Japanese is not easy, let’s get that out of the way. There are so many things to study and everyone has their own methods that work for them. However, I think beginners tend to make some common mistakes when learning Japanese. Check out my list and see if you agree!
beginner japanese
Learn to read Japanese signs at supermarkets
Trying to read Japanese signs in a Japanese supermarket / grocery store can be daunting. No matter how much you study Japanese or what books you buy, sometimes you can’t truly be prepared until you’re there.
For me, it was always inconvenient looking for things because I couldn’t read some of the signs above each aisle. Well, I went out and took photos of each sign above every aisle in an effort to help others be able to read Japanese signs in supermarkets. Check out each of the signs with Japanese readings of the kanji and translations!
Genki Japanese: My Review of the legendary textbook
There are certain books that you can look back on and have fond memories of learning through them. Genki Japanese is one of those books. The Genki series of books are the pillars of my Japanese language knowledge and what helped me get to where I am today. It’s one of the best Japanese language textbooks I’ve ever had the pleasure of using and I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone. With that said, on to the review!
Japanese Graded Readers Review: Enjoy reading more
Let’s face it, textbooks about people named Mary or Takeshi are boring. Most people will get bored learning from the same resource, especially with reading practice. Reading is not always fun, especially with dry textbooks. That’s why I want to talk about Japanese Graded Readers and why they are a fun, refreshing way to practice Japanese reading.
Survival Japanese: Convenience Stores & Restaurants
Sometimes, no matter how much you study Japanese, there are certain situations and phrases that will catch you off guard. You won’t know how to respond or you’ll have endure an embarassing situation. I’ve thought about a few scenarios and phrases that might be helpful for someone that is either living or thinking of going to Japan.
Beginning Japanese Part 2: Choose a Resource
This is part 2 of my Beginning Japanese series. Check out part 1, if you haven’t read that yet.
If by using the Dr. Moku app or Kana flash cards you learned Hiragana, that’s excellent. The next step would be to learn Katakana, but it is not necessary if you want to start seeing some basic sentences. I do recommend going back and learning Katakana once you start making progress in a textbook or app, so don’t forget!
Now that you have learned Hiragana, it’s time to apply that knowledge by diving into a textbook or learning vocabulary words. Here are some great Japanese resources for jumping in.
Beginning Japanese Part 1: Writing Systems
Ok, so you’ve decided that you’re going to sit down and try to wrap your mind around the Japanese language. Here’s what you need to know if you want to start beginning Japanese right away. If you’re starting from zero knowledge or even some, I hope this guide will be helpful in getting you started on your journey into Japanese!
The Road to Learning Japanese: Where to start?
Why couldn’t I have picked an easier language such as Spanish or French? Nope, it just had to be Japanese, one of the most time-consuming languages to learn for English speakers. Of course, just because a language is easy to learn doesn’t mean you should be studying it.
You have to have the motivation or something that drives you to want to become fluent or knowledgeable in that language. For me, it was Japanese. From a young age, I was playing games that were developed in Japan. As I grew older, I eventually started watching animation and reading comics that happened to also be from Japan. These were the things that motivated me to make the incredible journey.