Free or Cheap Japanese Language Learning Resources For Your Karate Class
I will update this list as I learn of any more useful ones. If you want general language learning resources check out this other post. This list is Japanese specific. Find lists for other specific languages here.
For the purposes of this list "free" means something that is either totally free or has a useful free tier. "Cheap" is a subscription under $10USD a month, a software license or lifetime membership purchase under $100USD, or a book under $30USD. If you want to suggest a resource for this list please suggest ones in that price range that are of decent quality and not AI generated.
WEBSITES
JLPT Matome - This website is organized by the levels of the JLPT Japanese proficiency test. It has lists of Vocab, Kanji, and grammar points as well as pages with more detail on each point for free. The paid tier has test simulations and flashcard drills but if you ask me, all of that is unnecessary.
Renshuu - This website/app has games, daily challenges, a dictionary, and a lot of other resources. There are some paid features like quizzes but the vast majority of the website's features are completely free.
Tofugu - This is a free website with articles and podcast episodes in English about learning Japanese with tips and culture points. The creators of this website also created WaniKani, a website aimed at helping people memorize Kanji.
Comprehensible Japanese - This is a website/Youtube channel with comprehensible input videos for learners from absolute beginner to intermediate. They have a number of free videos but most are behind a paywall. Their pricing is $8 a month, $80 a year, or $300 for a lifetime membership.
Tae Kim's Guide - This website and blog archive is mainly based around grammar explanations. You can also buy the website owner's book, but there's also a lot of free content on the website.
Tenyomi - This free website is based around reading practice and grammar lessons for beginners. It has a selection of short stories as well as a sentence of the day with a short lesson attached. It has a fairly large archive of these daily lessons to read through. All Japanese sentences also have audio and English translations along with their grammar explanations.
Pitch Accent Perception Test - This free tool works as a test to see how well you can hear pitch accent. I've seen some people use it as a training tool as well.
Condensed Audio Catalog - This is an archive of condensed audio anime. That's anime with the silent moments edited out so you can listen to just the audio over and over again. Some people say they like using this for study so I've included it.
Jisho - This is a free online Japanese to English dictionary that also has kanji explanations and example sentences.
Yomitan for Firefox and Chrome - This is a browser extension that works as a popup dictionary and also allows you to connect it to your anki account to create flashcards with it.
Kashi 1.5K Anki Deck - This is a free premade Anki deck that has 1,500 common Japanese words with pictures, audio, and example sentences.
Kakijun - This website is in Japanese and is a resource for learning proper stroke order for Kanji.
YOUTUBE CHANNELS
Cure Dolly - This channel no longer uploads but it has a massive archive of videos on Japanese grammar as well as a dedicated playlist for absolute beginners.
Akane Japanese Class - This is a channel by a Japanese teacher that makes vlogs in Japanese for intermediate learners. She often films herself traveling, ordering food, checking into hotels, describing things in shops, and other daily life situations. She has subtitles available in various languages and is actually sometimes interesting to watch even if you're not learning Japanese tbh.
Learn Japanese With Tanaka San - This channel has an intermediate podcast, listening practice for beginners, and videos about kanji with cute little illustrations with various characters that works as a visual aid. The creator of this channel also has various free PDF guides linked under a lot of their videos.
Kaname Naito - This is a channel by a Japanese teacher who mostly teaches in English and makes videos explaining some of the more confusing grammar points.
Japanese Super Immersion - This is a channel by two native speakers who post videos of Japanese conversation and conversation practice videos for beginner to intermediate learners. They also have some more advanced dialogues for channel members.
Jiro, Just Japanese - This channel has videos in Japanese for learners. He has a podcast, travel vlogs, and a series of minecraft lets plays.
Nihongo-Learning - This channel makes listening practice videos on a variety of topics for beginner to intermediate learners. They also have videos about Japanese culture and news.
Speak Japanese Naturally - This channel is in a mix of Japanese and English and has explanations of grammar and vocabulary and tips on how to improve pronunciation. The creator of this channel also has a podcast aimed at intermediate to advanced learners.
iroironanihongo - This is a comprehensible input channel channel for beginner to intermediate learners by a Japanese teacher who teaches using manga, anime, and discussions of Japanese culture.
Daily Japanese With Naoko - This is a channel by a Japanese woman who makes daily life vlogs in simple Japanese for Japanese learners.
READING PRACTICE
Tadoku.org - This website produces a number of Japanese graded readers for various levels and a selection of them are free to read on their website.
Satori Reader - This website/app is meant for intermediate learners to practice reading. They have a lot of short stories and series, integrated flash cards, and grammar lessons. The free tier has a good number of free articles. The pro version is $9 a month or $89 a year.
Jareads - This app is on ios and android and has a number of news articles in Japanese with the option to save words to an in-app flashcard deck and check definitions as you're reading. There's also the option to sort articles by JLPT level. The app is free to use but requires watching ads to access some features.
Lingual Ninja - This website has a number of free little folktale stories, articles, and bits of JLPT reading practice with translations, audio, and some also have video.
I'm gonna list off a number of more affordable physical paperback graded readers now.
Japanese Short Stories for beginners by lingo mastery - $19 with significantly cheaper used copies available
Japanese Stories for Language Learners: Bilingual Stories in Japanese and English by Anne McNulty and Eriko Sato - $18 with used copies available
A Japanese Reader: Graded Lessons for Mastering the Written Language (Tuttle Language Library) by Roy Andrew Miller - $19 with cheaper used copies available.
Short Stories in Japanese for Intermediate Learners by Olly Richards - $15 with cheaper used copies available
PODCASTS
This spreadsheet has over 100 podcasts listed on it. Some specifically for learners, and others for native speakers.
Japan Radio - This app allows you to listen to various Japanese radio stations for free
SELF-STUDY TEXTBOOKS AND DICTIONARIES
The Learner's Japanese Kanji Dictionary - This dictionary is focused around Kanji and has English explanations. Its official price is $25 but it's often on sale and used copies are available.
Lonely Planet Japanese Dictionary and Phrasebook - This book is especially useful for people looking to learn Japanese for tourism. It focuses on survival everyday language. It's around $12.
Miriam Webster's Japanese to English Dictionary - This is generally the cheapest bilingual dictionary on the market at $8.
Learn Japanese With Manga - This is a series of self study textbooks that uses comics as its teaching medium. Each book in the series is around $20 for a physical copy and $10 for a digital one.
Japanese for Dummies - This is one of the cheaper textbooks out there but reviews say it covers a bit less than stuff like genki or Japanese from Zero. Those more popular books are more expensive though. It's $28 for a physical copy and $17 for a digital copy and used copies are available.
Japanese for Busy People - This textbook series is aimed at professionals moving to Japan and teaches very formal Japanese. A new book is $30 but that doesn't include the workbook. Though from what I've seen it's often on sale and used copies are pretty easy to find.
Shin Nihongo 500 Mon - This book is better if you can already read some Japanese. There are a few books in the series for different JLPT levels. The basic premise of this series is that it has 500 questions to help you practice for the JLPT exam. I usually see them listed for around $20.
Vocabulary for the JLPT - This series has lists of vocabulary words for different levels of the JLPT with both English and Vietnamese translations if you speak Vietnamese I guess. Each book is about $22 new.
That's what I have for you! Please do suggest additional resources if you have any!
