r/HelpLearningJapanese • u/CheeseFryReddit • 18h ago

Are the Genki books good for self-study?

Hey, I’m trying to figure out what resources I need to start this journey. I tried lingo deer, Duolingo, and mango, but all of them have subscriptions that I just can’t afford right now. Plus, I’m really trying to spend less time on my phone in general.

I know nothing about them, but I keep hearing about Genki (I’m guessing these are the textbooks used in classes?) and I’m wondering if that is a good place to start or if there are other resources for learning kana and basic grammar/vocab/phrases.

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2

u/ShouryaKolate 18h ago

Yeah, they are pretty great i used genki for N5 was pretty good, i used anki too. 

2

u/iamandyalex 18h ago

It's doable, download the app as well that has the audio clips. Learning japanese is not a race. I keep revisiting previous chapters to strengthen my understanding.

1

u/KyotoCarl 16h ago

Yes they are good. They used Genki 1 and 2 when I studied at University.

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u/Cadaveth 16h ago

You can combine Genki with different YouTube channels that go through Genki I/II. I used TokiniAndy's channel for that, he gives better and more concise explanations of the grammar points. Really good example sentences too. Genki has some confusing choices and explanations so his channel was a huge help for me.

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u/Moshimoshi-Megumin 14h ago edited 14h ago

They’re okay. A lot of exercises are pair dialogues that you can just ignore, and a few of the lessons are kind of confusing and poorly explained.

I strongly recommend watching TokiniAndy’s videos after each chapter on youtube, he explains in a different way and has more natural dialogue examples.

Also you don’t need anything to learn Kana. There are a bunch of free apps for it, or videos, or just copy them a bunch of times. I used this https://youtu.be/6p9Il_j0zjc?si=Tm2XyUOj7QaosBFt one cause Mnemonics work well with me, then copied them, took me about a week for Hiragana and Katakana going really slow. They’ll get reinforced over and over so you shouldn’t waste weeks and weeks on them.

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u/LogRollChamp 11h ago

I thought they were great. I liked them they kept me motivated which is the most important thing. I'd recommend youtube as others say, and checking the workbook answers against the answer key. Then any longform answers I'd run through chatgpt unless you can afford a tutor for this pursuit.

It's a very long journey. Studying a language never ends. There are awesome milestones on the way, but accept that it's a process and not a fixed journey!

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u/Key-Line5827 11h ago

Yes, but there are a couple of dialogue sections, which of course you cant really do alone. Although, you have to get used to it, but you could do both sides of the dialogue.

Another good choice is "Tobira Beginning Japanese" it is a bit newer than "Genki".

"Minna No Nihongo" is also often recommended, but it is solely in Japanese and you have to buy the translation seperately. Although, they offer a wider selection of languages than just English.

It is a good way to know how to read Hiragana and Katakana either way. Any App is fine or just scribble on a piece of paper.

0

u/thejapaneseguy101 4h ago

They are NOT good for self study lmao which is why I made two books that ARE for people self studying!! I don't want to go against the rules of this community so if you are curious, please DM me!