Learning Japanese has long been touted as a way to increase employability as global careers become more important. Even here in Northern Ireland, where there is a minute general foreign population, there are a few jobs every year that come to my attention that require Japanese language skills, and I have noticed in the wider UK home education community that Japanese language skills are becoming more and more sought after. Below you will find some great Japanese learning resources we recommend.
The culture of Japan is increasing worldwide and they are receiving more tourists year on year since I resided there. You can definitely get by visiting Japan without any knowledge of Japanese, but knowing a few basic phrases can show you are interested in their culture and have taken the time to learn about it before you visit. If you know more, you will find your travels much easier and more interesting.
Books for Learning Japanese
These are some of the Japanese language resources I’ve tried out both here on the blog as reviews, as well as ones I’ve purchased and used over time.
Table of contents
Dual Language Books
Dual language books are good practice for anyone learning a second (or more) language. They are also a good way to learn about a different culture or hold onto one.
- Read our review: Learn Japanese Nursery Rhymes (or buy now)
- Read our review: Bosley Builds a Tree House (or buy now)
Japanese For Children
Books for young children learning a new language are often simple but engaging.
- Read our review: My First Book of Japanese Words (or buy now)
Japanese Flash Cards
One great way to memorise nouns, verbs, and the 3 Japanese alphabets are to use flash cards.
- Read our review: Let’s Learn Japanese With Flashcards (or buy now)
- Japanese Kanji Cards Kit (or buy now)
Japanese Learning For Teens & Adults
The majority of the resources we have are for teens and adults, mainly because I was an adult when I lived in Japan and started my studies. These are some of the books I’ve picked up along the way.
- Read our review: Japanese Vocabulary Language Study Card : Essential Words and Phrases for the JLPT and AP Exams (or buy now)
- Read our review: Japanese Picture Dictionary Review (or buy now)
- Read our review: JLPT Study Guide (or buy now)
- Japanese for Busy People I (or buy now)
- 2001 Japanese and English Idioms (or buy now)
- The Learner’s Japanese Kanji Dictionary, Bilingual Edition (or buy now)
- Japanese for Busy People I: The Workbook (or buy now)
Learning Japanese Through Apps
There are many apps now available for learning Japanese. These are a couple that I’ve tried:
Japanese TV & Audio
Practice your Japanese skills to improve your comprehension and fluidity by watching TV and listening to podcasts.
- NHK World TV
- NHK Learn Japanese Programs
- Weekly news in simple Japanese
- Free Podcasts & Daily Email Japanese Lesson Courses
- JapanesePod101.com – Learn Japanese with Free Daily Podcasts
Japanese Writing and Calligraphy
Japanese has 3 alphabets; hiragana and katakana can be learned the easiest, but learning the thousands of kanji characters definitely takes a lot of time. One way to help remember all of the characters is to practice writing them yourself.
Learning Kanji
- Read our review: My First Japanese Kanji Book (or buy now)
- Read our review: Beginning Japanese Kanji Language Practice Pad (or buy now)
Japanese Calligraphy & Writing Practice Aids
- Japanese Kuretake Pocket Brush Pen
- Japanese Calligraphy Set 9 Parts
- Mini Zen Satori Board
- Japanese Writing Practice Book: Kawaii Sushi Themed
- Hiragana Practice Notebook (Genki Textbook)
- Japanese Kanji Practice Notebook
