How to Learn Japanese at Home: List of Programs, Books, Apps

Want to learn Japanese at home?

Yes! You should know that it’s totally possible to learn and speak Japanese at home. Now, you won’t reach a level where you can talk about economics or politics in Japanese.

But, you can easily learn to read, write, understand and speak daily conversations. Here’s how.

Here the are the must-have resources to help you learn Japanese at home.

Table of Contents

Japanese Learning Programs

Here’s one program/website that you might have heard about.

#1 JapanesePod101.com – The Fastest, Easiest & Most Fun Way to Learn Japanese

JapanesePod101 is a famous Japanese Learning Program that you can use at home. Or, you can use them on the go with your smartphone.

What makes them special? They have the largest library of Japanese audio and video lessons covering all aspects of the Japanese language. The goal is to get you speaking Japanese in minutes by teaching you real conversations.

But you can learn so much more than that.

In fact, they claim to have over 2,900+ lesson, which sounds like a lot, right? Well, don’t worry, your lessons are organized into “Pathways.” So, you can learn with specific lessons like:

Alphabet, Reading & Writing Lessons
Speaking & Conversational Lessons
Japanese Grammar Lessons
Listening-Practice Lessons
Lessons for All Levels from Beginner to Advanced
New Lessons come out every week (free to access)
Lessons are 3-15 Minutes — easy to start and easy to finish

Take a look below. Your lessons are inside “Pathways” which are “learning paths” or courses that you can follow until you master the goal of that path (culture, reading, writing, survival phrases, reading, writing and much more.)

You can choose to learn with video, if you’re a visual learner, or with audio, if you prefer to listen or want to multi-task.

And with every lesson, you get “read-along” lesson notes and transcripts. Just imagine. You can hear/see the lesson and you can read along. No Japanese word will escape you.

By the end of the lesson, you will be speaking whole conversations.

This is the most comprehensive learning program you can use to learn Japanese at home. You also get various learning tools like Vocabulary Lists, Flashcards, Written Translations of Lessons and Pronunciation Tools to help you master lessons faster.

But, in my opinion, the lessons alone are worth their weight in gold.

You should definitely visit them, sign up for a free lifetime account and try it for yourself.

Click here to visit JapanesePod101 and get your free lifetime account

Textbooks to Learn With

Textbooks are a safe way to learn Japanese at home.

And there’s one particular textbook that learners use everywhere. I’ve used it in college. Self-learners use it. In the world of textbooks, everyone knows Genki.

#2 GENKI I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese

What makes this textbook so good? The book is divided into 2 sections. There’s (1) Grammar & Conversations and (2) Reading & Writing. Each section contains 12 lessons a piece and with it, you will learn…

tons of vocabulary
tons of beginner grammar rules
how to write Kanji
how to read and improve your reading as well
read fun little conversations and dialogues in Japanese

It’s very easy to get through and not “wordy” like most textbooks. However, you should learn the Japanese alphabet before you dive into the book. I recommend you get the textbook from Amazon where you can get it for a cheap price, or even a used one.

Genki also offers a workbook that you should also get. With it, you can practice what you learned in the textbook. You can also get it on Amazon.

Here’s another Japanese book that is a must.

#3 A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar

This is a giant reference book of all of the must-know beginner Grammar. Now, let me be honest and say that this isn’t a “fun” or “exciting” read.

The value of this book is that it teaches you grammar rules and new ways of expressing yourself in Japanese. You can use it to…

look up grammar rules that you aren’t sure about and learn more
review a rule or two a day just to keep your brain going
use it in conjunction with some other Japanese book you’re reading

Conclusion: You learn ton of grammar but be sure not to overwhelm yourself. This isn’t a book that’s meant to be read from cover to cover. It’s meant to be reviewed a little bit at a time.

Top 4 Dictionaries (Online)

If you want to learn Japanese at home, you’ll definitely need a dictionary.

But the good news is, there are free online dictionaries you can use.

#4 JapanesePod101’s Audio Dictionary

Yes, the same JapanesePod101 I mentioned above. Their audio dictionary is pretty useful because you get an audio example and a slowed-down version as well.

This feature is free to use, by the way.

#5 Jisho.org

With Jisho.org, you can look up words, kanji and even sample sentences quickly.

How do I use it?

Well, just like you would, I look up words that i don’t know of here. English or Japanese. Their Kanji look-up process is a bit of a pain if you search by radicals. But, you can also search by “drawing” the Kanji.

#6 Tangorin.com

This is another website-based dictionary and probably my favorite for one reason: you can search for example sentences. They’ll show you a HUGE list of sentences containing the Japanese word you’re learning.

#7 Rikaichan/Rikaikun Dictionary for Chrome or Firefox

If you’re reading Japanese stuff on your computer, you’ll love this. Rikaichan/kun are plugins for Firefox and Chrome. With them, you can hover your mouse over a Japanese word and you’ll get a translation.

Simple as that.

Get it for the Chrome Browser or Click here to get it for the Firefox Browser

Japanese Word of the Day

#8 JPod’s Word of the Day Tool

I think this study tool is worth noting.

With the JapanesePod101 word of the day, you get one email a day with:

a Japanese word
a translation
audio pronunciation
example sentences and a picture

This study tool is a good way for learning Japanese at home because it takes just a few seconds.

You open the email. You review the word. And then, you know a new word. That’s 30 seconds of work for 1 new word. Imagine getting $2 for 1 minute of work; that’s the power of this tool.

In a year, thats 365 words that you learned effortlessly.

Apps for Android, iPhone & iPad

Personally, I like to learn Japanese at home on my computer or with a book.

But, if you’re like using a smartphone or a tablet, then there are apps.

#9 Daily Dose of Language App

You get a new little lesson every day. It could either be about slang, words, phrase or some cultural lesson. But, every day is different. I don’t think this is a completely “serious” learning App but definitely one that will keep your motivation up.

#10 Imiwa? Dictionary

This is a great dictionary App. Even Japanese people use it to translate stuff from Japanese to English. The only downside is, it’s only for iOS.

iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imiwa-japanese-dictionary/id288499125?mt=8

#11 Learning Japanese (Grammar App)

You can use this app to learn a bit of Japanese grammar. As with grammar books, use it a little bit every day or otherwise, you’ll bore yourself to death. Sorry, it’s not the app’s fault, it’s just the way grammar is and the way our brains are.

Conclusion

These are the top “Learn Japanese at Home” resources.

If you’re looking to learn Japanese at home, on your own time, I suggest you pick one or two programs and that’s it. If you go and download too many apps, you will get distracted, overwhelmed and quit.

So, pick one, learn a little a day and you’ll be okay!

– The Main Junkie