Which Beginner JAPANESE book is BEST for YOU? 

They should make a textbook on how to understand middle aged Japanese men in business meetings

Japanese from Zero has helped me so much. I just started book 4. I feel like I've learned a lot when starting from almost nothing.

I've bought a bunch of books too, including genki and japanese from zero. For me if I had to choose just one, I'd go for Japanese from Zero, it is slower for sure, but I feel like what you learn from that book actually sticks, while the knowledge I got from genki would slowly fade after a couple weeks. I also recommend a little book called "The handbook of Japanese Verbs - Starter Edition" it has a great explanation of all the different verb forms at the beginning and then a list of common/basic verbs with at least 4 examples on how to use them; I found it really really useful.

The Japanese From Zero books definitely helped me a lot. Wish more people would give it a chance though. I know a lot of people who started with Genki and just stopped halfway because of how overwhelmed they were.

Actually, Minna no Nihongo has a lot of workbooks (listening, kanji, writing, reading) and a separate explanations+vocab book (in many different languages: english, spanish, russian, thai, korean etc.). It's really pricey for a full set, though

When I took Japanese courses we used the "Minna no Nihongo" books, they're very good and easy to learn from but you have to have the "Translation and Grammatical Notes" book.

Great idea opening in Japanese! It really demonstrates how effective studying with these books can be

In personally opinion, Minna no Nihongo series is the best option for self-taught students. It has a wide variety of books to reinforce each chapter, but many students don't know about them. A principal book (the one that you showed), grammar notes book in many languages, kaite oboeru book (writing exercises), a book with mini tests, a Kanji practice book (by the way, it is great), a reading book (I loved it) and a sakubun practice book. Minna no nihongo is designed to work with all those books at the same time, and that makes it super complete because you reinforced vocabulary and grammar learned in each lesson and practice all skills (reading, listening, writing, speaking). Moreover, there are plenty of RU-vid channels that explain each lesson until the intermediate level. It just 👌.

I didn't think the Japanese From Zero books would be my style, but this video really sold me on trying them.

I just ordered Japanese from zero, I’m so excited 😃

I was going to buy Genjki, but you persuaded me to buy the Japanese from Zero one instead, arigato 🙏🏻

This is seriously the most helpful video out there for this. Thank you so so much for making this for us fellow Nihongo learners!! 🥰

I have JFZ the first book and I’m studying with it right now, but every time I see those "watch me study" videos they all have the second book you showed or genki and it makes me wonder if I chose the right book. Watching your video helped me feel a lot better about my choice in book. I had to work a little harder in school to grasp information because of my learning disability and I thought I could never focus and learn Japanese by myself. JFZ does work for me and it’s extremely easy to follow. I just finished lesson 5 and I’m already able to construct long basic sentences and ask questions. Plus my hearing skills have improved immensely. I wish more people would give JFZ a try.

Thanks for this video. I was stressing for days on which book I want to start with because I did not want to learn on a bad note. From this video I will be buying Japanese from Zero. Lots of other youtube videos that were about reviewing Japanese beginner books did not even cover Japanese from Zero, so I didn't even know that was a resource. It's perfect for me Thank you!!!

Thank you so much!!! Your videos are always helpful.

Thank you for this. I'm dyslexic and a slow learner so hearing this really helped my decision in what textbooks to use and when during my Japanese learning experience.

I have Japanese from zero 1 right now and I recommend to anyone learning Japanese ^^

thank you so much for the video, the way you present the books tells that you really took the time and effort using them to tell the difference, I used to learn japanese through japanesepod101, it helped start from scratch, although I found it very uneffecient to listen to a long conversation on a topic of grammer for example since I consider myself a fast learner, anime helped me pickup words from time to time, I'm going to take your advice and check the last book with multiple youtube videos and see how does that work, thanks! :)

I'm really glad you landed on my recommended. Thank you for such helpful information!

Good video! It would have been a lot of help watching this when I started learning myself! I have Genki, Minna no Nihongo, JFZ books 1-3 and agree with your assessment of them completely. Some people find JFZ far too slow and unrewarding as the amount of time vs reward opposed to a book such as Genki is very low. Yet as you mention, the depth of explanation in JFZ is far more natural to understand and absorb for an English speaker. I think the major problem with Japanese study videos on the internet is the compounded belief that the JLPT N5 and even the N4 are both 'easy' and can be passed within several months of study. When I took it back in 2019 - after maybe 2 to 3 /years/ of casual self study, I was completely destroyed by the grammar section (the speed of reading necessary in an exam condition) and the listening section as the workbooks in my opinion do not prepare you adequately for that section at all. Even now after almost 6 years of starting to learn, including using supplemental tools such as Duolingo, Memrise and WaniKani. While my comprehension has improved, I still feel under no illusion that I'd be able to pass any level of the JLPT as there's simply no 100% roadmap to which books you need to read or study to get there which you'd gain from a structured school environment. The best beginner Japanese book for most people is going to be whichever one their school uses as you need that feedback of what sections you're struggling with (either by your teacher or comparing yourself to classmates), as well as having exposure to an immersive audio experience. Otherwise, you find yourself absorbing a lot of information without being able to apply any of it.

This was very helpful thank you! It’s been a little confusing trying to research how to start and a little discouraging when resources jump right into the language. I know full immersion is the best way but it was very overwhelming! I think I’ll start with Japanese from zero and work my confidence and way up to books like Genki. Thank you!

Thanks for this video gave me some great ideas for books to pick up that may help me

Thanks a lot.. that's the video I was searching for.. you explained everything, gave the important advices and did that in a very informative way.. you are amazing 🎩💫❤

thank you so much for this video!! i’ve been struggling between studying off and on for like 3 years now because at times it all just gets too overwhelming. will try out japanese from zero, thank you!

I've been watching Japanese Language learning videos FOR YEARS!!!!! And yours is the one that has spoken the MOST TRUTH!!!!! Thank you.

OMG thank you so much for this ❤️

This is so cool and helpful! My friends and I watch your videos to practice Japanese over Voicely

this video was quite useful, thank u!

that was so helpful , really Thanks 🤩💛

As a casual learner myself, I think I would pass on the Everyone Is Japanese book, but the others seem more my level! Great video!

I just bought Japanese from Zero and the Genki workbook and textbook should be here in two days! Thanks for sharing your learning journey with us! I'm excited to start n.n

このビデオはとても詳 (くわ)して素晴 (すば)らしいです。This video is very informative and great. Personally when I started learning Japanese in high school I used Adventures in Japanese (not sure if that's what they use now 2000-2003) but when I took a refresher course at my local community college they used Genki. I went in to that class knowing hiragana and katakana already I had been reading Japanese for about four to six months at the time I started the class. Genki was the perfect book for me back then (2016). I currently use the Japan Times Intermediate Japanese book plus the Minna no Nihongo Intermediate books as well. Minna no Nihongo actually has translation books as well in multiple languages. I do like how it is written completely in Japanese as well. I look for textbooks like that now since I'm literally studying for JLPT N3 exam right now.

thank u sooo much I had no idea which book to get this really helped

I first bought Genki 1 then found the JFZ videos on RU-vid and watched them on the side. After finishing Genki 1, I felt that I could skip a few volumes of the JFZ book series and dived right into book 4 which worked out fine. The only thing that bothered me was that he often wrote words in hiragana when they are usually written in kanji. I prefer kanji with furigana over too much hiragana use. Sometimes I don't understand the meaning of a word until I see the kanji for it :D

Thank you for the suggestions! :) I am wanting to learn Japanese for a while now, learning Hiragana now on my own :)

I started watching this video even though I had already Japanese From Zero, so when you said this one was your favourite it relieved me so much :-)

Very very nice video well paced, and explained and very helpful thank u

Thank u so much I was so confused to buy which books . Now I get it !

I just wanted to let you know I came across your video a month or so ago and your book suggestions completely helped me out. I ended up getting Japanese from zero and before that I had been using pimsleur audio learning and I feel I've been learning so much more and it's sticking with me!. Thank you!

Thank you very much! I had doubts about buying this book, but now I've decided

Thank you,it helped me a lot to understand

Thanks a lot for the recommendation!!!

i started with japanese from zero, and loved it, but wanted a tougher learning process and took genki in a community college class. i will say that i learned a LOT with genki, but it can be so fast in a school setting and that on my own, i might just go back to JFZ.

Thanks for the great video. It was very helpful :)

this really helped me, i started with nihongo so matome. i did know kana befor jumping into it but it was still owervelming, and made you lurn full on sentenses on the first page, witch is a lot when you just lurnt kana. so japanese for zero is exactly what i was lookin for, im gonna go by it as fast as i can. tank you for the help, keep up the good work. also you seam really charming.

Thank you for such a good review I think from what you've said and knowing I'm going to be mostly going this alone, japanese from Zero is a good place to start so I think I'll try that, thanks again and I think I'll be back here to let you know how I get on

Thanks for sharing your tips!

Excellent video! Thanks for the information. I'm just embarking on the Japanese From Zero Book 3 and it's really great.

Thanks that was a very helpful comparison. I had heard so much about 皆の日本語 and that it used comics, but had absolutely NO idea that there were ZERO English explanations! That makes it so much harder, and means it is not something for me at this time. Also, while the first few Japanese from Zero books might frustrate me for being so slow, I wonder after seeing the inside of yours if perhaps it might be best for my sister, who was trying to learn the language alongside me, but has barely touched her (actual physical copies) of Genki. It's given me a gift idea! Thanks! Personally, I like Genki, but you're right, the 6-7 grammar points at once are a bit much. I could use practice/examples either after each point or each 2-3 points, instead of only at the end of the chapters. I think I made it about 5 or so chapters in to the first one, only, not very far. It also definitely feels like it's aimed at people studying in University, as most of the examples deal with that age group of people and related situations.

I will try all of these three books, thanks for the recommendation! Genki and Japanese from zero for the start, the second book for later usage. Japanese from zero has the cutest cover for sure, while the second book has more like an artistic view or approach.

I started Japanese from Zero 1 in March and now I'm about to start the 4th one. It's been absolutely perfect for me and my way of learning! I was so surprised at how quickly I was able to read both hiragana and katakana so easily!

Great information!!!

I was gonna get Genki because a lot of people had told me about it and how good it was, but I think I'm gonna go with Japanese from Zero now, because of the slow pace it goes in. Thanks a bunch

Hey, thank you very much for this. I was ready to place an order for a Genki book but deep down I'm hesitating a bit. Friends recommended it to me but who am I kidding, JFZ pace suits me better haha. It really helped me a lot so thank you!

It's worth noting that Genki has plenty of valuable resources on their website, including practice problems and videos. I believe many of the resources are actually free, so you can check them even if you don't have the book. From what I recall, they also have their own RU-vid channel as well.

Thanks! I would like to add 80/20 Japanese by Richard Webb. It's very practical and gets you started speaking Japanese more or less immediately before going into further grammatical details later on. For example, it starts with the polite present tense ("ます" ending) of the verbs so that you can express a lot of information in a very short time, which is highly rewarding. It's perfect for self-studying and will get you to approx. to JLPT N4 (however you surely need to do the Kanji drills by yourself like with every book).

Been studying Japanese with the Genki books. They are fantastic, but I also have the Learning Japanese From Zero books and think they are easier to keep hold of phrases. I also plan on picking up the Tango book series as I heard they are fantastic for learning beginner vocabulary.

Very helpful - thanks.

Thanks so much. I'll check these books out on Amazon

I love the content and video iam choosing book for learning from zero thanks

Thanks this video was very helpful for me! I’m older than college age so I do want a slower approach ahahahah! I’m excited to start!

Thanks, great video.

Great review, thanks for the info. Japanese sounds so great and is such an interesting language.

Ara Ara sayonara ! Btw thanks for the explanation ❤️

Thank you for the review, I've just ordered JFZ1 but I was not sure if I should go for Genki first. I prefer to go slowly at the beginning

thank you for this! i'm working through genki right now and i'm definitely feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Thank you for the useful video.

Thanks for the recommendations. I ordered Japanese from Zero 1.

i’m using JFZ and i’m really enjoying it but I sort of got insecure about it cuz the more i researched about learning Japanese it seemed that no one spoke about it and everyone was using Genki. I love the book but everyone had me questioning if I should switch to genki. JFZ also has 5 books while Genki only has 2 if u don’t count the workbooks.

Minna no Nihongo is great. I like it more than Genki.

Thank you🙏🏼❤️ This video really helped me with finding a good book for studying japanese (japanese from zero 😍💙) since i couldn’t sign up for a japanese language class because it is very expensive in my country. So thank you so much Kiira for introducing the japanese from zero book❤️🌸 you really helped me a lot🙏🏼🧡

From the standpoint of someone who is purely self study and already had a decent grasp of the basics of the writing systems, with fair bit of vocabulary, I found that みんなの日本語 was the right choice to go with as a supplement to try and fill in any gaps that formed by not using a more structured system. The other two have gotten a ton of praise and look like great resources, though, but for anyone that was in my position I can definitely say I felt it worked really well to go with みんなの日本語.

Thanks. I would try these.

super helpful, ありがとございます！

Perfect video! Many thanks to the author of the channel for the recommendations! The problem with many people is that they want to take a "magic pill" or get "secret knowledge" and immediately have skills and abilities. However, the truth of life is that knowledge, skills, and abilities do not come by themselves. You can't learn a foreign language without doing anything, without wasting your time and effort, just like you can't learn to ride a bike lying on a comfy couch, listening to lectures and watching videos about "modern methods of learning" on a bike. To really learn something, you have to really practice every day. You're going to fall down while you're learning, and you're going to get bumps - that's normal! The ups and downs of learning are an integral part of our lives. Motivation from success and depression from failure will always be your study companions. However, every student has problems in his or her studies that he or she lacks the knowledge to solve. It can be: poor memorization of words; no progress in language learning; the student can speak, but does not understand speech by ear; misunderstanding of grammar; incorrect pronunciation, etc. Agree that a problem you don't know how to solve is very demotivating. In order to find the answer to our question we have to spend a lot of time to read videos, articles and books by polyglots. In today's world, we have to solve problems as quickly as possible. I don't have time to study and analyze a huge amount of information. My goal is to master the basic knowledge of a foreign language as quickly as possible and already start earning money effectively in the international arena. I settled on the practical guide by Yuriy Ivantsiv " Polyglot's Notes: practical tips for learning foreign language". This book is always in my bag. If I have a problem while learning a language, I quickly find the answer in this book. There are many different techniques and tips for learning a foreign language in Polyglot Notes. I have made my own individual schedule and plan for language learning. Now I know what I am going to study, how I am going to study, when I am going to study and what results I am going to achieve. No problem could stop me! With an effective language learning plan my professional skills are more and more in demand internationally every day. Friends, don't stop there! Everyone has talents that millions of people around the world need! Learn the language and make your ideas and dreams come true! Thanks to the author of the channel for the informative and useful video! Your videos motivate me.

BEST VIDEO EVER! ~goes to the bookstore~

Ty for this ♥️

This was a very helpful video. Not sure if you've either done a video about immersion software or ever tried it (such as Rosetta Stone, Pumsleur or Duolingo, for example) but I can see that as a good video topic to compliment this one.

thanks so much for this video!! i’ve been learning japanese from apps online and videos so i’ve already pretty much know hiragana and katakana, but when i read i still get stuck!! just brought japanese from zero on amazon hopefully it helps me read faster!! again thank u so much kiira 😊

I think I'm going for Japanese from zero 1 and Genki 1.They have good reviews and I don't lost anything besides money👍

I started my Japanese learning with minano nihongo. Honestly, even for a Chinese with all kanji known, it's really sometimes confused for the setting of this book.

Thank you! I’m picking up Japanese From Zero.

I’m gonna buy Japanese from zero :) Great video 👍🏽😊

Thank you for the helpful review! I think I'm gonna go with genki (even though I'm a slow learner) because I'm planning on studying with a tutor after I learn the basics

Thank you!!!! I am learning Japanese now that I am retired and learning languages (and medicine) is how I am keeping my mind sharp. Will I ever use it, probably not. It's not the destination, it's the journey. I was on the fence about "from zero" but I like that it is slower. I was going to get the Kindle version, but since the workbook is built in, I think the paper back would be better. I will look up the RU-vids. Thank you for this video.

I immediately bought Japanese from Zero after watching this video cause I knew that its teaching style would fit perfect for me. Thanks!

Thank you, very helpful.(:

I place my order for Japanese from Zero! Book 1 on Amazon today. When It comes to learning how to spell new words when I was younger, for me was to repeatedly write the word over and over again. I was wondering if this book (or another book in series) instructs you to do so? Been enjoying your videos and keep up the good work!

Thanks for sharing.

I took two years of japanese in high school and have forgotten it all. now i want to return to learning japanese and i don't want to go to college and a spend loads of money. thank you so much for this video. it has been very informative.

Your Japanese pronunciation is very natural. Your Japanese will work anywhere in Japan.

I agree that learning through Genki is overwhelming since there are many grammar points and vocabulary items taught each lesson within a few pages. Minna Ni Nihongo seems to be more popular.

Wow thank you very much. I never heard of Japanese from Zero. As a slow learner my self when I first picked up some of the other Japanese books I was very overwhelmed, I'm really gonna have to pick up JFZ.

many tks for the info

I heard a lot of good things with Genki but Japanese from zero seems to be where all these beginners start. Omw to get both at Barnes and Noble. Thank you for the suggestion!

Thank you for all the tips, i'm a brazilian boy who is learning japanese in english, so all the information is helpful for me =D

Genki also has the videos from TokiniAndy where he goest through each lesson

I just ordered genki 1. I will probably try Japanese from zero too. I already know hiragana and katakana. It only took me 3 weeks to learn both but I've listened to alot of spoken Japanese and already have some vocabulary built up. I found it pretty easy to pick up hiragana and katakana. Good review! I will try both and see what I like more. I do want a challenge so maybe genki is better in that regard.

Thanks, this was helpful. I've already been studying Genki and have definitely found it to be a bit of a slog. I just bought Japanese from Zero.

heeeeey your video helped so much! i guess the best option for me might be genki, just because in 2017-2018 i studied japanese, so i have a background of the very basics, directions, talking about hobbies, family, schedules, opinions etc, so i need something more extensive