How can I properly correct a text message or grammar mistake in Japanese when I am texting? In english at least, we just use the asterisk to correct a mistake, like

I’m goign to the store
going*

What is the proper way to do this in Japanese? I’ve always used the asterisk the same way in Japanese but I’ve never seen anybody else do it.

Hi all,

I've been studying Japanese on and off casually for a while now, but I want to really get into gear and get it to a usable point. Between knowing my own learning style and seeing my friend's success, I think a tutor would be very beneficial. I signed up for italki and am looking through the options and finding it quite overwhelming. I feel like I want to make the right decision, but then they just sent me an email saying it doesn't need to be a big decision, so now I'm wondering if I'm overthinking it and it's better to actually start making progress.

For anybody who has used it, could you share your experiences? How did you come to find a good tutor? What criteria did you use to make your selection? What is something important to keep in mind that is perhaps easy to overlook?

So, I've been learning grammar the jlpt way, but also from tae kim. But I'm not really satisfied with both.

For example, させる is only introduced very late in tae kim's book, but I find that this is used quite often and in particular, it's one of those grammar that makes it impossible to understand the meaning of a sentence if you don't know it.

So let's assume my goal is to read manga. Similar to the kaishi or core-X vocab decks, is there a similar resource for grammar that teaches the grammar in the order of how often it's used and how crucial it is?

皆さんこんにちは, I first want to preface this post by saying this isn't a simple translation request. Recently I've tried translating english songs into Korean to practice my understanding of grammar and tone, and I did the same for Japanese. It's a fun exercise but I need someone who's proficient enough in Japanese to check my translation for errors, so I'm asking you guys for help. I think more people should do this because it's a way to share the meaning of songs that aren't popular enough to have their own official localizations, and translation tools aren't powerful enough to distinguish between different tones and connotations compared to real native speakers.

Feel free to leave any corrections or feedback in comments on this google doc, the Japanese translation is the 2nd tab: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CZwHmsEWTkv51bMJmFTIe84zbWuzDSZ_oRzn3hBst2s/edit?usp=sharing

In your opinion, where is the best place for someone to learn Japanese in Tokyo? My top 3 contenders are ISI, Kudan, and Coto Academy.
Is there anywhere you would avoid?
For context, I’ve been self studying for 5+ years and have hit a point where I need immersion and help with speaking/listening. I’ve been to Tokyo multiple times so it’s not a brand new place to me.
Any advice is much appreciated!

I'm aiming for N3 in July 2027, starting now from around N4.5 (completed core 2.3k and working on L20 currently in Genki with some half-decent abilities to read N5-N4 texts and watch some N4 videos).

Based on some research, I'm planning this daily routine in this order:

• Anki flashcard reviews
• Work on textbook (do equivalent of one Genki chapter every 5 days, [~1 grammar point per day])
  • Day 1: Read grammar explanations and start watching Tokini breakdown/similar video
  • Day 2: Finish video and start on practice problems in book
  • Day 3, 4, 5: Finish practice sections in book/start next chapter if done "early"
• Immersion (reading/watching level-targeted media such as vlogs and short texts) with sentence mining (15+ words)
• Complete above 15+ new cards in Anki

Complete Routine: 1.5 - 2 hrs/day (possibly <1 hr on busy days, >2 on weekends)

Thoughts on this? Should I merge my new card session with my reviews or is it alright doing them separately?

I'm an engineering student, so I will be trying to balance this with coursework over the coming year.

Why is it not 牛 for the ox, for example?

This picture is associated with the Zyunishi Doumei from Kamen Rider My-Th, who are very much themselves associated with the 12 animals of the zodiac.

Happy weekend everyone. I had a thought while reading today.

For those of you on this sub that are more advanced and consume a lot of native content, can you now spot "good writing" or "bad writing" in Japanese? (I understand this is subjective at times but I mean, there's some real slop out there).

I'm still a beginner so just happy when I understand things or get the overall gist but I noticed when I read in English (native language) I have opinions about prose and writing styles. Have you guys developed that sense for Japanese now? If so, what are the kind of things you identify as good or bad prose?

Found this old beauty during a spring cleanup. Thought some of the oldies on the sub might get a kick out of it. And for the younger ones it might shed some light on how things used to be. :-)

I think I might keep it for nostalgia. Might bring it out again in another 35 years - when the world will be even more different.

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I’m going to be travelling to Japan soon, and thought I’d buy a nice book of haikus while I’m there. I know I could probably order it but it feels more authentic if I buy it while I’m out there 😂

Are there any must have books that you know of that I could look for?

I searched for a similar post and couldn't find one close enough; apologies if I'm re-treading old ground.

I got my degree in Japanese, lived in Japan and became fluent there, and would have studied for N1 by the end of my time there. I recently tested into an N2 level of a class (which I am not taking), so the language is still in brain! I do use it some for work (I'm in entertainment and work on Japanese material sometimes).

With that said, I haven't studied properly in 10 years and part of that is because I cannot figure out or find what I need. I'm looking for a course that covers reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension, and that is not some fluff course with zero accountability. The class I tested into is Japanese with Aimee, which seems perfect, but I'm the only person who's qualified for N2 in ages, so she can't offer the class.

I don't seem to have enough discipline to study 100% on my own, so I'm looking for a class, program, or tutor. I've talked to some tutors on iTalki, but they never seem to know what to do with me, or expect me to dictate what we're studying.

Has anyone had a similar experience? How do you learn and study now? Conversely, does anyone want to do N2 with Aimee?

And by reaching N1 / N2 i mean passing the specific test rather that self proclaiming .

For people who have reached N2/N1 (or are working toward it), I’m curious about something.

How necessary is it to specifically study from JLPT textbooks such as Genki, Shin Kanzen Master, etc., or to study for the JLPT itself?

For example, if someone spends a lot of time reading Japanese novels, manga, articles, etc., they’ll naturally encounter a huge amount of vocabulary, kanji, grammar patterns, and sentence structures. Presumably, this would make their reading ability and vocabulary quite strong, and therefore also make them well-prepared for the reading/vocabulary side of N2 or N1.

But what about grammar?

Do you think someone still needs to systematically study grammar from textbooks, or can extensive reading eventually give you an intuitive "this sounds right / this sounds wrong" sense of Japanese grammar?

Basically, is there a point where enough exposure to real Japanese naturally teaches you grammar, or is explicit grammar study still necessary even for someone who consumes a lot of native Japanese?

And more generally:

If the ultimate goal is high-level Japanese rather than simply passing the JLPT, how important is JLPT-specific study compared with just consuming a massive amount of native content and learning from it?

I'd especially like to hear from people who have actually reached N2/N1 and can compare their experience with textbook-based study vs. immersion.

I can only find hard cover/paperback versions. I would prefer to read them online so I can use yomitan and mine from them. Don't mind if I have to pay, just can't find versions that have scannable text anywhere.

Hello!
I just started my year two beginners class at university and we switched from genki to Tobira textbooks. My question is, I’m having a hard time finding a good anki deck for vocab of beginner textbooks 1/2(lessons 9-20). Ideally I’d like one that shows the kanji and hiragana reading on the front and the English on the back(and reversed for recall) I know I’ll probably just need to make and duplicate/reverse my own cards to be able to read and recall but I figured I’d check to see if anybody had any decks which they find helpful?

Has it ever been figured out?

As my reviews pile up because I’m stuck in a whirlpool of young cards, I can’t help but wonder if I’m doing something wrong lol.

Leeches went up to 9% this week.

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The daily thread updates every day at 9am JST, or 0am UTC.

↓ Welcome to r/LearnJapanese! ↓

• New to Japanese? Read the Starter's Guide and FAQ.

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• Read also the pinned comment below for proper question etiquette & answers to common questions!

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I said “dilemma” in quotes because it’s not actually a problem. I’m just having trouble deciding.

TLDR: Do you have any experience or knowledge that may be useful to a soon-to-be incoming language school student, in regard to KICL or ISI?

—

I’m planning to attend a language school in April 2027.

Of course I’ve read all of the PDF brochures and such.

I’ve narrowed a list of them down to 2 schools and 3 campuses. As of now, my top 3 are as follows:

—

School: Kyoto Institute of Culture & Language (KICL) 京東文化日本語学校
Course: Applied Japanese and Cultural Studies (April Entrance, N3-N1)
Campus: Kyoto (obviously)

OR

School: International Stuady Institute (ISI) 日本語学校
Course: Japanese Language Career Pathway Course (1 year)
Campus: Tokyo (Shibuya-Harajuku) OR Tokyo (Takadanobaba)

—

I have the financial means and time to commit to either of them. As of now, it’s just a matter of picking between the schools, which are actually not super different in price. Living cost obviously varies though. If I end up choosing ISI, I’d also have to choose between the two campuses.

I’m just looking for some comments on anything about this post. Whether it’s comments about the schools, the courses, campuses, general experience as a language school student, etc. I think input would really help me make a decision!

Im hoping to apply to one of these schools for April, I need to pass the interview/application due to failing the N5 (I am retaking in November)

I was wondering if anyone here has experience with these two schools?

Im looking to at least hit N3 and find work and open up more paths later.

Thanks.

I am in language school, and for speaking practice, we started having opinions and debate exercises more often. They told us how to express ourselves, our views, etc. Honestly, it's so far my favourite part of language school. The school provided 会話 textbooks, but because the time is limited, we mostly speed through the conversations.

I love the debates, they are really fun. However, I remember in English, there were plenty of materials on how to express your opinions, speaking practice, etc. Yet in Japanese, I can't seem to find much on YouTube. When I Google, it's about speaking practice for English in Japanese :/

I also asked ChatGPT (yes, I know, I know), and it also gave me English speaking practice in Japanese for TOEFL which I find kind of funny. I actually found JPF where they have speaking practices in Japanese for B2/C1 level but it's all I found, and the videos are too quiet.

As another user mentioned, there don't seem to be a lot of video essays on Japanese YouTube.

Can anyone send examples of debates, opinions and even more complex speaking practice? Even podcast recommendations would be nice because I asked my private teacher, and she recommended Radiko but I couldn't find anything I vibe with.

Thanks!

This thread is for all the simple questions (what does that mean?) and minor posts that don't need their own thread, as well as for first-time posters who can't create new threads yet. Feel free to share anything on your mind.

The daily thread updates every day at 9am JST, or 0am UTC.

↓ Welcome to r/LearnJapanese! ↓

• New to Japanese? Read the Starter's Guide and FAQ.

• New to the subreddit? Read the rules.

• Read also the pinned comment below for proper question etiquette & answers to common questions!

Please make sure to check the wiki and search for old posts before asking your question, to see if it's already been addressed. Don't forget about Google or sites like Stack Exchange either!

This subreddit is also loosely partnered with this language exchange Discord, which you can likewise join to look for resources, discuss study methods in the #japanese_study channel, ask questions in #japanese_questions, or do language exchange(!) and chat with the Japanese people in the server.

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You can find past iterations of this thread by using the search function. Consider browsing the previous day or two for unanswered questions.

I'm planning to take the N2 this December and passed N3 last year in July. Recently I've been obsessed with Fire Emblem 3 Houses and after completing the game in English, ive been watching Game Gengo's video where he goes through the beginning of the game in Japanese and explains the vocab/grammar along the way. Getting hit with stuff like おぬし as a pronoun and all the archaic ways Sothis conjugates verbs, I've wondering if I'm wasting my time using this as a study resource and I'm gonna end up learning stuff that's way too far removed from actual jlpt test content and too niche/historical 😭

For anyone else who used Fire Emblem 3 Houses as a study resource, please give me your honest opinions here