💡 What You'll Learn
✅
Read and write hiragana and katakana
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Introduce yourself in Japanese
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Navigate daily situations
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Learn your first 100 kanji
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Understand Japanese etiquette
⭐ Reviews (6)
★★★★★
Way better than Genki for self-study
Genki is designed for classrooms. This is designed for self-learners. Big difference. The explanations don't assume you have a teacher to ask questions to.
January 22, 2026
★★★★★
Well-paced and thorough
Doesn't overwhelm you. Each chapter introduces just enough new material to stay challenging but manageable. The practice dialogues feel natural, not robotic.
December 25, 2025
★★★☆☆
Good but kanji coverage is thin
The hiragana/katakana sections are really well done. But when you get to kanji, it introduces maybe 80 characters and that's it. I know it's a beginner book but I was hoping for more kanji practice. Grammar explanations are great though.
December 16, 2025
★★★★☆
Great start for anime fans lol
Yes I started learning Japanese because of anime. No shame. This is a much better starting point than random YouTube videos though. Actually explains the grammar behind the phrases you hear.
November 07, 2025
★★★★★
Hiragana and katakana in days
The mnemonic system for learning the kana charts actually works. Had both memorized in under a week. Grammar is introduced gently, which is nice because Japanese grammar is so different from English.
October 18, 2025
★★★★★
Finally understanding Japanese
The radical-based approach to learning kanji is genius. Instead of rote memorization, you learn the building blocks. Went from knowing zero kanji to reading basic signs in about a month.
September 11, 2025
