What is Reddit's opinion of Japanese from Zero! 1: Proven Techniques to Learn Japanese for Students and Professionals?

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I have been learning so far from a four part book series called "Japanese from Zero!" (https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Zero-Techniques-Students-Professionals/dp/0976998122). I am halfway though of the first book so definitely still rough around the edges =).

I also have two apps on my tablet that I use Duolingo and Takos-Japanese. Since you are into art, I think you might like the Takos-Japanese app as it forces you to write out both the hiragana and kanji with the proper strokes. It definitely is a fun and challenginh language to learn knowing that certain kanji can have different meaning depending on context XD.

I recommend the Japanese from Zero series.

I was is special Ed back in middle school and had smaller classes in highschool. JFZ made it really easy for me to understand grammar and utilize it. Honestly it's a life savior for me.

You can do this! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

Amazon: Japanese From Zero link

Japanese from Zero! 1: Proven Techniques to Learn Japanese for Students and Professionals https://www.amazon.com/dp/0976998122/ref=cm_sw_r_u_apa_i_xxOIFbQ5D3WKC

I’ve been using a textbook called “Japanese from Zero” and it’s a dream. It’s so, so easy to learn from and it teaches you how to read, write, and speak in a natural way.

Japanese from Zero! 1: Proven Methods to Learn Japanese with Integrated Workbook and Online Support https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0976998122/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xbk7Cb5AD6WWV

I used This one when first starting out.I also self-studied for years... It's a long journey (read: never ending)! Good luck! It's easy, manageable, and kind of fun. I'm on the last book now and I'm also using apps, my coworkers, students, and family members to study with

That's the thing that seems so strange to me. I hadn't heard of this guy until a thread 2 days ago when someone mentioned "JFZ", and I had to google it and find "Japanese From Zero" which he wrote.

Now, I know a thing or two about Japanese language resources, but I had never heard of this text before.

Yet, on amazon.co.jp, it's ranked as #2/#3 under (foreign) dictionaries/thesauri (depending on which supercategory it uses), and on amazon.com, it's #3 under Japanese references, just behind Genki.

You can simply buy amazon reviews, but I don't think you can so easily fake the sales rank.

Something is strange, and I don't know what it is. I doubt he simply bought 20k copies of his own text? Or maybe he did? It's from some no-name publisher--almost certainly his own company. Maybe they're selling through amazon, he buys 20k copies of his own text, gives Amazon their X% cut, and receives the texts back, and writes that loss off as "marketing expenses"? (Of course, he still has to actually sell the books afterwards or he's sitting on 20k copies of unsellable books and he has to eat the printing costs.)

His website, yesjapan.com (seems to be website version of his texts), seems to have also been steadily increasing in popularity as according to alexa.

He may be an idiot about Japanese grammar, but he does seem to know how to market to his target audience.

Lucky you! I really wanted to go to Download, but wasn't able to because I'm a financial nightmare right now.

In regards to learning Japanese, there's a lot of resources which can easily be recommended, but it all depends on your personal learning style. I would definitely recommend Japanese from Zero which I'm currently working through, they have books which are £19 ($28) on Amazon right now, but what's an easier route through this course is the free JFZ videos hosted by George Trombley -; this guy literally is hilarious and teaches in a very good way. However, he does personally mention to use multiple sources for learning since when it comes to learning the language, each teacher bases their content of learning on their opinion of what they think you should know.

Here you go.

Personally, Duolingo has never worked for me, either. The order I was learning in felt completely random (at least with Japanese, I can't say for other languages).

I learn from Japanese From Zero! book series. There's also a YouTube channel that follows along, so that you can practice more effectively. It's all made in a way you don't feel overwhelmed and actually feel accomplishment with every lesson you progress through. It's not overpriced and it also has an integrated workbook. I highly recommend it.

Kanji is a completely different story, though. It's taught from book 3 which is way too late in my opinion. So instead, I use Kanji Study. It has also an integrated dictionary and stroke practice. It's not completely free, but I don't regret buying it - even though I'm a slower learner, I went from 0 to around 300 Kanji (studying 10-20 minutes every day) in 185 consecutive days.

And if I feel like I want to learn more vocabulary, I personally use Drops. The free version is very limited, but it's certainly nice to have. Everyone should have 5-10 minutes a day to learn something new, so it shouldn't be a problem, if you don't focus solely on vocabulary.

You can use the progressive hiragana system in Japanese From Zero! 1 either here (fromzero.com) or here (https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Zero-Techniques-Students-Professionals/dp/0976998122/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3AHX5G668CKZY&keywords=japanese+from+zero+1&qid=1662646929&sprefix=japanese+from+zero+1%2Caps%2C168&sr=8-1). Good luck :)

You may want to try a progressive system of learning hiragana and katakana. Just create a free account and check out the first few lessons in Course 1 on fromzero.com (alternatively, get the books on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Zero-Techniques-Students-Professionals/dp/0976998122/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=ZFK10VQKEZ7I&keywords=from+zero+1&qid=1660297934&sprefix=from+zero+1%2Caps%2C175&sr=8-1).

TL;DR: Learning because of Hololive, not an expert in Japanese at all yet, but here are learning materials I swear by and wish I had learned of sooner:

For learning Hiragana/Katakana: https://store.steampowered.com/app/438270/Learn_Japanese_To_Survive_Hiragana_Battle/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/554600/Learn_Japanese_To_Survive_Katakana_War/

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For learning Japanese Vocab/Grammar: https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Zero-Techniques-Students-Professionals/dp/0976998122/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1S36YW60LRHZ2&keywords=japanese+from+zero+1&qid=1641424605&sprefix=Japanese+from+zero%2Caps%2C235&sr=8-1

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxuZNRnlprC70l1bnI0n-XQ

A good free digital flashcard service I use for studying vocab: https://apps.ankiweb.net/

End TL;DR

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I've been meaning to commit to learning Japanese for years, but being able to watch JP Holomembers' streams without being dependent on live translators to understand them has been my current motivation since I got into Hololive in October, 2020. While I'd love to share my experiences and recommendations with you, I'll preface by saying that I'm not too far along so I'm no expert in the Japanese language or its study.

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Honestly, I think my studies have gone great, and would be going better if I was more consistent and had better structure earlier on. Apologies if I'm not reading into your post correctly, but the study materials I've used up to this point I swear by and absolutely recommend them if you care to read on.

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Personally, I'd highly recommend learning Hiragana and Katakana to start. Knowing them will really increase the access to learning materials you have. A lot of good study material out there uses Kana rather than Romaji, so knowing Kana will benefit you in the long run as you get further along in your studies and expand your learning material used. While looking around for good means of learning Kana, I came across the Learn Japanese to Survive game series, which can be purchased for just a couple dollars on sale on Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/438270/Learn\_Japanese\_To\_Survive\_Hiragana\_Battle/). They are RPG Maker games which provide a structured approach to learning Kana and include plenty of repetition to aid learning. The story and characters are cheesy as it comes and clearly exist just to keep the learning material going, but I still found playing these games far more engaging than just trying to brute-force memorize Kana. It only took me a couple months to get very confident in my abilities to recognize Kana on sight using these games.

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As for learning Japanese vocabulary and grammar, I love George Trombley's Japanese from Zero series (https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Zero-Techniques-Students-Professionals/dp/0976998122/ref=sr\_1\_1?crid=1S36YW60LRHZ2&keywords=japanese+from+zero+1&qid=1641424605&sprefix=Japanese+from+zero%2Caps%2C235&sr=8-1)! I can't say enough good things about this content. There are 5 books in the Japanese from Zero series, each costing about $20. Purchasing all 5 of these books still costs less than just one of my college textbooks. He has a YouTube channel which has supplementary content for the first 3 books (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxuZNRnlprC70l1bnI0n-XQ). The videos can be watched on their own without the books at no cost, but are much better when used in combination with the books. George also teaches Kana in the first two books, so if you wanted to do everything all at once you can. He has refined his material over the last 20+ years of teaching and his style diverges from traditional textbook content to teach Japanese in a more natural way than textbooks and college courses teach it. He's far more student-friendly, engaging, and his content is more rewarding than more traditional methods of study.

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Most recently, I have started studying vocab taught throughout George's book series using a digital flashcard service called Anki (https://apps.ankiweb.net/). The UI is a little off-putting at first, but once you get used to using it, it's really helpful. Anki uses a method which is more conductive to learning by allowing you to focus more on stuff that's difficult for you while putting aside stuff that's easier for you for less frequent review. Although you can find prebuilt decks, what has worked best for me is to build my own deck containing vocab I have learned and add to it as I learn new material. In this way, I can stay more organized and keep from experiencing information overload. It's ta tedious way, but I think it's worth it.

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Finally, use real-world material too. Study the lyrics of your favorite songs, try to pick out words you know during streams or watching anime, etc. Lately, whenever I watch streams or clips and I hear a word or some grammar I understand, I say it out loud for reinforcement. It helps with making things stick, gives me a point of reference for in-context usages of stuff I've learned, and it's rewarding to get the feeling that my studying is paying due to at least almost real-time recognition.

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If I had known about all of these from day 1 and built myself the structure I have now, as well as stayed more consistent than I have been, I would have been much further along than I am now. I hope that this information is helpful to you in any way, and if you decide your learning style is different from mine and you don't like anything I recommended, I hope that whatever you do find brings you a lot of success and happiness. がんばって!

The best way to learn is very subjective. If you are going to follow the Japanese From Zero! series, then the basis for learning hiragana and katakana are already incorporated into books 1 & 2, respectively. If Japanese From Zero! is not going to be your primary source for learning Japanese, then you should consider getting Kana From Zero!, which is solely dedicated to teaching hiragana and katakana.

I am a visual learner, so the way I learned was through image-based mnemonics. Tofugu has a good guide for memorizing hiragana and katakana.

The best way to learn is very subjective. If you are going to follow the Japanese From Zero! series, then the basis for learning hiragana and katakana are already incorporated into books 1 & 2, respectively. If Japanese From Zero! is not going to be your primary source for learning Japanese, then you should consider getting Kana From Zero!, which is solely dedicated to teaching hiragana and katakana.

I am a visual learner, so the way I learned was through image-based mnemonics. Tofugu has a good guide for memorizing hiragana and katakana.

I'm not the same guy you're asking, but I bought book 1 of Japanese From Zero and absolutely loved it. The teacher has a whole YT series intended to give you a review of each lesson in the book. His videos' style of teaching probably isn't for everyone due to how casual they can get at times, but they're in-depth and in my experience I was very rarely left with any questions. (only once or twice through all 13 lessons)

If you're interested, give some of the first few videos a watch and see how you like them.

try these : japanese from zero 1-https://www.amazon.co.uk/Japanese-Zero-Methods-Integrated-Workbook/dp/0976998122/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507183223&sr=8-1&keywords=learn+japanese

r/learnjapanese

Here's a great way to start. It'll give you enough to practice on for a while and there's video for you to practice listening.

Get the book 'Japanese From Zero 1' and use that as your introduction. It'll teach you basic numbers, introductions and simple conversation, how to tell time, and some basic grammar. It slowly integrates Hiragana into the book so that you're learning it while you learn the grammar and it's a good method to get you naturally reading Kana. This is one of the many resources I use, so I can say from experience, it's very approachable. You really should get the book though as the YouTube videos, while free, assume you've got the book in front of you.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Japanese-Zero-Methods-Integrated-Workbook/dp/0976998122/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475904846&sr=8-1&keywords=Japanese+From+Zero - Amazon Link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsrakMT1h2g&list=PLOcym2c7xnBwRNLWXOAtlN-9dbLkctxV-&index=1 - Video Series

Good luck. Another method to help you start is consider setting up an account on - http://japaneseclass.jp - It's a self-testing and revision site that encourages you to work on the language daily. Very useful for keeping you practising.

This is basically a repeat of an answer I gave someone else, but it's basically the same question so yeah. Here's a great way to start. It'll give you enough to practice on for a while and there's video for you to practice listening.

Get the book 'Japanese From Zero 1' and use that as your introduction. It'll teach you basic numbers, introductions and simple conversation, how to tell time, and some basic grammar. It slowly integrates Hiragana into the book so that you're learning it while you learn the grammar and it's a good method to get you naturally reading Kana. This is one of the many resources I use, so I can say from experience, it's very approachable. You really should get the book though as the YouTube videos, while free, assume you've got the book in front of you.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Japanese-Zero-Methods-Integrated-Workbook/dp/0976998122/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475904846&sr=8-1&keywords=Japanese+From+Zero - Amazon Link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsrakMT1h2g&list=PLOcym2c7xnBwRNLWXOAtlN-9dbLkctxV-&index=1 - Video Series

Good luck. Another method to help you start is consider setting up an account on - http://japaneseclass.jp - It's a self-testing and revision site that encourages you to work on the language daily. Very useful for keeping you practising.

I'll also throw in that if you're struggling to remember the kana, Dr. Moku is pretty good. It uses mnemonics to teach, and it's effective. I was able to learn Hiragana in a few hours basically. Though you need to keep using it or you lose it. I still struggle to remember Katakana because it just doesn't show up enough for me to be overly familiar with it.

Other books I've used include "Genki", "Japanese For Busy People", "Let's Learn Kanji", "Remembering The Kanji", and "Collins Easy Learn Japanese". They all have their pro's and cons, the latter being an audio-book that isn't bad a first but on review teaches some really weird grammar that's not practically useful. 'Japanese From Zero' teaches useful conversational Japanese, and if used along side 'Genki', they work very well.

I've heard great things about Japanese from Zero.

A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar is also invaluable if you can get your hands on a copy.

EDIT: typo fixed.