Genki

PaidCourses & Appsgenki3.japantimes.co.jp

Best for: A complete beginner course from a textbook

Overview

GENKI: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, published by The Japan Times. Two textbooks (Genki I and II) with matching workbooks take beginners through grammar, conversation, reading, writing and kanji. The official site has free extra resources and audio.

Strengths

Widely used in university courses
Covers all four skills plus kanji
Lots of free support material online

Drawbacks

Beginner level only
Textbook pace can feel slow for self-study

Alternatives to Genki

See all 10 →

Erin's Challenge

Beginners who like video

BeginnerIntermediate

Free

Erin's Challenge: free video series from the Japan Foundation following a student in Japan, with lessons on everyday phrases and culture.

Web

Visit ↗

Duolingo

Building a daily habit

Beginner

Free + paid options

Gamified language app with a Japanese course built on short daily lessons. Free with ads; the paid plan removes ads and adds extra practice features.

iOSAndroidWeb

Visit ↗

Minna no Nihongo

Classroom-style beginner study, in Japanese from day one

Beginner

Paid

Beginner textbook series from 3A Corporation, written entirely in Japanese, with separate Translation & Grammar Notes books available in many languages. Widely used in language schools in Japan, and now in a third edition.

Print books

Visit ↗