I’ve been following Tofugu’s guide to learning japanese and I’m at a point in which I want to choose how to start learning grammar.
Im currently and level 9 of Wanikani so I know I still have a long way to go but I don’t wanna wait a lot more to learn grammar because I’m afraid that if don’t use what I already know maybe I’ll forget
So, I wanna ask you how did you approached It! I’ve taken a look and I really liked Wagotabi (a very beginner friendly game) and MaruMori but I don’t know if they are good enough for being my source of knoledge on grammar. Also the book Genki seems like a pretty good starting point.
My problem is that I don’t have that much time currently so I want to know how to make the best out of it. I’m in no hurry to learn as I know this is a long race and not a sprint but I’d prefer to use my time wisely and when I have more, dump more time in it But for the time being, I’m teying to make the most out of It.
Thank you very much for taking your time to read all this!
cost money but are great for culturally situating Japanese grammar points. You could probably skip the first two (or at least the first one) but Satori Reader is a great way to ease your way into reading Japanese with its appended audio, translation and cultural/grammar explanations. SR also has an excellent grammar series: Nutshell Grammar. You can also link it to WK so the material gets adjusted to your kanji level.
Do you think beginning with Satori reader is too much so maybe start with Human Japanese is better? I feel like for grasping Satori Reader content, I need a basic knoledge of grammar
I do think the two “beginner” apps are useful but you could just jump straight in and start with Satori Reader. Brian Rak will answer any questions (usually within days) you might have about an expression or grammar point. Just a word of warning - make sure you start with the easiest stories (they can be grouped by level of difficulty). Each sentence has audio and a translation and tricky expressions and grammar are explained. Here’s a link to how it works: Satori Reader | How Our Unique Japanese Learning System Works
I recommend starting with “The Jam Maker” and working your way through the “Nutshell Grammar series”.
I would also recommend ignoring the flash cards - if you’re doing WK or Anki that’s probably enough SRS
For me it was Textfugu (which, unfortunately, is no longer available for subscription, and the successor – EtoEto – has been stuck in development for many years now…)
Another great textbook I used – is
HIghly recommend!
Also,
while focusing on reading and listening, also has a lot of grammar notes.
Then again, that’s what has worked for me; there are other resources, including free ones…
In any case, whatever you choose – best of luck with your studies!
One thing that seems daunting is having too much SRS stuff. Satori Reader seems pretty good but I don’t want to be stuck doing Wanikani and Satori SRS because I feel like thats would take almost all of my time. I’ll give “The jam maker” a go then!
Do you think Satori Reader is worth It even if I don’t do the SRS?
I’ll definately give Satori a go! And I’ll take a look at that articule about “Japanese The manga way”. Thanks for answering! Beginning grammar is a little bit daunting as it’s the first time I do It besides school teachings a long time ago
Satori reader will help you to read and teach you grammar. The Satori Reader SRS is unnecessary and totally optional. But try SR first for free - you can get access to some features without a subscription Satori Reader | Pricing
I’m using Japanese from Zero 1-5. It’s “slower” than Genki, but I Like that and the exercises. The author also has a YouTube Channel where you can find a Videos for every Chapter (books 1-4). And there is an online learning Platform. But I haven’t used that yet.
Um… yes and no, especially if WK is the only SRS. There’s loads of good vocab on Satori that isn’t covered by WK.
I’d say just maybe be very selective with what gets added to Satori/Anki/etc so there’s no SRS overload.
I got started with Satori after skimming through Genki 1 and 2. The grammar rarely felt problematic even with some of the “intermediate difficulty” stories (and their detailed explanations filled in the gaps), so it’s likely fine to dive in even earlier.
Agree with CherryApple- I started with book 1 and it’s accompanying videos and it was a great foundational experience that went at a manageable pace- after the first book I moved onto Genki because I wanted to go faster but I would recommend anyone self studying to start with JfZ
Personally I mainly used Tae Kim and Cure Dolly for the very basic stuff (both free). I didn’t finish either course but I think they offer a decent introduction to basic stuff (what’s generally considered N5 and N4 grammar).
After that I mostly read and used Bunpro to SRS the various points I encountered in the wild.
Everything up to N3 is worth studying as early as you feel comfortable because it’s going to come up all the time, the N2/N1 thing can be quite niche at times and it’s probably a good idea to leave it off until you actually need it instead of studying it ahead of time, in my opinion.
I’d used WaniKani for about a year then I found BunPro. It is SRS for grammar and had a similar feel to WaniKani (I guess because it’s SRS compared to the other tools I found. That is, it was more structured and I can see my progress, compared to Lingopie - grammar and vocab lessons via watching shows or movies which meant random grammar points). I’ve bought lifetime membership on both as they were the only ones I stuck with successfully and like using. They always have a sale on the membership around Christmas/New Year.
Just checked out Satori Reader. Question to those that have used it: Does it synch with the Kanji and vocab I know in WaniKani? Otherwise, how does it know what Kanji I know? I like that I can choose to see Kanji or furigana or both but prefer that it is the kanji I’ve learned on WK.
There have been a lot of good resources recommended already, so I’m only going to give one more piece of advice: pick a source and stick with it. If you jump between sources you’ll end up learning the same thing over and over again, which is a waste of time. The resource you choose should feel fun and engaging, not like a chore. The material should be presented in a way that you understand almost all of the time, however if you come across a point that you struggle with, I recommend checking the resources tab on Bunpro for different explanations.
For reference, I did the Genki → Quartet path, and am now using the Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar to solidify points that I come across while reading. Like many others here I used Satori Reader, but as soon as I finished Genki 2 I switched over to books and video games.
I kind of disagree, at least for basic grammar. Getting the basic stuff to stick can be tricky at first, getting a few different angles can be beneficial. That’s specifically why I found Cure Dolly so useful, she usually had a very different approach from more traditional sources which made it a good complement.
I’m mainly thinking about really basic grammar like understanding adjectives, verbs, conjugations, particles etc…
For me I found starting with textbooks to be the most useful because they’re already structured and introduce you to level appropriate vocab and texts as well to match the grammar you learn. I did genki first which was definitely good, I’ve heard Japanese from zero is also good but a bit slower to pick up the speed if you prefer that.
Other than that if textbooks aren’t your thing you can use an app like renshuu or bunpo which take you through each level and have sentence building reviews to practice. Or if you’d prefer something like a big list where you study each yourself and check them off there’s JLPT sensei or dictionary of Japanese grammar, but you’d have to make up your own reviews for that or supplement with reading to help them stick probably, or flashcards (I think there’s a DoJG anki deck?)
Personally I’ve used all of these plus other things because my attention span varies and I like experimenting with different methods
Multiple resources can be good, just don’t fall into the trap of collecting resources instead of using them…I’m guilty of that for Japanese, software, workout equipment, books/audiobooks. Finally decided to pick one and go, and I wish I’d done that earlier instead of trying to find the perfect resource.
