I’ve seen a lot of threads here about individual tools and a few dumps from individual users (e.g. by [Moon\_Atomizer](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/stm3lp/resource_dump_some_very_useful_tools_for_learning/), by [\[deleted\]](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/k9nw7t/yes_you_can_teach_yourself_japanese_to_a_high/)), but I haven’t seen a single thread where multiple users would contribute a list of tools they use on a regular basis.
With so many options available it’s hard to separate the great from the mediocre, so maybe by sharing the tools we grew to rely on, we can compile a list of the greatest learning resources? Even if not, this could serve as an easy reference for people looking to expand their toolkit.
So: what tools do you use on a regular basis and can wholeheartedly recommend to other learners?
6 comments
Let me get the ball rolling:
# Vocabulary
[jpdb.io](https://jpdb.io) – SRS with pre-built decks for a lot of books, visual novels, and anime. It has audio, example sentences, frequency information, and synchronizes progress across various decks, making it in my mind superior to Anki. It certainly requires less time to set up a sane learning environment.
[10ten](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/10ten-japanese-reader-rik/pnmaklegiibbioifkmfkgpfnmdehdfan) (Rikaichamp) – Chrome extension (versions for other browsers exist as well) for quick lookup of Japanese vocabulary and kanji. I also tried Rikaikun and Yomichan, but settled on 10ten as I like how fuss-free it is – the UI is pretty, dictionaries come included, has handy shortcuts for copying words and definitions, and it doesn’t over-trigger.
[jisho.org](https://jisho.org)- Online Japanese dictionary.
[Takoboto](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.takoboto&hl=en_US&gl=US) – Japanese dictionary for Android.
# Games
[Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/) – lots of games in Japanese, including Visual Novels.
[Textractor](https://github.com/Artikash/Textractor/releases) – tool for extracting text from Visual Novels and copying them to clipboard. Combined with [Clipboard Inserter](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/clipboard-inserter/deahejllghicakhplliloeheabddjajm?hl=en), [texthooker.html](https://learnjapanese.moe/texthooker.html), and [10ten](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/10ten-japanese-reader-rik/pnmaklegiibbioifkmfkgpfnmdehdfan), it makes reading Visual Novels a breeze.
[ShareX](https://getsharex.com/) – OCR tool, handy for games and manga. I use it similarly to Textractor, combined with [Clipboard Inserter](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/clipboard-inserter/deahejllghicakhplliloeheabddjajm?hl=en), [texthooker.html](https://learnjapanese.moe/texthooker.html), and [10ten](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/10ten-japanese-reader-rik/pnmaklegiibbioifkmfkgpfnmdehdfan).
# Videos
[Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/browse/original-audio/107554/ja) – To access Japanese anime/movies. The library of those is limited outside of Japan, so I often combine it with [NordVPN](https://nordvpn.com/). If I’m feeling extra lost, I use [Language Reactor](https://www.languagereactor.com/) on top of that, for easy translation.
[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/) – tons of native Japanese content, as well as content aimed at learners.
[NHK for School](https://www.nhk.or.jp/school/) – lots of entertaining videos on various topic and various difficulty levels.
# Listening
[Subs2srs](http://subs2srs.sourceforge.net/) – A tool meant for creating Anki cards from movies and TV shows, but I use it purely for its Tools -> Extract Audio from Media option. I like to rip the audio of Anime I watch, so I can use it as passive listening material. I find it much more effective than listening to podcasts, as I’m familiar with the context and I likely already studied relevant vocabulary via [jpdb.io](https://jpdb.io).
[Spotify](https://spotify.com) – for access to podcasts (see e.g. [this list](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17P2dBQHnBnHcG3ua_24IO6sP9RDC-5b3WHV9Ri2N5qU/edit#gid=0)) and my own audio files ripped from anime (they can be added to Spotify app on desktop and then downloaded in the form of a playlist onto a phone)
# Reading
[Typhon](https://github.com/krukgit/typhon) – An ebook reader for Android with TTS and easy dictionary lookup. Somewhat troublesome, as it’s been written for an old version of Android and never officially updated, but there are some forks on github that work well.
[Kiwi Browser](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kiwibrowser.browser&hl=en&gl=US) – Chrome-based browser for Android with support for extensions (including Yomichan), good for reading Japanese web on the go.
# Grammar
[A Dictionary of Basic/Intermediate/Advanced Japanese Grammar](https://www.tofugu.com/reviews/dictionary-of-basic-japanese-grammar/) – A comprehensive reference of Japanese grammar, with clear explanations and plenty of examples, split into three volumes.
https://learnjapanese.moe/resources/
I think [DuoCards](https://duocards.com/en/) deserves some more recognition. I use it instead of (what I find the more cumbersome) Anki app, and it’s fantastic to put together card decks easily and quickly with cute images to go with each card.
Have been using it for a few months now and it’s made a massive difference for me.
[Wanikani](https://www.wanikani.com) for kanji reading and [Ringotan](http://www.ringotan.com) for kanji writing
Jisho, Wanikani.
Jisho, anki(the fake one). I guess Japanese books too?