Japanese - Start Here

JAPANESE ★ 日本語

This is the language I know best and the language that I can help you out the most with.
This entry has resources for all levels. If there are links specifically for Beginners, Intermediate, or Advances learners then those will be in separate entries for those levels. Some of the links below are in Japanese, but most of them are in English for English speakers.

If you're new to Japanese then keep in mind that this language is VERY different from English and you will NOT pick it up overnight. However, it can be a very logical language and once you get used to the logic you'll find that learning it can be very rewarding!

If you have already been studying Japanese then here is how I usually categorize levels:

Beginner -- total beginner to JLPT 4
Intermediate -- JLPT 3 to some of JLPT 2
Advanced -- JLPT 2 or higher

日本語能力試験一級を合格できた方、特別な上級日本語をめぐる記事を書いたので、どうぞ「N1を超えよう！」という日記をご覧ください。

Enjoy!
宜しくお願いします！


-----------------------Online dictionaries-----------------------
BEST ONE EVER → → www.jisho.org
Includes
     - Word search
     - Kanji search (use radical, reading, or stroke order to look up!)
     - Example search
     - Names/Places search (useful!)

Jim Breen's Dictionary (WWWJDIC) → → http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1C

Yahoo! 辞書 (IN JAPANESE) → → http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/


-----------------------Grammar-----------------------
AWESOME GUIDE! → → http://www.guidetojapanese.org
      - FREE guide to Japanese
      - Grammar from total beginner to advanced intermediate

About.com → → http://japanese.about.com/
     - Another nice guide to some of the basics of Japanese
     - A good site for learning kana (Hiragana and Katakana, the Japanese alphabets)

-----------------------Shopping-----------------------
White Rabbit Press → → http://www.whiterabbitpress.com
      - Books
      - Electronic Dictionaries
      - Flashcard Sets
      - Magazines
      - Other Japanese language related goods

Club Japan (IN JAPANESE) → → http://www.clubjapan.jp/
      - Buy Japanese goods and have them shipped abroad!

-----------------------OTHER-----------------------
Online Japanese IME → → http://ajaxime.chasen.org/
      - Stuck on a computer that can't type Japanese? Problem solved!
      - Note: the site is in Japanese BUT it is very easy to use even if you can't read Japanese.

Erin →　→ https://www.erin.ne.jp/en/
      - A series of skits and lessons following the adventure of Erin, a student from the UK studying in Japan.