The best tools for learning Japanese are not necessarily the most popular ones nor the ones with the most features. An effective set usually has few resources, each with a clear task: guiding study, looking up words, reviewing what has been learned, offering contact with comprehensible Japanese, and allowing some form of practice or feedback.
When multiple apps, books, and websites are used without a defined goal, the student spends more time organizing materials than learning. This guide helps you choose tools and materials by level, skill, and routine, as well as showing how to combine free and paid resources without relying on a single platform.
You don't need to adopt all the options mentioned. Use the article as a map: identify your current need, choose a main resource, and add only what solves a real gap.
Table of Contents
- How to choose tools without accumulating resources
- The minimum kit to get started
- Tools by goal and level
- Structured courses and materials
- Websites for learning Japanese
- Apps for studying Japanese
- Books and printed materials
- Dictionaries and reference tools
- Anki and spaced repetition
- Graded reading in Japanese
- Audio and listening comprehension
- Conversation and feedback
- Keyboards and typing in Japanese
- Free and paid resources
- Recommended sets by profile
- Common mistakes when choosing materials
- Build your study set
How to choose tools without accumulating resources
Before downloading an app or buying a book, define the problem it needs to solve. “I want to learn Japanese” is too broad. A useful need is more specific: learning hiragana, understanding a grammar sequence, reviewing vocabulary, starting to read, training listening, or receiving corrections.
The tool should be evaluated by the function it fulfills in your routine, not by the number of advertised features. An app can be excellent for building a habit and still be insufficient for developing long-form reading. A book can explain grammar clearly and not offer audio. A dictionary can answer questions, but not create a study progression.
Use these criteria:
- Goal: What skill or difficulty will be worked on?
- Level: Does the material start from what you already know or require knowledge you don't have yet?
- Progression: Is there a clear order or just a collection of exercises?
- Audio: Are there natural recordings, transcription, and the ability to repeat sections?
- Context: Do words and structures appear in real sentences and situations?
- Feedback: Can you find out why an answer is wrong?
- Accessibility: Does the resource work on your device and in the support language you understand?
- Maintenance: Is the website, app, or course still active and updated?
- Real cost: Does the free plan meet your goal, or do essential features depend on payment?
Take a short test before changing your entire routine. Use the resource for a week or two and see if it increases what you can understand or produce. Streaks, points, and daily goals can motivate, but they don't replace observable linguistic progress.
The minimum kit to get started
A beginner student can start with five functions, without needing five different subscriptions:
- One main source: course, book, or script that determines the order of study.
- One dictionary: to confirm reading, meaning, and usage of words.
- One review system: cards, notebook, or spaced repetition.
- A comprehensible Japanese source: dialogues, graded texts, or audio with transcription.
- A way to practice: writing, voice recording, teacher, tutor, or language exchange partner.
O free Japanese course organized by stages can work as a main source for those who want to start with the How to Learn Japanese collection. It indicates a sequence of writing, vocabulary, grammar, and practice, while this HUB helps choose the resources that accompany that sequence.
When there is already a main source, it is not necessary to start another complete course every time a difficulty arises. To improve kanji, for example, keep the course and consult the complete Japanese kanji guide as specific support.
Tools by goal and level
The table below shows which resource category tends to solve each need. It does not determine a mandatory brand or platform.
| Current goal | Main resource | Complementary resource |
|---|---|---|
| Start from scratch | Course or book with progression | Audio and short practice |
| Learn hiragana and katakana | Kana guide with exercises | Reading simple words |
| Study kanji | Vocabulary with kanji in context | SRS and stroke lookup |
| Expand vocabulary | Texts and dialogues by theme | Review cards |
| Train listening | Audio with transcript | Repetition and shadowing |
| Start reading | Graded reading | Dictionary used sparingly |
| Practice conversation | Classes, tutoring, or exchange | Recording and self-assessment |
| Prepare for the JLPT | Material aligned with the level | Model questions and reading |
| Type in Japanese | Japanese system keyboard | Practice with real sentences |
The level also changes the choice. Beginners need explanations, controlled audio, and a predictable order. Intermediate students benefit from more reading, listening, and production. At advanced levels, materials created for native speakers gain space, but reference and feedback tools remain useful.
Structured courses and materials
Structured material should answer three questions: what to study now, what to do with the content, and how to know you are ready to move forward. It can be a book, an online course, a sequence of lessons, or a combination of these formats.
For those looking for institutional materials, the Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan, from the Japan Foundation, offers digital books, audio, and supplementary materials focused on everyday communication. The resource has stages that start at the beginner level and advance to the pre-intermediate level.
The Minato, platform, also maintained by the Japan Foundation, brings together online courses in Japanese language and culture. The offering varies between self-study modalities and courses with tutor support, so it is important to check language, level, enrollment period, and format before choosing.
Marugoto works with language and culture based on communicative objectives. On the website, the article about how to use the Marugoto books presents the material, while Marugoto Plus offers online activities related to the official course.
Before adopting any course, review a complete unit. Check whether the explanations are sufficient for you, whether the audio can be repeated, whether the exercises require production, and whether the material matches your goal. An excellent course for everyday communication may not be the most direct option for a specific exam; a test-prep course may not offer enough conversation practice.
Websites for learning Japanese
Japanese websites can function as a course, library, dictionary, reader, community, or source of exercises. Evaluating them only by the number of available pages often leads to accumulating tabs and bookmarks that are never used.
To build a useful selection, look for a website for each necessary function:
- lesson sequence;
- word and kanji lookup;
- texts appropriate for your level;
- audio with transcript;
- exercises with explanations;
- contact with language and culture.
The page with sites for learning Japanese brings together specific options. Use it as a supplementary list, but keep one criterion: add a new site only when it does something your current set doesn't do well.
Also check the date of the instructions. Platforms change addresses, plans, interfaces, and limits. An old tutorial may remain correct in its general principle but be outdated in screens or steps.
Apps for studying Japanese
Apps are especially useful for short sessions, reviews, and recurring practice. The risk appears when the ease of opening the app is mistaken for full language coverage.
Instead of only asking “what is the best app?”, identify the category:
- Course: organizes lessons and presents new content.
- Vocabulary: works on words, phrases, and review.
- Kanji: helps with recognition, readings, components, or writing.
- Dictionary: allows you to look up words while reading and studying.
- Reading: offers texts, glossaries, and progress tracking.
- Conversation: connects students, tutors, or teachers.
- Spaced repetition: schedules card reviews.
The article on apps for learning Japanese should be used as a practical comparison. When testing an option, observe whether you can export data, review errors, control notifications, and continue studying without relying on artificial rewards.
Avoid keeping two apps that perform exactly the same function. Duplication splits your study history and increases the number of reviews without necessarily increasing exposure to the language.
Books and printed materials
Books offer a stable sequence, a course overview, and fewer distractions. They can be used as the main material even when the student prefers audio and digital exercises, as long as there are enough recordings and answers for the intended type of study.
Before choosing a book, check:
- entry level and required knowledge;
- language of the explanations;
- presence of official audio;
- balance between grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening, and production;
- exercise answers;
- need for a separate workbook;
- compatibility with self-study or need for a teacher;
- edition and availability of supplementary materials.
Don't choose just by the amount of content. A dense book can be useful as a reference and bad as a first course. Likewise, a light material can create a good introduction and need supplements later.
Free PDFs deserve the same criteria. Downloading dozens of handouts doesn't create a study sequence. Choose one, set chapters and weekly tasks, and archive the rest until there is a concrete need.
Dictionaries and reference tools
A dictionary should not be used only to find a translation. A complete lookup can show reading, part of speech, writing, examples, usage restrictions, and related words.
There are different types:
- Japanese–Portuguese: more accessible for initial lookups, but may have smaller coverage.
- Japanese–English: usually offers more entries and examples, when English is a support option.
- Monolingual Japanese: becomes useful at higher levels.
- Kanji dictionary: allows searching by radical, components, strokes, or drawing.
- Browser extension: shows reading and meaning while browsing.
The guide to Jisho as an online Japanese dictionary explains a widely used tool for Japanese and English queries. In any dictionary, read the labels and confirm the meaning within the sentence, as words that seem equivalent may have different uses.
During extensive reading, don't stop at every line to look up every word. Look up what hinders comprehension or appears repeatedly. In intensive reading, detailed lookup makes more sense.
Anki and spaced repetition
Spaced repetition organizes reviews at intervals that change based on performance. It is useful for keeping vocabulary, readings, and structures accessible in memory, but it doesn't teach the language on its own.
O anki combines active recall and spaced repetition. The article about how to learn japanese using Anki shows how to integrate the program into your routine, while the explanation about SRS and spaced repetition presents the principle behind the reviews.
Useful cards are usually small and contextualized. A card might ask for the reading of a word within a sentence; another might show a short audio and ask for recognition. Avoid requiring simultaneous translation, all readings of a kanji, perfect writing, and sentence production.
It's also important to control the volume of new cards. When reviews take up all study time, reduce the intake of items. The goal of SRS is to support reading, listening, and language use, not to replace these activities.
Graded reading in Japanese
Graded texts control vocabulary, grammar, and visual support so that the student can read above the level of isolated sentences without facing the full difficulty of a text for native speakers.
O Tadoku's free library brings together readings organized by level, with options that may include furigana, audio, PDF, or online reading. The idea is to start with very easy materials, read a lot, and avoid translating every element.
To choose the first text:
- look for a page where you understand the general meaning without looking up every word;
- use images and context before opening the dictionary;
- temporarily abandon a book that is too difficult;
- reread short stories to notice progress;
- combine silent reading with audio when available.
Graded reading and detailed study are not competitors. Extensive reading develops fluency and tolerance for ambiguity; intensive reading allows you to investigate grammar and vocabulary. A balanced routine can use both.
Audio and listening comprehension
A good audio resource for students allows listening more than once, consulting the transcript, and understanding the context. The speed doesn't have to be artificially slow forever, but the content should be clear enough to allow progress.
A simple practice can follow four steps:
- listen without the text and identify the situation, participants, and recognized words;
- read the transcript and clarify the main points;
- listen again while following the text;
- repeat short passages trying to keep up with rhythm and intonation.
The article on audio resources for Japanese phrases can help you find materials. For immersion, the guide on how to use doramas and anime as input shows how to turn entertainment into more conscious contact with the language.
Text-to-speech can be useful to quickly confirm a sequence or create temporary support, but it should not be treated as a universal substitute for natural recordings. For pronunciation, dialogues, and shadowing, prefer materials with human voice and clear context.
Conversation and feedback
Speaking requires retrieving words, organizing sentences, and adapting language to the situation. No multiple-choice app fully replaces this practice.
Options include classes with a teacher, tutoring, language exchange, moderated communities, and individual recording. Each format addresses different needs:
- Teacher: offers progression, explanation, and planned correction.
- Tutor: can focus practice on conversation and specific doubts.
- Exchange: allows frequent contact, but depends on the balance between languages and the quality of correction.
- Recording: helps you notice pauses, pronunciation, and lack of vocabulary, even without another person.
When choosing a service, check the professional's profile, support language, experience with your level, cancellation policy, and type of feedback. For a first lesson, bring a concrete goal, such as practicing a presentation, explaining your routine, or reviewing a pronunciation question.
Keyboards and typing in Japanese
Typing in Japanese allows you to search for words, write messages, and practice production without immediately memorizing the manual writing of all characters. On many keyboards, you type a reading and choose the appropriate conversion among hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
On Windows, the Microsoft Japanese IME offers text input and conversion. Use the current system documentation, as tutorials for older versions may show menus that have already changed.
On iPhone and iPad, Apple allows adding keyboards for other languages in settings. On Android devices, the Japanese keyboard can be added through the system language options or the keyboard app in use.
After installation, practice real tasks:
- typing studied words;
- searching for a kanji by reading;
- writing two sentences about your day;
- comparing conversion options;
- saving new vocabulary with kana and kanji.
Always confirm the chosen option. The keyboard may suggest different kanji for the same reading, and the first conversion is not necessarily the intended word.
Free and paid resources
It is possible to build a solid routine with free materials. Institutional courses, graded texts, dictionaries, videos, and the Como Aprender Japonês collection itself cover many initial needs.
Payment makes sense when it offers an advantage you will actually use, such as:
- more organized sequence;
- individual feedback;
- better quality audio and exercises;
- ad-free experience;
- sync or offline features;
- specific content for an exam or professional goal.
Before subscribing, compare the free plan, trial period, and renewal rules. Do not keep a subscription just to avoid the feeling of “losing progress.” The investment should facilitate current study, not create an obligation to use an unsuitable platform.
Also, don't assume that paid material is automatically better. Quality depends on accuracy, progression, suitability for your level, and actual use.
Recommended sets by profile
Absolute beginner
- a main course or roadmap;
- a hiragana and katakana guide;
- lesson audio;
- a dictionary for simple lookups;
- five to ten minutes of review.
Avoid starting three full courses at the same time. Choose one and use the other resources only as support.
Already recognizes kana
- main course with grammar and vocabulary;
- graded reading at the beginner level;
- SRS for words found in the lessons;
- audio with transcript;
- Japanese keyboard configured.
Focus on conversation
- material based on communicative situations;
- audio and dialogue repetition;
- regular class, tutoring, or language exchange;
- a record of expressions you actually want to use;
- short recording for self-assessment.
Focus on reading and kanji
- graded texts;
- dictionary with kanji lookup;
- vocabulary review in context;
- material on components and stroke order;
- regular reading without looking up every word.
Little time available
- one main source;
- short review on your phone;
- audio reused throughout the week;
- one practical task per session;
- no new tools until the routine stabilizes.
Common mistakes when choosing materials
Switching methods every week
Novelty creates temporary motivation, but it prevents a sequence from producing results. Change when there's an identified problem, not just because another resource seems more interesting.
Accumulating apps with the same function
Two review systems generate separate queues. Three courses generate different content and progressions. Choose one main one and define a clear reason for any addition.
Using only passive materials
Watching explanations can increase understanding, but learning also requires retrieval, reading, responding, writing, or speaking.
Choosing content that's too difficult
Advanced material may seem more complete and still produce little learning when every line requires multiple lookups. Use gradual challenges.
Relying on romaji
Romaji can support the beginning, but it should lose ground as hiragana and katakana become familiar. Materials that never allow this transition can delay reading.
Confusing activity with progress
Minutes of use, points, and consecutive days show consistency, not necessarily mastery. Test whether you can understand a new sentence, recall a word after a few days, or perform a communicative task.
Build your study set
Start by recording your goal for the next four weeks. Then, choose one main source and at most two complements. An example would be: structured course, dictionary, and audio; or graded reading, dictionary, and SRS.
During the period, note:
- what you were able to understand or produce;
- which resource was actually used;
- where recurring difficulties arose;
- how much time was spent organizing materials;
- which tool can be removed without harming the routine.
In the end, keep what contributed to an observable task and replace only what did not fulfill its function. A simple, stable routine connected to real Japanese usage tends to produce more results than an extensive collection of underused resources.
Common questions
What's the best tool for learning Japanese?
There is no single tool that is universally the best. The choice depends on your level, your goal, and the purpose the resource will serve. To start, prioritize a structured resource, a dictionary, a review system, and reading or audio materials appropriate for your level.
How many apps should I use to study Japanese?
Use the fewest number of apps that meet your needs. One or two well-designed apps are usually more useful than several options that serve the same purpose. Stick to one main app and add features only when they fill a real gap.
Is it possible to learn Japanese using only free resources?
You can build a solid foundation using institutional courses, college-level texts, dictionaries, audio recordings, and free materials. Paid resources can help with organization, feedback, offline features, or specific content, but they aren't required to get started.
Does Anki teach Japanese?
Anki isn't a complete course. It organizes reviews using spaced repetition and helps you retain vocabulary, reading material, and grammar structures. It works best when the flashcards are based on content you read, listen to, and use in context.
Which Japanese dictionary should I use?
Beginners can start with a Japanese–Portuguese or Japanese–English dictionary that shows readings and parts of speech. As the level increases, kanji dictionaries, browser extensions, and monolingual dictionaries can complement the lookup.
Which material is best for beginners?
Choose a course or book that starts from scratch, has a clear sequence, audio, and exercises suitable for self-study. Avoid starting several complete courses at the same time. Use a dictionary and review as support for the main source.
Book or app: which is better?
Books offer a stable sequence and fewer distractions; apps facilitate short sessions, audio, and review. The formats can be combined. The choice should consider your goal, routine, device, and need for feedback.
How do I know if a course is suitable for my level?
Check the prerequisites and test a unit. The material should present some challenge without requiring multiple consultations for each sentence. It should also explain errors and indicate what you will be able to do upon completing a step.
Do I need a teacher to learn Japanese?
It is not mandatory to always study with a teacher, but qualified feedback helps correct pronunciation, writing, and patterns that may go unnoticed in self-study. Lessons can be used continuously or at specific times.
What tools help study kanji?
Use vocabulary in context, a dictionary with kanji lookup, stroke order diagrams, and a review system. Kanji apps are supplements; they should not replace real words, sentences, and reading.
How to choose materials to train listening comprehension?
Prefer audio with context, transcription, and the option to repeat. The content should be understandable enough for you to identify the situation and some of the words before consulting the text.
What should I use to start reading Japanese?
Start with graded texts, short stories, and materials with visual support. Choose content where you can understand the general meaning without looking up every word. Use the dictionary only when a word blocks comprehension or appears repeatedly.