Looking for programs for learning Japanese.

[Luxanna]

I apologize in advance if a thread was posted like this before >.<
I'am planning on doing something actually productive with my life instead of sitting around playing league and Skyrim all day. I've spent the last 2 years of my life doing nothing, Like literally nothing,I havent even gone outside my apartment in 8 months. I've been wanting to learn a language for a while now and I was stuck between Korean and Japanese, I finally decided to do Japanese and learn Korean some time later on.

I've watched quite a bit of anime and listen to music all the time in Japanese, I understand some romaji and phases from doign so but I want to further my learning, Romaji being the last thing I learn most likely.
I have a app called Hiragana Learn helping me learn Hiragana, It is pretty helpful but after that it becomes overwhelming because beside that app I dont know what else to use to further my learning.
Looking for you guys for help!
I'm looking to go From reading/ Writing to Speaking, This is my preferred method.
I'm looking for Free apps, and if you have pc programs that are free or if they aren;t I can always torrent it
Thank you in advance ;o;
oh, I also watch NHK, Begin Japanology all the time, helping learn about Japanese culture <3

Spoiler: Incase anyone else is interested, Save you some time and put all info I gotten so far in the spoiler

freejapaneselessons gives you basic sentence structure and all (or most) the key phrases i mentioned. another good way is to sign up for a program which includes having a bi-lingual friend, so that they could help teach you and you could practice. i have something like that for japanese as well, i met a girl over ACNL who's from japan. we teach eachother certain language things, since she's learning english and i'm learning japanese.
finding an actual native speaker is a great option, providing they can speak your language as well. at least in my opinion.

also, try to make it a point to memorize reading and writing all the hiragana and katakana first
getting a start on kanji would be cool too, but that can be mixed in with the other stuff much easier

I use a book titled Japanese HIRAGANA & KATAKANA for Beginners by Timothy G. Stout. It teaches you the stroke order and pronunciation of hiragana and katakana characters. It has quizzes so you can test your abilities, and it includes a CD-ROM if you want to print out flash cards. I bought if off Amazon for about $15 and it arrived within a few days.

I also have a book titled ESSENTIAL KANJI by P.G. O'Neill. It contains all of the most common kanji(all 2,000 of them) that japanese high schoolers are expected to recognize and be able to write. It also includes the stroke order and the kanji's meaning(s). I mostly use it as a reference because I'm not that advanced yet.

You could also use Lang-8 once you've mastered hiragana and katakana. Lang-8 is a free website where you can post journal entries in the language you're learning and native speakers will correct you. You can also correct people who are learning English and earn points!

I have Rosetta Stone, and I'd only recommend it if you have tons of spending money or you'll be receiving it as a gift. It excels at pronunciation and speaking, but so far there has been nothing on stroke order. If you were just learning to speak Japanese, then Rosetta Stone would be perfect for you. But if you plan on speaking and writing/reading Japanese then it shouldn't be your only resource.

This is a pretty helpful YouTube channel for those who are learning Japanese. It's a cheap alternative to Rosetta Stone, but I haven't watched too many videos, so I can't offer a sound recommendation.

Japanese From Zero is a pretty decent online tool. I've used it in the past, but I never finished it. I'm fairly certain it's free, but I'm not 100% sure.

Best of luck on your quest. :^)

I'd suggest seeing if there are any classes you can take in your area.

That way you're a. learning the language you want and b. getting out of your apartment. ^^

Most colleges offer classes in Japanese. High schools usually don't, though, unless you live in an area with a high Japanese-American population like Hawaii or some parts of California. If you aren't old enough to go to college, I'd suggest making a profile on this website --

http://www.interpals.net/

In the forums, they have what's called a language-exchange program that allows you to write to someone from Japan, so they can teach you Japanese in exchange for you teaching them English. This way you can also get to make a new friend in the process
If you do decide to take this route, though, please remember not to mention anything about anime or manga. Otaku are very looked down upon in Japan, and most Japanese people looking a for penpal just want to be treated like an ordinary person. They most likely don't know or care when the next issue of your favorite manga is coming out, and no, they haven't all been to Tokyo. You have to remember not to pester them about these things or you'll just lose a chance at getting to know someone that's probably really cool.

If you're a beginner, I'd suggest you watch elementary level anime while you learn. Be it anpanman or doraemon because that stuff's super easy and you'll get used to forming simple sentences in no time :3

For manga, buy some short story anthologies with furigana. It'll help you associate the reading to the kanji and you can refer to dictionaries or jisho.org for their definitions or how different kanji couplings have different meanings. You can look up kanji either through stroke order, how it sounds / romaji or if there's a specific word you're looking for in Japanese.

JWPCE is a Japanese word processor that I use often as I'm too lazy to change the language in Word. It's very much like the offline version of jisho.org.

And Azuki font. It gives you an example of what cute Japanese handwriting looks like. I tend to use it as a reference.

I hope this will be somewhat useful to you~

Definitelyyyyy use genki. It teaches proper sentence structure and verb endings. It's easy to teach Yourself with it too.

I forgot to mention, I have an app called Learn Japan (Learn Japanese? It shortened it.) that teaches you to write and pronounce the characters.

 

[Kitsuragi]

i don't recommend rosetta stone. it's terrible. theres an app called duolingo for iOS and android i think. if you possibly can, sign up for a japanese class in real life. there are other sites to help you learn key phrases too, such as introduction of yourself/others, numbers, colours, directions/where to go etc etc.

 

[kassie]

I'd suggest seeing if there are any classes you can take in your area.

That way you're a. learning the language you want and b. getting out of your apartment. ^^

 

[penguins]

u haven't left ur home in 8 months???

 

[Kitsuragi]

freejapaneselessons gives you basic sentence structure and all (or most) the key phrases i mentioned. another good way is to sign up for a program which includes having a bi-lingual friend, so that they could help teach you and you could practice. i have something like that for japanese as well, i met a girl over ACNL who's from japan. we teach eachother certain language things, since she's learning english and i'm learning japanese.
finding an actual native speaker is a great option, providing they can speak your language as well. at least in my opinion.

 

[LambdaDelta]

romaji is literally romanizing Japanese text


there is nothing really to "learn" of it

 

[Luxanna]

i don't recommend rosetta stone. it's terrible. theres an app called duolingo for iOS and android i think. if you possibly can, sign up for a japanese class in real life. there are other sites to help you learn key phrases too, such as introduction of yourself/others, numbers, colours, directions/where to go etc etc.

I heard it was pretty terrible from other people, Thanks, I will definitely check out the app. I might consider taking japanese classes this summer from my old HS

- - - Post Merge - - -

I'd suggest seeing if there are any classes you can take in your area.

That way you're a. learning the language you want and b. getting out of your apartment. ^^

Besides my terrible social anxiety, I havent really had a reason too xD, I will go see if my hs offer summer classes for Japanese though

- - - Post Merge - - -

u haven't left ur home in 8 months???

I didnt really have a reason too, Simple as that - shrugs-

 

[Kitsuragi]

I heard it was pretty terrible from other people, Thanks, I will definitely check out the app. I might consider taking japanese classes this summer from my old HS

yeah, rosetta stone is awful from my experience. its supremely overpriced for what they teach you. from the language i was learning (spanish,) you dont learn much grammar or sentence structure, instead you learn trivial stuff like

"this is a banana. repeat this word:"
like geez, if i ever went to mexico or spain i dont know how to ask for directions but thank GOD i know how to say banana.
you'd be better off learning in an actual class since you have the teacher interacting with you and showing you how to speak it right.

 

[LambdaDelta]

also, try to make it a point to memorize reading and writing all the hiragana and katakana first

getting a start on kanji would be cool too, but that can be mixed in with the other stuff much easier

 

[Luxanna]

also, try to make it a point to memorize reading and writing all the hiragana and katakana first

getting a start on kanji would be cool too, but that can be mixed in with the other stuff much easier

oh yeah!, I forgot to mention that was the other app I got was for Katakana, From what I heard other people say those are pretty easy, Could learn in just a few days if I just spend maybe a few hours learning each day. ~

- - - Post Merge - - -

freejapaneselessons gives you basic sentence structure and all (or most) the key phrases i mentioned. another good way is to sign up for a program which includes having a bi-lingual friend, so that they could help teach you and you could practice. i have something like that for japanese as well, i met a girl over ACNL who's from japan. we teach eachother certain language things, since she's learning english and i'm learning japanese.
finding an actual native speaker is a great option, providing they can speak your language as well. at least in my opinion.

OHH, I totally remember now! I remember A youtuber "Rachel and Jun" Talking about a site online that pairs you up with someone that trying to learn your langauge and you trying to learn their language so you can help each other, correcting mistakes in grammar and pronunciation!, Thank you :3

 

[LambdaDelta]

tbh, katakana gave me more trouble compared to hiragana with how samey a whole bunch of them are

but even then its nothing too terrible

 

[Shax]

I use a book titled Japanese HIRAGANA & KATAKANA for Beginners by Timothy G. Stout. It teaches you the stroke order and pronunciation of hiragana and katakana characters. It has quizzes so you can test your abilities, and it includes a CD-ROM if you want to print out flash cards. I bought if off Amazon for about $15 and it arrived within a few days.

I also have a book titled ESSENTIAL KANJI by P.G. O'Neill. It contains all of the most common kanji(all 2,000 of them) that japanese high schoolers are expected to recognize and be able to write. It also includes the stroke order and the kanji's meaning(s). I mostly use it as a reference because I'm not that advanced yet.

You could also use Lang-8 once you've mastered hiragana and katakana. Lang-8 is a free website where you can post journal entries in the language you're learning and native speakers will correct you. You can also correct people who are learning English and earn points!

I have Rosetta Stone, and I'd only recommend it if you have tons of spending money or you'll be receiving it as a gift. It excels at pronunciation and speaking, but so far there has been nothing on stroke order. If you were just learning to speak Japanese, then Rosetta Stone would be perfect for you. But if you plan on speaking and writing/reading Japanese then it shouldn't be your only resource.

This is a pretty helpful YouTube channel for those who are learning Japanese. It's a cheap alternative to Rosetta Stone, but I haven't watched too many videos, so I can't offer a sound recommendation.

Japanese From Zero is a pretty decent online tool. I've used it in the past, but I never finished it. I'm fairly certain it's free, but I'm not 100% sure.

Best of luck on your quest. :^)

 

[MagicalCat590]

Most colleges offer classes in Japanese. High schools usually don't, though, unless you live in an area with a high Japanese-American population like Hawaii or some parts of California. If you aren't old enough to go to college, I'd suggest making a profile on this website --

http://www.interpals.net/

In the forums, they have what's called a language-exchange program that allows you to write to someone from Japan, so they can teach you Japanese in exchange for you teaching them English. This way you can also get to make a new friend in the process
If you do decide to take this route, though, please remember not to mention anything about anime or manga. Otaku are very looked down upon in Japan, and most Japanese people looking a for penpal just want to be treated like an ordinary person. They most likely don't know or care when the next issue of your favorite manga is coming out, and no, they haven't all been to Tokyo. You have to remember not to pester them about these things or you'll just lose a chance at getting to know someone that's probably really cool.

 

[Yuni]

If you're a beginner, I'd suggest you watch elementary level anime while you learn. Be it anpanman or doraemon because that stuff's super easy and you'll get used to forming simple sentences in no time :3

For manga, buy some short story anthologies with furigana. It'll help you associate the reading to the kanji and you can refer to dictionaries or jisho.org for their definitions or how different kanji couplings have different meanings. You can look up kanji either through stroke order, how it sounds / romaji or if there's a specific word you're looking for in Japanese.

JWPCE is a Japanese word processor that I use often as I'm too lazy to change the language in Word. It's very much like the offline version of jisho.org.

And Azuki font. It gives you an example of what cute Japanese handwriting looks like. I tend to use it as a reference.

I hope this will be somewhat useful to you~

 

[fup10k]

Definitelyyyyy use genki. It teaches proper sentence structure and verb endings. It's easy to teach Yourself with it too.

 

[Resi]

I am trying to, as well, though off-and-on! I listen to a lot of Japanese music/shows/read books, which helps me learn short words and phrases. For actual learning, I have a book which teaches pronunciation, not writing. I just took a look, and surprise surprise, it's called Learning Japanese the Fast and Fun Way (It has you phrase sentences to imaginary people and match English words to Japanese ones. It hasn't been terribly fun yet.) Duolingo doesn't have Japanese (yet, anyways - they add languages in every once in awhile, Japanese isn't one of them yet.) however there is a program called Mango that teaches Japanese. I don't know if you have to pay for it, though, since I got it through our local library. I also learned some other things from my dad whom does a Japanese martial arts, so I learned the number system and other phrases like "hit my head" or "grab my hand" from him. I think that classes would be the best, simply because they provide one-on-one attention and can cover things you don't understand without simply skipping ahead without you.

 

[Caius]

I use Minna No Nihongo to brush up. It's books, but it's the best stuff I've ever used.

 

[Resi]

I forgot to mention, I have an app called Learn Japan (Learn Japanese? It shortened it.) that teaches you to write and pronounce the characters.

 

[oswaldies]

You should buy a textbook like me​

 

[Luxanna]

Thank you everyone for the helpful Advice <3
And when it comes to textbooks, I dont exactly know what is good and what isnt xD< People have different styles of learning but I will take suggestions!