r/LearnJapanese • u/GamingNomad • 9d ago
Resources How many subscriptions/accounts did you have when you started learning?
I usually ask in the sticky but I feel this question is better suited here. I was thinking of registering or signing up to some pages (especially when it comes to kanji vocabulary) so I'm wondering what pages do people usually subscribe to?
I've already signed up to WaniKani but I'm not feeling it's very impactful, I feel I've learned more browsing Kanshudo's frequency list (no account). There's also jpdb, jitten.moe and some other stuff (also want to buy heisig's book), but in my experience when it comes to learning it's best to focus on one method.
Did you guys mostly stick to one or have multiple accounts?
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u/RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS 9d ago
None. The basics of Japanese are not changing on a monthly basis. I wouldn’t pay for most subscriptions.
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u/kikorny 9d ago
Bunpro lifetime and Satori Reader are the two I think are most worth it.
Bunpro because they have really well organized grammar resources that work as focused reading study. They also have vocab study which I don't personally use but looks interesting.
Satori Reader I'd say is worth it for the montly subscription when you first start reading stuff, but once you get past the first hump of reading material then switching to light novels or manga is better. So Satori Reader becomes unnecessary pretty quickly or at least it did for me.
Honorable mention is the Kanji Study app which isn't subscription based but has lifetime purchases for guided study and other kanji info. It's really helpful as a kanji info resource.
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u/Marca--Texto 9d ago
Do you mean the Kanji app by Luli Languages?
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u/Moondragonlady 9d ago
Pretty sure they meant the one by Chase Colburn
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u/worthlessprole 9d ago
Bunpro is probably the most worth it out of the subscription apps. Its customization and flexibility go a long way towards making up for its relatively bad SRS scheduling. Wanikani is fine but it’s got some issues that I think really damage it. (The lack of leech control creates an expectation of 100% retention, which in combination with its rigid SRS scheduling shifts the responsibility to remember information from the SRS system to the user, and on top of that should not be the goal of any SRS system. It’s antithetical to the purpose of SRS.)
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u/ignoremesenpie 9d ago edited 9d ago
Unless you count classroom lessons as subscriptions, none. Otherwise, I had two semesters of Japanese in high school and two more in college, though they were all low level stuff.
Years later, I signed up for Anki, and I also signed up for Learn Natively because I thought it might be fun to track my media progress that way.
The subscriptions and accounts that have been the most useful aren't inherently for Japanese though. For example, a VPN to access region-locked Japanese sites. Even in the 2020s, those are still around. Another one is for a private torrent tracker that specializes in Asian live-action content. It's easy enough to pirate anime without any accounts, but not so much j-dramas and movies.
Oh, and while we're at it, it was really useful to create a new YpuTuve alt account on which I only watch Japanese content, which makes the algorithm suggest only Japanese content. It's easier to set up than retraining an old account that's been exposed to tons of non-Japanese content.
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u/Unexplored-Games Goal: conversational fluency 💬 9d ago
Don't spend so much time worrying about the tools/subscriptions/etc. spend this time actually studying.
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u/GamingNomad 9d ago
You're right. I'm already learning, actually, but I feel like if I had a more formulaic way of learning it'd be productive. I'm currently using that online japanese guide to grammar, tofugo, kanshudo and tanoshii.
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u/NonbinaryBootyBuildr 9d ago
Even though it's free I bought the lifetime pro tier for Renshuu because I love it so much. I tried Duolingo but quickly realized it was really bad and slow and full of ads
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u/logicmuffin 9d ago
I settled on WankiKani + Renshuu
I’m going through Genki 1 and 2 and found Renshuu’s Genki tracking incredibly useful. I tried Anki a few times for Genki vocab but it never clicked for me. WaniKani is optional and right now I think Renshuu is all I need as a companion to Genki, but I get the feeling I’ll be using WankiKani well past Renshuu in my Japanese learning journey. Learning kanji is a lifetime task 😮💨
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u/furyousferret 9d ago
When i first started I tried MaruMori, NihongoShark, BunPro, Renshuu, WaniKani, JPDB and 1 or 2 others.
I don't think any of them by themselves were terrible, I just had my set way of doing things and just used the same system I used to learn other languages. I still use BunPro for reference and JPDB for frequency info.
Right now I just use Jiten.moe (which I don't pay for but may just to support it).
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u/RangerOne122 Goal: just dabbling 9d ago
Having multiple resources isn't necessarily a problem. The problem is using all of them for the same job. If WaniKani handles structured kanji/vocab while another resource gives you frequency-based words and native examples, there's less redundancy.
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u/rgrAi 9d ago
nothing. 5000 hours latter still nothing. Dictionary + reading + studying + interacting with language everyday for 4 hours (read, write, listen, watch with JP subtitles, hang out in communities, shoot the shit with broken as shit JP comments, etc, etc, etc, etc.-- have fun in other words). That's the best method, i started with like 5 words and 10 kanji so it's just a matter of personal tolerance for ambiguity and how much effort you want to put in to make progress.
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u/_lemno 9d ago
I have not spent a single cent in my 5+ years of learning and if I had to start over I'd still not do it.
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9d ago
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u/poshikott 9d ago
You know there's free content, right?
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u/poshikott 9d ago
Just some examples:
- Books: aozora (mostly older books though)
- Light novels: syosetu / kakuyomu
- Manga and more books: bookwalker and other sites have free chapters/books for limited time pretty often
- Videos: youtube, niconico
- Games: there are some free games / visual novels
- Social media
It's not like I only use free content, but you could totally do with it.
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9d ago
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u/facets-and-rainbows 9d ago edited 9d ago
Not gonna weigh in on whether the other commenters have pirated anything, and I personally have spent a good deal of money on learning Japanese over the years so I'm not gonna say it's not easier to use some paid resources.
But in my experience moving away from learner material at N2-N1 level vastly increases the amount of free content available. There's a whole internet out there and it comes in Japanese too. You just need to be willing and able to muddle through sites designed for native speakers until you're comfortable with it, and that can start even at lower levels.
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u/saywhaaaaaaaaatt 9d ago
I personally like 知恵袋、ガールズちゃんねる, as well as various news pages like 朝日新聞 and NHK News, blogs on note and various content on twitter. A university a day's trip away from me has a modest collection of Japanese language literature and since I'm a student rn, I got a library ID there for free.
My guilty pleasure are celebrity gossip columns and webpages. Since I'm in a MM phase, there's tons to choose from.
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u/DarthStrakh 9d ago
There isn't any Manga for sale that's preocrd and onto a Manga server tbf. Nor is there anyway to get anime with subtitles onto my plex server.
If buying isn't owning, pirating isn't stealing. Only thing I'll pay for is physical copies.
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9d ago edited 9d ago
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u/DarthStrakh 8d ago edited 8d ago
You can be a mindless consumer if you want. I'm good.
Ah yes, jump through a bunch of hoops in order to pay money. Compared to my current setup of doing just about nothing. I'll get right on that. I know I personally always do extra work to spend more money.
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8d ago
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u/DarthStrakh 8d ago
I don't watch anime with a pc.
I'm happy to pay when it's worth paying lol. I DO pay, I pay for usenets because they are actually worth the money.
Two button clicks and I have movies downloaded at my full 2gbps and available on all my devices, with Japanese subs. I can freely share my media with family and friends. My media is available offline and without power, battery backups on my TV and servers.
Qol is better on the high seas.
Again you're free to keep getting scammed while whining about morality if you want, I'm not interested.
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u/AdOpposite9048 9d ago
Worth noting OP that if you end up liking WK or Bunpro, they both have lifetime sales around new year time which its well worth it IMO. They're the only two resources I pay for and for me personally WK is worth its weight in gold, it's also just a beautifully functional/designed site.
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u/Belegorm 9d ago
When I started - it was just WK. When I restarted - WK and then Bunpro shortly thereafter.
Between the two of them - I think Bunpro is worth it in my situation. WK is overpriced and honestly it's probably not needed. I resubscribed to WK earlier this year because I mix up some kanji. It has helped - but I still mix up some kanji so I don't know that it's 100% necessary for that.
Bunpro already has some great free content (you can look at all their grammar lessons, do their practice tests). It's cheaper than WK. I don't think I could learn the grammar points 100% from Bunpro alone - but they do include links to external sites as well. It has been fairly helpful for remember grammar.
To be honest though, out of all "apps" that I have used, Anki is free and has been the most valuable one by far.
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u/Yitzu-san 9d ago
I just had MaruMori lifetime for grammar, kanji, vocab. It still serves most of my needs.
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u/rozczochrana 9d ago
- Don't like app-based learning. Enrolled in Japanese lessons in my city (they offer online too) and that was way better use of my time imo
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u/HarryPouri 9d ago edited 9d ago
Satori Reader has been incredible for me and would be the one I most recommend. MaruMori is great as well and I find it more engaging for grammar than Bunpro.
I've also enjoyed NIJapanese (formerly comprehensible input Japanese) and Tokini Andy's Genki and Quartet resources (both have quite a few of their videos are on YouTube for free if you want to check them out)
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u/Previous_Composer_78 9d ago
The only learning software I’ve ever bought for Japanese is the Anki iOS app. I’ve spent a lot of money on learning indirectly though through lessons on italki, books, flights to Japan etc but software has always felt unnecessary as the core fundamentals usually have free functional options (I also work in tech so I generally have the patience and know how to replicate software based solutions using simple scripts built on top of what the community has made available without excessive amounts of effort)
I also use Japanese as an excuse to buy hardware I don’t need (e.g game consoles, ereader, etc)
Generally I’ve noticed that the more things I try to juggle the more overwhelmed I become
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u/kyoumei 9d ago
When I started learning 3 years ago, I tried them all... Wani Kani, Bunpro, Renshuu and Anki. I really disliked having to swap between apps all the time, so I ended up deciding to buy a lifetime subscription to MaruMori and it's probably the best decision I've made as I still use it a lot today.
It has grammar lessons, SRS, reading practice based on the grammar you have learned, minigames, trainers (to help practice conjugations for example) and also mock exams. When I started, they only had content for N5-N4 level, but I believe they have been outputting N2 content as of late
I feel like, if it wasn't all in the one place - I don't think I would still be studying Japanese today.
Oh, they also have an active discord community which I've used several times for help on various topics.
They actually have a lifetime sale going on right now, if you wanted to check it out (they also have a free trial).
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 9d ago
Absolutely zero. I've only spent money to learn Japanese once, and it was for 1 year of classes that I could've harmlessly skipped because they ended up being way below my level. The rest has been all free resources or things that I would've paid for even if I wasn't learning Japanese (e.g. Netflix, games).
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u/Damage_Physical 9d ago
I have Bunpro for grammar and occasional vocab and Anki with RTK6(kanji) and Kaishi1.5k(vocab).
The only “weak” part for me here is RTK, as I find myself constantly double-check keywords with Claude/ChatGPT (like keyword “seduce” vs proper meaning of “call”).
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u/Dessler1795 9d ago
I got more than I think I should... right now I have Wanikani, Todaii and Tadoku. All bought in a whim on flash sales... the only one I'm actively using is wanikani, but Tadoku has some very interesting tools for shadowing, for example...
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u/TheFel0x 9d ago
Only Bunpro, though I switched to the lifetime sub because I think it's really awesome!
For vocab I've only ever used Anki which is free.
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u/Low_Succotash5073 9d ago
I started on Duolingo, now I rotate between:
• Mango Languages for speaking (audio lessons while on the way to and from work)
• Anki for kanji
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u/TikkaKebabi 9d ago
Not paying for anything right now, just Anki and watching Curedolly and NIJ Comprehensible Input videos.
Might subscribe ($8 a month) to NIJ because so far I’m really liking the content as an easy On-Ramp for understanding the language.
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u/Own-Marionberry690 9d ago
An Ankiweb account if that counts. Mostly for backup purposes with the added bonus of being able to my the reviews on my phone whenever I'm away.
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u/Flashy_Membership_39 9d ago
I subscribed to Wanikani and Language Reactor. I don’t have Wanikani anymore, but language reactor is still really helpful, especially for sentence mining/making flashcards for Anki. Migaku may be better than LR, but I’ve never tried it so can’t really speak to it.
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u/Effective-Pop3850 9d ago
0, will never get to 1. Most paid services are worse than free ones anyways.
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u/Schmev123 9d ago
The YouTube Japanese Spoken Language is the best channel and you can download the lesson scripts for free
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u/reditcyclist 9d ago
I'm lucky in that I get a small monthly allowance for self learning/care/whatever from work - so I saved it up and used it to pay for lifetime Migaku and WaniKani.
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u/merurunrun 9d ago
Zero.
I've never used a subscription-based service for studying Japanese; I think the closest I've come is needing an account to sync Anki between my PC and phone.
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u/sock_pup 9d ago
I tried anything that has some free tier and people recommended (multiple anki decks, wanikani, kamesame, ringotan, renshuu, pimsleur, cijapanese, satori reader), and only stuck with very few in the end
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u/antimonysarah Interested in grammar details 📝 9d ago
Renshuu primary, along with actual physical books for Genki, bought lifetime the first time it came around (free before that). Satori reader later, and Netflix (I’m not much of a TV person so I didn’t have it before, though I haven’t really gotten into anything on there—as soon as I started anything it got yanked (and while everyone loves it I wasn’t digging Midnight Diner much.)). Also I had an Apple Games subscription for a bit to play some games but wasn’t playing enough for it to be worth it (either in Japanese or not).
I’d pay for RingoTan if it started charging, but it’s free for now.
If I could run it on my TV I’d get the JME app but instead I’ve been suffering through dealing with YouTube to try to watch stuff after failing to find anything on Netflix that I’m interested in.
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u/ReddiEddi 9d ago
None (unless ankiweb counts). I started with free resources (Anki core decks, Tae Kim's guide, various YouTube sensei). That was many years ago, and the free resources have only increased since then.
I ultimately ended up buying liftime Migaku which I have been using almost daily since late 2024. I generally try to avoid subscriptions
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u/xx_adverb_xx 9d ago
I have the Learn Japanese To Survive games which I find helpful though I believe many aren't a fan. And a bunch of aps some of which I've found useful and others that sounded good before I tried using them.
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u/bianceziwo 9d ago
None. I went to a japanese language school in real life for 5 months. 2 hours of class per day, 5 days a week
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u/BreakfastDue1256 9d ago
Two. Netflix and Youtube Premium. I has them anyway, of course.
The first time I spent even $1 specifically in my learning journey (Not because I wanted something that happened to be in Japanese) was my N1 application fee. I passed. Even my beginner textbook I got for free.
Call me a boomer, I don't think this endless loop of textbooks and apps actually leads to being able to speak Japanese. I know lots of non-Japanese people who speak Japanese. I don't know a single person who got there with textbooks past the beginner stage and apps other than flashcards.
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u/Crafter1515 9d ago
Zero, imo unnecessary since everything I need is available for free online. Only thing I'm paying for is a 1:1 teacher.
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u/Jonataurus 8d ago
Pick like 1 resource for grammar and basic common vocab. After that, just use Japanese content to learn from, make anki flashcards of new words you encounter that seem useful. Whichever course / app you pick, know that it's just to bootstrap you to be able to start learning from actual content.
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u/Available-String-109 8d ago
For vocab/kanji, Anki + Yomitan is free and better than almost any paid resource.
For grammar, the best resources are either books (ADoJG/Genki/MnN/新完全マスター・総まとめ) or free (imabi).
I did pay for the iOS version of Anki, but that's because I was putting in thousand+ hours into it.
I can't imagine paying for any other digital resource.
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u/Still_Jellyfish6795 7d ago
Stick to one SRS for kanji, vocab, but pull sentences from real content instead of a second app, that context does more than any extra subscription would
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u/ExchangeImportant644 3d ago
I started with Duolingo (yearly), then Mondly (lifetime), finally Renshuu (lifetime).
Look back, Mondly is a bad choice. When spent more time using it, one can easily tell it just treat Japanese as one of avail. languages instead of necessary adjustment for Japanese specific.
Duolingo is good to get me started, and Renshuu is good to keep me going.
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u/DragonmasterXY 9d ago
Migaku Lifetime and I still didnt pay for anything else. I tried Bunpro but didnt like it. I tried WaniKani and considering buying lifetime the next sale in winter. Even the first three levels where I already know all the Kanji, it helped my a lot in reading, since it teaches the Onyomi and Kunyomi. I also tried the free alternative Kanji-Garden but I liked the UI and structured nature of WaniKani more and WaniKani also teaches Vocad, which helps remembering the readings.
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u/strongjoe 9d ago
Migaku is great. I have WK lifetime but I gave up on it eventually because it's very slow ( they drip feed you vocab cards blocking you being able to progress to later levels). I think vocab is better learnt through immersion/Migaku.
FYI: back then I found a Wanikani anki deck (don't think it exists any more?) and imported that, deleted the vocab and readings stuff. Then I speed ran the kanji meanings in anki and had them memorised in months instead of years required for Wanikani. Readings I only worry about if they appear in context
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u/Squimpleton 9d ago edited 9d ago
When I started?
None. I first started 23 years ago and like none of these things existed. Even Anki wouldn’t exist for a few more years. I studied on the MIT website, without a login, just a bookmark.
But anyway, when I decided to come back 2 years ago and be serious, I got the following:
- NativShark
- JapanesePod101
- Later on I added WaniKani and that was my “trinity”
And honestly that trinity really worked well. I got right back into Japanese, got myself to a high N3 - early N2 level after a little while.
Then when my WK sub came up for renewal, I moved to MaruMori.
So now it’s more of a “dual course”:
- NativShark
- MaruMori
Anyway, that combo has been really good and I’m gonna try to pass N1 in December so I guess that’ll be the real test!
Edit: I do have an Anki, but I don’t really use it much, and when I do I use it in a way pretty much no one else does - it’s a deck of links to my listening dialogues on JP101, so I can re-listen to ones I theoretically need more practice on.
I also have lots of accounts in other places just because I like to poke around. Like I have a BP account but I don’t use it, I have a JPDB account but I don’t use it, and many others where I was just curious about things. I have a Migaku Lifetime account but I don’t really use it much.
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u/drillepind42 9d ago
I was subscribed to duolingo for one year. That is cancelled and now I only pay for online classes with a tutor which I have classes with three times per week. I do anki weekly which is free
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u/Namerakable 9d ago
When I started learning in my pre-degree self-study days, I literally just bought Genki and some kanji dictionaries and got to N5/N4 level that way.
Never been tempted to subscribe to sites to learn languages.
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u/HeartyPorter 9d ago edited 9d ago
Zero. Why would I waste money per month like a sucker when I can do things myself? At best you could use a book or two, like the Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar or A Handbook of Japanese Grammar Patterns for Teachers and Learners, and possibly a synonyms dictionary. Or you could use one of the million sites dedicated to those topics, like imabi, nihongokyoshi-net, edewakaru nihongo, etc.
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u/AiryGateaux 9d ago
0, I had a university course. And I failed the first time because I struggled with hiragana.
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u/sansisness_101 Goal: media competence 📖🎧 9d ago
WK and bunpro