Japanese-learning tools, compared: dictionaries, flashcards, kanji, grammar, reading and more.
76 tools · 11 categories
A simple order that works. Pick one tool per step and skip everything else on the site for now. Already using Duolingo? It's fine for a daily habit, but pair it with the course in step 2: it won't take you far on its own.
Everything else assumes you can read both kana scripts. Hiragana first, then katakana. This takes days, not months.
Done when: You can read every kana without stopping to think.
A course gives you grammar in a sensible order. Choose a book or a free option.
Watch ToKini Andy's free video for each Genki chapter alongside it. No book? Start with the free Easy Japanese course.
Done when: You've finished Genki I, or the free course you picked.
Spaced repetition keeps what you learn from slipping away. Kaishi gives you the 1,500 most useful words to start with.
How to start: install Anki (free on Windows, Mac and Linux; AnkiDroid on Android is free; AnkiMobile on iPhone is a one-time purchase). Download the Kaishi deck from AnkiWeb, open it with File > Import, and do your reviews every day before adding new cards. WaniKani is a paid alternative that teaches kanji and vocabulary together.
Done when: You've seen all 1,500 Kaishi words. Keep reviewing daily.
One good dictionary is all you need at first.
Takoboto works offline on Android. Already using Kanji Study? Its kanji and word search covers lookups too.
Skip for now: For now you can skip JLPT prep books, Japanese-only dictionaries and native novels. They're listed here for later. When you've finished a beginner course and around 1,500 words, move on to Past the basics.
For learners who have finished a beginner course: roughly JLPT N4 to N3. (The JLPT is Japan's official language test, from N5, the easiest, to N1, the hardest. N3 is about the middle.) Most learners stall here because they keep studying the way they did as beginners. The change that helps is moving most of your time to reading and listening to real Japanese, with grammar and flashcards in support. A simple split: a short grammar session and your Anki reviews, then the rest of your time reading or listening.
Drill grammar points by level, with a deep reference for when the explanation isn't enough.
Done when: You can pass Bunpro's reviews for your target JLPT level.
Find material at your level, learn its words ahead of time, and look words up without leaving the page.
Done when: You've finished a graded book or an easy manga volume. Material is the right level when you can follow the story while looking up only a few words per page; if you're looking up most lines, pick something easier.
Learn from shows and videos with subtitles you can look up and save.
Native speakers correct your sentences and explain why.
For confident readers who want to learn mostly from native books, shows, manga and games, and turn new words into flashcards in one click. Expect an evening of setup. TheMoeWay has detailed setup guides for every step below.
Look up any word on a web page by hovering over it.
Done when: Hovering over Japanese text shows definitions.
Send a word with its sentence to Anki in one click.
Done when: One click in Yomitan creates a card in Anki.
Make every kind of text selectable so your dictionary works on it.
Easiest to start: open it in the browser and load an EPUB. Mokuro is for manga, Textractor for visual novels.
Pick material at the right level and learn its words first.
Tools for learning hiragana, katakana and kanji, from first-week kana drills to stroke order and radicals.
Structured courses and all-in-one apps for learning Japanese.
Japanese dictionaries for looking up words, kanji and example sentences.
Flashcard and spaced repetition (SRS) tools for keeping vocabulary and kanji in long-term memory.
Japanese grammar references and practice tools.
Tools for building Japanese vocabulary beyond flashcards: word lists, frequency data and ways to learn words in context.
Tools for reading real Japanese: graded readers, pop-up dictionaries, furigana and sentence mining.
Tools for listening practice and learning from video: lessons, podcasts, dual subtitles and players that let you look up and save words from what you watch.
Ways to practise speaking Japanese, from paid tutors to language exchange.
Tools for typing Japanese on your computer and getting your writing corrected by native speakers.
Browser extensions that help while you read or watch Japanese online, such as pop-up dictionaries and furigana.
The tools the editor uses day to day. None of these links pay the site anything.
Android app for learning kanji, with stroke-order writing practice, flashcards, multiple-choice quizzes and spaced repetition, plus kanji and word search. The beginner kanji, radicals and kana are free with no ads; a one-time purchase unlocks the remaining kanji and custom study sets.
JLPT prep book series from ASK Publishing, split by level and by skill: grammar, vocabulary, kanji, reading and listening. Each book is a week-by-week plan with one short lesson per day, with English, Chinese and Korean translations for self-study.
Open-source spaced repetition flashcard program and the most widely used SRS tool among Japanese learners. Use shared decks or build your own, with audio, images and custom card layouts. On Android it's called AnkiDroid (free); on iPhone, AnkiMobile (one-time purchase). All sync through free AnkiWeb.
YouTube channel with hundreds of free Japanese lessons, best known for a series that walks through every chapter of the Genki textbooks, explaining the grammar and building practice sentences. Relaxed and funny enough to listen to on the go. His website, tokiniandy.com, adds paid companion courses with exercises and tests for Genki and Quartet.
Free Anki deck of the 1,500 most useful beginner words. Each card shows the word inside an example sentence with it highlighted, plus the reading, meaning, and audio for both word and sentence; pitch accent can be switched on. Download it from AnkiWeb or GitHub.
Online tutoring marketplace with one-to-one Japanese lessons over video. Tutors set their own prices and schedules, so you can compare by price, reviews and specialty, such as conversation or JLPT prep.
