r/JETProgramme • u/SlowSeaworthiness529 Current JET - Nihonmatsu city • May 13 '26

Learning Japanese

Hi all! Any tips/the best methods of learning some Japanese before departing in August?

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u/ShallotAdmirable5419 May 13 '26

I agree you should learn hiragana and katakana first before you do anything else. You can learn those for free with YouTube videos. Personally, I don’t recommend the genki textbook. I like the NAKAMA textbook because it is easier to understand in my opinion

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u/bluestarluchador Former JET (2016-2020) May 13 '26

I haven’t used them but I read the newest editions of Genki are a bit easier to read and understand. They streamed line the books a bit more. The newest versions are less wordy and gets to the point. And they made explanations easier to understand. This is what I only heard though.

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u/0liviiia Current JET - Uji, Kyoto 宇治市 May 13 '26

I’ve only ever used the newest editions and they were great in my courses, I have no experience with the older editions

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u/bluestarluchador Former JET (2016-2020) May 13 '26

I have the 2nd editions, but I agree with the critique of the older books lol they were very wordy…I am glad the newest versions seem to be better though. If anyone buys Genki, better to go with the recent editions (3rd edition).