What is the best Japanese textbook?

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Tried and Tested: The 10 Best Japanese Textbooks for Learners
  • “Nihongo Active Talk”
  • “Minna no Nihongo”
  • “Guide to Japanese Grammar”
  • Japanese from Zero!”
  • “Shadowing: Let's Speak Japanese!”
  • “New Nihongo Keigo Training”
  • “Try!” JLPT series.
  • “Nihongo So Matome”



Just so, how do I learn Japanese textbooks?

Best Books to Learn Japanese

  1. 1 Japanese books for beginners. 1.1 Genki. 1.2 Japanese From Zero. 1.3 Minna No Nihongo. 1.4 Japanese for Busy People.
  2. 2 Best intermediate Japanese textbook. 2.1 Minna No Nihongo. 2.2 Read Real Japanese.
  3. 3 Best Japanese textbooks for the JLPT. 3.1 New Kanzen Master. 3.2 Nihongo So-Matome.

Also, should I learn to speak or write Japanese first? Create the “Hooks” before Learning to Read and Write Kanji By first having a fluency and familiarity with the spoken language itself. For example, if you knew and used the word “zaimu” (finance) in Japanese frequently for work or study, it would be much easier to learn and remember the kanji characters (??).

Herein, can you learn Japanese by yourself?

You can learn Japanese much faster and much more efficiently than you are doing currently. There are all kinds of tools out there to help you, and there are some great guides you can follow to have a better learning experience. But the bottom line is this: you can learn significantly more on your own.

How long does it take to learn Japanese?

Learning Japanese isn't easy and it will take time. It's probably fair to say that you can expect a commitment of at least three years in order to achieve something resembling fluency. The average learner gets to the advanced level in three or four years.

38 Related Question Answers Found

Is Japanese hard to learn?

In short, Japanese is one of the more difficult languages for a native English speaker to learn. It takes much dedication and time. Learning the kana and how to pronounce the syllables is relatively easy, the grammar is about in the middle between easy and difficult, and the kanji is very hard.

How can I learn Japanese fast?

Tricks to Learn Japanese Fast
  1. Set Goals. Your New Year's Resolution may be to "learn Japanese," but what does that actually mean?
  2. Start with Sounds.
  3. Keep it Practical.
  4. Your Friend: Gairaigo.
  5. Mnemonics.
  6. Keep a Japanese Vocabulary Notebook.
  7. Break Down the Grammar.
  8. Read, Watch, Listen.

What comes after genki2?

After Genki II, some students progress to the “Tobira” series, some progress to a textbook called simply “An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese,” and some progress to other books.

What is the best way to learn Japanese?

The Best Way to Learn Japanese: 11 Proven Study Methods That Work
  1. Take a Class or Computer Course.
  2. Listen to Language Podcasts.
  3. Watch Japanese TV With English Subtitles.
  4. Learn Hiragana and Katakana.
  5. Read Manga or Children's Books.
  6. Get a Workbook.
  7. Use Flashcards.
  8. Sing Japanese Karaoke Songs.

Is living language Japanese Good?


Living Language offers courses for more than ten foreign languages and Japanese is one of them. It can be said that this course is quite well rated by users and most reviews online. This is mainly because it offers quite a lot of material for foreign language learning and also for a very reasonable price.

How many Japanese kanji are there?

There are about 2,000 kanji characters in common use and once you get them down, you're officially literate. You can then read newspapers and most books. There are thousands more and even Japanese folks don't know them all, but knowing 2,000 characters more or less gets the job done.

Is Genki good for self study?

If you have a language partner, the practice exercises in Genki are much more useful. Personally, I found Genki to be good, but not great, for self-study. It was well-organized and the explainations are clear. But it is definitely a textbook and very dry at times.

What is Genki in English?

Genki is a Japanese word without a direct English translation. It roughly means having energy, pep, or health, the kanji ?? mean “original spirit” or good health and high vigor. The term ?? was used in ancient China, to refer to a primal energy that makes up all things. Today in Japan it is a common greeting!

What Genki 1?

Genki One: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese is a beginner's Japanese textbook from the Japan Times authored by Eri Banno, Yutaka Ohno, Yoko Sakane, and Chikako Shinagawa.

What Jlpt level is Genki 2?


If you live in Japan though, your experience will definitely vary. On the JLPT scale: N4. Many tutors will use Genki 1 for N5 and Genki 2 for N4. Intermediate (but these labels are very misleading, as there is way more of a gap between intermediate and advanced than between beginner and intermediate; it's logarithmic).

How does Japanese grammar work?

Japanese sentence structure is very different from English, but it's not hard to master. When it comes to basic sentence structure, Japanese is a SOV language while English is SVO. SOV means “subject-object-verb.” This is a language where the verb is at the end of the sentence.

How can I learn kanji?

So to make it a bit easier for you, here are 6 simple steps you can take to start learning Kanji right away.
  1. Start By Learning The Radicals.
  2. Practice Stroke Order To Help You Memorise Kanji.
  3. Learn Jouyou Kanji.
  4. Supplement Jouyou Kanji With Other Words That Are Important To You.
  5. Use Spaced Repetition.

How many kanji Genki teaches?

A total of 317 kanji are studied in the Reading and Writing sections: 145 in GENKI I and 172 in GENKI II. These include 254 of the 284 kanji subject to appear in Level 3 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. (See Kanji Introduced in the Reading and Writing Section.)

How can I learn Japanese online?

Duolingo is a popular language learning app that introduces you to both Japanese vocabulary and grammar. It's a gamified platform, so it's fun to learn and easy to maintain your daily streaks. Imiwa is a free Japanese dictionary app. It provides context for new words in Japanese.

Where can I buy Genki textbooks in Japan?


GENKI materials can be purchased through any bookstore in Japan. If what you're looking for isn't in stock, just have the store backorder it for you. A list of bookstores that carry many Japanese language study materials is available here.

Can I learn Japanese in 6 months?

How do I learn Japanese in 6 months? You can learn enough to understand and speak short phrases that will get you by as a tourist in merely six weeks using any of several language learning courses. The one I used was the Pimsleur Japanese course. It won't teach you much grammar, nor any of the writing.

Is Japanese worth learning?

Japanese takes a long, long time. Years to fluency. It's worth it if you have interests that require to know the language. If you don't have a good reason to learn it, sorry if I'm wrong but it seems like you don't have one, it's definitely not worth it.