Language Learning Resources
Updated: January 1, 2024
There are so many language resources out there and new ones being made all the time that you can lose your way from the real purpose of resources, which is to learn the language, and get caught in the trap of thinking that if you just found the right way to study, you would master the language. In the end, learning a new language is up to you and the effort you put into it, and especially how well you make learning it a daily habit. Since people often ask me how they can learn Japanese or English better, I will put down my learning experiences and the ways I use these resources. Many of these are Japanese-specific, but you can use some of them for any language you are interested in learning.
I am NOT sponsoring any of these. I’m just listing what I have used in the past and will recommend to clients when I teach.
Here are the resources I will go over here. Click on one to go directly to its section:
This language app requires less commitment than most of the others because you can use it when you have questions to answer or feel like helping other people out, but you will not get bombarded with friend and message requests. It is not for finding language partners. Apps such as Tandem and Hello Talk are made for that purpose.
I find this app helpful for quickly getting information and answers to questions you need from multiple people at once. It’s like doing a Google Search or posting a question on a forum, but you can easily ask for clarification from those who answer you. I do not pay for any premium features in the app, but there are still many things you can do with the free version, which is what I will focus on for this review.
The most useful feature of this app is being able to ask language-related questions using the target language even if you are a beginner. The question you post will be translated into the target language for you. You can ask “How do you say [insert word or phrase to translate] in Japanese?” and the app will display the question in Japanese for native speakers to answer. This feature is helpful for beginners if you don’t know how to form the questions in the target language. People will often answer your question in your native language if you show you are a beginner in the target language. You can also form your own questions from scratch, of course, but their templates are very useful, ranging from asking about the pronunciation of a word or requesting example sentences to asking the difference between similar two words. Here is a screenshot of some of the question templates.
Once you ask a question, you will get notified of when others give answers. You can reply to them with a thank you or follow-up questions, “like” their answers, report or block them, delete their replies, or mark their answer as the featured one so you don’t get more responses.
If you want to see if your question has been asked and answered before, you can use the search function. It brings up results from Google Translate and questions found in the app. See the screenshot below for an example of this.
The motivation to answer other people’s questions comes from getting quick points and quality points in your native language that allow you to level up. I have honestly not worked that hard in increasing my level, and I tend to just go to the app when I have a question, and if I have some time, I will answer some questions. The secret to getting points is by giving useful example sentences. Avoid simply translating a word or phrase for the person. Give them context and usage of the word or phrase. You can also give audio recordings.
Overall, this app is very useful for asking native speakers for language help without any commitment to being language partners and making small talk. It is quite easy to use and has a fun point system to build up your prestige as a skilled native speaker when you answer many questions well.
An app for finding language partners. You can set up a profile and your language goals then start reaching out to people with whom you want to exchange language. It’s good for finding native speakers of your target language who are interested in learning your native language. You may get some strange people messaging you, of course, but you can just ignore them, block them, or report them. The free version does not allow you to search for people who are close to your location if you want to meet language partners in real life, but the paid version has those options. You can also keep your location invisible.
The messaging system allows you to correct and comment on messages, translate them, hear them spoken with a computerized voice, and of course send your own audio messages and pictures. You can also switch to offline mode so that new people won’t message you.
How I use it: I’m definitely not using it to its full potential. I only get on once in a while when I want to message someone with a question about Japanese, or if someone messages me. A lot of people I started conversations with have come and gone. Only a few regularly keep in touch with me. Overall, it’s a great way to practice your language skills if you do not get the chance as often in real life. If you put in the effort to use it to practice language, I’m sure you’ll find it very useful and make some good friends. Just remember to help out people learning your language along with asking for help from people.
An app for communicating with language partners and a social platform to write posts using your target language for feedback. Like Tandem, you can find language partners and message them. There are translation functions, audio functions, corrections, and more. What makes this app different from Tandem is the ability to search for people in your area if you want to meet in real life. You don’t have to share your location, though, if you just want to communicate online. The social media function lets you post images and allows others to comment and correct your language usage. You can also view other people’s posts including what people learning the same language as you are posting, what people you follow are posting, and what anyone posts in your native and target languages.
How I use it: I honestly do not use this app as much as Tandem. However, I see great potential in using it to get feedback for writing, and I may use it more for this purpose in the future.
This is a spaced-repetition flashcard app called AnkiMobile. There is also a desktop version that syncs with the app, which is helpful for making flashcards if you don’t want to type them out on your phone. I find the interface easy to use, and there are options to write out answers with your fingertip before checking the answer if you want to practice writing characters. You can also download decks created by other people if you want to study something specific (Like JLPT N2 Kanji) and not put in the effort of making the cards yourself. I study by making the cards, so I usually only study my own decks. You can also add pictures for a more visual learning experience, which I only recently started doing when I was studying a large amount of kanji nouns. You can use it with or without internet access, so it is good for on-the-go. Just make sure to sync the app to your online account once in a while in case something happens to your phone.
Note: Currently it is free for Android phones and on the desktop but has fewer functions, and you need to pay for the iOS version. The last time I checked, it was still a one-time fee. Weigh the costs and benefits before buying it, and of course test out the desktop version if you have an iOS system.
How I use it: I got this app for free on an Android phone while taking Japanese in college, and I made lots of flashcards, then never looked at them. The notifications always told me I had over 900 cards to review. Then I moved to Japan, got an iPhone, and realized if I wanted to keep using the app, I would have to pay for it. I decided to buy it on a whim. When I started studying my old vocabulary words, however, I realized how helpful the app was for creating a daily study habit.
My best advice is to make using it a habit. Do it first thing in the morning or during your lunch break. Whatever works for you. Just be consistent. I finally got down to about 100 flashcards to review per day, which only takes me about 10 minutes or less. It is a great way for me to prepare for the JLPT or other language tests by recording new words and patterns I find in my textbooks. When you are working with large amounts of new words, you need a system to continually study and review them, and Anki takes away the extra work of planning how and what to review so you can just focus on actually studying.
This is a language-learning app that relies on the grammar translation method to develop language skills. The interface is easy to use, and it has a good notification system to help you remember to study every. Great app for busy people who want to include just a little studying each day and not do any planning of what to study. You can set goals and choose how much you want to study each day to reach them.
Note: It is difficult to use this app as your only language study tool because it does not explain the grammar. It just makes you translate sentences, record yourself saying sentences, or write the sentences you hear. I studied German for two years in high school, so I had some background knowledge of its case system and some basic words that I quickly recalled as soon as I started studying again.
How I use it: It’s highly motivating for studying German, but not so great for my Japanese because it only teaches up to B2 level or lower depending on the language. You will not get any advanced practice on this app, and when you do get to A2 level, the sentences can be long and tedious to translate. Use it as a daily motivator and to review what you’ve learned before, then go and read some authentic material or talk to people.
Weblio is an online dictionary with example sentences and a good translator function. There is an app that includes Weblio along with Wikipedia and some other dictionaries called 全国辞書 (zenkoku jisho) that I regularly use. You can also download only the Weblio app. The dictionary app requires internet connection for searches because it does tap into a variety of databases online. The system is a bit clunky to use, and you need to type in Japanese characters to search, not romaji. However, I don’t find this a problem. When searching for definitions of Japanese words and phrases in Japanese, there are many links within the definitions for other words you can look up if you don’t know how to read them or what they mean. Think of Wikipedia. You can endlessly click on links. It is great for when I copy and paste definitions into Anki flashcards because I can click on the link in the flashcard and it takes me to the dictionary app.
How I use it: One of my university professors recommended the website for the translation work we were doing in class. I used the website for that class and then afterward did not use it much until I came to Japan and downloaded the dictionary app. Now I use it all the time when creating flashcards because I want to include a Japanese definition of the words or phrases, not just the English translation. For English translations, I use a simple offline dictionary app I found for free on my phone.
The New Web Easy Website provides simplified news articles with lots of study tools. This website has excellent self-study options: You can listen to the article being read slowly, choose to have furigana attached to the kanji characters or not, watch the original news clip, go to the original article, and scroll over underlined words to see a definition in Japanese. It’s great for building new vocabulary that you won’t encounter in everyday conversations that may just be about the weather and food. It’s updated with new articles daily, so you can make it a habit to read some Japanese every day.
How I use it: I have not used it in a while, but it is still a good resource for beginner and intermediate language learners. When I did use it, I found watching the videos, when available, interesting to get an idea of what the article is about before reading. I found the articles easy to understand for language learners, so I highly recommend trying it out to see if your level fits.
If you are a child at heart like me, you will enjoy the collection of videos and activities on the NHK for School Website, aimed toward Japanese children. They have an English version of the main tabs for this site, which makes it easy for beginners to find what they want to watch or do. You can look for videos based on grade level (kindergarten through high school) and topic. I especially like the history videos. You can relearn math and science concepts from your school days in Japanese, which means you already know what is going on, so you can understand new words in a familiar context.
How I use it: I have not used it recently, and it looks like they have new changes that make it more accessible for English speakers (like the topic tabs in English). When I did use it more frequently, I would watch each video twice. The first time, I just listened. The second time, I would listen and read along with the Japanese transcription of the text. I would then pick a few new words I didn’t understand to write down and look up. I recommend exploring this site for yourself and finding what you like.
I have always found the courses on Future Learn to be of good quality, and some of them you can complete for free in a limited time period. While there are currently no Japanese language courses available (from when I last checked), there are a variety of other languages as well as cultural courses to take. Personally, I enjoyed the Introduction to Norwegian course through the University of Oslo. It was a great starter for building listening comprehension and reading skills in Norwegian. You can also interact with others who are taking the course through comments.
Final Thoughts
Having all the resources in the world won’t help you learn a language if you lack the motivation to study and put in effort. So my biggest recommendation is that you find what interests you and do it in your target language. Love talking with people? Find language buddies. Love reading? Find simple things to read on topics you enjoy and gradually level up. Music is a big motivator for me, so I especially love listening to Japanese and German music. I don’t use it to actively learn languages, but while listening, I sometimes hear words I know or recently learned, and this recognition reinforces them. Every bit of exposure to the language you are learning helps, so find the little ways to incorporate it into your life. Good luck with the learning process!