Learn Japanese
through immersion
Welcome. Learn Japanese the natural way through reading, listening, writing, and speaking.
Join the Discord ↗What is immersion?
Immersion means consuming real Japanese: watching, reading, listening, so you build a natural feel for how the language works.
Rather than memorising rules from a textbook, you absorb patterns the same way you absorbed your first language as a child. This is based on the Input Hypothesis: the best way to acquire a language is through comprehensible input, content you can understand, even if you miss the details.
Why not just use textbooks?
Textbooks teach you concepts, but they can't show you all the ways language is actually used. Japanese isn't a 1:1 translation of English. Many words and grammar points have nuances that simply don't exist in English.
The particles は and が are a classic example. People struggle with them for years studying from textbooks, because the difference only clicks through seeing them used in real sentences across many contexts. Immersion is how that happens.
Watch: what is input?
The goal: automaticity
Understanding Japanese without translating it in your head first.
In your native language, you don't consciously decode each word when someone speaks to you. You don't translate in your head. You just understand. That's automaticity and it's what immersion is building toward.
Early on, you'll be translating everything and looking things up constantly. That's fine and expected. Over time, sentences start clicking before you finish reading them. Eventually whole scenes flow without effort. The goal is to reach that point in Japanese.
Basics
Before immersing, you need a foundation. Work through Step 1 first, then move on. Steps 2-4 can be done at the same time.
- Hiragana (ひらがな) — the basic Japanese alphabet, used for grammar and everyday words
- Katakana (カタカナ) — a second alphabet with the same sounds, used mainly for foreign words (コーヒー, kōhī)
- Kanji (漢字) — characters borrowed from Chinese, each representing a concept (e.g. 山 = mountain, 水 = water); learned through words, not memorised individually
Learn Hiragana then Katakana, one row at a time. Drill with kana.pro until you can read each set without hesitation. Use the Tofugu guides if you need mnemonics. There is also a video introduction to Hiragana and Katakana.
Pick one guide and read through it. Understand each point, then move on. Don't aim for perfection. Yokubi is recommended; Tae Kim and Japanese Ammo with Misa are solid alternatives.
Use Anki (a flashcard application for memorization) with the Kaishi 1.5k deck. Do 10–20 new cards a day. No need to study kanji in isolation — picking it up through vocab is enough.
Japanese uses pitch (high/low) rather than stress accent. Below is a video explanation of what pitch accent is. Read the pitch accent primer to understand the basics, then train your ear with Kuuube's minimal pairs for 10 minutes daily.
Daily routine for this stage
Tool setup
For the purpose of this guide, we will be using anime. Here are a few tools that turn anime into an immersion environment. Follow the video below, then use the written steps alongside it.
Yomitan setup guide
Install + add dictionaries
ASBPlayer — Chrome
Chrome Web Store
ASBPlayer — Firefox
GitHub download
Jimaku.cc
Subtitle files for anime
Miruro
Streaming site
Anizone
Streaming site
What you're installing
- ASBPlayer — attaches Japanese subtitle files to streaming video in your browser, including YouTube
- Yomitan — hover over any Japanese word to get an instant dictionary pop-up
- Jimaku — where you download Japanese subtitle files for anime
- A streaming site — needs to let you disable built-in subtitles (Miruro, Anizone, Crunchyroll, Netflix all work)
Step-by-step
- 01 Install Yomitan first. Follow the setup guide at learnjapanese.moe/yomichan. It walks you through installing dictionaries too.
- 02 Install the ASBPlayer extension from the Chrome Web Store. Firefox users can grab it from GitHub.
-
03
Go to jimaku.cc, search for your anime, and download the subtitle file for the episode you want. Either
.srtor.assformat works fine. - 04 Go to your streaming site or YouTube, find your anime, and start playing it. Disable the site's built-in subtitles so they don't overlap.
- 05 Drag and drop the subtitle file on top of the video/anime in your streaming site. You will see a large ASBPlayer logo and the subtitles will appear.
- 06 Hover over any word in the subtitles with Yomitan to look it up. You're ready to immerse.
How to immerse
Think of each sentence as a small puzzle. Your job is to fit the pieces together, look things up when needed, use context when you can, and move on. Below is an example process for beginners to follow.
The process
- A sentence appears. Read it.
- Count how many things you don't know — words, grammar, kanji.
- 0–2 unknown things: look them up with Yomitan. Spend 30–60 seconds working out what the sentence means.
- 3 or more unknown things: skip it and move on. Don't force it.
- Whether you got it or not — move to the next sentence.
Watch: the process in action
How often to look things up
There's no single right answer. Adjust based on what you're watching:
- Hard content → look up more. You understand deeply and pick up vocab faster, but you slow down.
- Comfortable content → look up less. You move faster and build real-time comprehension closer to how you'll eventually just watch.
What should I watch?
Anything you enjoy. A good starting point is a show you've already watched in English. You know the plot, so you can focus on the Japanese without getting lost. These sites have anime rated by difficulty:
Jiten.moe
Anime by difficulty level
JPDB.io
Vocab difficulty rankings
LearnNatively
Media by JLPT ranking
Passive immersion
Passive immersion means having Japanese audio on while your attention is elsewhere, be it on a walk, doing dishes, cooking. Less attention means fewer gains, but during genuinely low-focus tasks it's still useful background exposure. Don't let it replace active sessions.
Sentence mining
Saving words from your immersion directly into Anki, so you study vocab that's actually useful to you.
Premade decks like Kaishi 1.5k are great for getting started. But once you're immersing, the most useful words depend on what you're watching. Mining bridges the two. Your Anki deck grows in the direction of your own content.
How it works: When you hover over a word with Yomitan, you can save it to Anki with one keypress. ASBPlayer also captures the sentence and an audio clip from the episode automatically, so each card has context built in.
Setup guide
Sentence Mining Guides
Lapis Note Type
Modular Anki Note Type
Donkuri's Mining Setup
Mining Setup for Various Media
Mining Tutorial
Sentence Mining Video by JouzuJuls
Reading is one of the most powerful ways to grow your Japanese. Manga, novels, and visual novels each offer a different experience — pick whatever keeps you coming back.
Reading: manga
Manga is one of the best complements to anime! It builds reading speed, exposes you to more kanji in context, and the visual storytelling makes it easy to follow even at lower levels. The same 0–2 unknown rule applies: look up what you can, skip what's overwhelming, and keep moving.
To get Yomitan working on manga you need OCR, since the text is part of the image. Manatan is the easiest all-in-one option. It handles OCR automatically and works on desktop, iOS, and Android. Mokuro pre-processes manga into hoverable HTML pages for desktop use.
Manatan
All-in-one manga reader with auto OCR
Mokuro catalog
Pre-processed manga, hoverable on desktop
Jiten.moe
Manga and books ranked by difficulty
KLManga
Online raw manga reading
DL-Raw
Online raw manga reading
Rawkuma
Online raw manga reading
Reading: novels & light novels
Prose is harder than manga, no pictures to fill in the gaps, denser vocabulary, and more complex grammar. That said, web novels on Syosetu and Kakuyomu are written for casual reading and tend to be more accessible than retail books. For ebooks, the ッツ Reader renders Japanese text vertically in-browser and is compatible with Yomitan. If you're on mobile, Hoshi Reader (iOS) and Hoshi Reader Android both have first-class support for vertical text and dictionary lookups.
ッツ Ebook Reader
EPUB reader with Yomitan support
Syosetu
Japanese web novels
Kakuyomu
Web novels by Kadokawa
Hoshi Reader (iOS)
EPUB reader with popup dictionary
Anna's Archive
Light novel ebook downloads
TheMoeWay Discord
LN resources — student role required
Visual novels
Visual novels sit somewhere between reading and watching: voiced dialogue means you're training your ears at the same time as your reading, which makes them one of the most efficient immersion formats once you have some foundation. Text hooking with Textractor or JL lets you hover over any line with Yomitan, making lookups just as smooth as with anime subtitles. Ryuugames has a large catalogue of VNs available for download, and TheMoeWay has a full setup guide to get everything running.
Ryuugames
VN downloads — includes adult content ⚠
VN Club
Guides, recommendations, and catalogue
Textractor
Text hooker for VN engines
JL
Popup dictionary, no browser needed
JPDB.io
VN vocab difficulty ratings
TheMoeWay VN Guide
Full setup walkthrough
Games
Games are harder to set up than VNs but extremely good for immersion, particularly RPGs, adventure games, and story-driven titles where you're reading a lot and the gameplay holds your attention. Text extraction varies by engine: Agent covers many emulator and PC game engines with script-based hooking, and GameSentenceMiner makes mining from games straightforward once you have it running.
Agent
Script-based text extractor for games
GameSentenceMiner
Mine cards directly from games
Gaming on Android
Lazy Guide setup walkthrough
Meikipop
Popup dictionary overlay for games
YomiNinja
OCR + Yomitan for any game screen
Game Gengo — Tier List
Top 100+ games for Japanese learners (2025)
Improving listening
Subtitles carry a lot of the load. Once your reading is comfortable, it's time to train your ears directly.
After spending time with Japanese subtitles, your reading comprehension will grow faster than your listening. That's expected. The text does a lot of the work. Intensive listening is how you close that gap.
Intensive listening
Watch without subtitles visible. Only reveal them when you genuinely can't catch something. This forces you to actually hear the sounds, pitch, and rhythm rather than relying on text.
- 01 Open ASBPlayer with subtitles loaded but hidden. Watch normally.
- 02 When you hit a sentence you can't fully hear, replay it a few times and try to work it out.
- 03 Still can't get it? Reveal the subtitles. Look up 1–2 unknowns if needed. Skip if there are 3+.
- 04 Relisten to the sentence while reading the subtitle a few times to connect the sounds to the words.
- 05 Hide the subtitles again and continue.
Diversify your input
Anime is professionally recorded and clearly enunciated. Real speech isn't. Once you have a foundation, mix in other content: YouTube vlogs, variety shows, podcasts. People contract words, use slang, and speak over each other in ways anime doesn't prepare you for.
Daily routine
Consistency matters more than volume. A steady hour every day beats a seven-hour session once a week.
Core routine
Example day
How long does this stage take?
Building solid comprehension takes hundreds to thousands of hours. Progress will feel slow, then one day something clicks and it gets noticeably easier. That keeps happening. Just don't stop.
Speaking
Output is a skill on top of input; you still need to practice it separately. The more you've immersed, the easier it gets.
What makes output sound natural
- Grammar — not textbook-perfect, but correct where it matters. Which rules are flexible (e.g. すごい美味しい is technically wrong but totally normal) comes from immersion, not study.
- Word choice — Japanese runs on set phrases. Using a word in the wrong context sounds wrong even with perfect grammar, like saying "to bode good weather" instead of "to bode well". You build this through exposure.
- Social register — saying ありがとう to a compliment, overusing あなた, or skipping ます/です with strangers are all "English brain" mistakes. Natural output means knowing how Japanese people actually behave, not just what the words translate to.
Activities
- 01 Conversation practice — talk or text with a native speaker. iTalki, HelloTalk, Tandem, language exchange servers. Other learners are fine for low-pressure reps, but spend most of your time with natives.
- 02 Noticing — output reveals the gap between what you can understand and what you can actually produce. That gap puts your brain on alert, so phrases you're missing start sticking during immersion instead of sliding by. Stay aware of this as you work through the other activities.
- 03 Attentive listening — watch unscripted conversation (podcasts, variety streams, vlogs) and hunt for phrases you'd want to use. You're not watching for content, you're watching for form. ~15 min a day is enough. Stop when your focus drifts.
- 04 Self-corrected writing — write anything in Japanese, leave it an hour or two, then come back with fresh eyes. You don't need to know how to fix what feels off. Just mark it. Your brain registers the gap and picks up better phrasing during immersion. A Google Doc with highlights works well.
- 05 Active production — deliberately use a word you've only been passive on. Don't wait until you're confident. Say it and watch the reaction. A native speaker pausing, rephrasing, or repeating it back differently tells you more than any dictionary entry.
Learning to Output — Morg
Full breakdown of every activity above, with examples
How to roudoku
Learn how to practice pronouncing pitch
Chorusing Tutorial
Learn how to practice pronunciation
Writing kanji by hand
If you want to be able to write Japanese by hand, you need to practice it separately. Reading kanji and writing kanji are different skills. The Kanken Deck is the standard tool for this: it covers all jōyō kanji with stroke order, readings, and writing prompts, structured by Kanji Kentei level.
JLPT
The Japanese Language Proficiency Test runs N5 (beginner) to N1 (advanced). It's the most widely recognised certification for Japanese, useful for work, visas, and university admissions in Japan.
Practice tests
Doing timed mock tests under real conditions is the most effective way to prepare. The JLPT format is specific. Knowing how questions are structured saves time on the day.
Ten.Guide JLPT Practice Tests
Practice tests for all levels (Made by Ten.Guide)
JLPT Practice Test
105 past exam tests, N1–N5, with instant feedback
Official Practice Workbooks
Free downloadable past papers from the JLPT body
Reading material
The N2 and N1 reading sections pull heavily from formal written Japanese: essays, editorials, informational texts. Note.com (personal essays and commentary) and NHK Web (news articles) are good sources of level-appropriate native reading material you can mine with Yomitan.
Note.com
Japanese essays and opinion pieces
NHK Web News
Formal news Japanese, good for N2–N1
NHK Web Easy
Simplified news articles for N4–N3
Nihongo Yokozuna
Reading comprehension articles with questions, answers, commentary, and vocab lists — entirely in Japanese. N1
Study books
The two dominant prep series approach the exam differently. Most serious learners combine them. Sou Matome for an accessible first pass, Kanzen Master to consolidate weak areas closer to the exam.
Separate books per skill (grammar, vocab, kanji, reading, listening). Mostly in Japanese, demanding, and the go-to for people aiming to pass with a solid score rather than scrape by. Best from N3 upwards. Does not cover N5.
Each level covered in six weeks, one lesson per day, with English explanations. Goes all the way from N5 to N1. Better paced for beginners and good for building familiarity with the format before tackling Kanzen Master.
JLPT Anki decks (DoJG & Tango)
The Dictionary of Japanese Grammar (DoJG) is a Three-volume grammar reference covering Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. The Anki deck has 629 grammar points, the front shows example sentences, back reveals the point, English equivalent, and usage.
The Tango Vocabulary Decks are graded vocab decks built around the most common words at each JLPT level. Cards include example sentences and audio. Run alongside your prep books to cover vocabulary systematically without having to mine it yourself.
Tango N5
~1000 beginner vocab with audio
Tango N4
~1500 upper-beginner vocab with audio
Tango N3
~2000 intermediate vocab with audio
Tango N2
~2500 upper-intermediate vocab with audio
Tango N1
~3000 advanced vocab with audio
JLPT N5–N1 Vocabulary
All levels in one deck with clickable kanji
Grammar resources
Grammar is the section most learners underestimate going into the JLPT. These tools cover every level from N5 to N1, with explanations in both English and Japanese.
NihongoKyoshi JLPT Grammar
Every JLPT grammar point explained in Japanese — N5 to N1, free
NihongoKyoshi grammar deck
Anki deck for JLPT grammar — Japanese definitions only
Bunpro grammar list
Grammar reference with SRS reviews — free to browse, $5/mo for full access
Mainichi Nonbiri
All JLPT grammar in Japanese — includes 敬語 and onomatopoeia. N4+
DoJG Lite
Free online Dictionary of Japanese Grammar — essential reference for N3+
JLPT N1 Grammar — 1 Hour Review
日本語の森 video covering N1 grammar points in full. Not for beginners
Study platforms
Full-featured tools that combine grammar, kanji, and vocab in a structured SRS environment — useful if you want a single platform rather than assembling individual resources.
Renshuu
Grammar, kanji, and vocab quizzes with explanations — free with paid tier
MaruMori
All-in-one grammar/kanji/vocab SRS with a guided "adventure" path, N5–N1 — paid
Minato
Free Japan Foundation courses across multiple levels and languages
Minato — App Portal
Japanese learning apps from the Japan Foundation
Anki
A spaced repetition flashcard app. This page covers what it is, how it works, how to set it up, and how to use it effectively.
What is Anki?
Anki is a free flashcard application built around spaced repetition. It schedules reviews at the optimal moment — right before your brain would forget something — so you spend almost no time on things you already know and focus entirely on things you don't. It's available on PC, Android (free), and iOS ($25 one-time purchase). AnkiWeb is a free browser alternative if you're on iOS.
How spaced repetition works
Every card has an interval — the number of days until Anki shows it to you again. When you answer a card:
- Pass — the interval grows. You'll see it again further in the future.
- Fail — the interval resets. The card comes back soon.
The result: cards you know well drift to weeks or months between reviews. Cards you keep failing come back daily. You never waste time drilling something you already have solid. Forgetting frequently early on is normal and expected — relearning is part of the process, and each relearn makes the memory stick longer.
Installing the Kaishi 1.5k deck
Kaishi 1.5k is the recommended starter vocabulary deck. It covers the most common ~1,500 Japanese words with audio, example sentences, and kanji. Download the .apkg file from the link below, then open it — Anki will import it automatically.
Kaishi 1.5k deck
Download the latest .apkg release
Kaishi on AnkiWeb
Alternative download via AnkiWeb
Settings
After importing, hover over the Kaishi deck and click the cog icon → Options. Apply these settings:
- Daily Limits → New cards/day: 20 (lower to 10 if reviews pile up)
- Daily Limits → Maximum reviews/day: 9999 (uncapped — don't let Anki cut off due reviews)
- New Cards → Learning steps:
1m 5m 10m - Lapses → Leech threshold: 20
- Display Order → New/review order: Show before reviews
- Timer → Show answer timer: ON
- Advanced → FSRS: ON
Also set the global learn-ahead limit: Tools → Preferences → Scheduling → Learn ahead limit → 999.
Recommended add-ons
Go to Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons and paste each code below, one at a time. Restart Anki after installing all four.
- 876946123 — Review Heatmap
- 1046608507 — Advanced Browser
- 1771074083 — Batch Editing
- 613684242 — Pass/Fail (simplifies grading to two buttons)
After restarting, open deck options again while holding Shift and clicking the cog — this opens the add-on settings tab. Under General:
- Automatically play alert: 10
- Automatically show answer: 15
- Automatically rate Again: 60
How to review cards
Click the deck and press Study Now. Each card shows a word on the front. For new cards, press Show Answer immediately without guessing — you haven't seen it yet.
On the back you'll see the reading, meaning, an example sentence, and audio. Listen to the audio and try to match what you hear to the text. You only need to remember two things:
- The reading (how to pronounce it)
- The meaning
Use this to decide Pass or Fail:
- Remember both reading and meaning → Pass
- Don't remember either → Fail
- Remember reading only → Fail
- Remember reading but not meaning at all → Fail
- Remember reading, meaning is close enough → Pass
You don't need to match the dictionary definition word for word. Close enough counts.
When to start sentence mining
Once you finish Kaishi 1.5k (~1,500 words), you have enough of a foundation to start sentence mining — pulling words directly from content you're watching or reading into your own Anki deck. At that point your immersion will start generating more vocabulary than any premade deck can. See the page for how to set that up.
Resources
Everything you need, organized by category.
Kana
Kuuube Kana Quiz
Drill hiragana and katakana with audio
Kuuube Kana Quiz (Sounds)
Audio-based kana recognition practice
Kana.pro
Fast kana typing drill — row by row
DJT Kana
Kana recognition game with audio
Real Kana
Typing quiz for hiragana and katakana — also on iOS
Tofugu Kana Quiz
Simple romaji input quiz — beginner friendly
Learn All Hiragana in 1 Hour
JapanesePod101 video — write and read
Learn All Katakana in 1 Hour
JapanesePod101 video — write and read
Hiragana writing practice
Printable PDF sheets with stroke order
Katakana writing practice
Printable PDF sheets with stroke order
Anki
Free spaced-repetition flashcard app. The standard for vocab, sentence mining, and grammar review.
Anki
Download for Windows, Mac, Linux
Kaishi 1.5k deck
Recommended starter vocab deck — 1,500 core words with audio
Lapis note type
Elegant, simple mining note type — recommended
JP Mining Note alternatives
Overview of different Anki note types for mining
Kanji Grid add-on
Visualize kanji coverage across your decks
True Retention add-on
Shows real retention rate vs Anki's default metric
AnkiConnect add-on
Required for Yomitan → Anki card creation
PassFail add-on
Simplifies review buttons to just Pass and Fail
Review Heatmap add-on
GitHub-style heatmap of your review activity
FSRS setup guide
Configure FSRS scheduler for better retention
Yomitan
Pop-up dictionary for your browser. Hover over any Japanese text to instantly look it up and send cards to Anki.
Yomitan (Chrome)
Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store
Yomitan Wiki
Official setup guide and documentation
Yomitan setup (TMW)
TheMoeWay's detailed Yomitan + Anki setup tutorial
Yomitan setup (Lazy Guide)
Step-by-step PC setup guide for Yomitan
Yomitan → Anki mining guide (Reddit)
Community walkthrough for mining vocab cards with Yomitan
shoui dictionary collection
Curated Yomitan dictionary pack — the most complete collection
Yomitan Dictionaries (MarvNC)
Collection of recommended dictionaries for Yomitan
NihongoKyoshi grammar deck
Anki deck for JLPT grammar — Japanese definitions only
Mining setup
Tools for extracting sentences from anime, manga, visual novels and games into Anki.
Mine from anime (AnimeCards)
MPV setup and sentence mining from anime
asbplayer (Chrome)
Attach JP subtitles to streaming video and mine to Anki
MPV (Windows build)
Video player used for anime mining setup
GameSentenceMiner
Mine sentences from games automatically
Meikipop
OCR-based popup dictionary for manga, games, images
JL
Lookup tool for gaming/reading without a browser
ShareX
Screenshot OCR — turns images of text into copyable text for mining
Migaku
Browser extension — instant flashcards from anything you read/watch. Paid, $10/mo
VN / game text hooking
Textractor
Hook and extract text from visual novels
Agent
Script-based hooker — works with games and emulators
LunaHook
Modern Textractor alternative — part of LunaTranslator
YomiNinja
Screen OCR with Yomitan integration for games
OCR tools
owocr
Screen OCR for reading manga and games
MeikiOCR
OCR tool for Japanese text recognition
Manga-OCR
Manga-optimized OCR — high accuracy on speech bubbles
Dictionaries
Jisho
Standard J↔E dictionary — radical search, stroke order, examples
Weblio
Japanese monolingual — 大辞林 and more. N3+
Jiten.moe
Anime vocab difficulty rankings + dictionary
JPDB
Dictionary with media frequency lists and SRS deck sync
DoJG Lite
Free online Dictionary of Japanese Grammar — essential reference
Kanjipedia
Official kanji dictionary — readings, radicals, 四字熟語. N4+
Forvo
Hear any word pronounced by a native speaker
Ichi.moe
Sentence parser — breaks down grammar into components
Jotoba
Multilingual dictionary with autocomplete, kanji radical tree, and inflection display
Pitch accent
KOTU.io
Pitch accent recognition trainer
Dogen Japanese Phonetics
Comprehensive pitch accent video series by Dogen
Darius — Notes on pitch acquisition
How to actually acquire pitch accent through immersion
Yudai Sensei
YouTube channel focused on pitch accent training
Usagi Chan Pronunciation Guide
Comprehensive pitch accent primer and how-to
Grammar
Yokubi recommended
Concise grammar guide — designed to get you reading fast
Tae Kim's Guide
Classic free grammar guide — direct and approachable
Imabi
Thorough, comprehensive grammar for all levels — best for intermediate+
DoJG Lite
Free online Dictionary of Japanese Grammar — essential reference
NihongoKyoshi JLPT Grammar
JLPT grammar points taught in Japanese — N5 to N1
Bunpro grammar list
Free grammar reference with SRS reviews — $5/mo for full access
Mainichi Nonbiri
All JLPT grammar in Japanese — includes 敬語 and onomatopoeia. N4+
Cure Dolly — Organic Japanese
Structural approach to Japanese grammar via video series
Cure Dolly transcript
Full text transcript of the Organic Japanese series
Sakubi
Compact grammar guide — quick read, good for reference
Grammar Guide Nobody Asked For
Crash course in Japanese grammar — note: adult-oriented examples
Japanese Conjugation Practice
Test your conjugation knowledge — requires prior study
JLPT N1 Grammar — 1 Hour Review
日本語の森 video covering N1 grammar points in full. Not for beginners
Renshuu
Grammar, kanji, and vocab quizzes with explanations — free with paid tier
MaruMori
All-in-one grammar/kanji/vocab SRS with a guided "adventure" path, N5-N1 — paid
Minato — App Portal
Japanese learning apps from the Japan Foundation
Minato
Free Japan Foundation courses across multiple levels and languages
NHK World — Easy Japanese Lessons
48 short A1-A2 lessons with video skits, free
Japanese Onomatopoeia List
Reference for onomatopoeia/mimetic words by category
Kanji
Learn kanji through vocabulary — not in isolation. These resources help with recognition, radicals, and writing.
Kanji Alive
Learn kanji radicals and how they form kanji
Kanji Koohii
Community mnemonics for kanji radicals
LingoDeer Radical Chart
Beginner-friendly breakdown of kanji radicals
Kanjipedia
Official kanji dictionary — readings, radicals, 四字熟語. N4+
Ijidokun (異字同訓) PDF
Official list of kanji with same reading but different meanings — in Japanese
Kanji Writing (N5)
103 N5 kanji with meanings, readings, and writing grid
Daily Kanji
One JLPT-graded word per day — streak tracking, native audio, stats page
Loecsen Japanese Phrasebook
Interactive phrasebook with audio — useful quick reference before a trip
WaniKani
SRS-based kanji and vocab — structured radicals-first approach. Paid
四字熟語辞典 (Jitenon)
Dictionary of yojijukugo (four-character idioms) — N2+
Kanji Jitenon
Kanji dictionary with yojijukugo, readings, radicals, and stroke order
ちびむすドリル
Printable Japanese school worksheets — kanji practice for all grades. N4+
Anime
Nyaa.si
Torrent tracker for raw anime — best source for downloads
Miruro.to
Stream anime — can disable subtitles and switch to JP audio (select correct servers)
Anizone.to
Miruro Alternative
AniList
Track, discover, and organize your anime and manga
Jiten.moe
Anime ranked by vocabulary difficulty — pick your level
Natively
Find anime and manga suited to your level — community-rated difficulty
ImmersionKit
Search native sentences and audio from anime
Nadeshiko
Anime sentence search with audio clips
J-Drama & live action
Rakuten Viki
Stream J-drama — some with Japanese subs available
Japanese Live TV Streams
Watch Japanese TV channels live in your browser
Netflix
Stream Anime and J-Dramas! (costs money, VPN recommended)
SoftEther VPN tutorial
Free Netflix Japanese VPN + Tutorial
Manga
Rawkuma
Read raw manga online
DLRaw
Raw manga downloads
Hakuneko Downloader
Download Japanese manga — filter by "raw" and "japanese" tags
Mokuro
Convert manga to HTML with Yomitan-compatible text overlay
Mokuro catalog
Pre-processed Mokuro manga ready to read in your browser
Mangatan
All-in-one manga reader with OCR and Yomitan lookups
ッツ Ebook Reader
Japanese ebook/manga reader — vertical text, EPUB/HTMLZ
あかえほん (akaeho)
Free Japanese picture books created by the site owner — cute, easy to navigate. N5+
Novels & web fiction
Tadoku
Graded readers from pure beginner to advanced — images match the text, great for comprehensible input. N5+
Aozora Bunko
Japanese literary classics — free, works older than 50 years
Syosetu (小説家になろう)
Largest web novel platform — isekai, fantasy, romance
Kakuyomu
Web novels — good variety, free to read
Narou
Web novel platform
Pixiv Novels
Fan fiction and original stories — huge variety
Bookmeter
Track and discover Japanese books — community reviews
Anna's Archive
Largest shadow library — has nearly everything in EPUB
ッツ Ebook Reader
Read EPUB and HTMLZ in your browser — vertical text
Chiebukuro
Japanese Q&A site (like Quora) — native questions and answers. N3+
発言小町 (Komachi)
Advice-column Q&A forum — casual native writing. N3+
DMM Eikaiwa Q&A
Japanese learners asking about English — read their JP questions to reverse-engineer phrasing
Visual Novels & Games
VNDB
Visual novel database — discover, rate, and track VNs
JPDB
Vocab difficulty rankings for VNs, anime, and games
VN setup guide (TMW)
Full guide to setting up visual novels for Japanese reading
RyuuGames
Visual novel and game downloads — large library
Textractor
Hook and extract text from visual novels
Agent
Script-based hooker for games and emulators
Babadum
Free vocab game with 1500 words — listening, recall, and matching modes. Needs kana
Shashingo
Wander a Japanese city taking photos to learn vocab — paid, ~$20
Podcasts & YouTube
Podcasts — N5/N4
Japanese with Shun
Easy Japanese using Genki 1–2 grammar — beginner monologues
Let's Learn Japanese from Small Talk
Natural casual conversations by two native speakers with vocab lists
Learn Japanese with BIZARRE Stories
Nihongo con Teppei spin-off — weird and fun stories in natural Japanese
Learn Japanese with Noriko
Thoughts and ideas in Japanese — transcripts available for Season 1
Learn Japanese While Sleeping
Gentle, slow Japanese — passive immersion friendly
Nihongo con Teppei
Short monologue episodes, natural pace, no English
Masa Sensei
Conversational Japanese with a teacher — clear and approachable
Miku Real Japanese
Slow and clear — good for beginners, with vocabulary lists
Oyasumi Japanese (Shun)
Relaxed, slow Japanese for listening practice — good before sleep
Real Japanese Podcast (Haruka)
Natural Japanese with a native speaker — everyday topics
YUYU Nihongo
Easy and clear Japanese — great for beginner comprehension practice
バイリンガルニュース
News in Japanese and English — good comprehension check
Podcasts — N3/N2
Let's Learn Japanese from Small Talk
Natural, longer episodes at native speed — good passive immersion
Learn Japanese from Real Talks (Hiro)
Natural speed, no repetition — clear articulation, good vocab training
Satominichi
Natural Japanese monologues — good for intermediate listeners
ゆる言語学ラジオ
Native speed — linguistics topics, great for acclimating to natural speech patterns
Radio Japan
Stream live Japanese radio in your browser — variety of stations. N4+
NHK Radio
Japanese radio in your browser — N4+
YouTube channels
あかね的日本語教室
Vlogs in real situations — practical phrases and vocab. N4+
もしもしゆうすけ
Conversation videos with JP and EN subs. N4+
日本語の森
Culture, lifestyle, JLPT prep — JP subs. N3+
三本塾 Sambon Juku
Grammar explained in Japanese — JP + EN captions
GameKnack
Japanese-only gaming content — casual native speech. N4+
SushiRamenRiku
Fast chaotic content with subs — very entertaining. N4+
Yudai Sensei
Pitch accent focus — community member and certified teacher
Heron JP Immersion
Video game content with sentence-by-sentence breakdown
Radio Osaka
Osaka radio clips — native speed, some Kansai-ben. N4+
テレビ大阪
Japanese TV programmes — Osaka culture, some Kansai-ben. N3+
動あり
Fast, slang-heavy modern Japanese with embedded subtitles. N3+
Jiro Japanese
Podcasts and game playthroughs with on-screen furigana + JLPT-graded vocab. N4+
Project Sekai — Story Playlist
400+ hours of fully voiced visual novel stories from プロセカ — furigana, subtitles, varied everyday language. N3+
Kansai-ben
フジワラ超合キーン
Variety channel with built-in JP subs, frequent Kansai-ben. N3+
関西弁講座
Channel dedicated to Kansai dialect and culture, with pitch accent quizzes. N3+
Kansai-ben.com
Reference site for Kansai dialect grammar, phrases, and other resources
Forvo — Kansai-ben tag
Native pronunciations of Kansai dialect vocabulary
Condensed audio
Audio with silences removed — maximizes listening exposure per hour. Good for passive immersion.
Condensed Audio Catalog
Searchable catalog of condensed anime audio
Condenser
Condense your own audio — remove silences from any video/audio
Sentence search
ImmersionKit
Search sentences + audio from anime — with translation
Nadeshiko
Anime sentence search — larger catalog than ImmersionKit
Filmot
Search YouTube subtitles — find any word used naturally
YouGlish
Hear any word pronounced by natives in YouTube clips
Massif
Sentence search sourced from Syosetu web novels
SentenceSearch
Sentences from multiple learning resources with audio
コツ
Search sentence audio from anime, audiobooks, news, YouTube — with pitch accent graph
Subtitles
Jimaku.cc
Japanese subtitle files for anime — sync with asbplayer
Kitsunekko
Large archive of Japanese anime subtitle files
Mobile apps
Android
AnkiDroid
Free Anki client for Android
AnkiConnect for Android
Enables Yomitan → AnkiDroid card creation on Android
Hoshi Reader (Android)
Japanese ebook reader with Yomitan dictionaries and 縦書き support
jidoujisho
Mobile video player, reader, and Anki card creation toolkit
iOS
AnkiMobile
Official Anki app for iOS — $24.99, funds Anki development
Hoshi Reader
Beautiful EPUB reader with popup dictionary and Anki support
Shirabe Jisho
Best bilingual dictionary app for iOS
Tracking & stats
AniList
Track anime and manga — lists, scores, stats
Bookmeter
Track books you've read — Japanese community
JPDB
Track known vocabulary synced to your immersion content
VNDB
Track visual novels — lists, votes, release info
Textbooks & PDFs
PDFs and textbook downloads. You didn't find them here though. 🤫
Wotaku — Japanese Resources
Comprehensive curated list of Japanese learning links and resources across all categories
ImmersionKit Game Gengo Textbook
Uses video game stories to demonstrate N5 grammar points. Requires basic sentence knowledge — not for beginners
Genki I (PDF)
The most popular beginner Japanese textbook — 2nd edition
Genki II (PDF)
Continuation of Genki — intermediate beginner
N5–N1 Textbook Collection
Massive Drive folder of Japanese textbooks across all JLPT levels
Tae Kim's Grammar Guide (PDF)
Downloadable PDF of the complete Tae Kim grammar guide
Remembering the Kanji Vol. 1 (PDF)
Heisig's kanji memorisation method — meanings and stories for 2,200 kanji
Japanese Particles in Action (PDF)
In-depth breakdown of how Japanese particles actually work
Japanese the Manga Way
Grammar explained through real manga excerpts — good for intermediate beginners
Minna no Nihongo I (PDF)
English grammar explanations for Minna no Nihongo vol. 1
Marugoto (A2)
Japan Foundation textbook site — free A2 level practice
MIT OCW — Genki I (Lessons 1–6)
Full MIT course materials using Genki I — for beginners
MIT OCW — Genki I (Lessons 7–12)
MIT course materials — for those with basic grammar foundations
MIT OCW — Genki II (Lessons 13–18)
MIT course materials — advanced N5 / early N4
MIT OCW — Genki II (Lessons 19–23)
MIT course materials — intermediate N4
MIT OCW — Tobira (Chapters 1–5)
MIT course materials — intermediate to advanced N4
MIT OCW — Tobira (Chapters 6–10)
MIT course materials — working towards N3
NHK World — Easy Japanese
48 free A1–A2 video lessons with downloadable materials
NHK World — Easy Japanese (World portal)
Same lessons via NHK World international portal
Monoxer
Kanji writing practice app used by Japanese students — free, no ads, fully in Japanese
ちびむすドリル
Japanese school worksheets used by actual teachers — all subjects, all grades. N4+
Imabi
Comprehensive grammar lessons for all levels — free, extensive
Kanji Kentei Deck (Google Drive)
Anki deck for all jōyō kanji by Kanken level
FAQ
Common questions from the community. Type anything below and the search will find the most relevant answer.
All questions
Example: おはよう = ohayou (ha), これは = kore wa (wa as particle). Greetings like こんにちは originally had は as a particle, so the "wa" reading stuck even as they became single words.
Hiragana: Normal Japanese words alongside kanji. Soft/warm feeling for onomatopoeia.
Katakana: Loanwords from non-Chinese languages (バイト, パン). Harsh/sharp feeling for onomatopoeia.
Example: あいうえお (Hiragana) vs アイウエオ (Katakana).
Examples: きや = kiya, but きゃ = kya. りゅ = ryu, ちょ = cho.
Grammar: Cure Dolly, Japanese Ammo with Misa (YouTube), Genki, Tae Kim's Guide, or Bunpro.
Vocab & Kanji: Anki with the Kaishi 1.5k deck or WaniKani.
Duolingo is only useful for kana drilling.
Readability: No spaces in Japanese; kanji creates visual word boundaries.
Comprehension: Knowing a kanji's meaning often lets you guess unfamiliar words.
Culture: Kanji carry historical and literary depth impossible to replicate with kana alone.
ko- = close to the speaker (this / here)
so- = close to the listener (that / there)
a- = far from both (that over there)
do- = question (which? / where?)
Applies to: kore/sore/are/dore (things), kono/sono/ano/dono (modifiers), koko/soko/asoko/doko (places), kocchi/socchi/acchi/docchi (directions).
The process: encounter an unknown word → look it up → save the sentence + definition as an Anki card → review it later.
It's more effective than premade decks for intermediate learners because the words come from content you care about, which makes them easier to remember. The standard tool for this alongside anime is ASBPlayer + Yomitan. Start premade decks first, transition to mining once you're actively immersing.
Passive immersion means Japanese is playing in the background while your attention is partly elsewhere — washing dishes, walking, etc. The less attention you pay, the fewer gains you make. It's not useless, but it doesn't replace active sessions. Use passive immersion to squeeze more exposure out of dead time, not as a substitute for real study.
Intensive: You pause frequently to look up unknown words and grammar. You understand more deeply and pick up vocab faster, but it's slower and more mentally tiring.
Extensive: You read/watch at natural pace, skipping over unknowns and relying on context. Builds real-time fluency and reading speed, but you need decent comprehension first for it to work.
Neither is strictly better — adjust based on difficulty. Use more look-ups on hard content, fewer on comfortable content.
Mac: System Preferences → Keyboard → Input Sources → add Hiragana.
Android: Settings → General Management → Language → Add Japanese keyboard (Gboard works well).
iOS: Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Japanese (Romaji).
N5: Basic greetings, simple sentences, ~800 words.
N4: Everyday situations, basic conversations, ~1,500 words.
N3: Everyday topics at moderate difficulty, ~3,750 words.
N2: Near-fluent reading of newspapers and complex text, ~6,000 words.
N1: Broad reading and listening comprehension of native-level content, ~10,000+ words.
N2 is considered the minimum for working in a Japanese-language environment. N1 is widely respected as a credential. See the for prep resources.
Manga: klmanga.pics, Shonen Jump Plus, Pixiv Comics.
Visual Novels: learnjapanese.moe/vn has a full setup guide.
Web novels: Kakuyomu and Narou for free content.
Use Yomitan in your browser for instant lookups on anything you read.
Kana
Hiragana and katakana practice tools. Learn the syllabaries before everything else.
Kuuube Kana Quiz
Drill hiragana and katakana with audio
Kuuube Kana Quiz (Sounds)
Audio-based kana recognition practice
Kana.pro
Fast kana typing drill — row by row
DJT Kana
Kana recognition game with audio
Real Kana
Typing quiz for hiragana and katakana — also on iOS
Tofugu Kana Quiz
Simple romaji input quiz — beginner friendly
Learn All Hiragana in 1 Hour
JapanesePod101 video — write and read
Learn All Katakana in 1 Hour
JapanesePod101 video — write and read
Hiragana writing practice
Printable PDF sheets with stroke order
Katakana writing practice
Printable PDF sheets with stroke order
Anki
Free spaced-repetition flashcard app. The standard for vocab, sentence mining, and grammar review.
Anki
Download for Windows, Mac, Linux
Kaishi 1.5k deck
Recommended starter vocab deck — 1,500 core words with audio
Lapis note type
Elegant, simple mining note type — recommended
JP Mining Note alternatives
Overview of different Anki note types for mining
Kanji Grid add-on
Visualize kanji coverage across your decks
True Retention add-on
Shows real retention rate vs Anki's default metric
AnkiConnect add-on
Required for Yomitan → Anki card creation
PassFail add-on
Simplifies review buttons to just Pass and Fail
Review Heatmap add-on
GitHub-style heatmap of your review activity
FSRS setup guide
Configure FSRS scheduler for better retention
Dictionary Tools
Look up words, parse sentences, and hear native pronunciation.
Yomitan
Pop-up dictionary for your browser. Hover over any Japanese text to instantly look it up and send cards to Anki.
Yomitan (Chrome)
Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store
Yomitan Wiki
Official setup guide and documentation
Yomitan setup (TMW)
TheMoeWay's detailed Yomitan + Anki setup tutorial
Yomitan setup (Lazy Guide)
Step-by-step PC setup guide for Yomitan
shoui dictionary collection
Curated Yomitan dictionary pack — the most complete collection
Yomitan Dictionaries (MarvNC)
Collection of recommended dictionaries for Yomitan
Online dictionaries
Jisho
Standard J↔E dictionary — radical search, stroke order, examples
Weblio
Japanese monolingual — 大辞林 and more. N3+
Jiten.moe
Anime vocab difficulty rankings + dictionary
JPDB
Dictionary with media frequency lists and SRS deck sync
DoJG Lite
Free online Dictionary of Japanese Grammar — essential reference
Kanjipedia
Official kanji dictionary — readings, radicals, 四字熟語. N4+
Forvo
Hear any word pronounced by a native speaker
Ichi.moe
Sentence parser — breaks down grammar into components
Jotoba
Multilingual dictionary with autocomplete, kanji radical tree, and inflection display
Grammar
Guides, references, and courses for Japanese grammar at every level.
Yokubi recommended
Concise grammar guide — designed to get you reading fast
Tae Kim's Guide
Classic free grammar guide — direct and approachable
Imabi
Thorough, comprehensive grammar for all levels — best for intermediate+
DoJG Lite
Free online Dictionary of Japanese Grammar — essential reference
NihongoKyoshi JLPT Grammar
JLPT grammar points taught in Japanese — N5 to N1
Bunpro grammar list
Free grammar reference with SRS reviews — $5/mo for full access
Mainichi Nonbiri
All JLPT grammar in Japanese — includes 敬語 and onomatopoeia. N4+
Cure Dolly — Organic Japanese
Structural approach to Japanese grammar via video series
Cure Dolly transcript
Full text transcript of the Organic Japanese series
Sakubi
Compact grammar guide — quick read, good for reference
Grammar Guide Nobody Asked For
Crash course in Japanese grammar — note: adult-oriented examples
Japanese Conjugation Practice
Test your conjugation knowledge — requires prior study
Renshuu
Grammar, kanji, and vocab quizzes with explanations — free with paid tier
MaruMori
All-in-one grammar/kanji/vocab SRS with a guided "adventure" path, N5-N1 — paid
Minato
Free Japan Foundation courses across multiple levels and languages
NHK World — Easy Japanese
48 short A1-A2 lessons with video skits, free
NihongoKyoshi grammar deck
Anki deck for JLPT grammar — Japanese definitions only
JLPT N1 Grammar — 1 Hour Review
日本語の森 video covering N1 grammar points in full. Not for beginners
ImmersionKit Game Gengo Textbook
Uses video game stories to demonstrate N5 grammar points. Requires basic sentence knowledge — not for beginners
Minato — App Portal
Free Japanese learning apps from the Japan Foundation — hiragana, katakana, kanji
Japanese Particles in Action (PDF)
In-depth breakdown of how Japanese particles actually work
Japanese the Manga Way
Grammar explained through real manga excerpts — good for intermediate beginners
Anime
Where to stream, download, and find anime ordered by difficulty.
Nyaa.si
Torrent tracker for raw anime — best source for downloads
Miruro.to
Stream anime — can disable subtitles and switch to JP audio (select correct servers)
Anizone.to
Miruro Alternative
AniList
Track, discover, and organize your anime and manga
Jiten.moe
Anime ranked by vocabulary difficulty — pick your level
Media Recommendations
Curated spreadsheet of recommended Japanese media
Natively
Find anime and manga suited to your level — community-rated difficulty
ImmersionKit
Search native sentences and audio from anime
Nadeshiko
Anime sentence search with audio clips
TV Shows & J-Drama
Live action Japanese drama, variety shows, and live TV streams.
OCR & Manga
Read raw manga online and use OCR tools to hover over text with Yomitan.
Reading manga
Rawkuma
Read raw manga online
DLRaw
Raw manga downloads
Hakuneko Downloader
Download Japanese manga — filter by "raw" and "japanese" tags
KLManga
Online raw manga reading
DL-Raw
Online raw manga reading
OCR tools
Manatan
All-in-one manga reader with auto OCR
Mokuro catalog
Pre-processed manga, hoverable on desktop
owocr
Screen OCR for reading manga and games
MeikiOCR
OCR tool for Japanese text recognition
Manga-OCR
Manga-optimized OCR — high accuracy on speech bubbles
YomiNinja
Screen OCR with Yomitan integration for games
ShareX
Screenshot OCR — turns images of text into copyable text
Difficulty rankings
Novels & Light Novels
Web novels, ebooks, and readers for native Japanese prose.
Web novels
Tadoku
Graded readers from pure beginner to advanced — images match the text, great for comprehensible input. N5+
Syosetu
Japanese web novels
Kakuyomu
Web novels by Kadokawa
発言小町 (Komachi)
Advice-column Q&A forum — casual native writing. N3+
DMM Eikaiwa Q&A
Read Japanese questions by native learners — natural phrasing
Ebook readers
ッツ Ebook Reader
EPUB reader with Yomitan support
Hoshi Reader (iOS)
EPUB reader with popup dictionary
Hoshi Reader (Android)
Japanese ebook reader with Yomitan dictionaries and 縦書き support
Downloads
Visual Novels & Games
VN databases, downloads, text hookers, and game mining tools.
Discover & download
VNDB
Visual novel database — discover, rate, and track VNs
JPDB
Vocab difficulty rankings for VNs, anime, and games
RyuuGames
Visual novel and game downloads — large library
VN Club
Guides, recommendations, and catalogue
VN setup guide (TMW)
Full guide to setting up visual novels for Japanese reading
Text hooking
Textractor
Hook and extract text from visual novels
JL
Popup dictionary, no browser needed
LunaHook
Modern Textractor alternative — part of LunaTranslator
Games
Agent
Script-based text extractor for games
GameSentenceMiner
Mine cards directly from games
YomiNinja
OCR + Yomitan for any game screen
Meikipop
Popup dictionary overlay for games
Babadum
Free vocab game with 1500 words — listening, recall, and matching modes
Shashingo
Wander a Japanese city taking photos to learn vocab — paid, ~$20
Game Gengo — Tier List
Top 100+ games for Japanese learners (2025)
Mining Setup
Tools for extracting sentences from anime, manga, VNs, and games into Anki.
Mine from anime (AnimeCards)
MPV setup and sentence mining from anime
asbplayer (Chrome)
Attach JP subtitles to streaming video and mine to Anki
MPV (Windows build)
Video player used for anime mining setup
GameSentenceMiner
Mine sentences from games automatically
Meikipop
OCR-based popup dictionary for manga, games, images
JL
Lookup tool for gaming/reading without a browser
ShareX
Screenshot OCR — turns images of text into copyable text for mining
Migaku
Browser extension — instant flashcards from anything you read/watch. Paid, $10/mo
Donkuri's Mining Setup
Mining setup guide for various media
Mining Tutorial (JouzuJuls)
Sentence mining video walkthrough
Podcasts & YouTube
Listening immersion for every level — from beginner monologues to native-speed variety content.
Podcasts — N5/N4
Japanese with Shun
Easy Japanese using Genki 1–2 grammar — beginner monologues
Nihongo con Teppei
Short monologue episodes, natural pace, no English
Masa Sensei
Conversational Japanese with a teacher — clear and approachable
Miku Real Japanese
Slow and clear — good for beginners, with vocabulary lists
Real Japanese Podcast (Haruka)
Natural Japanese with a native speaker — everyday topics
YUYU Nihongo
Easy and clear Japanese — great for beginner comprehension practice
バイリンガルニュース
News in Japanese and English — good comprehension check
Podcasts — N3/N2
Learn Japanese from Real Talks (Hiro)
Natural speed, no repetition — clear articulation, good vocab training
Satominichi
Natural Japanese monologues — good for intermediate listeners
ゆる言語学ラジオ
Native speed — linguistics topics, great for acclimating to natural speech
Radio Japan
Stream live Japanese radio in your browser — variety of stations. N4+
NHK Radio
Japanese radio in your browser — N4+
YouTube channels
Comprehensible Japanese
Graded input videos for learners
あかね的日本語教室
Vlogs in real situations — practical phrases and vocab. N4+
もしもしゆうすけ
Conversation videos with JP and EN subs. N4+
日本語の森
Culture, lifestyle, JLPT prep — JP subs. N3+
Fischers
Japanese variety / vlog channel
三本塾 Sambon Juku
Grammar explained in Japanese — JP + EN captions
Jiro Japanese
Podcasts and game playthroughs with on-screen furigana + JLPT-graded vocab. N4+
Project Sekai — Story Playlist
400+ hours of fully voiced visual novel stories — furigana, subtitles, varied everyday language. N3+
Heron JP Immersion
Video game content with sentence-by-sentence breakdown
SushiRamenRiku
Fast chaotic content with subs — very entertaining. N4+
GameKnack
Japanese-only gaming content — casual native speech, variety of games. N4+
テレビ大阪
Japanese TV programmes — Osaka culture, some Kansai-ben. N3+
Kansai-ben
フジワラ超合キーン
Variety channel with built-in JP subs, frequent Kansai-ben. N3+
関西弁講座
Channel dedicated to Kansai dialect and culture, with pitch accent quizzes. N3+
Kansai-ben.com
Reference site for Kansai dialect grammar, phrases, and other resources
Forvo — Kansai-ben tag
Native pronunciations of Kansai dialect vocabulary
Podcasts — N5/N4 (extra)
Subtitles
Japanese subtitle files for anime — use with asbplayer or MPV for immersion.
Kanji
Learn kanji through vocabulary — not in isolation. Resources for recognition, radicals, and writing.
Kanji Alive
Learn kanji radicals and how they form kanji
Kanji Koohii
Community mnemonics for kanji radicals
Kanjipedia
Official kanji dictionary — readings, radicals, 四字熟語. N4+
Daily Kanji
One JLPT-graded word per day — streak tracking, native audio, stats page
WaniKani
SRS-based kanji and vocab — structured radicals-first approach. Paid
四字熟語辞典 (Jitenon)
Dictionary of yojijukugo (four-character idioms) — N2+
Kanji Jitenon
Kanji dictionary with yojijukugo, readings, radicals, and stroke order
ちびむすドリル
Printable Japanese school worksheets — kanji practice for all grades. N4+
Kanji Writing (N5)
103 N5 kanji with meanings, readings, and writing grid
Kanji Kentei Deck
Anki deck for all jōyō kanji by Kanken level
LingoDeer Radical Chart
Beginner-friendly breakdown of kanji radicals
Ijidokun (異字同訓) PDF
Official list of kanji with the same reading but different meanings — entirely in Japanese
Loecsen Japanese Phrasebook
Interactive phrasebook with audio — from basic greetings to medical phrases. No furigana
Pitch Accent
Understand, train, and acquire Japanese pitch accent patterns.
KOTU.io
Pitch accent recognition trainer
Dogen Japanese Phonetics
Comprehensive pitch accent video series by Dogen
Darius — Notes on pitch acquisition
How to actually acquire pitch accent through immersion
Yudai Sensei
YouTube channel focused on pitch accent training
Usagi Chan Pronunciation Guide
Comprehensive pitch accent primer and how-to
Condensed Audio
Audio with silences removed — maximizes listening exposure per hour. Good for passive immersion.
Sentence Search
Search for any word used in context with audio from anime, novels, and YouTube.
ImmersionKit
Search sentences + audio from anime — with translation
Nadeshiko
Anime sentence search — larger catalog than ImmersionKit
Filmot
Search YouTube subtitles — find any word used naturally
YouGlish
Hear any word pronounced by natives in YouTube clips
Massif
Sentence search sourced from Syosetu web novels
SentenceSearch
Sentences from multiple learning resources with audio
コツ
Search sentence audio from anime, audiobooks, news, YouTube — with pitch accent graph
Mobile Apps
Essential apps for Anki, reading, and dictionary lookup on Android and iOS.
Android
AnkiDroid
Free Anki client for Android
AnkiConnect for Android
Enables Yomitan → AnkiDroid card creation on Android
Hoshi Reader (Android)
Japanese ebook reader with Yomitan dictionaries and 縦書き support
jidoujisho
Mobile video player, reader, and Anki card creation toolkit
iOS
Tracking & Stats
Track your anime, manga, VNs, books, and vocabulary progress.
Guides & Textbooks
PDFs, structured courses, and textbook resources. You didn't find them here though. 🤫
Wotaku — Japanese Resources
Comprehensive curated list of Japanese learning links and resources across all categories
ImmersionKit Game Gengo Textbook
Uses video game stories to demonstrate N5 grammar points. Requires basic sentence knowledge — not for beginners
Genki I (PDF)
The most popular beginner Japanese textbook — 2nd edition
Genki II (PDF)
Continuation of Genki — intermediate beginner
N5–N1 Textbook Collection
Massive Drive folder of Japanese textbooks across all JLPT levels
Tae Kim's Grammar Guide (PDF)
Downloadable PDF of the complete Tae Kim grammar guide
Remembering the Kanji Vol. 1 (PDF)
Heisig's kanji memorisation method — meanings and stories for 2,200 kanji
Minna no Nihongo I (PDF)
English grammar explanations for Minna no Nihongo vol. 1
NHK World — Easy Japanese
48 free A1–A2 video lessons with downloadable materials
MIT OCW — Genki I (Lessons 1–6)
Full MIT course materials using Genki I — for beginners
MIT OCW — Genki I (Lessons 7–12)
MIT course materials — for those with basic grammar foundations
MIT OCW — Genki II (Lessons 13–18)
MIT course materials — advanced N5 / early N4
MIT OCW — Genki II (Lessons 19–23)
MIT course materials — intermediate N4
Marugoto (A2)
Japan Foundation textbook site — free A2 level practice
Monoxer
Kanji writing practice app used by Japanese students — free, no ads, fully in Japanese
ちびむすドリル
Japanese school worksheets used by actual teachers — all subjects, all grades. N4+
Kanji Kentei Deck (Google Drive)
Anki deck for all jōyō kanji by Kanken level
All Resources
Every resource in one scrollable page.