I just started learning Japanese with the tofugu.com Kana-Guides and WaniKani, but am planning further steps to become better! As the next step will be learning about grammar, I had a look at TextFugu and wondered if I should start learning with this tool or wait for the updated version EtoEto…
As I am unsure when EtoEto will be released and the first month of TextFugu is for free anyway, I wonder if someone using those resources can share their opinion on this!
Thank you very much and please excuse my language (>.<)
Okay, wow, thank you for your fast reply! Is Genki your no. 1 choice? I was looking through some Japanese books, but they all seem to aim to get you to N5 (or higher) JLPT Level, could this be a good alternative aswell?
I haven’t used it myself so I could be totally off-base, but I feel like I’ve seen a number of comments on these forums to the effect that TextFugu is not really worth it. I think the later chapters/levels/whatever they are are a bit unfinished?
It came out years ago, so I think the general consensus is that it no longer has the novelty of being an “online textbook! WOW!” that it had originally.
But… like I say, I could be totally wrong
EDIT: that’s not to contradict the comments regarding EtoEto, by the way - it’s unfinished and looks like it will take 37 years to be finished, so…
I faced the same dilemma and decided to just get started with Genki. It seems to be well regarded here (and in other places as well) and I got the impression that it’ll probably still take quite some time before EtoEto is released.
I can’t remember how much Textfugu costs beyond the first month, but aside from the money, I don’t think there’s anything to lose by giving it a go. I used it early on and found what info is there to be pretty helpful. You can then move on to something like Genki.
On the whole I recommend using a variety of resources anyway, even to cover the same grammar points. Various source will have their own ways of explaining things and some will probably work for you better than others. I know that when I was doing Genki I that, while on the whole it’s a good book, there are a couple of points I don’t think it explained so well, and I went and read up on them elsewhere (e.g. Tae Kim) and got a better understanding.
Just don’t wait for EtoEto. The time you would spend waiting would actually be way better spent studying from other sources, no matter how good EtoEto ends up to be.
One advice: no matter which book people will tell you to use, no book will be perfect. There’s not one textbook to know it all. You’ll have to use several different resources at the end of the day and ask questions. This is why you should pick a textbook/blog/youtube channel/etc that fits your taste in learning. Some people learn by listening, others by reading, others by writing. It’s way more important to know how to study than which textbook is the best, because it really depends.
Genki is a safe choice because it’s the main book in the market. Make sure to buy the workbook if you do so. The workbook is probably more valuable than the textbook itself.
On top of what has been said so far, I want to add that you can check the WK team’s progress on EtoEto: Trello
More than a few things are labeled as “roadblocked”.
Well, and also… the first part is free, so you literally have nothing to lose by just giving it a go
Totally agree with everybody’s comments that you should look at multiple resources. I don’t know whether that would be a slightly overwhelming approach for your very first week learning the language though!
I completely agree with this, but would also point out that it’s important not to neglect some skills because of your preferences (if you learn well by listening, for example, you might accidentally neglect your ability to read). You need to remember that at some times it’s the parts of the language you suck at that you ought to focus on
Yeah, I agree. I wasn’t associating it with reading, speaking, listening, etc of the language itself. That’s another topic. I was specifically talking about grammar study.
kewl I know you meant learning method rather than language aspect, but I just felt you could inadvertently neglect some skills if you only used one way of learning.
But yeah, 100% agree - loads of people will tell you “this is the best way to do x” or “this book is the best”, but in the end it’s what works for you that matters. Plus you might only care about reading, or about being able to converse, or watch anime…
Just to prove to you that people learn in different ways, a lot of people will praise Genki. I also recommended it like 5 minutes ago because it’s a safe option to choose. However, I bought Genki I and never really got into it. I’ve been using it for the past few months as an expensive mouse pad.
I think I will start with a textbook then (I’ll have a closer look at Genki). For the speaking/listening part I will attend a Japanese class, at my hometowns Japanese cultural center The teachers are Japanese native tongues so it will probably feel almost like being in Japan! (at least thats what im hoping for :P)
PS: I was thinking about this for the past 3-5 days, realizing now I should ask here immediately! you guys are an awesome help
Sounds good! I like Genki, personally, but I take classes and it is designed for face-to-face learning more than self-study. It’s definitely a quality product - I think most people would agree on that - but certainly not everybody gets on with it
Maybe you should see if you can borrow it from the cultural centre before committing to buying it, if they have a library, or even just a copy you could look at? You might even find they use it themselves for the classes and issue you one, so I’d check that out before shelling out your hard-earned cash.
Honestly I’d skip textfugu, it has too many issues that haven’t been resolved due to them being fixed in the next edition (EtoEto).
Genki is what you want. If you have a look at Genki and it’s too overwhelming, I highly recommend Japanese from Zero. The first book is free online and it’s superior to TextFugu.
They also have videos on YouTube for every lesson from Book 1-4 for free.
Is Genki your no. 1 choice? I was looking through some Japanese books, but they all seem to aim to get you to N5 (or higher) JLPT Level, could this be a good alternative aswell? 
