This is a YouTube tutorial series by professional anime and game translator Sarah K. She is also a big fan of Sailor Moon and wants to help people learn Japanese through the anime.
Each episode is around 30 minutes long. Sarah plays snippets of the anime and explains each sentence used, one scene at a time. In her explanation, she breaks down every sentence word by … [ Read more ]
Source: “YouTube” | Subjects: Language Study, Video / Audio
Have you ever heard of 青空文庫あおぞらぶんこ? Established in 1997, this online library hosts several thousand Japanese literary works, completely for free. If you’re not too confident in your kanji readings however, trying to read a Japanese text can be quite tricky. Rather than focusing on overall reading comprehension, you end up zeroing in on just the kanji. Sound like you? Then … [ Read more ]
Source: “青空朗読” | Subjects: Reading Material, Video / Audio
Need a break from Japanese textbooks and vocabulary flashcards? Then it’s time to chill with some Japanese dramas!
J-dramas are easy to get sucked into, especially because they’re so different in format from most Western shows. And they’re a fantastic way to gain some insight into Japanese culture, language, and locales in Japan.
One nice thing about Japanese dramas? They’re usually only one season long and about … [ Read more ]
Author: Caitlin Sacasas | Source: “Fluent in 3 Months” | Subjects: Multimedia, Video / Audio
This is the more advanced podcast to complement Teppei’s beginner episodes.
Author: Teppei | Subject: Video / Audio
Nihongo Con Teppei For Beginners is a Japanese language podcast. Each episode is about four minutes long, and the content is in Japanese only. This is because the host, Teppei, believes in improving language comprehension skills through listening to podcasts spoken in the original language.
Teppei focuses on one topic in each episode, and tries to use the key word or related vocabulary repeatedly so that … [ Read more ]
Author: Teppei | Subject: Video / Audio
JLPT Stories is a new podcast and companion site based in Shinjuku that provides stories in Japanese, labeled with their intended JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) level. Each three to four minute story is written and read by a native Japanese speaker at normal speed.
On the website, JLPT Stories provides Japanese transcripts for the stories, with grammar points relating to each story’s JLPT level highlighted … [ Read more ]
Subjects: Grammar, JLPT Exam, Video / Audio
Japan has released some legendary, heartfelt, strange, fantastical, and horrifying films over the decades. They’re also a great learning tool! So, here are the very best Japanese films to watch and learn Japanese from movies.
Author: Caitlin Sacasas | Source: “Fluent in 3 Months” | Subjects: Arts & Entertainment, Japan, Video / Audio
This forty minute video by YouTuber Misa from Japanese Ammo might be one of the only resources titled “ultimate” and “the only lesson you need” that I actually believe. Misa breaks down the particles は and が and explains the differences in depth with multiple examples and on-screen text and translations.
は and が can be a major struggle for English … [ Read more ]
Sources: “Japanese Ammo”, “YouTube” | Subjects: Grammar, Video / Audio
The Japanese YouTube scene is more sparsely populated than its American counterpart. However, there is definitely a rising J-vlogging scene. But as with all things up and coming, sometimes it’s hard to tell where to start and find out what’s worth your time. Fortunately, I’ve found several awesome Japanese YouTubers for you.
Source: “Tofugu” | Subjects: Multimedia, Video / Audio
Japanese drama is a pretty excellent way to study Japanese. Watching it is one thing… but actually actively studying it is another. I will tell you exactly how to do that and get a ton of benefit compared to the time spent.
Editor’s Note: some good links and suggestions in the comments section as well.
Source: “Tofugu” | Subject: Video / Audio
This website was created for people who want to study Japanese by watching movies and/or TV. The text is only written in Hiragana and Katakana.
Source: “Aya” | Subject: Video / Audio
This pre-WWII video from Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, shows home, work and school activities of a middle-class Japanese family.
Source: “Encyclopaedia Britannica Films | Hugh Borton Ph.D.” | Subjects: Culture, Video / Audio
How to learn, and not learn, to speak Japanese
Source: “Will Jasprizza” | Subject: Video / Audio
MyKikitori is a fun and easy way to practice kikitori (listening comprehension) for beginning learners of Japanese. It is based on the textbook, Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese Volume 1. It is FREE and there is no need to sign up for an account. Lessons come equipped with audio lessons and quizzes.
Source: “Aiko Sato” | Subject: Video / Audio
Let’s Learn Japanese is a video-based Japanese language study course for English speakers produced by The Japan Foundation. It consists of 52 video lessons, divided into two parts (Basic I and Basic II). Each part consists of 26 episodes, and the episodes explain grammatical structures, new words and cultural information about Japan.
According to Wikipedia, the first part (Basic I) was made in the mid 1980’s, … [ Read more ]
Source: “The Japan Foundation” | Subject: Video / Audio
This video series (originally TV and DVD) now has a web version. Each episode features two skits (basic and advanced) focusing on a grammar topic, discussion of the grammar and various cultural videos.
The skits and cultural videos are subtitled in normal japanese, kana only, romaji, or japanese + English making them open to many level sets. The navigation is currently in Japanese only but an … [ Read more ]
Source: “Japan Foundation” | Subject: Video / Audio
Irasshai gets up close and intimate with video learners through the easy, engaging manner of Dr. Tim Cook, the course instructor. Tim takes students on a personal journey to where Japanese is spoken, sometimes to predictable places-inside a Japanese home or an office building in Tokyo. Sometimes the places are less predictable, such as a sushi bar in Atlanta or a fishing hole in the … [ Read more ]
Source: “Georgia Public Broadcasting” | Subject: Video / Audio
Joeisjapanese is an animated series about haafu Joe McCunney’s adventures in Japan – witty, dry and based on reality if you believe the advertising. At the moment there is only a single long teaser clip on the site, but well worth a look, and the English subtitles will help beginners follow along. High production values and good writing. [courtesy of Nihongojouzu.com]
Source: “Joeisjapanese.com” | Subjects: Anime / Manga, Multimedia, Video / Audio
Will at Nihongojouzu.com offers up his strategies for finding good Japanese video content on YouTube.
Source: “Nihongojouz.com / Will” | Subject: Video / Audio
This is a good example of a blog-like podcast in which a Japanese girl talks about her daily life in an “audio diary.” It is a high-quality recording with no background music, making it good for language study. [Charles Kelly Annotation]
Source: “怜祈” | Subject: Video / Audio