Resources for Japanese | Resources for speaking | Forum

Hi everyone, I thought I'd post up some of the resources I have been using for studying Japanese:

Human Japanese: http://www.humanjapanese.com/home.html  –  This is the main piece of software I have been using to learn Japanese.  The CD version I own is a little (or maybe more than just a little) dated, from 1999, but it's still a good resource.  It starts you off with pronunciation and Hiragana, then steps you through the language with themed vocabulary lessons and Katakana on the side.

Japanese, the Manga Way: by Wayne P Lammers (2005, Stone Bridge Press).  This book takes you through grammar with nice Manga illustrations excerpted from magazines as examples.  Probably best used in conjunction with another course like Human Japanese, as the focus in this book is more on gaining a good understanding of grammar rather than speaking.

Kanji Pictographix: by Michael Rowley (1992, also by Stone Bridge Press).  A book of one thousand common Kanji characters separated into logical categories, with illustrations and mnemonics supplied for remembering each one.  I haven't really gotten into learning Kanji much myself as of yet, but mnemonics for Hiragana and Katakana are also given in the front and were helpful for me.

Tae Kim's Guide: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/  –  A very detailed guide to grammar (available as a pdf and also as an iphone app), and also a separate complete guide to the language which is still under construction.

Anki: http://ankisrs.net/  –  The flashcard software that Benny has previously blogged about @ http://www.fluentin3months.com/spaced-repetition/.  I've been using it for memorising vocabulary up until now and it has been quite useful.  However, I will be revamping my flashcard deck so the focus is more on sentences rather than individual words, which I hope will be more practical for speaking situations.

Hope this helps, enjoy!