(Updated April 5, 2021) Japanese language students are incredibly lucky: There’s so much competition for Japanese learning materials that the quality of Japanese textbooks out there are extremely high compared to some other less-pursued languages (even compared to Korean textbooks for example). In the 12+ years I’ve been studying Japanese, I have bought piles and …
What are the best manga of all time? Well, hopefully without causing too much controversy, we’d like to present our list of the top 50 manga of all time! While many people think of manga as the comic book art form that gained prominence in the 20th century, it actually dates back to the 19th …
Michael Emmerich’s Short Stories in Japanese is an interesting and useful book that contains some entertaining tales for learners of Japanese. If you are looking for something to bolster your Nihongo then this book could be a useful addition to your bookshelf. Be warned, this book is aimed at intermediate learners and above! It’s not …
Lately, I’ve been reading more guides on how to study a language effectively. One such book is Fluent Forever, written by a multilingual opera singer. I picked it up not expecting to learn much new, but this book surprised me. It offers tools and learning strategies that are highly relevant in the internet age. The good – Fluent …
In any language, verbs form the vital medium for effective communication. Korean is no exception. Its tricky verb conjugations and challenging grammar present tough obstacles for learners. 500 Basic Korean Verbs is an invaluable reference that breaks down 500 of the most common Korean verbs. I recommend that all serious students of Korean pick this one up. …
Chinese for Beginners is an introductory book for busy learners starting out with Chinese. I previously enjoyed using Korean for Beginners by the same publisher (reviewed here). What follows is our review of Chinese for Beginners. What We Liked About Chinese For Beginners Easy-to-follow structure The book is split into 16 chapters with a couple of dialogues …
Based on the same method as the popular Learning Chinese Characters, Glen Nolan Grant’s Learning Japanese Kanji offers a humorous and memorable approach to mastering the first 500 kanji. Read our Learning Japanese Kanji review below to find out what we liked and didn’t like about the book. What We Liked About ‘Learning Japanese Kanji’ Mnemonics …
(Updated April, 2019) Until recently, Korean was a rare language for Westerners to learn. But thanks to the rapid economic development of South Korea, and increasing interest in Korean culture in recent years seems to have led to more Korean learning materials being made available (I’m lookin’ at you, Korean Dramas and K-Pop). Unfortunately, there …
“To have another language is to possess a second soul.” – Charlemagne Learning another language can be a lonely and frustrating process. Sometimes we need a gentle push to give us a break and boost our motivation. In this post, I am going to introduce a couple of books that serve as inspirational and practical …
EDIT: The situation has greatly improved since this post. Please read this update on how to find good Japanese content for the Kindle. Happy New Year everyone! I don’t know about you, but the New Year has got me motivated to get back to studying languages and reading more Japanese. I also plan to take …
The Kindle Paperwhite: A godsend for Japanese learners (if you’re in Japan) Read More »
