Top 10 websites for learning japanese
You don’t even need to get out of bed or pick up a pencil to study Japanese. You can learn it online.
All you need is your preferred gadget and an internet connection.
You may find a ton of resources on the appropriate website to help you with speaking, grammar, and vocabulary improvement!
In this post, I’ll show you 10 of the best websites for learning Japanese, whether you’re looking for structured lessons or conversation practice.
1. Tofugu: Best Japanese Culture Website
Hundreds of excellent articles about Japanese language and culture may be found on Tofugu. Additionally, they are the developers of the WaniKani kanji app.
The Tofugu website is not just exquisitely designed, but it’s also a rabbit hole that language learners can readily get lost in.
There are reviews of learning materials, instructions on vocabulary and grammar, and even a thorough study plan for Japanese. Their blog postings on yakuza film, cats in Japanese art, secondhand shopping in Japan, and other topics might help you gain a deeper understanding of Japanese culture.
They also have entertaining podcast episodes with guests that occasionally reside in Japan, so it’s not all text!
- Summary: Blog with fascinating, well-written articles and learning guides
- Price: Free
2. JapanesePod101: Best for Podcasts
Because it mostly uses videos and audio segments to teach, JapanesePod101 is user-friendly and excellent for learners who prefer visual or auditory aids.
Additionally, JapanesePod101 offers word banks and vocabulary flashcards to help you concentrate on words you find difficult and to truly customize your learning experience.
You can use your “free trial” for as long as you’d like, but in order to fully utilize the program and all of its features, you’ll need to sign up for one of their paid plans.
- Summary: High-quality video and audio lessons that cover vocabulary, grammar, JLPT materials and more
- Price: Free for specific lessons only; needs subscription for full access.
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3. Tae Kim’s Guide: Best Simple Grammar Reference
Tae Kim’s Guide to Japanese is one of the best websites for beginners to check out when it comes to grammar.
This grammar tutorial serves as a virtual textbook for free! From the hiragana and fundamental adjectives to more complex ideas like conditionals and formal phrases, it covers a wide range of subjects.
Tae Kim aims to help you comprehend the way native speakers of Japan think by teaching you Japanese language in a rational manner. It’s more of a reference because the examples and explanations are brief, but there are also some exercises in this section.
The guide is also available as a book on Amazon.
- Summary: Japanese grammar guide with clear, short explanations
- Price: Free
4. Imabi: Best Detailed Grammar Reference
Given that Imabi is one of the most extensive websites on Japanese grammar available, it’s astonishing that it was ever free. It includes everything from basic to intermediate grammar, including onomatopoeia, slang, complex honorifics, and abbreviations.
It’s obviously more of a reference than a textbook, despite having more than 400 sections in total. Every lesson includes multiple sample sentences and is quite comprehensive.
I would suggest this for intermediate and advanced learners who like to delve further into Japanese grammar, as beginners may find it overwhelming.
It also includes 36 lessons on classical Japanese, which is rarely explained in English, as an added bonus!
- Summary: Very thorough grammar guide that covers all levels of Japanese
- Price: Free
5. Wasabi: Best for Practical Grammar
Fundamentally, this virtual course lives up to its name: It is a reference to Japanese grammar. Grammar lessons are organized chronologically and resemble textbooks in many ways.
The lessons cover all of the main ideas in Japanese language as they move through basic, important, and advanced grammatical issues.
Every lesson includes a part at the conclusion with a summary and a thorough analysis of the subject matter.
Although Wasabi’s online courses work best when combined with the reference, the free resource can be utilized as a stand-alone grammar course.
- Summary: Reference page that goes in-depth about common Japanese grammar points
- Price: Free grammar reference, but lessons come at a cost
6. Bunpro: Best Grammar Practice Website
Although spaced repetition is commonly used to teach vocabulary, has it ever been used to teach grammar?
Bunpro does just that, and it does it quite effectively. Bunpro basically helps you internalize Japanese language through the use of flashcards.
It teaches you all of the grammar points from N5 to N1 on the JLPT by using various sample sentences with blanks to be filled in. The sample sentences are carefully chosen to demonstrate a variety of usages of the same grammatical point.
A simple JLPT-based route is available, but other learning pathways are based on well-known publications such as Tae Kim’s Grammar Guide, “Genki,” and “Tobira.”
- Summary: A grammar learning program that uses flashcards with spaced repetition
- Price: Free for basic features; monthly subscription or one-time payment for full access
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7. Best for Conversation Practice: iTalki
Wherever you live, as long as you have an internet connection, you can connect with a Japanese native speaker through iTalki.
It’s one of the most helpful language learning websites ever, with hundreds of tutors for popular languages—including Japanese. Sessions are one-on-one, and it’s easy to schedule a session whatever your timezone.
Compared to other tutoring platforms, iTalki gives you tons of flexibility, with 30- to 90-minute lessons available.
You can choose teachers with different teaching styles, follow a textbook or focus on specific topics and go for conversation partners for a more casual approach.
- Summary: Online platform where you can find Japanese conversation partners and teachers
- Price: Depends on the tutor, but usually from $10 to $40
8. Best Tutor Website: Nihongo-Pro.com
This website is great if you want an actual human teacher who can Skype with you and help you learn Japanese at your own pace.
A tutor can help you in a variety of ways that you’ll miss out on if you only learn alone. If you’re looking to learn Japanese with a teacher in the comfort of your own home, Nihongo-Pro.com is a good place to start.
They can guide you in your pronunciation and intonation and give you personalized study suggestions and guidance on what you need to improve.
You can try out some lessons to help you decide if it’s right for you. You can choose your own teacher and buy private lesson “tickets” which you can use at any time, whenever you’re ready and available.
- Summary: Website that connects you with Japanese tutors for one-on-one lessons
- Price: Around $28 to $35 for each 50-minute lesson, depending on how many you buy
9. Best for Flashcards: Anki
Anki is a free program that lets you create and customize virtual flashcards
You have the option to download premade decks from its companion website for fast and easy kanji and vocabulary memorization.
Here’s why it works so well: Anki’s spaced-repetition software (SRS) makes difficult cards reappear at higher rates until you’ve adequately retained their contents.
Basically, SRS forces you to review the cards that you struggle with the most but lets you skim (and ultimately skip) the cards you already know.
It’s an innovative system with quality results, and a cinch to use. Here’s a guide to maximizing Anki for language learning.
- Summary: A flexible and free flashcard program that lets you learn with spaced repetition and multimedia
- Price: Free.
10. Best Gamified Learning Website: Renshuu
With Renshuu, you can learn Japanese vocabulary, grammar and kanji, and it comes with an adorable mascot called Kao-chan!
Lessons are kept interesting because of the different learning methods. A single lesson can include writing exercises, sentence examples and quizzes, with plenty of eye-catching visuals and native speaker audio, so you’re unlikely to get bored.
On top of this, the design is whimsical, and when you need a break, there are games too like Japanese crosswords and shiritori.
Renshuu lets you customize your study path. You can follow the JLPT, top Japanese textbooks or simply mix and match lessons on your own from the index.
- Summary: All-in-one learning app that’s gamified, with a cute interface
- Price: Mostly free; subscription needed for additional features
Conclusion
As a fellow student of Japanese, I can attest to the great assistance these websites have provided, both in terms of deciphering kanji and learning more enjoyable aspects of Japanese culture. Better still, the majority of them are appropriate for a broad range of skill levels and contain free content.
You’ll be able to continue studying from them as you progress through your Japanese journey because they’re frequently updated! List of the best anime series to watch in 2024 Netflix