The best way to learn Japanese is a mix: mostly Japanese you can understand, plus review and real conversation, with the balance set by your goal. Japanese you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input. Below, you'll see what each way of learning builds and the mix that suits six common goals.
Which Ways of Learning Japanese Work Best?
Reading and listening to Japanese at your level works best, and each other method adds one skill on top of it.
| Method | What it builds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and listening at your level | Words, kanji, grammar and listening | Most of your time |
| A structured course | An order for the basics | Your first months |
| A tutor or conversation partner | Speaking and quick replies | Using what you know |
| Flashcards or other review | Words that stay with you | A few minutes each session |
| Anime, dramas and manga | Natural, everyday Japanese | Fun, once you follow most of it |
| Grammar study | Why a sentence works | Patterns that confuse you |
Input is the base of the mix: a 2016 review of 49 studies in Reading in a Foreign Language, a University of Hawaii journal, found that reading a lot of easy material improves reading in a new language.
What Is the Best Way to Learn Japanese for Your Goal?
For every goal, the best way is the same base of reading and listening, with the rest of your time on the skill that goal needs most.
- Watch AnimePut most of your time into listening, starting with lessons about anime and moving on to episodes with Japanese subtitles.
- Talk With Family or FriendsRead and hear lots of everyday conversations, and spend the rest of your time talking with them or with a tutor.
- Travel to JapanSpend most of your time on short dialogues about trains, hotels and ordering food, and say each one out loud.
- Pass the JLPTRead and listen at your level most of the time, and try the sample questions on the official JLPT site as the test gets close.
- Read MangaSpend most of your time reading short stories with furigana, the small hiragana over each kanji, and move on to manga once everyday conversations feel easy.
- Work in JapaneseRead and hear Japanese about your field most of the time, and practice the polite Japanese used at work with a tutor.
To see how many hours each stage takes, read how long it takes to learn Japanese.
What Are the Best Resources for Each Part?
Each part of the mix has a good free option, such as Tae Kim's guide for grammar or Anki for review, and an app or service for when you want more. Bubblegum, which appears in a few rows, is a language app where Poppy, an AI tutor, writes Japanese lessons at your level about things you like.
| Part | Free option | App or service |
|---|---|---|
| Learning hiragana, katakana and kanji | Bubblegum's Hiragana and Katakana courses | WaniKani for kanji, once you can read hiragana |
| Reading and listening at your level | Bubblegum's Japanese lessons on this site, and Tadoku Free Books | Bubblegum, Satori Reader or Natural Japanese |
| Anime, news and manga | Language Reactor for shows, NHK News Web Easy for news | Migaku for shows, manga and web pages you choose |
| Review | Anki, free on computers and Android | Bubblegum's Regenerative Review™, which brings saved words back in new lessons |
| Conversation | A language exchange on HelloTalk | A tutor on italki or Preply |
| Grammar | Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese | Bunpro or LingoDeer |
What Should You Avoid?
Avoid anything that keeps you from reading real Japanese sentences you can follow.
- Japanese in English LettersJapanese books, signs and subtitles are written in kana and kanji, so read every Japanese word that way from the start.
- Lists With No SentencesSave words from lines you have read, so each word and its kanji come with an example of how they are used.
- Anime You Can't Follow YetSave anime for when you can follow an episode with Japanese subtitles on, and read lessons about anime and manga before that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it better to learn Japanese with an app or a teacher?
Use an app for the hours of reading and listening, and a teacher for speaking and corrections. Lessons with a tutor on italki or Preply are paid, so spend that time talking, and do your reading and listening on your own.
Should I learn Japanese grammar first?
No. Learn hiragana and katakana first, then learn grammar from the Japanese you read and hear, and look a pattern up when it confuses you. A rule is easier to learn once you have seen it a few times: after 食べたいです (I want to eat) and 行きたいです (I want to go), the pattern for "I want to" is easy to spot.
Which Japanese app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Japanese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Japanese app comparison covers courses, tutors and speaking apps too.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
The Hiragana and Katakana courses and the Japanese lessons on this site are also free and need no account.
Sources
- Jeon and Day (2016), The effectiveness of ER on reading proficiency: A meta-analysis, Reading in a Foreign Language 28(2), University of Hawaii
- JLPT, the official Japanese-Language Proficiency Test site (sample questions for N1 to N5)
- Anki, official downloads (free computer version and AnkiDroid)
- HelloTalk, learn Japanese (free language exchange)
- Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese (free grammar guide)
