Category Archives: Textbook

Using a Highlighter in Learning Japanese

Japanese Level Up By: | August 15, 2016

The highlighter pen. A classic for the ages. Surround words and phrases with color, and acquire reign over them for eternity. Unbridled power. The highlighter was destined for Japanese language learning. Japan pretty much invented the precursor to the highlighter after all. Just one problem. Highlighting doesn’t help you remember. Colors are supposed to “highlight” words or sentences and make them stand out. That which stands out is supposed … Continue reading →

The Yokomine Method of Learning The Kana

Japanese Level Up By: | August 27, 2015

Japanese kana (hiragana and katakana) is the first thing you learn. There’s no way around this. Whether it takes you a few days or a few weeks, it is an acceptable challenge and time commitment. While you can do this through Anki, games, songs, or even Doraemon, the learning order is the same. You go one kana at a time, starting with あいうえお, かきくけこ, and so … Continue reading →

The Ultimate Resource For Mastering Japanese Grammar

Japanese Level Up By: | June 14, 2015

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 →

Learning Kana With A Robot Cat From The Future

Japanese Level Up By: | December 23, 2014

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 →

Full Review Of Yes Japan (Japanese From Zero)

Japanese Level Up By: | December 29, 2013

YesJapan (or its new revamped name Japanese From Zero), one of the oldest Japanese learning sites on the internet, is full of lessons, games, a forum, and many videos toward helping people learn Japanese. George Trombley, American and fluent in Japanese, works as a technical interpreter and has created all the material from scratch on his website.  Sometimes it is easy to doubt whether you will … Continue reading →

What’s The Best Japanese Textbook?

Japanese Level Up By: | April 5, 2013

When it comes to studying Japanese, people always wonder what is best for them, and they like to back that up with numbers and statistics. So I’ve come up with a simple solution that I would like to try: poll you guys on incredibly relevant areas of your Japanese learning process. What better way to satisfy this curiosity than to have you provide it. The … Continue reading →