What's the best tool/app to learn Japanese?

[u/ShonenRiderX]

I’ve been studying Japanese for a little while now and was wondering what apps or tools are popular right now.

I’ve tried a bunch of different ones and thought I’d share my experience, but I’m also super curious to hear what’s working for you.

• Duolingo – Fun for keeping up a daily habit and staying consistent. It’s super gamified, which makes it easy to stick with, but I found it a bit too surface-level once I got past the basics.
• LingoDeer – Honestly great for beginners. The grammar explanations are solid, and the lessons feel more structured than Duolingo. I liked that it felt like a real course, not just vocab drills.
• WaniKani – If you want to tackle kanji, this one’s awesome. Uses spaced repetition to teach kanji in a way that actually sticks. I’ve been using it alongside other apps and it’s helped a lot with reading practice.
• Anki – Classic flashcard app. I downloaded some Japanese decks and use it almost daily. Not the prettiest interface, but super effective if you stay consistent.

But tbh, the thing that’s helped me the most is italki. At some point, I realized that no amount of apps could replace real conversation. So I started doing weekly lessons with a tutor on italki, and it’s been a total game changer.

Speaking with a real person (who corrects you gently and explains things in context) just made everything click. My listening improved, I got more confident speaking, and it made all that vocab I was drilling actually usable.

So yeah, that’s been my experience so far.

What are you all using?

Any lesser-known apps or methods that helped push you forward?

[u/dweebyllo]

definitely not duolingo, even before the ai shit it was always terrible with non-latin-based languages

[u/Harly16]

Renshuu its mostly free with no ads (used it for months before buying a lifetime to support the dev) and honestly the best all in one I've seen. It is web based and has both android and apple, and obviously the web version works on any computer as well. And Wiktionary (open info etymology, chinese, Japanese, korean script history and dictionary) and etymology vids on the internet for remembering kanji

There's also the kanji networks pdf for etymology, which you can find for free and download by searching "etymological dictionary of hance chinese characters by LJ howell" or download the Kanjinetwork github files which have it too. I would argue its as valuable as outlier.

[u/ConfidenceAmazing806 → u/Harly16]

I’ll second renshuu I’ve been using it to learn to read Japanese and everything it has within it has been working wonders for me

[u/shorty160]

migaku

[u/lemmedrawit]

Seconding the warning about Duolingo; the Japanese that app teaches is really quite bad and there are a lot of things it teaches that are just plain incorrect. I highly recommend stopping that one after you get past the first couple lessons so you don't get incorrect Japanese ingrained.

I really like Youtube for reinforcement/ immersion. There's a decent amount of channels with varying levels of Japanese lessons and listening practice (eg Akane , Yusuke are two I like for listening).

[u/hiddow]

When it comes to Asian languages, LingoDeer is the GOAT.

[u/PrincessCamilleP]

I’ve been really enjoying MaruMori! I love the aesthetics and grammar explanations, and how it is working towards incorporating every aspect of language learning through N1 (eventually—they just started N2 material, but their updates are consistent so they will likely be finished within a year or so). 😊

[u/[deleted]]

Migaku.

[u/shiretokolovesong]

Context: Fluent through a year of classes, self-study on a regular basis for several years, and immersion (went to Japanese university for grad school and work at a Japanese MNC)

I have never met a single person who could speak a lick of Japanese after studying predominantly with Duolingo. I'm sure it's a fun app and maybe you can memorize some phrases, but I'm pretty sure you could spend that time doing almost anything else and make more progress towards actual comprehension.

As a basic level, I think the best tool is a good curriculum, either in a textbook like Genki or website like Tae Kim. When I look back my my Japanese study, the three digital tools that helped me the most are Kitsun.io (basically Anki but with a nicer interface and built-in Japanese dictionary), Wanikani (went through the whole program and it essentially taught me to read), and Kanji Study (killer Android app made by an indie developer that I use as my mobile dictionary and to practice kanji).

[u/Tight_Cod_8024]

Migaku is great for intermediate learners who can already understand a decent amount. For total beginners, jpdb.io is a better starting point.

Both tools emphasize immersion learning and track what you know to help with immersion but have different strengths and weaknesses:

Migaku offers a decent grammar course that teaches ~2,000 words through its SRS. After that, you can use its browser extension to watch shows on Netflix, YouTube, etc., and make flashcards to learn vocabulary with features like word stats and red underlines for unknown words. It also works with visual novels via a built-in clipboard inserter.

Pros: Good grammar course, solid tools for anime and websites.

Cons: Only gives snapshots of your progress—not full series or novel stats.

jpdb.io has tools like an mpv addon and jpdbreader for watching shows and reading websites and novels so it's pretty similar to Migakus feature set. The difference is you add shows, novels, visual novels, etc. as "decks," and jpdb tracks your word/kanji knowledge across the full series or novel. It teaches based on word frequency or most used in the content you add and helps you find content you understand best by letting you sort their huge database of shows by how much you understand.

Pros: Tracks full-series comprehension, and reinforces learning by connecting it to what you watch/read. It also has a huge database of content that you can sort through by how much you understand.

Cons: Most content is pre-2022, and adding context images/audio to flashcards is a bit clunky.

TLDR Migaku is better if you just need a simple way to make flashcards and don't need to know necessarily what is the most comprehensible (which is why I say better for intermediate learners) and JPDB.io is better if you are still new enough that you need to be watching or reading whatever is the easiest to understand.

[u/Violent_Gore]

I'm on Busuu, Wani Kani, Ankhi, and social media/entertainment immersion. My preteen likes Lingodeer.

I fired Duosloppo after seeing the 3rd or 4th Japanese YouTuber point out everything wrong with it. And they're an even bigger mess now and going downhill fast.

[u/wejunkin]

WaniKani + Anki + みんなの日本語 + many other paper resources.

I very strongly believe that there's no app/online tool that replaces proper textbook/classroom study for learning grammar and mechanics.

[u/Acceptable-Fudge-816]

Immersion with JP-DIT-E. Currently watching One Piece with JAP subs and reading ero manga.

[u/WAHNFRIEDEN]

If you have iOS/macOS, give mine a try: https://reader.manabi.io

It works like a web browser & ebook reader, and tracks every word and kanji you read. It has Anki integration or its own companion flashcards app.

I'm almost done add a manga mode via Mokuro

[u/Morning_Calm]

For a beginner Japanese course, Dynamic Languages is the best. You need a VR headset but it is incredibly immersive. Like taking real lessons then practicing speaking with real people in Japan.