Japanese Talk
@japanesetalk.bsky.social
Tips and tricks for learning Japanese language through novels, manga, anime, podcasts, etc.
(JLPT N1. Translator. Live in Japan.)
Don't just study Japanese, use it!
勉強だけでなく日本語は、使えば使うほど上手になるんです。
🇯🇵 jtalkonline.com
☕️ https://ko-fi.com/G2G5AEBW
(JLPT N1. Translator. Live in Japan.)
Don't just study Japanese, use it!
勉強だけでなく日本語は、使えば使うほど上手になるんです。
🇯🇵 jtalkonline.com
☕️ https://ko-fi.com/G2G5AEBW
Pinned
Japanese Talk
@japanesetalk.bsky.social
· Sep 24
The famous green owl app Duolingo is going even harder into AI made by stolen content. It's not curated by native speakers so you have no idea if what you're learning is correct. Their algorithm overall tries to hit the happy brain juices instead of helping you learn. So here are some alternatives!
I keep seeing posts asking if there are any alternatives to Duolingo for Japanese that don't use AI, and yes there are!!!
Also Mango languages might be free through libraries, but they use AI in course creation.
jtalkonline.com/japanese-stu...
Also Mango languages might be free through libraries, but they use AI in course creation.
jtalkonline.com/japanese-stu...
Japanese Study Apps That DON'T Use AI - Japanese Talk
The plagiarism machine seems to be worming its way into everything. Here's a list of Japanese Study apps That DON'T Use AI!
jtalkonline.com
December 14, 2025 at 12:04 AM
I keep seeing posts asking if there are any alternatives to Duolingo for Japanese that don't use AI, and yes there are!!!
Also Mango languages might be free through libraries, but they use AI in course creation.
jtalkonline.com/japanese-stu...
Also Mango languages might be free through libraries, but they use AI in course creation.
jtalkonline.com/japanese-stu...
Reposted by Japanese Talk
And shout out to the youtube channels that brighten my day and teach me Japanese.
⊳Nihongo con Teppei
A podcast designed for learners with a fun host.
⊳YUYUの日本語Podcast (Yuyu's Japanese Podcast)
Much the same, though tends to come prepared with more structure.
⊳Nihongo con Teppei
A podcast designed for learners with a fun host.
⊳YUYUの日本語Podcast (Yuyu's Japanese Podcast)
Much the same, though tends to come prepared with more structure.
November 21, 2025 at 7:41 PM
And shout out to the youtube channels that brighten my day and teach me Japanese.
⊳Nihongo con Teppei
A podcast designed for learners with a fun host.
⊳YUYUの日本語Podcast (Yuyu's Japanese Podcast)
Much the same, though tends to come prepared with more structure.
⊳Nihongo con Teppei
A podcast designed for learners with a fun host.
⊳YUYUの日本語Podcast (Yuyu's Japanese Podcast)
Much the same, though tends to come prepared with more structure.
My favourite tool for practicing Japanese is drill books. 日本語パワードリル (Nihongo Power Drill) is one book full of useful practice exercises for the JLPT. There are lots of drill books for all levels.
The key with drill books is to write answers in a notepad so you can go through them multiple times.
The key with drill books is to write answers in a notepad so you can go through them multiple times.
December 11, 2025 at 11:17 PM
My favourite tool for practicing Japanese is drill books. 日本語パワードリル (Nihongo Power Drill) is one book full of useful practice exercises for the JLPT. There are lots of drill books for all levels.
The key with drill books is to write answers in a notepad so you can go through them multiple times.
The key with drill books is to write answers in a notepad so you can go through them multiple times.
Reposted by Japanese Talk
Really great study on the rather troubling online discourse around Japanese language learning in certain portions of the web, focused on "techno-solutionism", consumption, and native bias just got published by a good buddy of mine. Open access too! Check it out @ academic.oup.com/applij/advan...
December 9, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Really great study on the rather troubling online discourse around Japanese language learning in certain portions of the web, focused on "techno-solutionism", consumption, and native bias just got published by a good buddy of mine. Open access too! Check it out @ academic.oup.com/applij/advan...
Reposted by Japanese Talk
If you struggle to see progress in your language studies, chances are it's not because you're not studying, it's probably because you're tracking the wrong things.
Let me show you a better way to get fluent in multiple languages without stressing yourself out:
youtu.be/XRM39f3moG0
#langsky
Let me show you a better way to get fluent in multiple languages without stressing yourself out:
youtu.be/XRM39f3moG0
#langsky
How to Measure Progress Without Obsessing Over Perfection
YouTube video by Bront'e | The Polyglot Fox
youtu.be
November 26, 2025 at 5:06 PM
If you struggle to see progress in your language studies, chances are it's not because you're not studying, it's probably because you're tracking the wrong things.
Let me show you a better way to get fluent in multiple languages without stressing yourself out:
youtu.be/XRM39f3moG0
#langsky
Let me show you a better way to get fluent in multiple languages without stressing yourself out:
youtu.be/XRM39f3moG0
#langsky
Reposted by Japanese Talk
At the recommendation of @japanesetalk.bsky.social, I decided to purchase the 日本語文型辞典.
With just a precursory glance, I can already tell this handbook is going to be a much better study materials than the Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar.
With just a precursory glance, I can already tell this handbook is going to be a much better study materials than the Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar.
December 10, 2025 at 6:49 PM
At the recommendation of @japanesetalk.bsky.social, I decided to purchase the 日本語文型辞典.
With just a precursory glance, I can already tell this handbook is going to be a much better study materials than the Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar.
With just a precursory glance, I can already tell this handbook is going to be a much better study materials than the Dictionaries of Japanese Grammar.
My work offers Japanese classes to foreign employees but their teachers aren't great. My Italian coworker is constantly frustrated that his teacher doesn't reach him anything. She mostly acts as conversation practice and says she feels more like a hostess than a teacher.
December 8, 2025 at 11:26 PM
My work offers Japanese classes to foreign employees but their teachers aren't great. My Italian coworker is constantly frustrated that his teacher doesn't reach him anything. She mostly acts as conversation practice and says she feels more like a hostess than a teacher.
Update on the website - I hope for it to be back online next week!!!
This break has actually been good. It's got me thinking a lot about potential articles and useful stuff for Japanese learners.
This break has actually been good. It's got me thinking a lot about potential articles and useful stuff for Japanese learners.
December 8, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Update on the website - I hope for it to be back online next week!!!
This break has actually been good. It's got me thinking a lot about potential articles and useful stuff for Japanese learners.
This break has actually been good. It's got me thinking a lot about potential articles and useful stuff for Japanese learners.
Reposted by Japanese Talk
Another excellent video about AI and the broader problems beyond just "it sounds bad lol."
youtu.be/tl4mAIBA8jc
youtu.be/tl4mAIBA8jc
The Anime AI Dub Crisis Has Begun
YouTube video by Bonsai Pop
youtu.be
December 7, 2025 at 1:06 AM
Another excellent video about AI and the broader problems beyond just "it sounds bad lol."
youtu.be/tl4mAIBA8jc
youtu.be/tl4mAIBA8jc
Fuwamoco's stream playing 漢字でGO and then their Japanese quiz with Sakura Miko reminded me I really, really need to review kanji.
But it also felt humbling to see that even Japanese native speakers get kanji wrong.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=9T5-...
But it also felt humbling to see that even Japanese native speakers get kanji wrong.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=9T5-...
【決戦】フワモコVSさくらみこ日本語対決⁉ 先生：白上フブキ【ホロライブ/さくらみこ】
YouTube video by Miko Ch. さくらみこ
m.youtube.com
December 6, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Fuwamoco's stream playing 漢字でGO and then their Japanese quiz with Sakura Miko reminded me I really, really need to review kanji.
But it also felt humbling to see that even Japanese native speakers get kanji wrong.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=9T5-...
But it also felt humbling to see that even Japanese native speakers get kanji wrong.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=9T5-...
Good luck to everyone taking the JLPT this weekend!!!
December 6, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Good luck to everyone taking the JLPT this weekend!!!
My method for studying for the JLPT caused me to burnout and not touch Japanese for 9 months.
Up until 2015 my method of studying for the JLPT was "cram everything and hope it sticks". This meant hours and hours of drilling to the point I got sick.
Needless to say, it didn't work.
Up until 2015 my method of studying for the JLPT was "cram everything and hope it sticks". This meant hours and hours of drilling to the point I got sick.
Needless to say, it didn't work.
December 5, 2025 at 1:54 AM
My method for studying for the JLPT caused me to burnout and not touch Japanese for 9 months.
Up until 2015 my method of studying for the JLPT was "cram everything and hope it sticks". This meant hours and hours of drilling to the point I got sick.
Needless to say, it didn't work.
Up until 2015 my method of studying for the JLPT was "cram everything and hope it sticks". This meant hours and hours of drilling to the point I got sick.
Needless to say, it didn't work.
Reposted by Japanese Talk
One of the best places to start learning Japanese is with its two syllabic scripts, hiragana and katakana. Most people start with hiragana, then katakana. And then they move on to kanji.
Doesn't sound too bad, right?
But why do we need three (actually, four) different writing systems?
Doesn't sound too bad, right?
But why do we need three (actually, four) different writing systems?
December 4, 2025 at 6:43 AM
One of the best places to start learning Japanese is with its two syllabic scripts, hiragana and katakana. Most people start with hiragana, then katakana. And then they move on to kanji.
Doesn't sound too bad, right?
But why do we need three (actually, four) different writing systems?
Doesn't sound too bad, right?
But why do we need three (actually, four) different writing systems?
Reposted by Japanese Talk
A NEW QUIZ HAS DROPPED!
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of our Japanese Quiz! 🎉
「12月」に関する知識や日本語の理解を試そう！
Test your knowledge about "December" & your Japanese understanding!
Discordメンバーは18日までに挑戦して賞状をもらおう！
5 questions. Take the challenge by the 18th for a certificate in Discord!
❄️ forms.gle/PMSebcojpJmL... ❄️
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of our Japanese Quiz! 🎉
「12月」に関する知識や日本語の理解を試そう！
Test your knowledge about "December" & your Japanese understanding!
Discordメンバーは18日までに挑戦して賞状をもらおう！
5 questions. Take the challenge by the 18th for a certificate in Discord!
❄️ forms.gle/PMSebcojpJmL... ❄️
にほんごクイズ（15回目 2025年12月）
「ゆっぴーと日本語」日本語クイズです。今回のテーマは「12月（2年目）」です。がんばりましょう！
"Learn Japanese with Yuppy" Japanese quiz! This time's theme is "December (2nd year)." Are you ready?
forms.gle
December 3, 2025 at 7:41 AM
A NEW QUIZ HAS DROPPED!
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of our Japanese Quiz! 🎉
「12月」に関する知識や日本語の理解を試そう！
Test your knowledge about "December" & your Japanese understanding!
Discordメンバーは18日までに挑戦して賞状をもらおう！
5 questions. Take the challenge by the 18th for a certificate in Discord!
❄️ forms.gle/PMSebcojpJmL... ❄️
ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of our Japanese Quiz! 🎉
「12月」に関する知識や日本語の理解を試そう！
Test your knowledge about "December" & your Japanese understanding!
Discordメンバーは18日までに挑戦して賞状をもらおう！
5 questions. Take the challenge by the 18th for a certificate in Discord!
❄️ forms.gle/PMSebcojpJmL... ❄️
Reposted by Japanese Talk
December 2, 2025 at 1:30 AM
コロケーションが身につく日本語表現練習帳 is a vocabulary and grammar book for advanced learners that focuses on similar words and how they're used.
I picked this up because I needed to practice particles at an advanced level and this book was perfect.
I picked this up because I needed to practice particles at an advanced level and this book was perfect.
December 1, 2025 at 11:18 PM
コロケーションが身につく日本語表現練習帳 is a vocabulary and grammar book for advanced learners that focuses on similar words and how they're used.
I picked this up because I needed to practice particles at an advanced level and this book was perfect.
I picked this up because I needed to practice particles at an advanced level and this book was perfect.
Reposted by Japanese Talk
AI is NOT inevitable. Keep not using it. Uninstall Copilot from your computer. Refuse to use programs bogged down with it. Complain loudly about it when they shove it into the programs you use. We can starve the slop machines.
"All of this falls apart if humans don't adopt the tech. This is why you've seen Meta cram its lame chatbots into WhatsApp and Instagram. This is why Notepad and Paint now have useless Copilot buttons on Windows. This is why Google Gemini wants to "help you" read and reply to your emails."
Analysis: OpenAI is a loss-making machine, how can it survive?
Don't call it a bubble! Loss-making monster OpenAI is on the hook for $1.4 trillion (with a T) in compute commitments. How can this go on?
www.windowscentral.com
November 30, 2025 at 11:12 PM
AI is NOT inevitable. Keep not using it. Uninstall Copilot from your computer. Refuse to use programs bogged down with it. Complain loudly about it when they shove it into the programs you use. We can starve the slop machines.
It's been two months and italki still hasn't fixed their UI and removed the AI slop (and that stupid fish), so I'm officially quitting italki. Going to work with teachers directly and see if I can find some local lessons.
December 1, 2025 at 3:55 AM
It's been two months and italki still hasn't fixed their UI and removed the AI slop (and that stupid fish), so I'm officially quitting italki. Going to work with teachers directly and see if I can find some local lessons.
2006 - started studying Japanese
2008 - year abroad in Japan and passed JLPT 4
2010 - year abroad
2011 - passed N3
2012 - 6 months in Japan and passed N2
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 - failed N1 nine times (also moved in Japan in 2018)
2022 - passed N1 🥳
2008 - year abroad in Japan and passed JLPT 4
2010 - year abroad
2011 - passed N3
2012 - 6 months in Japan and passed N2
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 - failed N1 nine times (also moved in Japan in 2018)
2022 - passed N1 🥳
2012 - start studying in high school
2013 - take classes in university
2014 - passed N4
2015 - exchange year in Japan
2016 - passed N1
a little insane now that I look back on it, actually. I studied hard on my exchange year
2013 - take classes in university
2014 - passed N4
2015 - exchange year in Japan
2016 - passed N1
a little insane now that I look back on it, actually. I studied hard on my exchange year
I'm curious what others' JLPT journey was.
I'll start:
2016 - started studying Japanese at uni
2019 - passed N2
2021 - failed N1
2024 - passed N1
I'll start:
2016 - started studying Japanese at uni
2019 - passed N2
2021 - failed N1
2024 - passed N1
November 30, 2025 at 1:53 PM
2006 - started studying Japanese
2008 - year abroad in Japan and passed JLPT 4
2010 - year abroad
2011 - passed N3
2012 - 6 months in Japan and passed N2
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 - failed N1 nine times (also moved in Japan in 2018)
2022 - passed N1 🥳
2008 - year abroad in Japan and passed JLPT 4
2010 - year abroad
2011 - passed N3
2012 - 6 months in Japan and passed N2
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 - failed N1 nine times (also moved in Japan in 2018)
2022 - passed N1 🥳
Reposted by Japanese Talk
It's time for the November #Japanese slang review! Click the link below to learn about:
サナ活
アッシー・メッシー
全ア
らりる
全肯定bot
半ドン
スキマバイト
ドロンする
鬼ムシャ
~ドリュ
wesleycrobertson.wordpress.com/2025/11/30/j...
サナ活
アッシー・メッシー
全ア
らりる
全肯定bot
半ドン
スキマバイト
ドロンする
鬼ムシャ
~ドリュ
wesleycrobertson.wordpress.com/2025/11/30/j...
Japanese Slang Review – November 2025
And it’s time for the eleventh Japanese slang review of 2025 (see all prior posts here)! In these posts I deep dive into the world of Japanese terms you probably won’t see in a textbook…
wesleycrobertson.wordpress.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:02 AM
It's time for the November #Japanese slang review! Click the link below to learn about:
サナ活
アッシー・メッシー
全ア
らりる
全肯定bot
半ドン
スキマバイト
ドロンする
鬼ムシャ
~ドリュ
wesleycrobertson.wordpress.com/2025/11/30/j...
サナ活
アッシー・メッシー
全ア
らりる
全肯定bot
半ドン
スキマバイト
ドロンする
鬼ムシャ
~ドリュ
wesleycrobertson.wordpress.com/2025/11/30/j...
The 教師と学習者のための日本語文型辞典 is a grammar dictionary for teachers and linguists that every intermediate and advanced learner of Japanese should get.
The explanations and examples are written for native Japanese speakers, which (I think) makes some complex grammar patterns easier to understand.
The explanations and examples are written for native Japanese speakers, which (I think) makes some complex grammar patterns easier to understand.
November 29, 2025 at 2:27 PM
The 教師と学習者のための日本語文型辞典 is a grammar dictionary for teachers and linguists that every intermediate and advanced learner of Japanese should get.
The explanations and examples are written for native Japanese speakers, which (I think) makes some complex grammar patterns easier to understand.
The explanations and examples are written for native Japanese speakers, which (I think) makes some complex grammar patterns easier to understand.
While I'm fighting with my previous website host so I can move the hosting to someone less hostile and more reasonably priced, I've decided to do some random reviews on BlueSky of Japanese study resources I've collected over the years. I have a lot...
November 29, 2025 at 9:49 AM
While I'm fighting with my previous website host so I can move the hosting to someone less hostile and more reasonably priced, I've decided to do some random reviews on BlueSky of Japanese study resources I've collected over the years. I have a lot...
Reposted by Japanese Talk
Ask yourself this: Do you want this to be the future of your anime watching experience, forever? If your answer is no, then act on it! If you are a journalist or anyone with a platform, talk about this! If you know such people, urge them to do so! Use my article as base! Now, before it's too late!
November 21, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Ask yourself this: Do you want this to be the future of your anime watching experience, forever? If your answer is no, then act on it! If you are a journalist or anyone with a platform, talk about this! If you know such people, urge them to do so! Use my article as base! Now, before it's too late!
Study burnout is a real issue, but you shouldn't beat yourself up either if you're struggling with it.
I've been studying Japanese for over 19 years but there were many times I didn't do any studying for months on end, sometimes even six months to a year.
I've been studying Japanese for over 19 years but there were many times I didn't do any studying for months on end, sometimes even six months to a year.
This is probably my 4th-5th rewrite of this post.
I've seen so many friends / peers get burnt out on learning Japanese.
It's a big undertaking: you're learning an entirely new language /and/ the culture that's inseparable from it.
I wish I could give one-size-fits-all advice or encouragement.
I've seen so many friends / peers get burnt out on learning Japanese.
It's a big undertaking: you're learning an entirely new language /and/ the culture that's inseparable from it.
I wish I could give one-size-fits-all advice or encouragement.
November 22, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Study burnout is a real issue, but you shouldn't beat yourself up either if you're struggling with it.
I've been studying Japanese for over 19 years but there were many times I didn't do any studying for months on end, sometimes even six months to a year.
I've been studying Japanese for over 19 years but there were many times I didn't do any studying for months on end, sometimes even six months to a year.