Best for: Learning the basics from a textbook-style app
Self-paced Japanese course app that reads like a friendly textbook, covering grammar, writing and culture from the very beginning, with quizzes along the way.
Erin's Challenge: free video series from the Japan Foundation following a student in Japan, with lessons on everyday phrases and culture.
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.
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.
