Roughly a year and a half ago, I wrote about my then-five-year-old son learning Japanese via the Kana Conqueror deck. You can go back and read it for the details, but to sum up the post: the deck allowed him to master hiragana and katakana, to understand hundreds of new sentences, and to do so in an enjoyable way and at a comfortable pace. Obviously, … Continue reading →
As you may have read in an earlier post, my son finished the Kana Conqueror deck not too long after turning five. He did it at an agreeable pace. He then saw first-hand the benefits of being able to read Japanese. And he was up for another challenge. So, naturally, I uploaded JALUP’s beginner deck into Anki. Why I Chose the Beginner Deck The beginner … Continue reading →
I forget where I first heard about it. I don’t even remember what compelled me to buy it. But no matter the cause, I somehow stumbled upon one of the best resources ever for learning Japanese grammar. Its official name is 日本語文型辞典. It’s a grammar dictionary that is 695 pages long. And I love it. Anyone who wants a clear and precise understanding of Japanese, … Continue reading →
I am a huge fan of Anki. So, after helping my son learn the kana through songs, playing cards, and apps, I wanted to make sure he could review that knowledge in the same smart, efficient way. Rather than make my own Anki deck for him, however, I chose to use the Kana Conqueror deck by JALUP that comes with the beginner package. Why I Chose … Continue reading →
Do you want to write the most beautiful kanji with ease, to translate your favorite stories back to your own language, and to speak Japanese so well that nobody in Japan would think you were a foreigner if talking to you over the phone? Or do you want something else—for example to understand anime, manga, novels, and movies so well that you get lost in … Continue reading →
Because learning hiragana and katakana is so important, there are a lot of different resources for doing so. You could use Jalup’s own Kana Conqueror. Or the three apps and eight songs that I shared previously. With these, anyone can master the kana with minimal (but consistent) effort. But there are a lot more great resources out there. In fact, for teaching my son hiragana and … Continue reading →
Anyone who was able to learn hiragana and katakana by listening to these eight catchy songs may be wondering if the same method could work for learning Japanese in general. I actually don’t think it’s possible—at least not to a very high level—and even though learning with songs can be refreshing as a break from other studies, as the centerpiece of a learning strategy I … Continue reading →
You probably know Mr. Miyagi, the old man from Okinawa who teaches Daniel LaRusso how to protect himself against bullies in The Karate Kid. You may also know how he taught him karate indirectly, by first having Daniel wax his cars and paint his fences. But what if the movie was different—what if, instead of having to learn karate, Daniel had just moved to Japan … Continue reading →
