/j - Blog Posts
a big sticky bug ruined the machine with its guts. The gluey guts of the bug destroys the mechanism. The gears of the device cannot move because of the tar slop bug innards caught between the teeth. The big iron engine is smoking and sparking as a huge bug that is wettly dead starts to get cooked by friction.
And then he died
Sorry there’s like no plot I worked on this for 18 hours and wasn’t thinking at any point
Little does he know, absolutely fucking no one likes him
cyrillus
this little dove boy 🫶🏾🏵️🏵️🏵️🏵️🕊️
paula cracker jumpscare ft. my grandpas bathroom mirrors
u better like this bc i'm not showing my face again after this
[ID: an adolescent with red sunglasses dressing up as paula cracker from gorillaz, they are taking pictures of themselves through various mirrors and poses, END ID]
Random headcanons because it’s my blog and I can do whatever I want
Charlie:
💛Had his appendix removed
💛 In middle school he used to participate in “roast battles” and “rap battles” but would secretly get all his lines from the internet and pass them off as his own
💛 Has atleast two random tattoos from when he got a bit too drunk in his early twenties
💛 Says he only drinks black coffee to seem cool but orders the girliest drink you could imagine every time
💛 OG RuneScape scammer
💛 Has a Youtube channel where he posts gaming videos and mukbangs from time to time. Around 1k subscribers
💛 A surprisingly decent magician (curtesy of his uncle teaching him as a child)
💛 ^ Fully believed that everything Chris Angel did was real
Pim:
🩷 S tier knitting skills and creates matching ugly sweaters for his friends every Christmas
🩷 Tries his best not to damage wrapping whenever he’s opening a gift and keeps them in a cupboard for reusing
🩷 As a tadpole he wanted to become the tooth fairy when he was older. The thought of making kids all over the world smile made him warm inside (he also assumed that tooth fairy = rich if she just gives money to anyone)
🩷 Allergic to gluten (loser)
🩷 Worked as a clown for a few months in his early twenties. Not many fond memories.
🩷 Got scammed on RuneScape religiously and cried every single time
🩷 Played the tuba in high school band but doesn’t talk about it much
🩷 Takes jury duty a little too seriously
Alan:
❤️ Loves Bob Ross and is a very good painter
❤️ Competed in sudoku tournaments at a National level
❤️ Fish allergy (loser)
❤️ Afraid of the dentist which is why he takes his oral health very seriously so he never has to go
❤️ The “funcle” of his family. The kids think his bluntness is funny and can distract him easily so that they can run off and do their own thing
❤️Retired theatre kid
❤️Successfully replicated the toothpaste cap city from Willy wonka as a tween
❤️ Owns a boat but does not know how to fish and doesn’t even like the water
Glep:
💚 Part time DJ at a local club
💚 Has a masters degree in psychology for whatever reason
💚Wholeheartedly believes in almost every major conspiracy.
💚Pretends to be a child to get discounts and free items
💚 Is a member of a small dnd group that meets every Friday night
💚 Amazing singer but never knows the lyrics so he just makes up his own
💚I can honestly see him smoking some of that good stuff with Charlie after work
💚 Steals coworkers lunch from the fridge and does not feel bad about it
I sketched my anime husband while on the train to work. Please enjoy him.
Jigoku /dir. Nobuo Nakagawa
Jigoku (Nobuo Nakagawa, 1960)
GRRR MY DAD SAID IT'D BE TOO INFORMAL SO I HAVE TO WAIT TIL I CAN LEGALLY GET IT MYSELF>:( (which is 18yo.)
GUYS I NEED SNAKEBITES...
I TRIED A TIKTOK FILTER(it looked rlly realistic on the person I saw it on!)AND I LOOK SO DAMN HOT.
IM NOT EVEN WEARING MASCARA CUZ IT'S LATE HOLY SHITTTT
idgaf if the pain is 100/10 for me I need it give it to me NEOWWWW
oh and my second earlobe piercing cuz im too basic
I only have my first lobe piercing at this moment in time and I NEEEEDDDDDD my second lobe piercing and snakebites
so yeah rant cuz why not:3
imma miss my step sis... she needs to go to the north pole to help santa today:(
#Jupiter painting by -
@kerstin-jacobs
http://little-starlight-galaxy.
My niece mispronounced Rafal's name as waffle. I'm cackling
And what about japanese? Can you recommend some accounts that study japanese?
I know there are a lot of great accounts that are learning Japanese, but I’m not familiar with a lot of them, since I’ve never studied it myself!
@jibunstudies has a lot of great Japanese masterposts, and I think that @gloomstudy was learning Japanese at one point, but I don’t know if she still is!
Please feel free to recommend any other blogs that study Japanese!
Beginner Japanese Resources
I’ve seen quite a lot of these going around, and have definitely taken quite a few pages out of their books, but I thought I had some bookmarks I’d like everyone to know more about, even if they already did. ^^ If you think something is wrong, or know something is wrong, then please tell me!
g r a m m a r
Tae Kim’s Guide to Japanese Grammar (easy acquaintance with grammar, but not much in-depth)
IMABI (best free grammar resource but too much information for beginners, or so it’s said. still very helpful.)
Tim’s Takamatsu/ Tim Sensei’s Corner (also good. i heard of someone who printed out the older website and got fluent in Japanese with this, so it’s probably worth checking out)
Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar (hands down the best grammar resource, bit pricey or you could just download these PDFs).
Bunpro (good for interactive grammar studies, free until may 10 and there’s a one month free trial for subscription after that)
g r a m m a r / b l o g s
Japanese Ammo (native speaker and tutor’s blog, she also has a Youtube channel here)
Maggie-Sensei (grammar articles are a bit mismatched but good for little references)
Tofugu (probably the best culture and resources blog I’ve come across. a must.)
Romy-sensei (Japanese teacher, blog is VERY helpful)
DJT Guide (for a beginner outlook on how to start and where, named because of the daily japanese thread that I don’t have too much information on but it’s a daily thread where people learning japanese shared resources/ progress/ motivational whatevers)
i n t e r a c t i v e l e a r n i n g
Delvin Language (shows clips and asks you to identify what’s spoken. Very good for listening and you can slow them down, though use that sparingly. kinda spammy tho.)
Japanese Class (found this a few years ago, but it’s a gamified site that helps you learn vocabulary with regular exposure. recommended.)
Japanese in Anime and Manga (for fellow otakus. a bit hard for me to navigate, but it’s along a similar vein as the above site. offered in spanish, chinese, korean and french, besides english.)
Erin’s Challenge (recommended for upper beginners, or lower intermediates, but there’s a lot to do now as well! very good for listening and reading- with transcripts and subtitles- in the form of a school life role-play. offered in quite a few other languages.)
Duolingo (not a lot of information, nor is it very in-depth. good for dabbling in, maybe. try the website, not the app, if you really want to use it.)
LingoDeer (BEST app for learning the language. You could do a lot on it alone, and it can probably take you up to a little above N5, but don’t keep using it standalone for long! also offers chinese, korean and now vietnamese!)
t e x t b o o k s
TextFugu (tofugu’s online textbook, made specifically for self-study, though it works good in conjunction with classes and tuition)
Genki (widely used, most recommended by people)
Minna no Nihongo (also very popular. some consider it better than genki.)
Japanese for Busy People (especially if you’re a little short on time)
Japanese for Everyone (generally good reviews, with a lot of vocabulary - an estimated 2500 maybe? convert djvu to pdf to use.)
k a n j i (course books)
Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Course aka KKLC (a kanji learning course with vocabulary in it.)
Remembering the Kanji (aka the acclaimed ‘Japanese learner’s beginning holy grail’. but it totally depends upon what you’d prefer tbh. can make you recognise kanji and what they could stand for, but that’s about it.)
Kanji Damage (aka remember 1700 Kanji with offensive yo mama jokes. ridiculous? hilariously, it does work for some.)
WaniKani (people swear by this. you can try out the first three levels to see the magic, even if you don’t think it’s your style.)
l i s t e n i n g
mykikitori (for Genki 1 apparently)
Japanese Pod 101 (a good online course in itself, but the podcasts are the most helpful of the lot. @lovelybluepanda has made them available here.)
o t h e r s
DJT Resources (sub-link of DJT Guide but probably has all the Japanese resources you could ever want!)
Nihongo e Na (more resources, probably worth checking out)
Nihongo Resources (along a similar vein with the purpose in its name)
Jakka (the site is entirely in Japanese, but it has kanji for grade school, broken up appropriately)
Happy Lilac (kind of the same as above with kanji stroke order practice material, meant for Japanese children)
This may be repeated, because similar, if not the exact same, resources in DJT are categorised neatly here. @lovelybluepanda again.
check more masterposts, some of which have been compiled here by @languagesandshootingstars
日本語の森 (Nihongo no Mori) (Good Youtube videos for beginners and advanced learners alike! They even have their lessons separated by JLPT levels!)
While that’s it for all the Japanese resources I feel do not go around a lot now, I did compile some points Japanese beginners might be doubtful in and what I had found from my own research.
Genki or Minna no Nihongo?
Minna no Nihongo has more vocabulary (2100-2200 for 初級 levels i.e. the beginner books) while Genki boasts a little lesser (1700 for genki 1+2). Minna no Nihongo has allegedly more grammar coverage ( 〜ように、〜ために- used in native speech). However, the book is entirely in Japanese (there is a separate book for English explanations) and there is a separate book for Kanji too. The Answer Key is at the back of the book, unlike Genki which has a separate Answer Key.
Genki is said to be more beginner-friendly than Minna no Nihongo, but if you put your mind to it, you can do either tbh. Just choose any book and stick with it!
** If you’re planning to study in Japan anytime, remember that Japanese teachers usually use Minna no Nihongo. But better do your research as well.
Kanji?
Everyone can put in all the work they like in Kanji, but at the end of the day, Kanji is not the only thing about Japanese. You can totally use Anki or Quizlet or Memrise to drill it in, maybe even make your own flashcards and put in extra work! But to really get fluent in the language, talking to native speakers (helpful guide by @jibunstudies) is very important. Even if you don’t fully understand what they’re saying, you acquire more vocabulary and will get the nuance of basic sentences! And you get friends too, if you’re lucky!
Just for reference and no pressure, here’s the general requirement to pass JLPT levels, if you’re ever planning to take them!
Level Kanji Vocabulary Listening Hours of Study N5 ~100 ~800 Beginner 150 (estimated) N4 ~300 ~1,500 Basic 300 (estimated) N3 ~650 ~3,750 Lower Intermediate 450 (estimated) N2 ~1000 ~6,000 Intermediate 600 (estimated) N1 ~2000 ~10,000 Advanced 900 (estimated)
(… yeah, that looks way better on a computer ok.) Remember, estimated doesn’t mean it will take you that much time exactly. Everyone learns differently! And ‘talent’ can be overcome by enough hard work so ファイト!
頑張れ !
How I Learn Languages
As an aspiring polyglot, it’s important that I have a bunch of resources at my disposal for language learning. I use a variety of resources for my learning, such as books, websites, apps, T.V. shows, movies, etc. Almost all of these resources are free too! These are some of my resources!
-Websites-
1. Omniglot
This website is more for finding information about languages and finding languages to learn. It has a very comprehensive list of languages and you can find plenty of secondary resources for learning the language. You can find tutors for that language, and even songs in your target language. I can just about guarantee you that no matter what language you’re looking for, it will be documented here. It is absolutely amazing, and it is a FANTASTIC resource for the dedicated linguist. Price- Free
http://www.omniglot.com/
2. Duolingo
This is both a website AND an app, however, I tend to use the website more frequently, mainly because I’m always on my laptop anyway. The learning system that this website uses makes out very easy to stay motivated, and the lessons are organized amazingly. Currently, the website offers about 27 different language courses for English speakers, and various language courses for speakers of languages other than English. You can set goals for yourself, take multiple courses, be involved in discussions, and even do translating activities. Beware though, it gets VERY addicting. Price- Free
https://www.duolingo.com
3. Memrise
Also a website AND an app, this is my all time favorite resource for learning languages. It has SO many languages to choose from, and it even offers subjects other than languages, although foreign language learning is its primary appeal factor. Price- Free
http://www.memrise.com/home/
4. BBC Languages
Although this sector of BBC has been archived and is no longer updated, it still contains some valuable information. It includes some useful phrases, alphabet guides, and jokes in many languages. You’re bound to learn something new there, so check it out! Price- Free
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/
5. Foreign Service Institute (FSI)
This website offers language courses constructed by the U.S. government, and relies heavily on audio-based learning. However, many of the language courses include lessons in the form of pdf. There is a very large selection of languages to choose from, so this resource is very good for getting an excellent introduction to your target language. Price- Free
https://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/
6. Live Lingua Project
Claiming to be the internet’s largest collection of free public domain language learning materials, this website is a MUST for language learners. It contains the FSI courses, Peace Corps language learning materials, and the DLI (military) language courses. It also offers Skype sessions for language learners in several different languages! The main appeal of this website, however, is the Peace Corps language material archive. There are SO many different languages to choose from, and there are many ebooks and audio files to take advantage of here. Price- Free
https://www.livelingua.com/#project
7. Languages On the Web
This website offers texts that translate English texts into 55 other languages. It is not a translator, it merely provides reading material in foreign languages to learners. It is a very useful website, especially for analyzing how sentences are formed in other languages. Price- Free
http://www.lonweb.org/
8. Learn 101
This website is really helpful for explaining grammatical concepts and for learning general stuff about languages, such as verbs, vocabulary, nouns, adjectives, basic phrases, foods, etc. There are quite alot of languages offered on this website, so it’s a great resource! Price- Free (for certain features)
http://learn101.org/
9. Clozemaster
This website is great for learning languages through a sentence based, contextual experience. It’s a bit like Duolingo in that sense, and it requires you to fill in missing words from sentences. In my opinion, it’s better for people with a background in their target language, and they offer many different options for languages. It’s also good for speakers of a native language other than English! Price- Free
https://www.clozemaster.com/
10. Lexicity
This is a great website for ancient language learners, and it provides resources for Egyptian, Mayan, Hittite, Latin, Old English, Etruscan, Gaulish, and several others. I have found the majority of resources that I have looked through helpful to my learning efforts. They have dictionaries, grammars, charts, and texts, and it is a very comprehensive resource. Price- Free
http://lexicity.com/
11. Book2
This is a good resource for learners looking for audio files to help them practice their listening. I haven’t used it all too much, but there are many language options, so you’re bound to find a language that you find interesting on here. Price- Free
http://www.goethe-verlag.com/book2/
12. Lang-8
This is a great resource for getting feedback on your writing in your target language. You can post things in your target language, and native speakers of that language will correct it, and you can do the same for other people! It’s very helpful, and is a great resource if you have to write in your target language often. Price- Free
http://lang-8.com/
13. Bilinguis
This website offers a few books to read in different languages and is good for comparing different languages of the same book. This makes for good practice for reading in your target language. Price- Free
http://bilinguis.com/
14. Udemy
There are quite a few languages courses on this website, although several of them cost money. However, there are quite a few courses that are free, and are good for introducing you to your language of choice. Price- Varies depending on the course, however, there are some free ones
https://www.udemy.com/courses/
-Apps- [For this, I can only give the price for iPhones, however, I am relatively sure that these should be the same price in the Android store]
1. Memrise
As mentioned above in the websites section, this app is so amazing for on-the-go language learning, as well as for subjects other than languages! It helps users memorize concepts with “meme” which are pictures that will remind you of what the word or concept means, and it’s such a unique and fun learning experience! It has the feel of using flashcards, but I just love using this app so much. Price- Free
2. Duolingo
Also mentioned in the websites section, this app is great for both learning new words and reviewing words that you have either memorized or have just been exposed to. There are grammar lessons available, translation activities, groups that you can join, and Duolingo makes it fun to learn a language with it’s reward system. Price- Free
3. HelloTalk
This is my absolute FAVORITE app to talk to native speakers of my target language(s). You can become language partners with people, help others with translations, video/voice call, send voice messages, and have as many partners as you want! It’s an absolutely amazing app, and I highly recommend it to everyone! Warning- If you’re a native English speaker looking for a native Chinese speaker, you will get HUNDREDS of requests. It might overwhelm you for a second. Price- Free
4. TuneIn Radio
This is really great for finding stations in your target language, and it helps with practicing both comprehension of spoken language as well as introduces you to awesome music in your target language! Price- Free
5. Tigercards
This app presents words in the form of lists, and gives you vocab so that you can review it. Not the best presentation of words and it doesn’t really offer a memorization technique like Memrise, but it’s still helpful! Price- Free
6. Busuu
This app is a bit like Duolingo, and it offers German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Italian, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Japanese, and Chinese! Price- Free
7. uTalk
This app offers so many different languages, it’s pretty incredible. There are games that you can play, phrasebooks, and several other features. The interface is also really awesome and simple, so it makes learning easier than usual. Definitely a must have. Price- Free
8. Innovative Language
I haven’t used this app much, but I have heard that the lessons on this app are very good, and you can download the lessons so that you can view them offline. Price- Free
9. FlashSticks
This has been super helpful to me, in addition to the games and flashcards that it offers, it also provides an object scanner, which uses your camera to scan objects and then tells you what it’s called in your target language! Price- Free
10. Mondly
This has been an awesome resource for me since it’s a bit like Duolingo, only with more unique language options. I’m currently using it to learn Hindi, however, there are tons of other language options. The interface is awesome, and I love using it. Price- Free
11. MindSnacks
This company makes several different language apps, and currently I’m using the Mandarin, Japanese, and French ones. So far, I’ve really enjoyed these apps! Price- Free
12. Spotify
Through Spotify’s “Word” category, there are many different playlists dedicated to language learning, such as for Arabic, Mandarin, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, and Swedish! Price- Free
13. Quizlet
This is more of a diy language learning resource. It is not an inherent language learning resource, however, if you learn best through lists and/or flashcards, then this app allows you to make cards and review vocab that way! I use it all the time for exams! Price- Free
14. FluentU
This is an awesome app for watching videos in your target language, and is really good for learning new words. Price- the app is free, but the service is $15 per month or $120 per year
-Books-
1. Teach Yourself
This series offers an astounding number of languages, and I have found them to be pretty effective in helping me learn languages. I have used the Russian, Arabic, Mandarin, and Irish ones.
2. Barron’s Grammar and Verb books
I really like the way Barron’s does language books, so far I have used their Japanese grammar book and their Russian verbs book, and I really like the layout of them, especially the grammar book!
3. Dk Visual Bilingual Dictionaries
These are so helpful for me, I’ve been using the Mandarin and Japanese dictionaries for a long time, and they are so comprehensive and awesome!
4. Ethnologue
These aren’t language “learning” materials, but rather they help me find new languages to learn. These are more for the linguistic lovers, since they catalog almost every living language in the world in every country, and provide language maps and statistics. There’s really fascinating stuff in those books, so I highly recommend purchasing them.
5. The “Dirty” books
So far, I have only used the Japanese version, however, I really like what the book includes, and it’s great for learning slang in your target language, and things that traditional textbooks wouldn’t teach you.
6. Living Language
I LOVE these books so much, I’ve used the Russian, Mandarin, and French ones and I’ve found them very helpful! The layout of these are very nice, and they’re pretty comprehensive.
7. Tuttle books
Tuttle offers several different language books, and they all are very good in my opinion. I have used their books for Arabic, Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, and Hindi.
That’s all that I have right now, but if you all would like more resources than I will definitely make a second one!
I'm at a N5 level and I'm wanting to find youtubers the speak natural Japanese. The only Japanese youtubers I know are mimei and The Japanese Man Yuta. Do you know any channels that are Reaction/Interview/A laid back video? A lot of my english ytbers don't scream/swear(constantly)/etc. If you can help, thank you.
バイリンガール英会話 – lifestlye & travel
Chiaki – makeup, fashion & lifestyle (lives in the uk)
こんどうようぢ – makeup, lifestyle & lgbt+
Ami Morita – makeup, lifestyle & fashion
LIFE OF MIYU – lifestyle & fashion
和田さん。チャンネル – makeup & fashion
藤子さき – makeup & lifestyle
たかねんわーるど – lifestyle
日本語の森 – Japanese language information
三本塾 – Japanese language & culture information
禁断ボーイズ – fun & games
すしらーめん – fun & games
はじめしゃちょー – fun & games
東海オンエア – fun & games
さんこいち – fun & games
hatomugi ASMR – ASMR
華凛 – ASMR
Latte ASMR – ASMR (Japanese, English & Korean)
Sorry this took so long! I have quite a long YouTube subscription list and I wanted to make sure I organized it a little bit too. A few of these YouTubers are from Kansai (like 禁断ボーイズ) so their Japanese may be more difficult or not sound as refined as the other YouTubers, but I recommend all of them 😊
Hello! I am a beginner to learning Japanese and I was wondering if you had any workbooks you recommend or websites you use,etc. I'm kind of stuck because I dont know where to start. I'd really appreciate if you could help me 😄
I highly recommend Maggie Sensei’s website! She’s so helpful, and her explanations are really thorough. Also, she’s on Twitter so you can tweet her if you’re unsure of something, and she answers comments too 😊
hi! do you know any vocabulary books? or websites/apps(besides a dictionary) that teach vocabulary? a lot of the vocabulary on tumblr/etc idk if it's accurate and i want to reach N4 soon. apologies if this sounds rude ^ ^ こんばんは
It doesn’t sound rude at all! I double check Tumblr vocabulary too (especially with natives) and make sure to get mine double-checked because it’s really easy to just put anything on the Internet these days. ✍🏻
Good vocabulary books are usually just textbooks! I’m a huge fan of the Genki series because I think their vocab is broken up really well. If you’re specifically studying for N4, I’d recommend getting your hands on N4 vocab books!
新完全マスター has a whole series for vocabulary, kanji, and grammar. The books aren’t too expensive either!
日本語総まとめ also has a ton of good books for vocabulary that are geared towards N4
I also really like the 日本語能力試験完全模試シリーズ because just like the previous two, it has books geared towards each level and you can pick what you want to study (so there’s a whole vocab book)
はじめての日本語能力検定試験Ｎ４単語１５００
Truthfully, I recommend heading over to Kinokuniya’s website and searching “N4.” Tons of information comes out for books you can find and order online!
As for apps, I love news apps! You can usually find kanji + vocab in tandem, and it’s a great way to practice your reading skills as well. Totally recommend! Apps like NHK for School or Easy Japanese are great for this. I also really like StickyStudy (I think it’s only available for iPhones though?). There is TONS of vocabulary broken up by JLPT level.
I hope this helps! My favorite vocabulary builder is WaniKani, but it does cost a bit of money to get past the first 3 levels and unlock the whole 60 level program. Definitely worth it in my opinion, but it does take some time to complete as well.
A GUIDE TO JAPANESE PITCH ACCENT
Japanese pitch accent is something so rarely taught in Japanese language classrooms – or textbooks for that matter – that learners from beginner to advanced levels have no idea what it is. Pitch accent is called 高低（こうてい）アクセント in Japanese, and it refers to the high and low pitches placed on Japanese words in order to help distinguish them from other, similar-sounding words.
For example, let’s look at 橋 端 and 箸. All 3 of these kanji are read “はし,” but the difference is that the first はし means bridge, the second means edge, and the third means chopsticks. But how are you supposed to differentiate these words outside of context or reading their kanji?
Pitch accent.
There are a lot of Japanese natives that don’t even understand what 高低アクセント is, but it’s what makes or breaks native- versus foreign-sounding speech. While in context a native will understand that the かえる you mean is 帰る (to return) and not 蛙 (frog), one is pronounced differently, and using 蛙’s pitch accent where 帰る’s would be used is something a native will notice.
DISCLAIMER: This is not a full lesson on pitch accent, but merely an introduction and overview. At the end I’ve listed additional resources to further Japanese pitch accent study, but it’s something that takes time and effort. A single Tumblr guide will not teach you Japanese pitch accent.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction & FAQ 2. Essential Vocabulary 3. Indicating Pitch Accent 4. Golden Rules 5. Examples 6. Additional Resources 7. Conclusion
Keep reading
hello there! i would like to ask if you know any sites where i can practice reading japanese? like news sites, manga sites, or sites that offer free e-books that are in japanese. and are there any japanese podcasts that i can listen to? thank you in advance for answering this question. it'd mean a whole to me!
Hey there! There are actually quite a few recommended sites for Japanese learners, so I’ll link them right now :)
Japanese IO – I’ve used this site quite a few times and I love the interface! The design is really sleek and “to the point,” so there’s no distractions from what you’re trying to do, which is practice reading Japanese. It also has a great library and look-up feature.
朝日学生新聞社 – This is the “kid’s version” of the more adult 朝日新聞社. If you don’t feel that you’re quite up for the adult version, test out the version geared towards kids. They have fewer articles, but there’s plenty for a learner to pick through.
NHK NEWS EASY – I’m almost positive this is one of the most famous ones for learners. It’s similar to Asahi’s kid newspaper – articles are condensed with easier kanji and vocabulary, and it’s geared towards children, so learners can spend some time combing through updated articles and testing their skills.
Yahoo! Kids – More short news articles geared towards easier-to-understand Japanese.
MATCHA – A fun magazine similar in style to NHK EZ.
Watanoc – Another magazine-type site with a variety of articles.
Traditional Japanese Stories – Get your hands on some easily printed Japanese stories that are told to children. Great for language skills and culture! Similar to English pop culture stories (like Cinderella and so on), Japan has its own fairytales that are occasionally referenced.
Fuku Musume’s Fairy Tale Collection – More stories!
World of チョコチョコ – These are beginner stories, but as you progress you can read other stories on this website.
EhonNavi – Read hundreds of Japanese picture books for free!
If you’re looking for more advanced content…
NHK – Japan’s national broadcaster. You can read articles as well as stream audio and video (may be blocked depending on location).
毎日新聞 – Moderate/left-leaning national newspaper
朝日新聞 – Left-leaning national newspaper
読売新聞 – Conservative national newspaper
東洋経済オンライン – A well-known business and finance magazine.
Project Gutenberg (Japanese) – Get access to a ton of out-of-print and classical books for free.
小説家になろう – A site where authors can publish their works online in exchange for reviews.
青空文庫 – Another site where you can get older and out-of-print novels.
University of Virginia Japanese Text Initiative – Another place to access novels in Japanese for free (with the option to read them with furigana).
ComicWalker – Free manga from the publisher Kadokawa. There’s an app too!
最前線 – You can read some manga online for free.
コミコ – More free Japanese manga available here!
キナリノ – A woman’s lifestyle blog which covers fashion, cooking, decor, and more!
Magazine Lib – You can read PDFs of Japanese magazines.
1000文字小説 – A place where users can submit 1000 characters or less stories.
I also highly recommend starting a Twitter (if you don’t already have one) and following Japanese accounts. I follow a lot of feminist and political accounts so that I’m learning words relevant to my interests, as well as interacting with people that are discussing topics of interest to me (i.e. women and their place in Japanese society).
If you’re curious, you can find me on Twitter at @sydney0313 :)
I hope this list proves useful to you! (And others.)
頑張ってください！
What books did you use to help you learn japanese (grammar&vocabulary)? Can you recommend me anything?(I’m at a beginner level)
I actually use more websites than books, but the main books I’ve used are the grammar dictionaries that are kind of famous (or so it seems).
There are three of them (each about $40-50 each):
A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar
A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar
These books are amazing. Basic is enough to get you at least to N4 and a little into N3 level grammar, while Advanced is N1 and highly complex stuff.
I really regret not buying Intermediate and Advanced when I was in Japan because the entire Basic book is all review for me, and I should’ve bought Intermediate at least so I could practice more. Cryingggg.
If you can, try to buy these in Japan! They’re a lot cheaper. Only around ¥3000 per book or something like that?
to the anon struggling with the kanji memrise course, there is also some just in kana, such as course 29267 which is for Genki 1 or 258569 which is N5 grammar for beginners. (I can't link the courses in an ask, but you can put 'course/258569' in the memrise URL, hope this helps ^^
for the anon ^
thanks for the tip 💖
hello! i'm only starting to learn japanese and i'm finding it hard to know where i should start with the kanji. do you really have to learn kanji separately and memorize both their pronunciations or can you just learn the kanji in the vocabulary?
omg no! don’t stress yourself out like that anon!!
okay, i’m going to be real with the japanese language learning community: you all are doing waaaaaaaay too much when it comes to kanji.
there. i said it.
learning kanji does not have to be a headache!
i spent the first 6 months of my japanese learning “career” (for lack of a better word) trying to figure out the best way to learn kanji because every website and book was like “here’s the kunyomi, here’s the onyomi, now learn them both” but the fine print of that learning method says “you’re going to f*cking struggle”
but then i started realizing that kanji i read all of the time, i didn’t even “properly” study like those articles said. i didn’t know the kunyomi and onyomi for 行 for ages, but i knew it was read いく in 行く and こう in words like 旅行 and 直行. because i learned those words in context and on their own.
a few months after i came to japan, i started asking japanese people how they learned kanji and every single one of them answered the same way: they learn through vocabulary. i once asked my boyfriend how he learned kanji in grade school, and he said that they were basically given a kanji, and then they were given a list of vocabulary that included that kanji. they then memorized the vocabulary and grew to know the kunyomi and onyomi readings.
which, spoiler: kunyomi and onyomi is not always an accurate measure. lots of compounds use the kunyomi, some of them add dakuten (as in ちゅうごく instead of ちゅうこく in 中国), and others add っ (as in ちょっこう instead of ちょこう in 直行). this really isn’t something you can just magically guess.
but it’s important to remember that everyone learns differently. i don’t learn individual kanji – i learn kanji within various vocabulary words. i make sure to get as much exposure to the various ways a single kanji can appear within a larger compound, so 高 is not just a single kanji, but it is 高い and 高校生 and 高価.
i do, however, think it’s important to understand the meaning of a kanji. this can help you decipher the meaning of a word you don’t know yet. for example, 高価 (こうか) means “high price.” 高 means high and 価 means price. knowing their meaning individually can help decipher the meaning.
in this way you can argue that yes, knowing the individual readings of these two kanji makes guessing the reading of this word easier, but 価 can also be read “ke"! you can’t guarantee an accurate reading all of the time, but with more and more exposure to individual kanji, you will be able to tell.
which brings me to my main point: learning kanji is an individual experience. i, personally, think that learning onyomi and kunyomi readings for 2,000+ jouyou kanji is a HUGE WASTE OF TIME, but there are a lot of people out there that do this methodically and know lots and lots of kanji and vocabulary. i, personally, need kanji in a larger vocabulary word in order for it to stick, and my brain just catalogues the various readings away. that’s how my brain works and learns, but it’s not how everyone else works and learns.
it’s important to find what works for you.
that being said, if you’re just starting out i highly recommend Jakka. it’s a website meant for japanese grade school teachers and has tons of grade school kanji material broken up into their appropriate grades. japanese school children are expected to learn and master a certain amount of kanji + vocabulary each grade level, so if you’d really like to learn like a child, learn like the school children do! (the website is in japanese but fairly simple to navigate.)
i hope this helps a little anon! and remember that learning kanji isn’t a race. if it takes you awhile to learn them, don’t worry. everyone learns languages differently.