Learning Japanese

Outline
1. Kana
2a. Kanji
2b. Vocabulary
2c. Grammar
3. Practice
Learning Resources
Kana
Kanji
Vocabulary
Grammar
Practice
Tools
Typing Japanese
Anki
Lookup Resources
Misc Tools
Questions & Thread Etiquette
Guide Discussion
Learning Japanese
Outline
This section will explain the outline of each step, and provide a little background if applicable.
Once you have read this section, go to the Learning Resources section and choose the resources
appropriate for your level.
Remember that learning Japanese requires serious commitment. One can not expect to just learn written
Japanese to understand games or spoken Japanese to understand shows, for if your interest is really so
shallow, then you should probably fail. This guide is written for the dedicated learner, and a high-degree of
fluency is considered the final goal. Read the entire guide, including the Thread Etiquette section near the
bottom. Otherwise, do not expect any help or support.
Sections 2a, 2b and 2c should be completed simultaneously.

1. Kana
The kana refer to the two syllabaries used in Japanese, referred to collectively as the kana. The
kana are derived from something called Manyogana, which are kanji (see below) that were used to
write sounds.
Hiragana () is the syllabary used most commonly in Japanese. Hiragana are a cursive
form of the Manyogana. A character for the sound ya in Manyogana, for example, is . The
character for ya in Hiragana is , and is derived from .
The Hiragana actually came about later than the katakana. The Hiragana are said to be created
by a group of noble women, and the Hiragana are what which is generally used to write Japanese
phonetically.
Katakana () literally means fragment kana, and was formed by taking different parts of
various kanji and using those elements to represent sound. For example, the katakana character
for ka is , and this usage is derived from the left-side of the kanji whose reading is also ka.
Katakana is used for the names of animals and plants, certain onomatopoeia words, certain new
words like karaoke, certain slang words and new words introduced into the language from other
foreign languages. Katakana is somewhat like upper-case letters for its specialized usage.
You will need to learn this before any part of the language.

2a. Kanji
Kanji are characters which originated from China and represent both ideas and pronunciations,
though some domestic kanji, referred to as Kokuji ( - Country character) exist. For a general
outline of kanji, you might refer to this. For more indepth information on the different types of kanji
and so forth, you might refer to this. For information on the stroke order of kanji, you could use
kakijun.jp, the Heisig books (kanji sub-section below), or the Kanji Stroke Order Font (Misc. sub-
Section), etc. You should learn stroke order unless you simply have a limited number of hours in
the day in which to study the language.
Studying Kanji can be undergone in a number of different ways using varying methods. If you
would like to explore some methods, please refer to the Kanji sub-section in the Resource
section below. After you have an idea of which you would like to use, please go to ankiweb.net and
download the deck to anki. (Ctrl+f Anki for some information)
Not all people choose to study kanji individually. Some people believe or find that individual study
of the kanji is not as practical as simply learning the kanji via vocabulary (next section below).
2b. Vocabulary
With Anki you can download a pre-made deck (recommended) with pronunciation as well as
listening comprehension for vocabulary. The Core decks are the accepted standard for vocabulary
decks, which you can find on ankiweb.
Another technique to explore is sentence mining, which is the process of gathering sentences and
inserting them into Anki (or anything else) and reviewing over them. This is a good way to provide
meaningful context to the words you wish to study and it is a way to remember how to express
certain ideas. Writing is most helpful for recalling and reproducing information, but writing can
take a noteable amount of time.
2c. Grammar
Grammar will allow you to both form and understand sentences in Japanese. There are three
guides and sources that we recommend: Genki, Tae Kim and Japanese: the Manga Way. The pros
and cons of each are listed in the Grammar Section. If you are unsure of which one you might
choose, we recommend you try them all and see which of them is most suitable for you.
When you want to refer to something for grammar, the Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar
are fantastic and they can be found in the pastebin (Ctrl+F DOJG). There is also a simplified
online version here, which takes the example sentences from the book and sorts them by each
grammar point for quick lookup (keep in mind that there are many typos in the online version due to OCR).
3. Practice
After learning (at least) basic Japanese grammar, you can, and should, start reading and
learning words from actual Japanese. You can find recommended reading, including games,
in the Learning Resources section, along with some websites to assist you with listening and
writing.
When reading while aided by tools (as all beginners should be), its best for the purposes of
learning to look at the words youre looking up, and try to make an educated guess as to what the
meaning is before completing your lookup, as guessing the answer helps with committing it to
memory. Its also a good idea to jump into the deep end of the difficulty pool from time to time.
This is especially true at the very beginning even when you know its impossible, and that youll
understand next to nothing and in general have a bad time of it, because it helps to have a better
idea of where you are/were at in the larger scheme of consuming Japanese media, and where
your current learning method is getting you. If you have no exposure to things which are difficult,
then you will be unable to overcome them when you do meet them. If you only make use of
beginner-level media, then you will only have proficiency in the language at that level. Similarly, in
order to reach fluency in Japanese, the sources of media which you consume must also be varied
in difficulty and content.
Learning Resources
Note: There is no correct way of learning, so we would recommend that you try out the resources appropriate for your
level and see which one you feel is best. Use multiple resources if you wish.
Recommended/Common resources will be marked with an asterisk *.
Kana
Wikibooks- Has stroke order and other resources. The stroke order is quite useful, although the
mnemonics are not so much.
*Real Kana- Tests kana recognition. Does not teach stroke order or pronunciation. Optimal for
pounding the readings into your head quickly.
*Tae Kim - This site has a ton on kana, includes a video lesson, stroke order, as well as sect
pronunciation guide.
Memrise - Offers various SRS courses including kana courses which are perhaps the only thing
the site does well in regards to the Japanese language. If Real Kana isnt cutting it, give this a
whirl. Way better than just attempting to remember them. By all means, use Real Kana
Remembering the Kana - It only takes about 6 hours to learn both hiragana and katakana
alongside it because it provides mental images with the kana to ensure you remember. Download
the book and/or follow this video series made by an RTK forum member.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2A25F7399E8805ED
Kanji
Heisig - Read about it here and here. A website/textbook that teaches kanji in an order based on
the radicals of each character. It starts you off with the simple shapes and gradually goes into
more complicated ones. It teaches stroke order and makes up pretty fancy mnemonic stories to
help you memorize the kanji easier. Unfortunately, it does not teach the readings until the second
volume nor does it tell you how the kanji are used in context. As such, this method expects you to
learn all the common characters before even getting started on learning vocabulary.
There is a large community that is constantly adding information to it that requires using the
Koohii fansite, so register an account.
KanjiDamage - Another kanji resource that uses a radical-based order. Unlike Heisigs method it
also teaches the readings and gives you examples of common words that use those kanji (great
for adding them to your Anki deck right away). Take the introduction on the site with a grain of salt,
as it isnt very accurate, or is just plain wrong, as is the case with some other areas on the site, but
that in no way makes this a bad resource in regards to learning. You may want to simply use the
shared deck for Anki instead of the website in tandem with another vocabulary deck in order to
build up a big cache of words quickly.
JLPT (contains various sets, so order and suspend them accordingly) - Sets of kanji as described
by the Japanese Proficiency Test. Usually ordered by level. More info on Wikipedia.
Jouyou (same deck as above) - A set of 2136 kanji announced by the Ministry of Education that
is to be taught before graduating from secondary school. Usually ordered by grade. More info on
Wikipedia.
Kyouiku - A subset of 1006 of the jouyou kanji that is taught in primary school. Has many simple
words in the beginning (the numbers, elements of nature, body parts). Usually ordered by grade.
More info on Wikipedia.

Saiga Kanji Dictionary - Quite possibly the best Kanji dictionary out there. Can search Kanji by
grade, number of strokes, and by radicals. Will also show Kanji stroke order in animated gif form
for a wide variety of Kanji.
GeneticKanji - Slightly undeveloped alternative to the liberal ranting, poor jokery and the downright
misinformation in KanjiDamage. It is presented in a fashion of frequency while covering the
individual elements that make up a given kanji. In GeneticKanjis approach, you would be taught all
the subcomponents of these common kanji, and then the common kanji themselves, effectively
combining both approaches.
Vocabulary
Anki Shared Decks - This is highly recommended to learn vocabulary. Obviously, you will need
Anki to use it. If you use a deck with audio, such as CorePlus, however you will need to install
audio yourself. There are decks, you may search for them and see which one will best suit your
needs.
Grammar
Japanese Pod 101 - A free (mostly) castpod-like teaching japanese grammar, vocabulary and
culture. There is a 1 week free-trial to pdf containing tips and other features, like flashcards with
lessons vocabulary. Good for storing in your phone and listening while in idle activities, buses,
walks, etc.
Download the following files:
*Tae Kim - This method is faster than the others listed here, As for exercises, Tae Kim only has
exercises in the beginning, after which there are no exercises to work on.
*Genki - Genki tends to be more comprehensive than Tae Kim, and it has exercises that you can
practice. This works as an engaging way to learn new grammar points, and subsequently see
them with, which may help drill grammar rules into your mind. The obvious downside is speed, of
course. This resource can be found on the bottom of the pastebin.
Genki 1 - An edited version of Genki 1 with the distracting romaji edited out can be found
here. This version is preferred over the one in the pastebin as it encourages the learning of
hiragana & katakana.
Japanese the Manga Way - This book teaches grammar through examples from actual
Japanese executed in a practical manner. It works well as a Genki supplement, or as a simple
introduction to the major grammar points of Japanese. It uses romaji too often, however this
can easily be ignored. New grammar points tend to be summed up rather succinctly by Tae Kim.
Those looking for a more in-depth style could likely do better.
Japanese in Mangaland -
Ixrec's Guide to Japanese - A grammar guide written by a VN translating outfit. Bunches the
grammar together and explains a lot of it at once, with charts, further explanation, and example
sentences.
*Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar (DOJG) - A collection of three books, Basic, Intermediate
and Advanced. As the name implies, these are dictionaries rather than guides. It goes in-depth into
the various grammar rules, more so than virtually any other resource.
You can find a collection of the example sentences sorted by grammar point here for
easy lookup. Please note that you may need a Ruby addon for your browser to display the
furigana correctly. Take these transcriptions with a grain of salt, as they contain quite a few
errors.
An introduction to Japanese - Syntax, Grammar & Language - There are many words in each
chapter (six chapters add up to a few hundred pages in the print version), so take it easy, maybe
divide the work into subsections. Chapter 2 is when the actual grammar lessons start.
Imabi - Another web grammar guide, that apparently nobody has used, but covers a lot of
material.
It seems to be verbose and not exactly practical like Tae Kim or Genki, but rather as a reference.
Practice

Reading List - This is a list of books, games and manga which we have compiled. You can sort
through the list by skill, platform, etc. We recommend you have a look, regardless of skill level.
Please contribute anything you read as well to it so it can become a better resource. A particularly
detailed summary is not needed.
Yotsuba Reading Pack - This pack is designed for beginners who have just started reading. This
is an accompaniment to the first two volumes of Yotsubato. This includes a vocabulary list and a
pre-made Anki deck. Yotsubato! is a manga that is often recommended to beginners.
*Aozora - This site contains a collection of (mostly) Classic Japanese literature. This site is mainly
for advanced readers and not recommended for beginners.
http://oshiete.goo.ne.jp/qa/1049335.html - Heres some good recommendations of famous
Japanese authors.
Kitsunekko - This site has a selection of Japanese subtitles for popular (anime) shows. The
timing often does not match up with most available downloads, but you can try to retime it in a
subtitle editing program or just look at it in the editor to compare with what you hear.
Alternatively, you can use a player like Mplayer2 which allows you to manually adjust the timing so
you can get them to match up. Mplayer2 is easy, all you have to do is learn some shortcuts to use
it.
D-Addicts - This is a great site to get Dorama and subtitles for Dorama. (Other East-Asian dramas
are also here, also)
Fengyunzhibo - This site is a good, easy place to watch some TV. Its a Chinese streaming site,
but it has Japanese channels, which are of good quality for streams. Lately it does not seem to
be working, though occasionally in the past this would happen and then it would later become
accessible again. Regardless a proxy/VPN could be used if necessary. If you know of any similar
sites, please make a comment about them.
Mov3 - A Chinese site like Fengyunzhibo specializing in Japanese TV.
Lang-8 - Here, you can write journal entries which are corrected by Japanese natives, and in
return, you correct theirs. This is a great way to increase your writing/production ability and also
meet people to talk to.
Nyaa - If you type in the Japanese name, you can find the raw version of whatever media you are
looking for most of the time. If what youre looking for is ero, use sukebei. Note that most VNs will
contain ero, and sometimes even non-ero VNs are uploaded to Sukebei instead of the main site.
Jpopsuki - Great place to get and find any Japanese/East-Asian music, not just jpop. Requires
that you get an account by either applying for one, or by having someone invite you. Sometimes
you will be unable to apply for one, so you might ask for a referral either in the threads or on /mu/.
If you do have someone refer you, make sure to keep a good ratio, because failing to do so could
cause the person that gave you a recommendation to lost access to their account, as well as your
own,since all those you refer are considered to be under your responsibility.
Nijishow - Free Japanese TV. You get a choice of several channels. You need to register here
before being able to watch. Its made for windows, but it works via wine. It runs a local server on
port 8902 which can be connected to via VLC or similar.
Skypech - Heres a site for finding some natives on Skype to talk to. This a Japanese site for
Japanese people, so do not misunderstand and think that everyone here has an interest in
learning English.
Tools
Typing Japanese
Input Method Editor (IME) - It will allow you to type in Japanese using your keyboard. Required.
(Note: Both Mac and Windows have IMEs already pre-installed but its not as feature-full as Google IME.)
*Google IME (Windows, Mac OS) - Google IME generally includes a larger collection of words,
including internet slang The downside, however, is that its handwriting recognition is rather lacking
(see sljfaq below). To switch to romaji press alt+` (just above tab key). Ctrl + Caps Lock for hiragana, hold
shift while in hiragana mode to type in katakana. Alt + Caps is katakana. Shift + Caps reverts back
to hiragana. This does not affect Caps Lock.
Protip: Type in kaomoji and hit space. Alternatively: read this article.
Mozc (Chromium OS, Android, Windows, Mac OS, GNU/Linux) - This is a project that stems from
Google IME, except that it is available on a greater number of operating systems.
If you have any trouble with Mozc for GNU/Linux read this.
Packages also exist in Fedora, Debian, GNU/Linux Mint, and. For Arch, its available in the AtwUR.

iBus - (GNU/Linux) - If you use (K/X/L)Ubuntu, you probably already have it. You just need to
install the Japanese IME packages using the language support in the settings and select iBus as
your keyboard input method system. You can select the keys to press to change the keyboard
layout or do it manually using the icon on the panel. For the rest of us that dont use Ubuntu or its
variants, you can probably find iBus in the official repositories of your distribution. You can make
iBus autostart when you boot by adding ibus-daemon to your ~/.xinitrc. And you will probably
want to add & to the end, ala: ibus-daemon & (also your windows manager might have its own
autostart file, use that instead) that you can find in your Home folder. Dont forget to configure Qt
for input in Qt apps.
$ qtconfig-qt4
>interface >default input method >select ibus
For the superior non *buntu users:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/IBus
Anki
Flashcard software. Also available for mobile.
*Anki - Anki is a flashcard program which uses a method called Spaced Repetition in order to drill
information in your head. You can download premade decks. It shows you a set amount of new
cards each day (default 20) and will show you the same cards again when you are most likely to
forget them, which is predicted through algorithms. This program has a lot of features that cant
be covered here, so read the manual if you wish to totally utilize Anki. You can also get this on your
mobile device and sync your deck between both versions. The official App Store version costs
money (to support the devs) so you might just want to use Safari in that case instead.
If you use GNU/Linux and you want to change the size of the Japanese characters, you need to
install the appropriate Japanese fonts, if you dont have them.
Lookup Resources
You use it to look up words. One Rikai-chan variant required.

*Rikaisama (Firefox) - This is a tool that shows you equivalent or close meanings (in English) of
Japanese words in plaintext format, by hovering over them. Has many useful features such as
audio playback and the ability to save words to a file or import it straight into Anki.
There is also Rikaichan for Firefox, but there is absolutely no reason to use it since Rikaisama has
all of its features.
Rikaikun (Chrome) - Essentially an unfortunately inferior clone of Rikaichan, but still serviceable
enough if you just cant let go of the botnet.
*Jisho.org - Online J>E/E>J dictionary. It also contains information on kanji including a order,
readings, etc. You can also search a kanji by handwriting or its radicals if you dont know the
correct stroke order. Theres also a beta (DuckDuckGo uses this for !jisho) that combines all of the
search options into one and includes new features to work a lot like modern search engines.
Tangorin Another online dictionary with information on kanji and vocabulary. Features over
161,000 example sentences for words and grammar points while giving you a little more
information than other dictionaries, such as whether a word is considered more formal than
another one with the same meaning. Easily lets you look up words inside examples just by clicking
on them. When looking up word definitions, includes example sentences exemplifying most
definitions of a word.
KanjiTomo - This is an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. Scans for words on your
screen and tells you what they are and what they mean. Success rate varies widely based on
image / character quality.
*Weblio - A good source for Japanese > English phrases, and its dictionary is fine as well.
Capture2Text - Another OCR program.
*sljfaq - Handwritten kanji search. Just draw the kanji using the correct stroke order and a list of
possible kanji will appear. The results will link you to the WWWJDIC project by default, which is
where the data for Jisho and most other online Japanese dictionaries comes from. You can go
through the options page to redirect to your preferred service. Whats nice about this is that it
saves your writing so it will still be there even if you close the page.
*Interactive Text Hooker - This allows you to extract text from Japanese games as its being
displayed. The extracted text is put in your clipboard for an application like Translation Aggregator
to make use of it. Designed for reading VNs, so it will not work for most non-VN type games and
unsupported engines.
*Translation Aggregator - Usually used for machine translation, but in your case, youll be using
JParser (preferably with Mecab hinting) to help you parse Japanese sentences and enable you to
easily look up words in the same fashion as with Rikaichan and the like.
Hiragana Megane - This site adds furigana to Kanji on websites.
Misc Tools
Useful things that dont fit into any of the other categories.
Kanji Stroke Order Font - Not always correct, so be careful. Kakijun is a great website for
checking the proper stroke order.
Wikibooks - A small collection of resources for learning Japanese. Does not seem to go into too
much depth. Good supplement.
LingQ - Good language learning site with many translated texts + audio. Although you can use it
for free for a little while at the beginning, continued usage of the site costs money.
An anon has kindly ripped and posted many of the podcasts and so forth which you download
here, although I would encourage you to not completely adopt the habit of taking things without
ever paying.
Learning With Text (LWT)- An extensive application that seems somewhat similar to LingQ.
*The Pastebin - A list of various resources. Please comment here if you see any broken links or
have any other resource you would like to add.
Japanese Text Analysis Tool - Takes a .txt, youd probably use a (term for .txt books,
frequently LN), and creates a frequency list based on that.
Japanese Language Pack - 27GB worth of various learning materials including the essentials,
and much more (most of it garbage). May trigger virus warnings.
JNovel Formatter - Breaks down a .txt into bite-size (your choice of length) chunks and converts it
to html. Makes the task of reading LN's less daunting.
cb's Kanji Word Association Tool - Will generate a list of words based on kanji already studied
up to that point and kana. In addition, words are sorted by frequency, and no duplicates are
associated with each kanji.
Questions & Thread Etiquette
Please be on your best behavior, and try not to bring elements of your native-board culture into the thread, or any other low-level
internet trash if you can abstain from it (/jp/ and /a/ things included). Also, please do not promote any memes.
If you refer people to this thread, please do not do it on a poor-quality board, such as [any board], and if you do, make sure the person
you refer it to is at least somewhat intelligent, and the thread isnt a poor one.
Please do not engage in lengthy and fruitless arguments, especially those unrelated to the thread subject. Be the bigger man, and be
the first to discontinue the argument. Alternatively continue it in Japanese.
Please do not label anything as shit, especially anything controversial, such as writing. In the case of writing, the reasons for one to do
it are subjective, and while it may or may not be useful to you, the other person may or may not find it to be useful or unuseful to them.
Recognize what is opinion, and what is fact. Submit to the fact that what is subjective, holds no real truth.
Please stop complaining about things.
>I have a question.
Does it matter (Is it a Y/N question or a bi-question (e.g. Tae Kim or Genki?); Is it a lazy question where you're asking whether or not
you should learn something; could you have easily found your answer yourself; Will this just lead to an argument)? Not all questions
need answers or have them.
>How long does it take to learn Japanese?
594750^9723 microseconds
>The Thread 404d early.
Go to the Archives, or use the following template in order to make a thread
Also, if you cant post the official OP image dont post the OP. Link the previous thread, and list the thread number.
Pasta:
Guide (Start here):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G5C7fCe07CDzYalZYZObzxv_fhw7RUNsLHiMAY-t7FA/edit
Reading List:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0Agk2IH0ZXhn7dDNmSW1BVFU5dVgyOHkzWjU4b2l2dkE
Pastebin:
http://pastebin.com/w0gRFM0c
Previous Thread:
[Insert archive link here]
>Namasensei
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQlq-hxWRzQ
Namasensei is often watched by beginners learning Japanese for motivation. The problem with him is that he tends to teach in an
ineffective fashion, has terrible handwriting/pronunciation/Japanese, and messes up the stroke order of some of the kana.
His te-form video is a great, easy way to learn the te-form, but other than that, there is little practical in his videos.
(You can also acquire his videos here.)
>Using Google for Japanese:
set your search to google.co.jp for (much) better results
>I cant figure out what this means
Google X, X, or X() where X is your inquiry. , etc. also yields results.
>How to find reading materials?
Search for the Japanese title in Japanese along with the keywords txt
P2P: Nyaa, Share, Perfect Dark
>I dont seem to have the motivation to do this.
You cant learn Japanese.
> vs
The (unquestionably) best explanation is provided in the Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar in the pastebin. I would refer to that,
and take all others with a grain a salt or not at all.
http://Japanese.about.com/library/weekly/aa051301a.htm
>These two words have the same reading, and meaning. How might I distinguish them?
A word might be given the same English approximation, inaccurately or otherwise, and if an English dictionary does not tell you the
difference, then you will have to find a Japanese (J>J) dictionary, or otherwise, to learn of their discrepancies in meaning.
If you cant read Japanese well enough to do that, then you have bigger concerns than worrying about the slight difference in meaning
between two words.
>Ive been presented contradictory opinions about various methods, and can no longer judge for myself which method is the
best, aside from differences in speed, the discussed methods are correct (or at least not outright wrong).
Try both, make a decision. Try neither, find your own solution. Try one, ignore the other. You do not have to ask. All roads lead to the
same destination. If you continue to walk them, and advance, then you will reach your goal. Nothing is going to damage your learning if
you simply continue onward.
email: slimybubbles@gmail.com
I still keep track of this, so if you have anything you would like to suggest to improve anything, please send me an email.