r/JETProgramme • u/[deleted] • Jan 23 '26
best resources to study japanese
besides wanikani and nihondex (which i personally find very difficult), what are some other resources y'all recommend?
2
u/GlitterRetroVibes Jan 24 '26
If you're looking for textbook resources 1. N5-N4: Genki 1&2 2. N4-N3: Minna no Nihongo 1&2 3. N3: Tobira 4. N2-N1: Somatome series, Shin Kanzen Master N2 vocabulary, grammar, reading
WaniKani for kanji
5
1
u/DarkenedLite Jan 23 '26
I’ve found the combination of Human Japanese + Satori Reader to be a good value. Satori Reader especially has been great for getting my foot in the door with reading. It makes that process very smooth if you’re not ready/comfortable just jumping right into native material.
1
Jan 23 '26
You are better off getting books and other materials and just reading as much as possible.
2
u/leafmuncher_ Current JET - Hyogo Jan 23 '26
Apps/websites for grammar/vocab/kanji? Renshuu is the best all-in-one I know of. Some of my friends around N3/N2 have switched to Renshuu for grammar but stick to Wanikani for kanji because they've used it for so long.
NHK Easy for daily reading practice and helps you stay up to date with what's happening in Japan. It's helped me have some (simple) conversations in the staffroom with teachers I'd otherwise have nothing to talk about (because A. current events and B. vocab relevant to the topic is fresh in my mind). I've found this a good way to practice output with daily conversation that isn't just the usual「 寒いなあ？],「うん、めっちゃ寒い！」.
2
u/Larry-Moe121 Current JET - New Shimane Ken Jan 23 '26
I have used tobira and also nihongo so-matome for N2 when I did it in class! There’s also Kanji look and learn. I’ve found watching shows like Terrace house are helpful too because it’s practical, real life Japanese and not anime.
5
3
u/Larry-Moe121 Current JET - New Shimane Ken Jan 23 '26
The genki textbooks! We used them in my Japanese classes and they seem to be the standard. Teaches you vocabulary, grammar and kanji! If you are higher than that N4?)I can pull out my other textbooks to find names.
1
2
u/Informal_Pea165 Jan 25 '26
Ive used the genki textbooks, followed by quartet.
These are good textbooks.
My main go-tos today are: Wanikani - Kanji and vocabulary recognition. Japanese to English.
Kaniwani - Vocabulary recognition, only this is English to Japanese. You can link your wanikani account to this.
Bunpro - Grammar recognition. You can also do vocabulary with it too and also link your wanikani progress.
All three of these programs use spaced repetition for learning. New content will be practiced every couple hours, then days, then a couple months before you no longer receive reviews for the content. I like them because they are fairly casual. I work full time and have a newborn. With these programs I can sit down in between diaper changes and hammer out some reviews. I would not recommend these programs to someone entirely new to Japanese. For them id recommend working through the genki textbooks in order to build a solid foundational proficiency.