Yeah I STRONGLY disagree with any advice that tries to gatekeep beginners from actually using the skill they want to learn.
You want to learn piano? Practice scales for 8 weeks and then maybe you’ll be ready for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! Want to learn to paint? Don’t even think of touching a brush until you’ve spent an entire month learning color theory! Cooking? Oh gosh, don’t try to eat anything you make, you’re not ready for that!
Someone says “I want to learn Japanese” the answer should NOT be "Sorry, you have to spend at least 60 days learning to recognize squiggle-doodles before you can learn the secret mysteries of「友だちの田はどこですか？」and 「あなたがぼくのお母さん?」”
steps off the soapbox
Anyway. Most beginner books will have furigana (phonetic writing to tell you how a kanji is pronounced) and jisho.org and Akebi (android/iOS app) are two great, easy-to-use, dictionaries. Go forth and have fun!