Are there any apps that actually teach you Japanese?

35 comments

1. Have you tried Duolingo? It teaches you words and then quickly combines them into short sentences. I find it’s the best app at doing that. Memrise has always felt too random and its focus is more on singular words.

   Erin’s Challenge isn’t an app… but it is full of skits and it has things like activities and transcripts after.

2. I find this zoomer obsession of using apps as learning tools really weird. Language learning is not supposed to be fun, especially at the beginning stages. Using apps to learn Japanese won’t make things any less dull, you’ll just learn at a slower rate than if you were to use things that actually teach you anything, like textbooks or even grammar videos.

3. nope 🙂

4. Most apps are not very good, however there are exceptions. Two I personally know of are “[Human Japanese](https://www.humanjapanese.com/)” and “[Japanese from Zero Online](https://www.fromzero.com/)”. Both are very good resources and will teach you all the basics (~N5+N4). They are both essentially interactive textbooks, packaged as an app/web-app. Their style differs quite a bit so do the free trial for both and then pick the one you like better.

5. There are apps, but from my experience each has its own purposes. For a language like Japanese you need to find apps for different purposes: Kana, Kanji, Vocab, and Grammar. Apps like Duolingo are good for beginners, but if you really want to go deeper you need to use apps for specific cases. What I personally use or have used are the following:

   – Kana: I learned them old school in 2 weeks

   – Kanji: Wanikani is probably the most useful one I used. Another free alternative is KanjiStudy, but I think WK does it better. For writing Ringotan is good.

   – Grammar: I read some Tae Kim and watched some Cure Dolly. And I also used Bunpro for a while. Jalup also focuses on Grammar in its first 1000 cards.

   – Vocab: Anki basically. And Jalup (Nihongo Lessons on iOS)

6. Learning languages usually requires or at least greatly benefits from a more “holistic” approach, in the sense that expecting to use one method only is doomed to either fail or be slow and tedious and unstimulating

   If you browse this subreddit long enough without reading the guides you’ll eventually stumble upon the old mantra; create a plan of action instead of limiting yourself to one thing

   No matter how good any app or textbook or whatever is learning a language is not a “cumulative” effort

   My suggestion would be to find what app you prefer and find most useful and engaging and compliment it with vocabulary flash cards SRS (spaced repetition software) , a good grammar course (there’s free ones or paid ones) and reading and listening practice

7. anki and yomichan

8. Not many apps like that, but I highly recommend Japanese Ammo on YouTube. She’s a fantastic teacher and has hundreds of videos available on grammar, vocabulary, kanji, pronunciation, and explains where words come from and the history/meaning behind them!!

9. A singular app cannot teach you a language, reading and listening can.

10. Most apps are very bad for language learning. This is because the market is flooded and no app developer or company is interested in actually helping you learn the language in the most efficient way possible. Instead, it’s all about being marketable and selling a subscription or something in the app.

    Most of learning a language is just pure effort, no app or resource will be enough to achieve that. There are some resources that might make it more easier but the huge amount of time and effort required remains the same, which is why I don’t use language learning apps.

11. I began using Pimsleur. Have you tried it?

12. I liked Busuu. It does exactly as you asked: Introduces the vocab in a list, explains you some history and then after cementing the vocab with a short mini quiz, it gives you real questions. It also has a discount for new time users, the first time you buy it you get like a year for like 30-50 euro.

    Would only use it as a beginner tho. It teaches you Japanese until like B2 level.

13. I gotta recommend Bunpro. It’s WAY better supplemented with a textbook or some other reading material. Helped me tonnes in consistently practicing grammar.

14. I always think the Bunpro app is good for teaching Japanese grammar. The grammar available on there is quite extensive and the explainations are detailed. Even when I’m not in a period of using the SRS feature regularly, it’s still a great checklist for what I’ve learnt from all other resources.

    My personal preference for Japanese learning was always the Japanese From Zero books, though. The author, George, just explains the grammar in a way that clicked with me very quickly. 5 books, as brilliant as they are, only gets you so far, so the use of Bunpro and reading native material was always a good next step.

15. Have you tried the Innovative Language Learning app? It might not be the sort of app you mean but I just thought I’d ask since you mention Japanesepod101 and that’s what the associated app is called, which isn’t obvious from the name.

16. My recommendation is not an app but the website Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese. I put the URL down below:

    https://guidetojapanese.org/learn/

17. No, use Anki for vocab and just immerse. Immersion is the only thing that will make you fluent because nothing can teach your brain to understand a language except the language itself. Obviously study can speed up this process, vocab and a little grammar, but this is not where the actual acquisition happens

18. You shouldn’t be using an app as your only source anyway. It’s fine for them to be focused on quizzes because they are supposed to be supplementary. If you are serious about studying you should be looking at other resources in addition to the apps.

19. I’m a fan of Nativshark. It’s very good at teaching grammar and vocab. They don’t have an app, but the website is app-like. It’s a little hard learning kanji only with them, so you might wanna supplement with wanikani or something. And their Discord community is very helpful and positive!

20. Haha! I have the same frustration with podcasts, have been looking for months since i can listen while driving or walking the dogs. The “easy” ones start by explaining how to introduce yourself and count to 100. Then the 3rd or 4th episode they are talking full speed about taking care of their octopus in their fish tank and all kinds of totally useless words for a beginner. And some “learn japanese for
    Beginner” podcasts are entirely in Japanese. So as long as you are fluent you can learn it!

21. Jpod101 has an app- it’s the innovative language app. I also use kanji tree for anything and everything kanji.

22. In the beginning I got a nice push from kawaiiNihongo(It basically covers genki).

    Now I am just using Anki to memorize vocab

    I do have a bit of a problem with memorizing grammar,,, so I am trying currently to learn how my native languages (I am bilingual) work(while translating to english), and then compare it to japanese (because obviously there is no such resource to get)

23. Anki

24. >apps

    I seriously doubt it. Just hit the books, read Tae Kim’s Grammar Guide, watch Cure Dolly, etc.

25. For memorizing hiragana Duolingo was good for me I took notes simultaneously

26. Renshuu is quite good. Uses a SRS system like Anki, but has its own grammar explanations / lessons, with premade decks for grammar, kanji, listening, and writing from N5 through N1 (plus problem sets corresponding to chapters from Genki and other textbooks).

27. I have Tae Kim’s guide as an app, but no app is going to replace a proper class, most do like Duolingo and have a small section where you can read about the topics you’re about to practice, but that’s about it.

28. to me the best way to learn is to find a youtuber whose teaching style you like and do flashcards, watch a lesson of theirs, practice writing it on your own in a grammar practice notebook, then watch some japanese immersion vids like anime or jdramas to finish the lesson everyday

29. I have been using mango languages. I get a free account through the library.

30. Some apps can teach you the basics, and you’ll very likely be able to learn hiragana, katakana, and kanji from them. [Wanikani](https://www.wanikani.com/) is an excellent site for learning kanji if you already know hiragana and katakana and the basics of the language.

    However, apps are limited in what they can teach you. Many apps, even the most popular ones, [make many mistakes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2Z20ZPIDak) and fail to teach important concepts such as pitch accent. That being said, it’s extremely important to supplement your learning with information from people. [Yuta](https://www.youtube.com/@ThatJapaneseManYuta) is one such Youtuber who can teach you the Japanese that real life people actually speak, though there are many other Youtubers out there who produce helpful videos on learning the language. If you have any acquaintances who are from Japan, you can also ask if you can practice speaking Japanese with them, as using the language in real conversation is one of the best ways to learn real speech patterns and phrases.

    Good luck in your journey!

31. Check out Lingodeer, it is a MASSIVE step up in quality from duolingo for actual learning.

    Always use apps with other study resources though.

32. I’d try Mango Languages: [https://mangolanguages.com/](https://mangolanguages.com/)

    Its similar to Pimselur but is more slideshow based and explains grammer and the like. It will add like 3 words telling you what it is. And then add a grammer point and explain it. Then it will tell you to try doing a word and that grammer point. And then give you a cultural note of why japanese people use it is that way. etc. It feels like a streamlined podcast I guess

33. I’ve been creating a course that can be used on your phone with Anki:
    [https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/911122782](https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/911122782)

    Not exactly an app of its own, but starts from zero, teaches words, explains grammar, breaks down sentences. Later in the course, there are also lots of videos on YouTube recommended (currently around 170). However, there are no exercises and the explanations are minimalistic. The reason for this is explained in the deck. Also, the writing systems are not taught in-depth. You can use it for learning kana, but for kanji you need something else on top.

34. Yes

    Youtube and Anki really worked for me

    Edit: Also, there’s this app called shirabe jisho which I open more than reddit

35. I am slowly working my way through Mango Language’s Japanese course (I’ve done 15 hours of lessons so far on it this year, it will take me years to complete all of it if I choose to) and I am finding it really good in that I am actually learning grammar, particles, pronunciation, useful vocab. The spaced repetition is perfect for me. I supplement with a lot of other little things, but the app is fun enough that I want to keep coming back to it. It feel like a game but I can tell when I watch or read something in Japanese that I have actually learned a lot and I am starting to recognize some basics. And, it’s free through my local library!!