Weekly Thread: Material Recs and Self-Promo Wednesdays! (September 18, 2024)

4 comments

1. Chrome Extension for Singing Along to Japanese Songs (or Following Any YouTube Videos)

   Singing Japanese songs can be a fun and effective way to learn the language. I built this Chrome extension to help users follow along with videos using YouTube’s transcript feature, allowing them to naturally improve their Japanese skills.

   https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/makpdejlkinoglkhgadncmhbemgocboh

   Key Features:
   * See transcript easily
   * Japanese furigana (phonetic readings)
   * Automatic transcript language selection
   * Single-sentence playback
   * Text size adjustment
   * Playback speed control

   I hope you will find this useful! It works with any YouTube video that has transcripts. Feel free to try it out on videos I’ve listed here:https://www.yushanz.com/projects/utau#utau-examples

2. #Alternative to WaniKani

   If you’re looking for an effective and affordable way to learn kanji or common Japanese vocabulary that doesn’t crush your soul, try out the Ashiba app.

   The app will teach you all 常用漢字 and core vocab (2k). The app has a 7 day free trial, then is a one-time purchase of $25 or less depending on what you want to learn.

   Ashiba is a web app that works well on mobile, tablet, or desktop and is designed to teach you in a way that won’t cause burnout.

   If you’re interested, here is the [link to the app](https://app.nihongonoashiba.com/users/sign_up)

   For details on how the app works, see the [user guide](https://nihongonoashiba.com/user-guide/)

3. **Manabi Reader** – iOS and macOS native app for learning Japanese through reading

   6 million flashcards added across 60,000+ users. As featured by Tofugu:

   >*Overall,* ***a solid app that we recommend*** *for reading sentences that aren’t drab and contextless—especially if you’re more motivated when reading about something you’re personally interested in.*

   * EPUB, web browser, RSS feeds, spoken audio. Tap words to look them up and translate sentences. (PDF + manga mode soon!)
   * Tracks every word and kanji you read and learn. Charts your progress page-by-page and per JLPT level. See what vocab and kanji you need to know to read every webpage, chapter or ebook.
   * Anki or built-in flashcards with SRS (FSRS soon). Makes sentence mining easy. Includes links back to the source of each sentence in your flashcards.
   * Privacy obsessed: works like a web browser with processing and storage on-device (and in your personal iCloud)

   I quit my job to work on this so expect a lot more soon, such as YouTube with clickable transcripts, MPV-based movie player, visionOS, opt-in AI-backed assistive features, etc.

   Next up: I’m working on adding support for Yomichan dictionaries, and adding a PDF and manga mode. I’m also going to launch a WebRcade.com iOS port for playing Japanese games and getting realtime OCR transcripts you can look up as you play called Manabi TV, with HDMI inputs on iPad too.

   [https://reader.manabi.io](https://reader.manabi.io)

   Discord / beta news [https://discord.gg/NAD2YJGNsr](https://discord.gg/NAD2YJGNsr)

4. I run a website called Bakemono Classroom for Japanese students and teachers who want to learn or teach through Comprehensible Input.

   My latest book is called **Hiragana Noir: Shadows in the Dark**, and it’s designed to teach Hiragana through story.

   I’ve also got a book of stories for beginner students who know Hiragana and Katakana and want to take an alternate path towards their JLPT N5 – It’s called **The Story Pit**.

   You can download samples of both at [Bakemono Classroom](https://www.bakemonoclassroom.com/learners)