Complete Beginner's Japanese Learning Plan
PHASE 1: FOUNDATION (Week 1-3)
Goals:
- Learn Hiragana & Katakana (Kana)
- Understand basic sentence structure
- Build core vocabulary
Step 1: Master Kana (Hiragana & Katakana)
Resources:
- Tofugu Hiragana Guide
- Tofugu Katakana Guide
- Apps: Kana Quiz, LingoDeer, Dr. Moku
Daily Plan: Learn 5-10 characters, writing practice, recognition quiz, use new kana in words.
PHASE 2: BUILDING BLOCKS (Week 4-8)
Goals:
- Basic grammar and sentence structure
- Vocabulary foundation (500+ words)
- First 50-100 Kanji
Step 2: Learn Basic Grammar
Resources:
- Genki I, Tae Kim's Guide, BunPro
Key Grammar: Particles, verb ~ form, adjective forms
Step 3: Learn Basic Vocabulary
Resources: Anki Core 2k, JLPT N5 Decks, LingoDeer
Step 4: Start Learning Kanji
Resources: WaniKani, Basic Kanji Book, Anki decks
Complete Beginner's Japanese Learning Plan
PHASE 3: EXPANSION (Month 3-6)
Goals:
- Intermediate grammar
- 1,000+ vocab words
- 300+ Kanji
- Conversational practice
Step 5: Learn Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Nouns
Use Genki I/II, Tae Kim, BunPro for practice
Step 6: Listening + Speaking
Resources: JapanesePod101, HelloTalk, iTalki, shadowing method
PHASE 4: IMMERSION + ADVANCEMENT (Month 6-12)
Goals:
- Read simple manga/books
- Write full paragraphs
- Speak basic conversational Japanese
Step 7: Reading & Writing
Resources: NHK Easy, Graded Readers, LangCorrect
Step 8: Build Fluency
Resources: Anki, BunPro, WaniKani, Satori Reader
30-60 minutes/day with mixed input/output practice
Suggested Daily Schedule (45-90 minutes)
- Vocabulary: 10-20 min (Anki/Memrise)
- Grammar: 20-30 min (Genki/BunPro)
- Kanji: 10-15 min (WaniKani/Anki)
Complete Beginner's Japanese Learning Plan
- Listening: 10-20 min (Podcast/Anime)
- Speaking/Writing: 10-15 min (HelloTalk/LangCorrect)
Resource Summary
Kana: Tofugu, Kana Quiz
Grammar: Genki, Tae Kim, BunPro
Vocabulary: Anki, LingoDeer
Kanji: WaniKani, RTK
Speaking: HelloTalk, Tandem, iTalki
Listening: JapanesePod101, Anime
Reading: NHK Easy, Yotsuba&!
Writing: LangCorrect, diary