Japanese Resources
- Books and printed matter
- Audio programs
- Free online courses
- Websites
- Online teachers
- JLPT
- Online dictionaries
- Tools
Books
- Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese
This text is extremely well written, easy to understand and just the right pace for me. There are many group exercises, but with a little imagination you can do those exercises on your own. I also have the workbook
, audio CD
, and answer key
.
- Japanese in Mangaland
This is an interesting textbook with loads of examples from manga in Japanese. I find this very useful for the less formal language found in manga and anime. I also have the workbook
.
- All about Particles
and How to Tell the Difference Between Japanese Particles
These two books are wonderful for learning how to use particles. The book of exercises may be a little advanced if you get bogged down in vocabulary.
- Kodansha's Furigana Japanese-English/English-Japanese Dictionary
Of course with studying a language you need a dictionary. This dictionary is easy to use even if you don't know kanji and contains many examples showing how to use words in common phrases.
- Kodansha's Essential Kanji Dictionary
I find this easier to use than the Kanji Learners Dictionary
.
- Japanese Kanji Flashcards: 300 Beginner-Level Kanji Cards: 1
I took these with me and looked at them several times a day. With practise, they reinforce the kanji meanings and pronunciation I learn doing written exercises and reading along with Pimsleur Japanese
audio program and Japanesepod101.com.
Audio programs
- Japanesepod101.com is the best audio resource I have found for Japanese. The podcasts are free, but for a low membership you have access to transcripts to help you understand written Japanese. A premium membership provides access to all sorts of learning tools. The podcasts are often quite funny and manage to inspire further study more than any other resource I have come across. Huge kudos to the entire Japanesepod101.com team!
- Pimsleur Japanese
Although this system advocates not learning how to write, but only how to speak and hear Japanese, I find it very useful in combination with the other textbooks and audio programs above.
Free online courses
MIT has included many of its Japanese and Asian culture subjects as free online courses, as part of the open courseware initiative.
- Japanese I 2009 - basic skills for conversation, reading and writing.
- Beginning Japanese II 2005 - building upon basic skills, and using the Japanese, the Spoken Language: Part 1
textbook.
- Intermediate Japanese I 2004 - continues to work with the Japanese, the Spoken Language: Part 1
- Japanese IV 2009 - again uses the Japanese, the Spoken Language: Part 1
- Advanced Japanese I 2005 - textbook: Japanese, the Spoken Language
- Advanced Japanese II 2005 - textbook: Japanese, the Spoken Language
- Linguistic Theory and the Japanese Language 2004
Culture courses
- Japanese Literature and Cinema 2006 MIT
- East Asian Cultures: From Zen to Pop 2005 MIT
- Japanese Popular Culture 2003 MIT
- Japanese Polics and Society 2008 MIT
- Visualizing Cultures 2008 MIT
- History of Japanese Economic Thought UT
- Contemporary Economic History of Japan I and II UT
Websites
Online teachers
- ななさわせんせい (nanasawa-sensei)
JLPT resources
- JEES - Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, JLPT page
- JLPT forums
- JLPT study pages
Online dictionaries
- WWWJDIC - Jim Breen's Japanes-English Dictionary Server
- Eijiro dictionary on the ALC website
