Is there a free resource for learning Japanese?

Japanese is an East Asian language spoken by about 128 million people, primarily in Japan, where it is the national language. It is a member of the Japonic (or Japanese-Ryukyuan) language family, and its relation to other languages, such as Korean, is debated. Although there are a number of dialects and accents around Japan, the essentially monolingual status that prevails here is quite rare, experts say. Several principal languages are widely spoken within the borders of most countries. According to Nagoya University linguistics professor Ken Machida, there are between 6,000 and 7,000 living languages in the world today, which, if evenly distributed, would break down to about 30 per country. Outside of Japan, 2.98 million people in 133 countries are studying the language at 13,639 institutions, according to a 2006 survey by the Japan Foundation. Japonic languages have been grouped with other language families such as Ainu, Austroasiatic, and the now-discredited Altaic, but none of these proposals has gained widespread acceptance.

Online Support

Apps

Duolingo is one of the most popular free online language learning resources. The website teaches a variety of languages, including Japanese. It offers extensive written lessons and dictation, as well as gamification to make learning more enjoyable. There is also a paid version available.

Classes

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is the primary training institution for the United States Federal Government’s employees in the foreign affairs community. They have online public domain versions of their language courses.

Alison Japanese

Begin with a brief overview of the language and its dialects, and then work on pronunciation using modern and important alphabets including Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana alphabets. Following that, you will learn how to greet and introduce yourself to others. There is a strong emphasis on practical skills, and each lesson makes use of audio and scripts to make the experience as simple and enjoyable as possible. In addition, important cultural and grammatical points are highlighted and explained.

JapanesePod101 is one of the most well-known Japanese online courses. It’s been around for a long time and has literally thousands of audio and video lessons, as well as printable lesson notes, interactive quizzes, flashcard decks, and other resources. Lessons range from absolute beginner to advanced, and there are also special courses for JLPT preparation.

The Japanese national broadcaster, NHK, offers an online course called Easy Japanese. It is a 48-lesson audio and text-based course for beginners. It’s completely free, and there’s no need to sign up or become a member.

Using Flashcards

Anki is an excellent SRS app that will assist you in memorising vocabulary words faster than traditional memorization techniques. Quizlet is another online flashcard programme that allows you to play games while learning and take tests to track your progress.

The Japan Foundation is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting Japanese language and culture throughout the world. There are a few different courses available where you can learn Japanese for free online. Why ‘Marugoto’ course;  because it is the best all-around beginner course. Other online courses include Kansai Dialect and Introduction to Haiku. A complete list can be found here.

LearnJapaneseforfree.com

As the name implies, this website provides free Japanese instruction. It currently offers a course of 28 basic lessons for complete beginners, as well as a variety of special lessons, such as vocabulary on various topics.

Reading 

CosCom News

It’s uncommon to come across reading materials for beginners that aren’t children’s books. This website publishes extremely brief news articles. To switch between romaji, hiragana, and full Japanese, use the buttons at the top (with kanji). If you want to take notes, you can also download the article as a pdf. Key vocabulary is listed below in English. For beginners, the ‘Headline News’ section contains very short articles. The articles in the ‘News of Japan’ section are slightly longer. The most recent article in each section is the only one that is available for free. You can also pay to become a member in order to read the archives.

Traditional Japanese Children’s Stories

This lovely website contains a collection of traditional Japanese fairy tales. The stories are written in simple Japanese with line-by-line English translations underneath. All Japanese children grow up hearing these stories, so studying them will help you better understand Japanese culture!

1000 Most Common Japanese Words. Start learning Japanese by learning the 1000 most common Japanese words if you want to get the most bang for your buck at learnjapanesedaily.com. A list of those words can be found there.

Listening 

JapanesePod101 is a cutting-edge learning platform that includes audio and video lessons. The free account allows you to view the ten most recent lessons.

YouTube

Listening to Japanese music is an excellent way to learn the language. J-Pop Fantasia, Eric Rhodes & Eric Rhodes II, muzik trafik, The Soul of Wind are a few learners could look into.

YouTube channels for learning Japanese.

YouTube has more than enough content to keep you entertained for the rest of your life! Whether you enjoy Japanese dramas or documentaries, want to learn some simple phrases for beginners, or want to learn some naughty Japanese slang, someone will be teaching it for free on YouTube.

Learners can see through, President Hajime – 4.89 million subscribers, HikakinTV – 3.85 million subscribers, Yuka Kinoshita – 2.79 million subscribers, YG Entertainment – 2.75 million subscribers, HikakinGames – 2.66 million subscribers, SeikinTV – 2.16 million subscribers, Fischer’s – 2.13 million subscribers to learn Japanese. 

Easy Languages is a YouTube channel where you can learn Japanese by listening to real-life street interviews. The interview questions are lighthearted, such as “What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?” or “What were your childhood dreams, and did they come true?”

For the sake, of reference, lookup

About.com kanjiland is a website dedicated to teaching people how to speak Japanese. With “Kanji Land” lessons, you will learn all of the 1006 kanji characters. A new kanji character is introduced every day. First you will learn 80 kanji characters which are taught in grade one at Japanese school, then 160 for grade two, and it goes on to all 1006 kanji characters taught to Japanese language kids. You will find “kanji of the day” and its stroke order on the top of the page.

Google Translate is a free online translation service. Google Translate allows you to enter text in one language and have it translated into another language of your choice. Collins Free Online Translator is another option.

Tae Kim’s Japanese Grammar Guide

This is without a doubt the best website for learning Japanese grammar. It’s a comprehensive guide to Japanese grammar, ranging from absolute beginner to some very advanced phrases. The full content of the guide is available for free on the website, or you can download it as a free pdf or app.

JGram

If you’re preparing for the JLPT, bookmark this page right now because it will be a valuable resource. This website covers all of the grammar points for each JLPT level. Each grammar point has its own page with an explanation and a plethora of sample sentences. Because the sample sentences are submitted by users, there is always a wide range.

Jim Breen’s WWWJDIC

Japanese language dictionary server operated by the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group. Must be able to read kana.

Weblio

Includes Kenkyusha dictionaries

Denshi Jisho

ALC

Kotobank

Search 99 dictionaries and encyclopedias at once.

SmartKanji.net

Translates words written in kanji Japanese texts via various dictionaries.

Handwritten Kanji Search

Forvo. If there is a word in your target language that you are unsure how to pronounce, simply go to the Forvo website. Forvo is the Internet’s largest pronunciation guide website, and it was named one of Time Magazine’s 50 best websites of 2013.

To practise 

Writing 

Lang-8 is a social network for language exchange that is completely free. Submit text in any language you’re learning, and a native speaker will correct it as well as leave helpful comments and feedback.

Speaking 

Conversation Exchange is an excellent resource for connecting with language exchange partners from all over the world. It has a sizable community of Japanese speakers who are eager to converse with you! People to chat with online can be found using Skype, Google Hangouts, Line, Facetime, and a variety of other platforms. You can even look for people in your area for a face-to-face meeting.

There is no information available about the language’s prehistory or when it first appeared in Japan. A few Japanese words were documented in Chinese records dating back to the third century, but significant texts did not exist until the eighth century. During the Heian period (794–1185), the Chinese had a major influence on Old Japanese vocabulary and phonology. Late Middle Japanese (1185–1600) saw improvements in features that took it closer to modern Japanese, as well as the first use of European loanwords. During the Early Modern Japanese era (early 17th century–mid-19th century), the traditional dialect shifted from the Kansai area to the Edo (modern Tokyo) region. Following the end of Japan’s self-imposed isolation in 1853, there was a substantial rise in the influx of loanwords from European languages. English loanwords, in particular, have proliferated, as have Japanese words with English origins.

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