Do you want to learn Japanese by playing video games and watching anime? A group of YouTubers, with the help of modern tools, have turned learning one of the world's most challenging languages into a fun hobby rather than a laborious task.
But let's set expectations: you shouldn't expect to play Metaphor: ReFantazio no English subtitles anytime soon.
Over the past three years, I have been gradually learning Japanese. During that time, particularly the first year, I tried dozens of learning methods, tools, apps, and online tutorials. I don't regret that period of soul-searching, because finding the right learning process is key to long-term language acquisition. That said, it's helpful to have some starting points.
I chose three creators and two software projects that I think are perfect for beginners. And I'll be active in the comments if you need any personal recommendations or have your own recommendations.
What launched on YouTube as ToKini Andy in 2019 has grown into a full-fledged learning platform, distributed across videos, Discord, and the company's official site. Led by Andy and Yuki, lessons focus on the fundamentals of learning Japanese, using textbooks such as Genki and handmade guides to learning kanji. Although the presenters do not focus on games and anime, their love for both mediums is evident, with references to the media appearing in the lessons.
From time to time, they also post a video like “Is Dorohedoro perfect for learning Japanese?” and “I studied Japanese ALL DAY on Nintendo 3DS for 1 month. “This is what happened.”
Tokini Andy is the most traditional starting point on this list, and while reading textbooks and kanji lessons will keep you away from games and anime, it will lay the groundwork. For some people (read: me), it's helpful to spend months, even years, really understanding the mechanics of a language.
Yuta is the clearest, most concise and intelligent YouTuber in the Japanese language community. Their videos, released roughly every month, explain specific grammar points that you're unlikely to find in a textbook, but are very likely to find in Japanese media like games and anime. While you celebrate this study material, you're also aware that learning Japanese entirely through anime can make foreign language speakers visiting Tokyo sound like shonen heroes when they're simply trying to ask for directions.
Like the other creators here, Yuta has his own Site that offers additional learning tools, including helpful, explanatory PDFs. And her Instagram account is a great way to get short, regular language tips, like why you shouldn't say “anata,” the Japanese equivalent of “you.”
Game Gengo is hosted by Matt, a native English speaker living in western Japan. The YouTube educator presents several series focused on Japanese language acquisition through games. Above, you can see the Metaphor: ReFantazio episode of the channel’s “Learn Japanese With” series, in which Matt takes a piece of the game and breaks down each line word by word, particle by particle, grammatical construction by grammatical construction.
Starting that series is like being thrown into the abyss at your first swimming lesson, so for newcomers, I recommend their N5-N1 grammar playlists. The Japanese language proficiency test starts with N5 (beginner) and progresses to N1 (fluent). If you learn better with a textbook on your desk, Matt has also produced videos that provide example lessons in the most popular Japanese textbook game, Genki.
Image: Nativshark
The number one trick to learning a language is to foster a habit, something you hope to do at least 30 minutes a day, every day, for the foreseeable future. Few things in life create that kind of feedback loop better than the apps we keep on the front page of our smartphones. Things like Instagram, WhatsApp, Spotify.
When I started learning Japanese, I saved time and space (literally) by deleting some of my favorite social media apps and replacing them with language apps. Duolingo, for all its technical wizardry, was great at creating a habit, although I found that I retained very little of its simplistic lessons. From there, I tried a variety of services:
- Anki – A broad and often overwhelming open source flashcard tool that uses spaced repetition and feels a bit like swiping on a dating app.
- Busuu: Think Duolingo but with a more developed Japanese language program.
- Bunpro: A very well done mix of Anki and Bunpo.
Any of these apps will be a great use of your time and you can use a couple of them at a time. But my current favorite platform is NativShark. It's everything I need in one place: flashcards with spaced repetition, grammar breakdowns, kanji memorization techniques, and an easy-to-navigate layout.
It's not free like Anki, but I prefer to spend a little money to avoid tinkering and focus on learning. The image above is a breakdown of a single flashcard. Look at all that useful information!
Image: Migaku
While I would love to be one of the few language prodigies on YouTube who claim to have completed Japan's infamous and challenging N1 language proficiency test in a matter of months, that is not the case. I knew that learning a new language as an adult would be, realistically, a lifelong endeavor. So I prioritized a study routine that I looked forward to doing every day, rather than one that felt like a high-impact workout.
This brings us to the meat and potatoes of my recommendations: Migaku. This is the perfect tool for learning Japanese through Netflix and YouTube. In short, Migaku can display Japanese and English subtitles at the same time, provide immediate definitions of words and phrases, and turn video moments into flashcards that include a screenshot, an audio clip, the subtitles, and a brief explanation of their meaning.
All of this can be done for free using other tools like Anki, but that requires a considerable amount of effort. As I said above, the number one trick to language learning is to create a habit, and if you can do it while controlling the technical problems, more power to you. But for those who want to dive into their favorite anime on Netflix and YouTube as soon as possible, Migaku is the easiest, fastest, and most fun app to add to your phone.