How to Learn Japanese

Welcome to my site for learning Japanese! Here you will find a wealth of information that will help you learn Japanese free online. If you're looking for the old homepage, you can find it at: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar or via the navigation links at the top of the page. If you like this site, please press the +1 button on the right sidebar and/or add a link back to this page with the phrase "learn Japanese".

So you want to learn Japanese

Ok, I'm not going to go into all the reasons why Japanese is such a fun and rewarding language to learn because you're already here and interested in learning it. If you're still undecided or afraid that it's too hard, don't be! It can be one of the easier languages to learn in ways that will surprise you. So here's what you need to do to teach yourself Japanese and how to do it by using this site.

1. Learn Hiragana (the Japanese "alphabet")
2. Learn vocabulary (with Kanji) and grammar
3. Practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing
4. Learn Katakana (the "alphabet" for foreign words)
5. Learn how to use various tools such as online dictionaries
6. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with progressively more advanced topics

The ABCs of Japanese

Just like how you would start learning English by learning the ABCs, you should first start by learning the basic writing system for Japanese called Hiragana. Learning Hiragana will also teach you how to pronounce all the sounds in the language.
These short and simple videos should help you get started.

Vocabulary and grammar

This site has two guides to aid you on your way to full Japanese fluency with no compromises. This means you'll learn it as it's spoken in the real world including all the parts that are skipped in most textbooks because it's not considered to be "polite".

The Complete Guide to Japanese

If you're new to learning Japanese, I recommend you start with the Complete Guide to Japanese. This guide avoids long and complicated explanations and teaches you essential grammar and vocabulary through examples, interesting dialogues, and suggestions for practical applications. Though it's still a work in progress, the first five chapters are essentially done. Feel free to give me a shout if you get near the end and find that it's still not finished.

Guide to Japanese Grammar

If you are taking Japanese classes and you want to get a better understanding of how things work, the Guide to Japanese Grammar is designed to supplement your studies and give you a solid understanding of the grammatical structure of Japanese. It thoroughly explains Japanese grammar by starting with the most fundamental ideas and building upon it layer by layer. It is much easier to understand than a traditional Japanese class which will likely skip straight to the polite forms without explaining where they come from.
The grammar guide is also available as an iOS app.

Resources and Tutorials

Achieving full fluency of a language requires not just learning the language but regularly applying what you learned by listening, speaking, reading, and writing. There are many online tools such as online dictionaries that will help you read and watch Japanese books, comics, and movies. There are also sites that will help you connect with native Japanese speakers for language exchange as well as help with correcting your writing.