Learning the Japanese language can certainly be a rewarding and exciting journey, especially if you’re strongly interested in travelling to Japan, experiencing its amazing culture, or even boosting your own career prospects.
While mastering the Japanese language itself may seem like a colossal task, (well… it kind of is) if you have a structured approach and a good overall plan, it’s most certainly achievable!
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best methods, essential resources, and tips to keep you motivated and consistent on your Japanese language journey to ensure that you’re following the best possible way to learn Japanese.
If you’re wondering how to learn Japanese language effectively, you’re in the right place!
So, Why Learn Japanese?
Well, firstly you might ask yourself; is the journey of learning Japanese really worth the reward? The answer is most certainly a solid YES!
Let’s go through some of the main reasons as to why learning Japanese language is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding journeys you’ll ever embark on:
Japanese Culture
Japan has a rich and unique culture, which attracts millions of people worldwide.
By learning Japanese language, you’ll have the ability to not only speak with Japanese people, but also have the ability to gain deeper insights into Japanese traditional arts, literature and of course, anime!
This will allow you to experience many of these aspects of Japanese culture in their original form.
As you may know, many of the meanings behind various Japanese art works are often lost in translation due to the complexity of the Japanese language and many words in Japanese cannot be directly translated into English.
So, with Japanese language skills, imagine watching your favourite anime, or reading manga without subtitles… it’s a whole new world of understanding!
Travel & Communication
If you plan to visit Japan, knowing the language will significantly enhance your experience. Many locals in Japan will greatly appreciate interacting with you even if you have just a basic level of Japanese communication skills.
While a lot of signs in major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka may have English text, a lot of restaurants and small businesses can sometimes only be in Japanese. Therefore, not having Japanese language ability can sometimes make it feel as though Japan isn’t fully accessible to you.
Ordering food, asking for directions, and engaging with locals becomes so much easier when you’re able to understand the language.
Career and Job Opportunities
Japanese language skills can definitely open doors to exciting career opportunities. If you have a dream of living and working in Japan, learning Japanese language can put you on the road to achieving that dream.
Many international companies seek bilingual employees for roles in business, translation, and customer service.
Learning Japanese can give you an edge in industries such as gaming, tourism and international trade.
Okay, so… What’s the best way to learn Japanese?
Right, so you wanna move to Japan, get a job, build a career and live your best life… But wait!! There’s the whole learning Japanese part you need to do first… How, you may ask? Well, we’ve broken it down into the best methods to get started in your Japanese language journey. Here’s what we think are the best methods of approach for beginners:
Use textbooks for a solid foundation
Structured learning might not be for everyone, but it’s definitely essential to nail down those basics, and textbooks provide an excellent foundation.
Some of the best textbooks for learning Japanese include:
- Genki (best for beginners)
The Genki textbook series are great for covering essential grammar, vocabulary and kanji. Genki will also reinforce your knowledge by making you do various exercises and test you on your knowledge. - Minna no Nihongo
After completing Genki 1 and 2, that should get you up to around N4 level of Japanese. To push your Japanese language ability even further, we’d recommend going for the Minna no Nihongo textbook. This textbook is very immersive and it’s entirely in Japanese, which is a brilliant next step to push you up to N3 level. - Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese
As a supplement to the two textbooks above, we’d also recommend Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese which is a free online grammar resource that covers Japanese grammar and explains it extremely well.
Use mobile apps for daily learning
Apps are excellent for learning on the go, and can improve your Japanese at a rapid pace, especially for learning vocabulary.
Here are some of the best apps for learning Japanese:
- Anki
This app uses flashcard-based learning and uses something called SRS which stands for “spaced repetition system”. It’s a powerful tool which not only tests you on your knowledge, but makes you regularly review words based on how difficult you find them. This app is perfect for memorising both vocabulary and kanji. - WaniKani
This app specialises in learning kanji using mnemonics, it’ll teach you radicals first (the parts that make up each kanji) and then it’ll teach you not only the kanji themselves, but also the readings and how they’re used. - Bunpro
This app focuses on grammar and structured lessons. It explains each grammar point in great detail and shows a lot of examples and also has voice clips, so you can hear how each sentence is meant to be said at a native level! You can also learn vocabulary with this app.
Immerse as much as you can!
When learning a language, one of the most important aspects of learning would definitely be immersion. This is especially true when it comes to Japanese, as this is where you’ll be able to properly learn the grammar structure and listen to how the language is properly spoken by natives.
When listening to a language for hours on end, your brain will eventually start to pick up on words naturally, and this is actually how we learn languages as children!
Some of the most effective immersion techniques include:
- Watching anime & Japanese dramas
This is actually one of the best ways to learn. You can start off by watching basic shows which are catered towards your level, but you have to be okay with not being able to understand everything, as that’ll be what’ll train your mind into learning new words through context. The best way to do this is to watch with Japanese subtitles, or no subtitles at all! - Reading Japanese books & manga
Once you’ve learned hiragana and katakana and have a decent amount of vocabulary under your belt, have a crack at some Japanese books! We’d suggest starting with ones that contain furigana, which is small kana above the kanji for pronunciation help. - Listening to podcasts & Japanese music
This is one of the most effortless things you can do when learning a language, and it’s very effective! This will definitely help you with your listening comprehension and pronunciation. Again, you have to be okay with not understanding everything, as this is one of the steps to be able to eventually understand once you do it for long enough.
Do some language exchange & speaking practice
When it comes to learning Japanese, speaking is one of the hardest aspects to practice alone. You can’t be talking to yourself in Japanese forever…
That’s why we would definitely recommend doing language exchange & speaking with native speakers! It’s an essential part of the process.
But you might be thinking, “I don’t live in Japan! How do I find someone to practice with?”
Well, we’ve got you covered for that too! Here are some recommended solutions:
- HelloTalk & Tandem
These are language exchange apps which you can use to chat with native speakers! Not only just for Japanese language study, but for any language also. So they’re great for building connections and making international friends. - iTalki & Preply
These apps are for paid one-on-one lessons with tutors, so they’re great if you prefer more structured learning and they’re probably more reliable than standard language exchange apps as you’ll be having actual lessons with a tutor. - Join local or online communities
There are many different Discord servers and Reddit communities where you can find other language learners and interact with Japanese natives and also people who are learning the Japanese language, so it may be a great way to push your skills even further and also motivate other people to do the same. If there’s more of you studying together, you can exchange tips and advice!
Some further essentials you’ll probably need!
So, the above steps are what you’ll be doing on a regular basis to learn the language and eventually become fluent, as long as you stick to the plan and do it for long enough, you’ll definitely achieve your goal of learning Japanese!
In addition to the above, we’ve added some extra resources that you may need which are really helpful:
Websites for learning Japanese:
- JLPT Sensei
Here you can find free grammar lessons and JLPT practice tests if you’re planning on going for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test! - Tofugu
This website has some articles and guides on effective learning strategies. Definitely check it out! - NHK Web Easy
If you want to regularly test your reading ability, here you have the Japanese news which you can read in simplified Japanese with furigana.
Online courses & YouTube channels:
- Japanese Ammo with Misa
This channel has in-depth grammar explanations and good videos for general learning! - JapanesePod101
This channel has countless videos for vocabulary, grammar and even does livestream lessons. - Game Gengo
If you like Japanese games, this channel is brilliant, it teaches you Japanese by using examples from various video games (mainly JRPGs) so that the words stick with you and reinforces your memory. - NihongoDekita with Sayaka
Great fun channel for learning Japanese in general with a charismatic host. Definitely worth checking out if you like entertaining videos! This channel also has Japanese vlogs, so you can listen to everyday life.
Kanji learning tools
- Kanji Study (Android)
This is a good comprehensive kanji learning app for android which lets you practice writing kanji with stroke order and also lets you set the order in which you want to learn kanji, by JLPT level, or grade etc. - Remembering the Kanji
This book is for learning the meanings of the kanji but it doesn’t teach you the readings. The main focus of this book is to create stories for parts of kanji which come together to form new stories to help you remember what they mean. This book is effective if you want to get through all of the kanji quickly to know the meanings and if you’re not interested in learning the readings as of yet.
There’s so much to do! How do I stay motivated…?
I completely hear you! Learning Japanese isn’t an easy task especially when you’re first starting out.
However, once you’ve built a solid foundation and understanding of how the language works, it actually becomes very enjoyable and rewarding to learn. The most difficult part is actually the initial stages of getting started.
Nonetheless, we’ve compiled 4 top tips on how to stay motivated during your Japanese language journey:
Set small, achievable goals…
Don’t overwhelm yourself! This is a common mistake beginners make, and it also causes a lot of people to quit early, because they want too much too soon. Learning Japanese is a gradual process and requires patience.
The best way to go about this is to break your learning into small milestones. Some examples of goals could be:
- Learn 50 kanji in a month
- Learn around 10 – 15 words on Anki each day
- After 3 months of studying, try have a 5 minute conversation in Japanese
- Read a short manga without relying on translations
Each time you hit one of the milestones or achieve a goal, you’ll realise you’re getting closer and closer to reaching your ultimate goal of eventually become proficient in the Japanese language. But each step in itself is an important journey.
Track your progress!
You can use a study log to track your progress. Apps like Notion, Google Sheets, or a simple journal can help you stay organised!
Also, apps like Anki actually have a built-in statistics system where you can check to see how many flashcards you’ve learned in a certain deck, and how many you have left. It’ll also go into detail showing your memory retention rate etc.
Seeing your progress gradually increase would definitely motivate you further and keep you going!
Join online communities
Being part of a learning community can certainly keep you motivated, as you’ll be interacting with people who have similar goals to you, you can share tips and advice with each other and vice versa. It’s also a great way to gauge your progress and keep each other motivated.
Join forums, Discord groups or language challenges like the “100 Days of Japanese” challenge. This can be fun and engaging and keep you hooked on the process of learning.
Reward yourself!
After achieving a milestone, treat yourself! Buy a Japanese book, watch a new anime, start a new game or try Japanese snacks as a reward for your hard work.
Although the REAL reward will be the progress you’ve attained up until that point…! Once you realise how far you’ve come, you’ll surprise yourself and it’ll motivate you to achieve even more and push you further to continue on your Japanese language learning journey!
Phew… so I guess that’s everything!
Yup! In order to learn Japanese, you must first learn how to learn Japanese… (I think that makes sense?). Anyway, you get the gist of what I’m trying to say!
But in seriousness, learning Japanese language is a step-by-step journey that requires consistency, patience, and the right resources.
Whether you want to travel to Japan, understand anime without subtitles, or improve job prospects, taking a structured approach will make a huge difference, and I hope this guide has helped to give you somewhat of a blueprint on how to tackle learning this wonderful language.
Start small, stay consistent, and most importantly, have fun along the way!
Ganbattekudasai~!
Also, have you started learning Japanese? Let me know what methods have worked for you in the comments! I would love to hear your tips on how to learn Japanese language!
🔗 Related Articles & Resources
- 📘 Top 5 Apps for Learning Japanese
Explore the best apps to boost your vocabulary, grammar, and kanji skills. - 🎧 How to Use Immersion to Learn Japanese – A Practical Beginner’s Guide
Discover how to study Japanese naturally through anime, YouTube, and more. - 🧠 Japanese Language Study Methods
Compare different ways to study and find the method that works best for you.