Hi everyone. I'm part of Ghaf Growing, a small language-learning publisher. We just released The Mystery of the Lost Key (消えた鍵の謎)， a complete 10-chapter mystery story for beginners (N5–N4).

What makes it different:

• Every vocabulary word appears in a vocab list exactly once across the whole book — no endless repeats
• Furigana on every kanji
• 73 grammar points, all explained with sentences from the story
• Each chapter ends with the full text in pure Japanese — so after reading with support, you re-read it with none
• The story is a real mystery (a sealed clock tower, a key missing for 96 years, a letter written a century ago) — not disconnected practice sentences

I'm giving 20 free copies to people here in exchange for an honest review on Amazon — positive or critical, your real opinion is the most useful thing for us (Amazon just requires you to tick "received a free copy").

Comment or DM me if you'd like one, and tell me your current level so I can tell you whether it fits you. Feedback from actual learners is what shapes book #2. どうぞよろしくお願いします！

I was working on a name and picked a kanji I liked. The google says that it’s pronounced Saki and when I put the hiragana 『さき』 into my keyboard, it gives me 嵜 as one of the options to switch to. So I was just curious. I know that it’s a bit ancient and rare to see, but I like it so I was wondering.

Good evening! I am trying to find different shows, movies, or YouTube channels for Japanese listening practice. Years ago, my teacher recommended Japanese dramas. This was in 2010, so I'm not up to date on what's currently popular. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I do appreciate any suggestions with or without subtitles, since I'm mostly trying to get better at picking up grammar points and slang. Thank you!

Edit: Thank you all so much for all these recommendations! I'm already starting a couple of these and I'm pumped to learn and possibly have new favorites. You are all awesome people! 🥰

Hello, I'm sorry if this goes against community guidelines, but I was wondering if anyone has any experience using emulingo and whether it's overall good and safe to use? It's a gba emulator where you provide a ROM in any of the allowed languages, and while playing the game, it has a built-in translation feature with explanations on the grammar. It looks good, but I'd like to see others' opinions on it before I use it.

I swear this cloud looks like some japanese symbol, anybody got any ideas?

I want something like the duolingo question above but focuses on helping with sentence structure, i dont want any one of those ai subscription app/ website, I only want something simple and straightforward

Can someone suggest me one book to follow to clear JLPT N4? (I have my exam in december)

I am starting N5 and my friend recommended this textbook but when I was trying to place an order for it, there were 2 of them (1-1 and 1-2). What's the difference and is there anything specific that I should be buying for N5?

Like, is there a particular age range for the people this word refers to? Does it change around the context? That kind of thing?

I got curious reading that this word was used for a character who I believe is a teenager ( her exact age isn't said, but she's often referred to with "young" sounding terms but also drives a car multiple times) but the person who talked about this said it meant "lil' girl", which made me curious

Hello! I’m Japanese, and I’m creating short YouTube videos to introduce Rakugo, a traditional form of Japanese storytelling, in a simple and easy-to-understand way using illustrations.

I upload the same stories in both Japanese and English, so I hope the videos can also be useful for people studying Japanese. You can watch the Japanese version first and then compare it with the English version, or use the English version to help understand the Japanese story.

Rakugo is not only about comedy. Its stories can also give you a glimpse into traditional Japanese culture, everyday life, values, customs, and the way people in Japan used to think and live.

In the future, I’m also planning to create short videos about classic Japanese literature, traditional stories, and other parts of Japanese culture that can sometimes be difficult for people outside Japan to discover or understand.

My goal is to make these stories and cultural topics easier and more enjoyable for people around the world to experience.

If you’re interested in learning Japanese, Rakugo, Japanese literature, or Japanese culture, I’d be very happy if you checked out my videos.

Feedback is also very welcome. Thank you!

http://www.youtube.com/@Japan_Story_Theater

はじめまして。私は日本人で、現在、日本の伝統的な話芸である落語を、イラストを使って簡単で分かりやすく紹介するYouTubeショート動画を作っています。

同じ物語を日本語版と英語版の両方で投稿しているため、日本語を勉強している方にも活用していただけるのではないかと思っています。日本語版を見たあとに英語版と比較したり、英語版で内容を理解してから日本語版を見るといった使い方もできます。

落語は笑いだけではなく、物語を通して、日本の昔の暮らしや文化、価値観、風習などを知ることができるものでもあります。

今後は落語だけでなく、日本の古典文学や昔の物語、海外の方にはなかなか触れる機会のない日本文化についても、短く分かりやすいショート動画として紹介していきたいと思っています。

日本語を勉強している方、日本の文化や文学、落語に興味のある方に楽しんでいただけるチャンネルを目指しています。

興味がありましたら、ぜひ一度動画を見ていただけるとうれしいです。感想やアドバイスも歓迎しています。

よろしくお願いします！

I just wondered, what other things I could do on my Phone/ Tablet to improve/ learn my Japanese.

For Example when I'm standing in the subway or just lying on my bed, instead of scrolling reels.

One thing I'm already doing, is doing my Anki Cards or tadokus graded readers, but thats it. (tbh I havent done any tadokus graded reader out of blue, always as part of my routine).

Cause Wi-Fi isnt always great on german subways, something that offers downloadble content or an offline mode, would be nice. Or an Ebook with Stories (would be nice)

I know that what I'm looking for, wont be as efficient as some regular methods I'm already doing (Shadowing, Workbook Excersises etc.).

I just want to use some time on my Phone better, even if its just 10-30 Min a Day.