamesame. it uses an srs system that is (as far as I know) identical to the one wanikani uses but it teaches all of the vocabulary (unlike on wanikani, where the only vocab you're learning is the one that uses the kanji that you're also learning at the same time). every item also has links to external sites like wanikani, jisho or youglish where you can study a certain kanji/vocab more thoroughly. obviously, the site isn't perfect, but out of all of the kanji/vocab learning resources that ive checked out so far this seems to be the best free one. hope this hepls anyone!
Never heard of youglish, but that seems like a fantastic tool. Looking forward to see how you approach kanji. Very interested in the hairstyle progression, as well.
I enjoy ‘Japanese!’ for how to write hiragana/katakana . I found the price (£7 ish off the top of my head) to upgrade it to all pretty decent or compared to other apps as its non subscription unlike most. It does have brief captions and tips that I havent seen yet as a beginner (also new to the channel if you have mentioned) like how you would write kana different to how its typed which I had never seen or known about - so was useful as someone who has only ever used/seen typed kana. Also a very silly one called drops. You can only do a few mins daily without a subscription but for a beginner its helpful for slowly adding to your Japanese vocabulary. I also have watched videos by Japanese pod101 (they have an online paid service) but they have a load of free resources and videos that I have previously found helpful
The kanji series sound like a hit. Also I use JAccent (Vocab/kanji) also great to identify intonation of a word they display if a word start and ends with a low,high,flat tone.
I started learning through an app/website called Renshuu, I haven't seen it mentioned down here so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents. I have learned hiragana and katakana with this tool in a matter of weeks and I am solidly going through grammar and my first couple words. It isn't flawless, as I've seen it doesn't teach double consonants with the small "tsu" and it probably omits other details. But as part of a varied schedule it can be a really nice way into studying japanese, though you experience may vary of course.
Thanks so much for the reccomendations. I would also reccomend to other learners Mazii which I've been using for about 5 years now. It has most of the things we need to learn japanese: dictionary with AI explanations, kanji writing practice, a learners community, jlpt mock tests, grammar learning... Just give it a try 😁😁
Andy, I would absolutely love a congee series! Presently I am taking a online Japanese course, but I’ve been using your GENKI lectures as my teaching tool because the professor doesn’t provide lectures. She has us read and listen to recordings. Your lessons have been greatly appreciated!
I would also recommend making friends at your college who wish to learn another language that you know and can help them with in exchange for learning a language they may know. Some colleges even have dedicated buildings for this reason so check your colleges.
I actually learned the first kana. I've tried so many other options like flashcards, writing them multiple times on paper, and others but it never stuck. With Tofugu I got it within a few days. Thanks a lot for the video :)
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It appears that "Japanese" no longer works on the newest version of Android! Sorry about that!
I think Takoboto is the best Japanese dictionary on Android by far. It's a free offline dictionary with lists, pitch accent information and example sentences. It can also be used online in a browser.
While the app "Japanese" looks pretty awesome, something else I found is "Japanese Dictionary Takoboto". It looks to have a very similar set of features.
Not sure who said that but the app still works on my Pixel running the latest Android (13)!
I recommend Takoboto for those who use Android. I can also recommend Yomiwa on iOS. The best thing about "Japanese" is the Reference tab IMO.
@@muskit_ It might be it is delisted from the store but still works if already downloaded. I can't see it present, but I'd be happy to be corrected on that
I find japanese game "let's play" videos on youtube to be a tremendous aid in learning because they are mostly always talking about what is going on on screen, meaning that it is absolutely wonderful comprehensible input for immersion
Definitely one of the best options for listening immersion! =)
No joke, watching Japanese Let's Plays is soooo underrated. I wanted to play Witcher 3 in Japanese, but figured there was too much dead time when running arround between quests, that is was not worth immersing, but when watching a Let's Play there is no dead time practically, as you either here the ingame voices, or the let's players narration, perfect combo in my opinion.
I watch Game Gengo and find his videos to be helpful.
Anyone know which japanese lets players are fun to watch?
@@sakamotoscarf Just search for whatever game your interested in in Japanese. "実況プレイ" means Let's play so you can put that after whatever game interests you. I liked おついちs witcher 3 let's play really good for example but you have to watch what's interesting to you.
Definitely think a kanji series would be great. WaniKani works really well for me personally, but I think having a completely free resource for people the other tools just don't work for is really important.
Time to get to work then! Thank you for watching! =)
@@sparklesparklesparkle6318 Many folks like Busuu and LingoDeer more than Duolingo, but I'm afraid you're in for a pretty big time commitment no matter what, haha. I wish it was possible to pack more into the day, but ultimately, you just have to get those study hours in to make progress.
Fortunately, studying can be extremely fun and satisfying once you get into the groove!
@@sparklesparklesparkle6318 No matter which tools you use, if you don’t dedicate a significant amount of CONSISTENT time learning Japanese, your progress will be very slow and feel stagnant. After all, Japanese is amongst the top 3 hardest languages to learn for a native English speaker, which might be the reason why you probably feel like you’re not progressing fast enough (hence the reason you’re looking for better apps). Depending on how fast you want to learn, you’ll have to re-adjust your schedule to make more time for Japanese. Personally, I recommend at least 1hr a day (bare minimum). Anything less will not give you the results you’re probably expecting, just being frank with you. And even that is going to be slow. Sure, anything is better than nothing, but It all boils down to time, and unfortunately Japanese is one of those things that requires a lot of it. Heck, ANY language requires a significant amount of time to learn properly, imagine Japanese.
Anyway, I’m not trying to scare you, or anything like that. I’m only giving you a reality check, so that you can set your expectations accordingly. Personally I don’t know of any app like Duolingo, but better. Perhaps someone else can point to one. However, I suspect that you’ve tried enough apps to realize what I’ve been saying, and thus you’re looking for a “shortcut”, sort of speak. Everything that Andy mentioned in this video is actually amongst the best free tools for learning Japanese. He didn’t mention BunPro, given it’s a paid subscription website to learn grammar, which is a great resource btw. But also Andy’s website is excellent!!. I highly, highly, recommend it, if you can afford it (which is not expensive at all). If you’re not satisfied with his list, then I don’t know what will be better. Hope you can find what you’re looking for though.
Well, good luck. And I hope you keep learning this incredible language.
Arguably the WaniKani Anki deck is basically getting WaniKani for free. 😅
That's what I've been using.
But agree, more good free Kanji resources is always good.
@Kaleigh C there is a WANIKANI Deck, and I dont have to pay Anki 300.00 USD?? I have Anki, but how do i get another deck, and how do I make sure it wont replace or screw up my only deck(genki) that I use??( how do i toggle decks?)... as the app Totally confuses me more than japanese itself.
After 3 years of self-study (trying to stay as free as possible minus an Italki lesson or a textbook here and there), I find that Kanji are the only thing that I haven't been able to find a great way to study... so seeing you agree made me feel a little better about that. I would love to see a series for Kanji here!
Yeah, I definitely feel like this is a lacking area. At least in the free department.
Yomikata-Z is great, and free now :) (a new release is coming soon)
I was an on and off self learner too for like 4-5 years and also felt that my kanji was lacking. But then I discovered Heisig's Remembering the kanji and it was an absolute game changer. I think I reached N2 level within 1 year.
@@sekaijin8193 is that a book or a website or an app??...thanks!
@@madmax8620book
Yes please do a series on kanji on your channel, I absolutely love your teaching methods especially with the Genki series so a kanji one will be super appreciated!
Thank you! Time for me to get to work then! =)
He did it, and its great!!!!
Personally, changing my phone's language setting to JP had an amazing effect.
First, seeing kanji everyday decreases my resistance to it, and sometimes even picking up and reinforcing what I've learned.
Second, it's not that bad. It's really bad for the first three days, but after that, most basic functions you remember well will return with relatively high proficiency. Special functions will force you to read japanese, and that's a good things.
Three, my phone automatically became a reminder for to learn jp everyday, since I'm staring at it everyday.
This 100 %
At which level did you switch your phone language? I struggle a lot with it ;
Ha, you masochist! MS office on my laptop accidentally put itself into Japanese (when I tried to install a hiragana keyboard opiton) and it couldn't be put back (until eventually I phoned the helpline.) I certainly learned the kanji for "save" and "print" pretty quickly, but they were stressful times I don't want to repeat.
What was your level of Japanese when you switched? I also think input is important, but it has to be input at your level.
A KANJI SERIES!? That would be awesome! I'm a second year student at depaul university in chicago and japanese Studies is my major. My class is using the genki series and I watch your videos before we start each class. A kanji break down from you would be awesome!
I'm glad to hear that the Genki series is useful for you!
I've got my work cut out for me with the kanji series! I hope I can make it just as useful as the Genki videos. =)
@@ToKiniAndy Please I would love one and i'm glad I came across your video! I had no idea wani kani was only free to a certain extent.
Really suprised you haven't mentioned Kanji Koohii. It's a pretty popular free site for learning Kanji that's been around for almost 20 years now. It allows users to share their mnemonics based on the Heisig method, to select favorites, and to remember them with an SRT system akin to Anki. I honestly think that it is just plain better than working through the RTK book(s) on your own.
for kanji, there's a free dictionary I've been using for 500+ days which is called kanji study. it's honestly so helpful and it contains writing and reading exercises (reading is a bit limited). I've bought the premium version like a month ago but I've been using it before completely free and it's a lifesaver honestly. I totally recommend it!
Also thank you so much Andy for the video, I really look forward to the videos you make a lot :)
Thank you Space Threads! I'm glad you enjoy the videos! And thanks for the recommendation. =)
This is what I use too! I was surprised it wasn't mentioned. It's totally saved my life
@@doreans4276 yea exactly, it's my main app for Japanese and it's so amazing! idk how it wasn't mentioned 😭😭
Especially when they added the SRS into the app, though you have to pay for it.
Android only or did I find the wrong one?
For Kanji, I’ve started just learning vocabulary first and looking up the word in the Jisho dictionary app/website. If it’s usually written in Kanji, I’ll write it down. That way, I learn the kanji within the context of vocabulary I already know and it makes it much simpler than learning the kanji itself when the kanji can mean so many different things. I only need to know what it means in the context I’m currently learning, and when I come across that kanji in another word I’ll learn that word too.
Jisho is a great dictionary app because it also teaches you how to write the kanji!
Learned all hiragana in 5 days with tofugu. Learned 30 katakana in a day after that. Surprised how good the tool is, and how relatively easy it has been!
I just learned to read and type Hiragana and Katakana in 3 days using the tofugu guides! I thought it would take me weeks at least to get good at it but with the mnemonics it was so easy and fun! However I still can't handwrite them but I don't need that for now to keep advancing in learning Japanese
Really looking forward to your kanji series. I feel like you would really help a lot of people understand kanji and have it actually stick for us!
I hope so!
I've got my work cut out for me. =)
GOJO SENSEIIII
The Migaku Kanji God Anki add-on is absolutely brilliant and completely free. It scans your existing vocab decks and automatically generates Heisig style cards which display the words from your collection containing that kanji. Unlike when doing RTK traditionally or with a premade deck, it allows you to prioritise learning the kanji relevant to your own vocabulary rather than having to follow some arbitrary order. There's also a feature where you can just give it a bunch of text and have it automatically add all the unknown kanji from there, so it's easy to generate relevant cards even if you don't actually use anki to memorise vocabulary. I used to feed it lyrics from songs I liked so I could learn to recognise the kanji first, and then used that knowledge to help me learn the readings in the context of words just by listening to music and reading a whole lot of children's novels with furigana. I've memorised well over 2000 kanji in the 10 months since I started learning Japanese, can't recommend this add-on enough :)
Scrolled through comments to see if someone mentioned this! 100% agree
I highly recommend Renshuu as an alternative to Anki or Memrise. I find it much better than either, as it is specifically built for Japanese. It handles kanji particularly well, both for learning kanji individually (e.g. their meaning and readings), and smoothly transitioning your vocab "decks" from hiragana to kanji as you learn them. It has audio, nmenomics, example sentences, grammar lessons, etc.
Hey there I'm also a fan of Renshuu. My Japanese went through the roof after I discovered it.
Renshuu is missing a lot of audio which is why I stopped using it.
Yeah this is the best Japanese app I have found throughout my years learning. I just love all the extra things that help you engage with the app (Shiritori, daily challenges, their discord, your GARDEN lol).
Does it also have a reviewing function? I just see that I can learn new words but not review what I actually remember
guess i have to come to this video back!
Glad that learning by gaming was included (don't see that very often as a suggestion), because in my opinion it's a really great way to learn Kanji and vocabulary without it getting tedious or feeling like a chore. Another thing I'd like to add is just surrounding your everyday life with the language you want to learn. English isn't my first or even second language and when I decided that I want to get better at it (because I sucked at it during school), I started playing all my games in english and also started watching youtube almost enitrely in english among other things (and now I'm trying to do the same with japanese).
I'm old school and love anki. I studied Japanese decades ago predigital sources. All of this free stuff is amazing. Thank you!
Another tool that I've found that's super helpful (it's pretty much free with some extras that you can pay for) is Renshuu. I haven't heard many people talk about it tbh. It's got kanji learning, vocabulary with sentence examples, user generated mnemonics, games, a weekly forum, and so much more. Some draw backs is that it can be a bit of a learning curve when starting out and it's online only (the app needs internet to function too), but the cloud syncing is nice and it's got a lot of features.
Yeah same I never see it on these type of lists or videos, it's so good and one of my staples next to Satori reader. Level 264 in renshuu and going strong! 2,586 terms the grind has been real lol
Me too, I love Renshuu a lot. I wish I'd discovered it earlier.
I tried it but for some reason the audio wasn’t working do u have any tips to fix it?
@@Bizzareadventurefan I downloaded it last week and it seems to be ok. Sometimes I have to cick the audio button a few times. I think it just takes a while to download as the app is lightweight
I have just been doing the WaniKani Anki deck as my free Kanji learning, and it works well enough for me. It's like a slightly stripped down WK experience.
I am super excited to see TokiniAndy Kanji lessons though. Your teaching style is so easy to understand and relatable, I'm sure it'll be great and mega helpful.
This kanji series is absolutely necessary and you're doing a really good thing here. This is one of the biggest barriers to basic entry and it's because of the same lack of easy, free options to do so you're talking about.
Andy is so nice, recommending other yt channels. 優しい人です.
Kanshudo has wonderful free content; I love how they display the "cascade" of kanji components, which breaks the kanji down to its most simple parts. It really gives you a clear sense of how each kanji is built.
I second that!
I liked this as soon as he talked up Tofugu cause honestly finding that resource first was the best thing that happened when I started learning Japanese.
I've started going through ur Genki grammar lessons and the way u teach makes everything so easy to understand. I hope u do a Kanji series as well.
A kanji series would be absolutely amazing!
I’m so excited for the kanji series! This channel is the GOAT for grammar so it will be nice to have kanji as well.
That new series on how Kanji are made & tips for memorizing would be incredibly appreciated
Here's the playlist 😊 : ruclips.net/p/PLA_RcUI8km1ME3ewzc4pcJ-cA-cw0-nKa&si=GbN-csus8xtBdzcd
@@ToKiniAndy Thanks so much man, I'm gonna move to Japan in a couple of months and this will definitely be of help!
I saw this video on my feed a few weeks ago and forgot to watch it. Here I am again at 1 AM and the video is in my feed. Fate probably. I've started learning Japanese 42 days ago and I am studying roughly an hour sometimes 2 a day. If it wasn't for creators like you I would of never started. Thank you can keep going. Hopefully I comment more on your videos and we talk one day.
A kanji series is a fantastic idea, especially as the situation is as you have stated: there is a dearth of good accessible resources on the subject.
When I first started learning japanese I immediately found tofugu kana articles and they were perfect for me.
OMG! Thank you! I've been trying to learn just using repitition. I've memorized more in fifteen minutes with Tofugu then I did in 15 weeks on my own! Thank you!! - Subscribed and looking forward to more suggestions!! :)
Tadoku! I tell everyone about those graded readers! I start by just listening to them without looking at the text (besides looking at pictures to get a sense of what's happening.) I replay it until I can understand it almost all the way, then go through it again while reading along. It's very good listening practice.
The Tadoku website is a wonderful resource too. I just wish they had more of the higher level stories.
Yes, please! Make a series on kanji, I've been really struggling trying to find a good free source for them. 'Kanji Study' is fantastic, but not free.
idk if anyone mentioned this yet but a great (and maybe little offensive) resource is Kanji Damage. It has all the things that kanji learner could ask for and has an Anki deck
Love to see Matt and Andy helping each other out and yeah Game Gengo is a brilliant channel, him and Andy are some of the best free resources out there!
Matt's the man. =)
I found Dr. Moku’s app for learning hiragana and katakana to be the best for me. I like the rest of the list, thanks!
this is probably the first video to have something that might just help me get started for good, cause every time I start using some tool or another I always stop idk why but this looks like it could help me
Thanks so much for this vid, you're awesome.
I'd be super stoked if you make a video series on kanji with stroke order and radicals breakdown.
I would love a kanj series. I'm on chapter 3 of Genki 1 with your premium content and it's been an incredible value for money. Not only is the content amount great for how much you pay, but it's by far the most I've ever progressed with my learning. If anyone is on the fence about the TokiniAndy premium content and is wanting a guided course to go through the Genki series it's a must have!
you’re a lifesaver! i’ll be using these a lot from now on
Just starting out learning Japanese after visiting Japan recently, some great recommendations here I'd never have thought of - the Nintendo Switch one is a brilliant idea!
As far as games go I have been finding the Yakuza series to be a nice addition to my learning and exposure. One of the things I like the most is that it is set in towns covered in Japanese signage so I get loads of reading practice.
Seconding this! I accidentally learned how to play riichi mahjong because of Yakuza 0, which made me interested in learning the Japanese terms used. Now I spend half my time playing just staring at the signs and slowly figuring out what they mean!
A couple of days ago I realised you can go into first person mode by clicking in the right joystick, and it's made it much easier to look at stuff :)
@@CaptainSlowbeard Right on. I just finished up Ghostwire Tokyo the other day and had the same experience again. I love combining gaming and learning. :)
I knew about graded readers and the app for them but had no idea they had free stories on their website! I used graded readers in college and they were awesome. Thanks for sharing!
4:10 a free Kanji tool I absolutely love, which is also combinable with Anki is an app called Kanji Study, you can practice stroke order, etc. but to unlock guided revision one must pay something.
However, what I do is I just import the words from the app to Kanji (there's a button in the app) and then review the words and when I forget the reading of a Kanji I'll just click on the word in Anki which will open the app where I can practice writing the Kanji a couple of times
The tofugu blog post on kana literally taught me hiragana and katakana in a week and i remembered them for a long time before I actually started trying to learn the language
Tofugu's blog post thought me kana in 2 days I love it
Finally I found someone that's helpful. These are what I needed! Thanks a lot for these recommendations.
Yes please to a kanji series! I need to pick up from where I left off a year or two ago. Thanks Andy-San!
Double yes please for a kanji series, Andy!!
One tip that I found fun one afternoon was just talking to Google translate in Japanese and seeing if it picked up what I intended to say when it translated the sentence to English. As I rarely get a chance to practice speaking, it was soooo satisfying when Google understood me and provided some great instant feedback. It was also pretty funny when I got it wrong too 😅
THANK YOU for the Tadoku graded readers suggestion. Definitely going to dig into those.
For kanji, I’d recommend Nihongo pro. It’s got kanji lists in order of JLPT levels, school grades, as well as stroke order animation, kun’yomi and on’yomi readings, frequency in newspapers and example words with the knowledge level associated with it.
Is it a app or website? How much does it cost?
Please do the Kanji series! I'm currently doing an Anki deck based on RTK, and I've memorized around 500 kanji since July. It is incredibly hard to find good material for free, and learning a language should be something accessible for everyone (like education in general should be)
がんばります！
Waiting for Ur kanji lessons, gonna follow this channel from now on as my main Japanese free resource. Hope I become fluent with everyone!!!
Kanji Damage has a free Anki deck. It presents the kanji by introducing a radical and then various kanji made with that radical and other kanji you already know. The order is very logical and it covers most of the jōyo kanji. They also introduce example vocab for each kanji. However, it is not good for everyone as the mnemonics are immature!
Are those radicals are classic keys? Or devised by someone?
I'm so happy to hear you're gonna do a series on Kanji!!! Been using your Genki series for months now and have made progress with Kanji too but it's way slower than I'd like. Thank you 🩷
When it comes to learning how to write kanji or hiragana / katakana I use 2 different apps on iPhone “kanji!” And “Japanese!”
Highly recommend, you buy all content for a small amount
Holy crap! YouGlish has blown my mind at how simple it is (database is probably just the search term with the video's URL + timestamp)!
While I've only been slowly using Anki (~2 years now) to learn kanji (also a bit of vocab), it's hard to believe this site never appeared while I was looking up tips to learn Japanese.
Other than that, I've been using Mazii for a dictionary because it's writing search matches the shape of the kanji rather than the strokes you used to make it. Jisho won't know the kanji if you didn't write it with the correct stroke order. I couldn't guess (4 strokes) how 世 was written correctly and Jisho failed. Mazii got it first try and I discovered it was actually 5 strokes in an order I hadn't encountered before.
I used the paid programs "Human Japanese" and "Human Japanese Intermediate" to learn grammar, pronunciation and kana. About 120 Kanji as well. Continuing from there I am reading and learning vocab using "Satori Reader", among many Japanese websites and a dictionary, of course!
I use Wanikani for learning kanji and I'm loving it. However, for those who want a free resource for kanji, a series on this channel would be amazing.
Agreed, new kanji series would be great.
I've struggled learning kanji and I have been taking a lot of time to wrap my head around how you learn them.
Do I memorize everything regarding every kanji (onyomi, kuyomi, meaning, stroke order)?
Do I start with memorizing the radicals and their meaning, come up with a mnemonic to memorize various kanji after that?
I'll definitely have to work on it! =)
Don't bother learning everything. Learn what a kanji is made of, what it means, and then when you learn new words make sure to learn them with their kanji, that way you will learn the readings naturally. =)
日本語の教師の私からしても、勉強になる動画です！ありがとうございます！
I use Obenkyo for learning both Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana. It also acts as a dictionary and has multiple choices and some quizes good for memorization on vocabulary and kanji.
He’s back with a new hair cut! You should make more videos about what it’s like as a teacher in Japan! I love your videos glad to see you back at it again
Yeah!!...did he join a boy band?! I had to re-watch the video 3 times because i found the kami so distracting...
Been on and off with my Japanese studies, but Renshuu works really well for practice.
Especially for Hiragana, Katakana, & Kanji! For the Kanji kana and sentences/phrases I use the built-in dictionary within the app.
There's also reading practice with the short comics and the daily 1-panel strips.
There's even games and activities to practice your skills such as Haiku, Shiritori or Crosswords. There are other games that I haven't tried out yet.
I think the only thing that's missing is the listening practice (that or I haven't found that function yet).
Thanks for the ones you mentioned too, Andy! I'll look into those!
The listening practice is part of their pro edition sadly, but the app is already so good for free so I get it.
@@adia4344 Oh! Thanks for that! I might have to get another app for listening practice!
Oh yeah, as a person who watched hundreds of begginer videos on learning Japanese but never learned anything, this video is best out of them all
I feel I could actually learn something
A free kanji app I really like to use is kanji teacher. You can change the setttings to fit your need and it brakes up every part of the kanji. It’s honestly one of my favourite study tools 10/10 would recommend. but i think its only available one the apple app shop. The app looks like a red square filled with the kanji for character in white
おはよう！Right now i'm learning Hiragana and Katakana, I already know some Kanjis, because i'm learning Chinese in my school, and this help me a lot!
Good luck to those who are learning japanese too!
Please please do a kanji series..❤️❤️ That would be a great help...❤️🩹
I wanna start kanji... But unable to find a good free resources....so please help us 🥲
If you made a free kanji series of videos (similar to your Genki and Quartet series) you would easily be the best resource for English speakers to learn Japanese on RUclips. I can only imagine how difficult it would be though… では、がんばって！
Would love that kanji series. Just starting my Japanese journey so that would be an amazing tool
My lifehack was to just enroll in my university's Japanese Studies major- only is free if you live in a country that offers free tertiary education though. And heavily depends on the city you live in, since East Asian departments are usually pretty small and much more commonly found in higher density cities.
i like Lorenzi's jisho more than jisho org because Lorenzi's jisho has pitch accent, better kanji pages, customizable colors, and no ads.
Finally my youtube algorithm showing me a channel that I needed! THANK YOU ANDY FOR THIS LIST ❤ You’ve earned a subscriber ^-^
The Migaku Kanji GOD Plugin for Anki is a godsend when it comes to learning Kanji. It looks through your decks and finds kanji that you don't know and makes flashcards for them first starting with the particles them the kanji itself. I highly recommend this method since you can learn the meanings AND readings to kanji in real time.
It trully is awesome but it's full of glitches which made it unusable for me, though I also have the newest Anki version which might explain things... May I ask what Anki version you are running and whether you have encountered any bugs?
Can't believe there's only one other person in this entire comment section who's mentioned it D: Extremely underrated add-on!
@@adriangrana1239 I updated anki at some point last year and the update broke kanji god for me (...and some other add-ons too) so I just went back to using version 2.1.49 and everything works perfectly just as before, I haven't noticed any issues - maybe try downgrading?
@@languageoclock Yea I maybe am gonna downgrade it, only reason I haven't is because of laziness and I also like the more modern look anki has in its newest version. I am also a bit afraid that downgrading might break other add-ons... But I should give it a try nonetheless.^^
@@adriangrana1239 I would say it’s worth it anyway just for kanji god, it’s my favourite deck and I’m kinda sad now that I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t really need to add new cards anymore (almost at 3000) and my daily reps are starting to peter out :P
Does the update make that drastic a difference? I have a couple of of other add-ons that make Anki look less industrial and I use a nintendo switch controller instead of the keyboard or on screen buttons… took a while for me to figure it all out but I reckon the combination makes even using an old version a pretty pleasant experience for me at this point.
You are GOD SENT! ive recently started picking up japanese again ❤ and this is sooooo helpful!
I use Quizlet for kanji. It helps with recognizing the characters.
I've been using Duolingo to learn hiragana and katakana as well as some basic vocabulary and grammar and I've been using Mondly to learn how to read kanji in context as well as learn more vocabulary and grammar. There's also an app I never hear anyone talk about called "Teuida" which is free and has entire courses recorded on video by a native japanese speaker and designed in a way where it feels like they're personally sitting down with you to teach you their language which is a really awesome and clever way to learn. The app makes you speak what it's teaching you into the microphone with the person who recorded the videos giving you feedback on your results as if it were in real-time even though it's not.
In addition to that, I enabled my computer to let me type in japanese and have been using ChatGPT to practice my japanese typing and ask questions about different phrases, how to say different things, and etc. I also have ChatGPT teaching me everything about a different kanji each day by telling me the meanings of the kanji character, kanji characters' that it's a radical in, different sentences that use that kanji, situations I might encounter that kanji character in daily life in japan, and etc.
On top of that, I've been watching a bunch of Japanese youtube channels for some of my own special interests. For instance, I used to watch a bunch of Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and other lets players but I've since started watching only japanese lets players. I also used to love watching paranormal countdown channels like Nuke's Top 5, Sir Spooks, among others and I've gone and replaced those with japanese channels doing the same thing there as well. I'm also watching japanese urban explorers and ghost investigators, japanese art channels, japanese cooking channels, and more.
I'm also someone who's seen a number of disney movies enough times to completely remember the english scripts of the entire movie so I switched my Disneyplus account over to Japanese and have begun rewatching those favorite movies of mine like Tarzan, The Lion King 2, Mulan, and more in Japanese with the goal of memorizing the japanese script at the same level I've memorized the english scripts. (Hakuna Matata from the first lion king movie is hilarious in japanese by the way, no idea why but I just think it is, lol.)
On my spotify account I've also compiled an eclectic playlist of japanese music (over 3600 songs or 246 hours of music so far and growing) that's become almost exclusively the only music that I listen to. The playlist features japanese artists from all of my favorite genres going from rap, rock, pop, metal, death metal, metalcore, jazz, hip-hop, punk, ska, house, edm, nu-metal, dubstep, trap, singer-songwriter, spoken-word, and much much more.
I'm also of course taking advantage of Anki cards and the like as well, and then channels like your own, Japanesepod101, and several others.
When you learn enough Japanese to be able to read most sentences, i would recommend using the japanese to Japanese dictionary for searching unknown words. it immerses you in the language and gives you a better understanding.
You are the best Japanese teacher I could wish for, I come back to your grammar explanation videos all the time! That being said, there is no doubt I would enjoy the kanji series from you! So looking forward to that!
Thanks for youglish. I didn't know this site. Really cool to quickly find other examples of using a word.
I love the default android keyboard setted for japanese. As you input the hiragana, it shows suggestions to equivalent kanji. If I'm in doubt, I copy paste it to Google translator, to check if I chose the right one.
for kanji there is also the learning kanji youtube channel. I mixed this with building an anki deck. I found that actually writing them out and the example words that he gives are really helpful
Kanji study combined with the kanji learner's course with the genkoyoshi book is personally what works best for me. You may spend like $30 but I think it's well worth it. Kanji Study also just introduced SRS
Kanji study is an amazing app! It has so much stuff in it. The price is not very cheap but it is totally worth it.
A kanji series would be amazing. Signed up to your course recently. Excited to improve my Japanese.
RE: kanji learning for free- your local library may have a copy of Remembering the Kanji or be able to get it in for your from other libraries in the network. That way it's free, but obviously time limited to the length of the loan. My local library will let you renew some books for as long as 8 weeks, so you should hopefully be able to get a good head start on the kanji in that time.
an awesome free resource for learning both kanji and vocab that I've been using for a while now is kamesame. it uses an srs system that is (as far as I know) identical to the one wanikani uses but it teaches all of the vocabulary (unlike on wanikani, where the only vocab you're learning is the one that uses the kanji that you're also learning at the same time). every item also has links to external sites like wanikani, jisho or youglish where you can study a certain kanji/vocab more thoroughly. obviously, the site isn't perfect, but out of all of the kanji/vocab learning resources that ive checked out so far this seems to be the best free one. hope this hepls anyone!
I'm obsessed with Wani Kani!!
Kanji series would be amazing. Thank you for the recommendations
Never heard of youglish, but that seems like a fantastic tool. Looking forward to see how you approach kanji. Very interested in the hairstyle progression, as well.
Haha thank you! =)
Dude you are the hidden gem, thanks so much
Omg thank you for pointing out youglish. Will absolutely use this.
I enjoy ‘Japanese!’ for how to write hiragana/katakana . I found the price (£7 ish off the top of my head) to upgrade it to all pretty decent or compared to other apps as its non subscription unlike most. It does have brief captions and tips that I havent seen yet as a beginner (also new to the channel if you have mentioned) like how you would write kana different to how its typed which I had never seen or known about - so was useful as someone who has only ever used/seen typed kana.
Also a very silly one called drops. You can only do a few mins daily without a subscription but for a beginner its helpful for slowly adding to your Japanese vocabulary.
I also have watched videos by Japanese pod101 (they have an online paid service) but they have a load of free resources and videos that I have previously found helpful
The kanji series sound like a hit. Also I use JAccent (Vocab/kanji) also great to identify intonation of a word they display if a word start and ends with a low,high,flat tone.
I started learning through an app/website called Renshuu, I haven't seen it mentioned down here so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.
I have learned hiragana and katakana with this tool in a matter of weeks and I am solidly going through grammar and my first couple words.
It isn't flawless, as I've seen it doesn't teach double consonants with the small "tsu" and it probably omits other details.
But as part of a varied schedule it can be a really nice way into studying japanese, though you experience may vary of course.
Thanks so much for the reccomendations. I would also reccomend to other learners Mazii which I've been using for about 5 years now. It has most of the things we need to learn japanese: dictionary with AI explanations, kanji writing practice, a learners community, jlpt mock tests, grammar learning... Just give it a try 😁😁
Andy, I would absolutely love a congee series! Presently I am taking a online Japanese course, but I’ve been using your GENKI lectures as my teaching tool because the professor doesn’t provide lectures. She has us read and listen to recordings. Your lessons have been greatly appreciated!
SO excited for the kanji series
I would also recommend making friends at your college who wish to learn another language that you know and can help them with in exchange for learning a language they may know. Some colleges even have dedicated buildings for this reason so check your colleges.
Great mention to Game Gengo! One of the best japanese teaching channels of all youtube!
I actually learned the first kana. I've tried so many other options like flashcards, writing them multiple times on paper, and others but it never stuck. With Tofugu I got it within a few days. Thanks a lot for the video :)