Learning Japanese

For now there will be mostly links to guides related to Learning Japanese from zero.
This wiki may be expended with guides as needed.

For anyone interested in language learning and cultural exchange, Mana created the Discord community Odder Otter. The Odder Otter server has many members who speak various languages. It is especially useful for people who are interested in learning Japanese.

The first step in learning Japanese is to learn the syllabic writing system that Japanese uses. Luckily Tofugu has good guides for both hiragana and katakana.
Learning Hiragana Learning Hiragana can be done with a few days of dedication.

Once hiragana can be read properly, kanji and grammar can be. This time a few options present themselves:

• Wanikani: Wanikani is a kanji learning website created by Tofugu. It uses spaced based repetition for helping learning,
• Anki: Anki is a software that you can download that is similar to what wanikani does except that it comes in the form of an app that you can download. You also have have to download a card deck. More information can be found in this Reddit Guide.

• Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese: Taekim's guide is probably the best written guide that can be found for free on internet. It has a lot of information and even contains some videos that go in depth of some topics. It is highly recommended for those who want to study by themselves and don't like the style of GENKI or don't want to buy it.
• Bunpro: Bunpro is the wanikani of grammar. It aims to gamify grammar learning and to take full advantage of spaced based repetition. It comes with a subscription, but the quality of the content is pretty good.
• Misa from Japanese Ammo: Misa makes a lot of videos about Japanese learning. Her guides on how to sound native are especially useful to people who study by themselves. By listening to her, you can stop saying わたしのにほんごはわるいです and say things like にほんごがへたです instead! She also does listening practice.
• GENKI: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese I [Third Edition]: Genki is considered by many as the best Japanese learning textbook for English speakers. It is used in many universities worldwide. Because it is a textbook aimed at school classes, it can feel a little dry and is often oriented towards team practice, but it is still very good for anyone wanting to learn Japanese.

I believe that reading is very important in practicing Japanese especially when it comes to getting fluent with kanji. For this purpose I think that the browser extension by japanese.io can be extremely helpful in reading and learning kanji and vocabulary.

Immersion is considered the best way for learning a foreign language. Learning Japanese outside of Japan propose an interesting dilemma as it can feel difficult to meet native Japanese speakers outside of Japan. Thanks to internet it is possible to “simulate” immersion. For example, one could play games like Final Fantasy XIV which allows for players of the global version to play on Japanese servers. By doing so and trying to meet new people and making friends, a simulated state of language immersion becomes possible.