It’s true that not all tools are very helpful, and they certainly aren’t all equal. However, there are also tools that can help accelerate your learning. For example, Anki has the ability to help you learn more material, quicker, and better than using regular flash cards. And yet I find there are a lot of people who aren’t willing to give it a try or put in the time to set it up.

Let’s face it, there are no short cuts to learning Japanese. You need to put in the time and practice. But there are tools that can make that time more efficient. This doesn’t mean that you need to try out every single learning tool. But it will probably be worth your time to try out the ones that a lot of people (especially the one’s who can speak) use.

I have mentioned several times that studying Japanese should be fun. If it’s not fun then it is going to be much harder and take you longer to learn. An ideal method would be one that makes you feel like you aren’t studying at all. Over the last few weeks I have been playing with a Japanese learning tool called NihongoUP. And I say “playing” in the literal form, because NihongoUp turns Japanese study into an addictive game.

NihongoUp is made up of 4 different games (kana, kanji, words, and grammar). In the kana game, little balloons with kana fall from the top of the screen and you have to type them before they hit the bottom of the screen. With the other three games you are given a sentence and must click the falling balloon containing the correct answer before it hits the bottom of the screen. The balloons fall faster and faster with each correct answer and slow down again after you miss one. The advantage to this method is that you will constantly be challenged to read and answer quicker each time.

The game is designed in Adobe air which means it can be played on on any Operating System. The game itself is beautifully designed and runs fast. I didn’t care much for the music, but luckily there is an option to turn it off. Rather than music, I would prefer readings of the sentences or characters. I think that would be much more helpful.

NihongoUp isn’t a full Japanese language suite and the author of the program is the first to mention this. For instance, the kana feature doesn’t tell you how to type the characters you get wrong. Kanji and words that you missed are only shown briefly. And by that time you are already working on the next word or character. Adding a review or a report showing the correct answers would be a very helpful addition.

Having said that, what it is designed to do, and what I think it accomplishes very well, is to help you study material you already know in a fun way. It gets you to focus on getting the next high score and in doing so makes you forget you are studying. Though you will definitely learn some new words and kanji along the way.

The program costs a total of $4.99. I think this is pretty cheap for the amount of study you will get out of it. There is also a trial version available.

You can find NihongoUp at the link below:

NihongoUp

Yesterday, we covered what I consider to be an essential set of books for learning the Japanese kana and kanji. By themselves, Remembering the Kana and Remembering the Kanji are great tools for learning Japanese. So great in fact,  someone has created an entire website to help you use them more efficiently. Besides being a website, Reviewing the Kanji is an SRS (spaced repetition system) that contains all the the kanji in the Remembering the Kanji series.

It keeps track of what you need to study, when you need to study it, and also keeps track of all your progress with various charts and reports. One of the best parts about the site is the social aspect. You can write your story for each kanji and also see what other people are using for theirs (this will make more sense once you get the books).

As far as I know, there is currently no way to sync Remember the kanji and Anki, so you will have to choose which one you want to use from the beginning. Though there does seem to be a plugin for Anki to import “Reviewing the Kanji” progress. Both have pre-made decks containing all the kanji, and in fact the deck for Anki even contains links to the Reviewing the Kanji page. I recommend you try them both out and see which one you like the best. You can find a link to Reviewing the Kanji below:

Reviewing the Kanji

In the last couple of days we have covered Anki, an easy to use flash card program that will help you learn Japanese words and kanji quicker. We also discussed Denshi Jisho, a great Japanese dictionary. Today we will discuss two tools for reading and learning Japanese online (let’s face it, we spend a lot of time on here). Firefox is a browser and RIkaichan is an add on that will give you the meaning and reading for any word you mouse over. Rather than write a long post, I have listed links to two other posts describing both Firefox and Rikaichan in detail. There are also instructions for installation.

Using Firefox to Learn Japanese

Reading Japanese Words with Rikaichan

Download them and try them out. Rikaichan is an amazing tool that everyone learning Japanese should have at hand!

When it comes to learning Japanese there is a lot to memorize. You need to memorize words, phrases, and three alphabets (hiragana, katakana, and Kanji). Kanji alone has over 2000 characters. So finding the most efficient method to memorize Japanese should be high on our list. That’s where Anki comes in. But before we go into Anki, lets discuss one of the big problems with regular flash cards.

The Problem with Regular Memorization

When I first started learning Japanese many years ago I spent a lot of time reviewing. I had a stack of flash cards and lists of Japanese words and phrases in my notebook. I would continually go over them to make sure that I knew them well. The problem was that I wasted a lot of time because I was spending time reviewing cards I already knew. It was the only sure way to make sure I really knew them. In turn, that wasted time could have been spent studying cards I didn’t know as well to help me learn faster.

Over the years a lot of research has been done on learning and memorization. What they found is that there is a optimum time to review so you remember longer. That optimum time is right before you will forget.  The difficulty with regular flash cards or remembering words out of a notebook is that is impossible to know when you will forget a card/word and when you should review it.

Learning Japanese Words Faster by Using an SRS

Luckily, we have computers now. We may not be able to keep track of how well we know an item, but a computer can. A number of SRS (spaced repetition learning system) programs have been created using algorithms that track your progress and show you the cards you need to see. This helps you speed up your memorization by making your study time more efficient. You spend more time learning the facts you don’t know as well. You also see the cards at the most optimum time.

So Why Anki?

The main reason I prefer Anki over some of the other SRS programs is because it was designed from the start to be used for learning Japanese. For instance, if you add a new word in kanji, Anki will automatically fill in the answer section with a hiragana reading. This reduces the time you spend making cards and lets you spend more time learning them.

In addition, Anki gives you a lot of other options.  You can:

• Create an online account which allows you to study anywhere ( I use this on my cell phone) and sync your progress with your main computer
• Created multiple decks for different subjects
• Create multiple tags in a deck or add priorities
• Choose the how long each study session is
• Choose how many new cards you see each day
• Add pictures and audio
• Download premade lists (though I generally recommend you create your own)
• Download plugins to add additional features
• Choose to hide cards completely once you have learned them well
• Easily navigate using Anki’s clean, simple interface

So now that you have an idea of what Anki is and what it can do for you. Go and get it! You can find it at the link below:

Anki

I hope everyone had a great weekend and got lots of Japanese study in. I had a busy weekend (looking for a new house to rent)  and so wasn’t able to post for the last few days. However, starting tomorrow, I will be writing a number of posts on some very helpful Japanese study tools and sties. We also have some new Japanese lists we are creating so stay tuned.

One of the most popular posts on Japanese words has been the common Japanese Words list containing over 1000 Japanese words and kanji. That page has received quite a few comments asking for pronunciations in romaji (English Alphabet). While having romaji may seem to make studying easier when you first start out, learning using the English alphabet will actually hold you back. This article will cover the main reasons why you should start studying and master the Japanese Kana (hiragana and katakana) as soon as possible. As well as listing a few tools to help you learn more quickly.

Thinking in Japanese

If you want to learn Japanese as quickly as possible, then you need to immerse yourself in it. The more you are seeing and thinking in Japanese the faster you will be able to learn. If you are trying to learn using the English alphabet, then your mind is only half thinking in Japanese. You are seeing Japanese words, but your mind is trying to translate them into English. If you read using the kana (and eventually kanji) it is easier for your brain to make the change.

Once you learn to read the kana, you will realize how difficult reading Japanese in romaji really was!

More Japanese Materials

The more Japanese materials you have available to you the better. It doesn’t mean that you will use them all, but you will have a larger selection from which to choose the best ones. Once you learn the kana, you aren’t limited to only Japanese language study materials (textbooks, Japanese language books, etc). You can start trying to read Japanese magazines, mangas, websites, and subtitles on movies. This will also help you start learning the kanji, which are essential for anyone serious about Japanese.

Pronunciation

Japanese has far fewer sounds than the English language. Furthermore, each kana can only be read a single way. Not like English where vowels can have different sounds depending on the letters next to them. Once you learn the correct sound for each kana, you will be better at pronouncing Japanese words. Of course you will still need a lot of practice to learn the correct pronunciation, but getting away from romaji (which can have several) is a good move in the right direction.

Travelling/Living in Japan

It’s true that you can find a lot of English signs in the main cities in Japan now days. However, there are many places that have no English signs at all. Having the ability to read at least hiragana and kana will really help you get around. Learning the first 100 or so Kanji will be an even bigger help.

Tools for Learning the Japanese Characters

Remembering the Kana- James Heisig, Author of Remembering the Kanji has created a unique and effective method for remembering Japanese characters. Using creative stories to remember each kana and it’s reading, the book teaches you the hiragana and katakana in about 3 hours each. You can read a full review on the book here: Remembering the Kana.

Read The Kanji- Now that you have finished Remembering the Kana, it’s time to get some practice. Read the Kanji is a great site that allows you to practice using Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji in sentences. It highlights the word and you type the reading. Not only is it great reading practice, it’s also great typing practice. The website keeps track of your progress and makes you review characters and words you know less, more often. I highly recommend this site.

Learn the Kana- This site has all the kana, but more importantly they also have the sounds. Very helpful if you are just getting started.

Rikaichan- Rikaichan is an amazing addon for Firefox that will give you the reading, definition, and a ton of other information of any Japanese word or character you mouse over. You can find a more detailed review on Rikaichan here: Reading Japanese Words Like A Pro With Rikaichan.

Anki- Anki is a spaced program that helps you learn quicker by showing you the right items when you need to see them. A great tool for learning Japanese and completely free.

Smart.FM- A website that uses spaced repitition to help you learn faster. There is a downloadable list for hiragana and katakana with sound.

Since the weekend is almost here, there is plenty of time to sit in front of the computer watching YouTube videos. Why not turn this little activity into Japanese learning time as well. Setting up your YouTube page to easily find Japanese videos and even read Japanese is very simple and can easily be changed back at any time.

1. Open up YouTube

2. In the upper left hand corner you should see a language and a region setting.  The left is the region (where you want to see videos from) and the right is the language you want to view the page in.

3. To view videos from Japan, simply click on the left link (it probably reads “wordwide” or has your specific region) and change it to Japanese. If you want to get a little more Japanese practice, then you can also switch the page language to Japanese as well.

4. Don’t forget to use Firefox and to turn on Rikaichan to make reading the page easy!

Learning a new language takes time, hard work, and dedication. However, using the right study methods along with the right tools can help you learn a language much quicker while at the same time making it funner as well. Over the years I have tried a number of different methods to learn new Japanese words. Below are the ones I have found to be the most efficient and also the most enjoyable.

1. The Apple Itouch/Iphone- we all no about the various uses of the itouch. However, the thing that I use it for the most is to study Japanese words and kanij. There are a number of Japanese programs to choose from and most of them are under a few dollars. I have listed my 4 favorites below.

1. Kanji Flip

A very simple flash card program containing all of the JLPT Kanji along with sample vocab words. The program tracks how well you remember each kanji and shows it more or less frequently accordingly. An absolute must for someone studying for the JLPT. Disadvantage is that the words are not put into categories and you can not opt out of kanji once you have learned them well. $5.99. There is also a version called “Kana Flip for those learning hiragana and katakana. $2.99

1. Japanese Flip- Basically the same program as Kanji Flip but using words from the JLPT test. Uses the same interface as Kanji flip and the same algorithm to help you remember words.  $6.99
2. Kotoba- A Free dictionary put out by the same maker of Kanji Flip and Japanese flip using. The uses an open source dictionary and also has the ability to search by hand input (drawing kanji). This is a very important feature since searching for meanings of difficult kanji can be very time consuming. Free
3. Kanji- A very similar program to Kanji flip with a clean interface. It is a simple flash card program and lacks the progressive learning feature that Kanji Flip uses. Good program for $0.99.

2. Mnemosyne

Studies have shown that the best time to review material is right before you forget it. Mnemosyne is a free flash card program for your computer that allows you to choose how well you remembered the word you were shown. Depending on your choices, Mnemosyne will show that word more or less often. There are set decks of cards available for free download and you can also put in your own words. I use this with The above itouch programs to help me learn Japanese words faster.

3. Rikaichan

Rikaichan is a FireFox add-on that allows you to mouse over Japanese words and see the meaning and readings. It is a great tool for learning Japanese words (and kanji) and can help even a beginner to navigate Japanese pages. This program is a must for anyone learning Japanese.

4. Mini-notepad

Now I know that this one may not seem nearly as high tech or cool as the previous three, but a mini-notepad and can be one of the best tools for learning new Japanese words and kanji (especially for those who are living in Japan). The key is to carry the notepad and a writing utensil with you at all times and write down the the words and kanji you don’t understand. If you write down only a few words a day then you will be learning 14-21 extra words a week. If you are not living in Japan, then you can write down words in your native language you don’t know how to say in Japanese to research later. As an extra even more effective step, you can transfer these words into Mnemosyne to help you remember them.

5. Skype

Skype is a voip and instant chat program that allows you to have chats, make phone calls, and even video conferences with people anywhere in the world for free as long as they have skype. This means that you can make friends with people in Japan and practice your Japanese no matter where you are. The program is easy to set up and use and you can start making friends immediately. For those in Japan, you can also use it to call home.