The Best Sites to Learn Japanese Online - The Happy Android

Since I was little I have always been attracted to Japanese culture. I still remember how many years ago I ordered a book by mail to learn Japanese from a bookstore in Barcelona. It was the pre-internet era, and things were slow to come.

So when the months passed and at Christmas I received a package from Barcelona, ​​I thought that I could finally learn something of the language of the country where Godzilla was born. When I opened the package, all there was was a Christmas greeting letter, thanking you for being such a good customer and for shopping at your store. But you haven't even sent me the damn book, c @ b5 # 3 $! Argh!

The 5 best online platforms to learn Japanese from home

The thing is that in the end I could never learn Japanese, the book never came and then I lost the desire. But hey! I am not an example to follow at all, so if you are thinking of learning some of the Japanese language, know that there are a few pretty nice websites that make it really easy for us.

Note: The best websites to learn Japanese online and for free are in English, so first of all make sure that you have at least a little command of this language.

JapanesePod101

This website is one of the most popular for learn Japanese through listening. Basically it is a library of podcasts with various levels of difficulty (beginner, intermediate, advanced), where each podcast shows a small conversation accompanied by the relevant explanations and translations.

First, we hear phrases in clear and slow Japanese, and then make the correct translation. All this accompanied by explanations about new words used, grammar laws and any interesting details that we must take into account.

In general, it is a very fun way to learn Japanese, and by creating a free account we can start to build the foundations to learn to speak Japanese.

Visit JapanesePad101

Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese

If we want to become masters of Japanese grammar, nothing better than visiting Tae Kim's website. It is less flashy than the JapanesePod101, but it has a really extensive amount of material that makes it worth a long time.

Here we can learn simple things like doing a jikoshokai (greeting or presentation), to more complex concepts like keigo (honorific language). The truth is that we are facing a totally free website full of information, both for beginners and for more advanced students. The website also has informative guides on the difference between written and spoken Japanese. In short, a highly recommended trunk of knowledge.

Visit Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese

Puni Puni

Although Puni Puni seems like a website aimed at a child audience, we should not be misled, since it perfectly covers the 4 basic teaching methods to learn Japanese: reading, writing, listening and speaking.

With the lessons on this attractive page we can learn through detailed hiragana and katakana guides. We will also learn why it is so important to understand the differences between the two and when we should use each of them.

Visit Puni Puni

CosCom

The first time we enter CosCom we run the risk of feeling overwhelmed, and it is that we are not facing the typical platform to learn Japanese and that's it. The site also offers cultural information, news about Japan and even the weather forecast, among many other things.

In any case, the web is intended to be a learning platform. The classes that we find here range from the most basic words, to grammar and more advanced conversations in Japanese. There are trainings in audio format and others in writing, where we learn to differentiate between hiragana, katakana and kanji, as well as how to write and pronounce correctly in Japanese.

For each lesson we also find accompanying articles to put what has been learned into practice. In short, a different and very complete platform.

Visit CosCom

Youtube

On YouTube there is room for everything we can think of, and of course, also to learn languages. There are a lot of channels to learn Japanese where we can acquire some basic knowledge, understand the spoken language and be able to communicate through simple phrases.

It will never be the same as learning from a specialized platform or a personal tutor, but at least it can help us defend ourselves on a hypothetical trip to Japan.

Watch videos to learn Japanese on YouTube

Android applications to learn Japanese from your mobile

In addition to the platforms we have mentioned, there are also a lot of mobile apps that can help us learn Japanese from an Android device.

• Memrise: Free application to learn languages, including Japanese. It offers 2 types of courses: one in Japanese with the Latin alphabet - easier and recommended for beginners - and another in traditional Japanese (hiragana, kanjis).

• Japanese Word Dungeon- A fun RPG game whose real goal is to learn hiragana. We control a knight that we must face against other enemies, where the combats are small Japanese quizzes.

• Kanji Study: With this application for Android we will learn the strokes and the meaning of each kanji, relative information and a good number of examples to work with.

If you know of any other recommended tool to learn Japanese online and for free, do not hesitate to share it in the comments area.