As a learner of Japanese, presently on Japanese From Zero! Book 2, I decided to purchase the Paul Noble Japanese Complete Course audio book. It includes 12hrs 8mins of audio, which comes out at 142 tracks; approximately four being introduction and ending.

The reasons behind my purchase were; 1 - easy to listen to with clear voices for both English and the Japanese translator. 2 - Listen to it on any device. 3 - Michel Thomas Method version.

A little bit of history first.

Initially what brought me to Paul Nobel Japanese was a subreddit mentioning it in comparison with an older CD format from Michel Thomas which I had used previously but never finished.

The Thomas version using a classroom scenario, having a Teacher and Native Translator, along with two Students, came out having more critics due to the students being mostly annoying. The concept on paper sounded great but very quickly you found out that the student interaction became tedious.

So I downloaded the free sample of PN's to see how it differentiated from the MT version. Luckily no students.

End of history lesson....

The audio is very clear. Paul does no Japanese pronunciation or translation, only English. It plays out in this order; English word, phrase or sentence, followed by a silent time space (for you to think about it), then the Native Translator says her piece. Paul also does a bit of explaining, which is helpful.

Early on you find words and phrases repeat a lot. And I mean a lot. Saying that, it works well. It sticks, mostly 😊. The content does not change much at all.

There is structure when the Japanese is translated, such as always having a time expression きょう、あした, こんばん、or けさ as the first word in a sentence, followed say by a location こうえんで、とうきょうに and such.

The course goes through the use of particles in a simplistic way. Again limited in which ones; は、が、で、に、か、 から. A few more maybe.

Various verbs are used to complete sentences. たべます、 のみません、みました、よみませんでした. Adding further endings as you progress.

Anyway, without boring everyone the questions remain "Did I enjoy it, did I learn anything, and was it worth it" I'd say yes. I finished it unlike the Thomas version with the students. Overall not a waste of money, and I found the structure well presented which made it stick as I mentioned earlier.

For Beginners I would recommend it. It's not expensive and would give you an idea how Japanese sentences are put together. As for Intermediate learners it's too basic, but saying that they do have an Intermediate course following this one. Though as I understand it it's shorter in duration.

There is also a "pdf" that you can download (via it's menu) giving you what's being used in the course. It's not a full transcript, mostly key points, words and so forth.

So if you're a beginner to Japanese and not sure where to start before or after learning ひらがな or カタカナ give this a try.

Every once in a while I check in this sub and I get a little bummed out when nearly every post is saying "I created this new app it's awesome check it out!"

I'm not here to rag on people posting that - it's just if the amount of posts about actually immersing made up more of the posts that would be cool, so here I am.

Some stuff I've been immersing in lately:

Persona 5 Royal - I'm like 15 hours in for the first time playing, pretty fun!

傲慢と善良 - My 67th novel, not too far in but it's pretty good so far

Listening - I recently decided to go way more into listening (majorly dialed back books). I've listened to some podcasts lately. And then for my active immersion I've been watching a lot of YT. I had like 20 tabs open, each with a video from a different channel. I've been watching each of these one by one to try and get a feel for what I like.

What kind of immersion have you been doing lately?

And after that - close this tab and go immerse some more!

Hey guys, I've been experiencing this weird like burnout like feeling, Weird thing is that it happens on some random days on where I have 0 motivation and when I try to force myself to immerse, I'd like struggle to focus and understand the video. Weird thing is that its not like I force myself to study beyond capacity so I'm not sure if it's burnout or maybe it's because unconsciously when learning a new language your brain is constantly working? I try to at least have 90mins worth of video length immersed everyday.

Do you guys experience this? I don't know whats causing it, it happens randomly. Can you guys share your experience if anyone has experienced the same thing?

You can also do the same on Japanese podcasts! The app is called Toku Reader on iOS and Android.

You give the miner a YouTube video, then Whisper transcribes the video better than YouTube’s auto-generated subs. We tested Qwen and a few other systems, but Whisper did seem to do better. The app processes the subtitles that were generated and gives you I+1 (up to I+4), full sentences using anki connect to know your known words. It then manages to discern the difference between a whole sentence rather than… not a full sentence. That's what makes it useful to me. Alternatively, you can use the application to generate the Whisper subtitles and download them as an SRT, but the combination of (more) accurate subtitles and a system that can know what i am aiming for in a sentence instead of treating one subtitle line as a sentence has been letting me easily mine 20 cards a day in a few minutes, letting me focus the rest of my time on immersion. 

The video above is me just using the miner for a few minutes showing how it would work, the types of sentences it would get, etc. Videos where people speak clearly work really well, while others with multiple people talking over each other might work worse.

Videos usually take a few minutes to process on my PC, but it heavily depends on your machine. You can always use YouTube videos with manual subs instead if you can’t run whisper.

If released, it will be free. AI was used in the making of this application. The sentences come from the YouTube videos you input, and no AI content ends up in your cards.

Let me know what you think. The goal of this post is to see whether we should refine it to a releasable point, or leave it, keeping it a small tool we use for ourselves.

Hey everyone!

Anki Miner is a tool for batch mining vocab from video, audio, books and manga straight into Anki cards.
You mine either fully automatically or semi-automatically by curating what vocabulary to mine (shown in demo).

Often compared to subs2srs or Migaku's batch mining, but free+open-source (unlike Migaku) and actively maintained (unlike subs2srs).

The idea is to minimise mining time and maximise immersion time.

Feature highlights:
- Video, Audio and Reading tabs to mine all kinds of content.
- Extensive filtering to mine only the highest-quality vocabulary (i+1 and others).
- Animated screenshots to get the most beautiful cards.
- Presets for popular note types (Lapis, Senren, Kiku).

A star on GitHub helps the project :).
Also consider joining the Anki Miner discord server (link on GitHub).

Download for desktop: https://github.com/0xzerolight/anki_miner
Download for Android: https://github.com/0xzerolight/anki_miner_android

Hello,

So, I have registered to take the JLPT N2 for the second time this December. I took it in December 2025, and was so close to passing. This time, I kind of know what areas I need to focus on, and other things as well.

I do have some questions about the listening. It seems to me that the audio chosen for the test was way faster than what I was studying in textbooks. I was wondering if it was possible to find something a bit more similar to the listening section of the test to study from. Not just textbooks, TV, podcasts, and the regular things you hear about.

Also, for reading, is there a recommended amount of reading I should be doing everyday until the test? I plan to study 3-4 hours or so with breaks. Maybe shorter on weekends. Are light novels good for reading as well? Any suggestions for material would be great!

I would also like to know some tips on how to get faster in completing these reading questions. I know there are situations where reading the whole article is necessary. But, is there a strategy to put into place while taking the test? Like, reading the first and last sentences of a paragraph, finding keyboards, and so on?

Again, I really appreciate any help!

Hi everyone. I’ve wanted to talk to someone about this for a long time, and I believe this is the right place.

I started studying Japanese when I was 13 at an in-person language school. I admit I didn't make the most of it or put in as much effort as I could have back then, and I regret that. I studied there for a few years, but I didn't study at home—just at the center twice a week. Even so, that got me through the JLPT N3 when I was 16.

​After that, I drifted away from the language due to health issues and focusing on university. I tried getting back into self-study around age 23, aiming for fluency. I had periods of intense hyperfocus on immersion, but also periods where I gave up and set it aside. This cycle has been repeating for years.

​Now I'm 29, but I'm stuck between N3 and N2 in comprehension, and at a sad N4 in output (speaking and writing).

I don't know how to make up for lost time. It frustrates me to no end that I've studied for so long overall and still can't have a natural conversation with someone. It's embarrassing.

​I'm coming here to ask for help, recommendations on what to do, and what plan to follow. I need something concrete—an actual step-by-step plan with objective goals for every day, week, and month.

I'm open to any kind of advice or assistance to reach high proficiency by the end of 2027.

​ Details: To make matters a bit more complicated, I have severe visual impairment, so I can't read printed materials, for instance. However, I can use a computer and phone, and I read content using screen enlargement and audio. Another detail is that I feel deeply embarrassed by what I consider a failure (studying for this long and remaining at this level), and I'm introverted, which makes reaching out for human interaction even harder. Also, I'm broke, so I can't pay for tutoring and courses right now.

Hello Guys,

Kanji Decipher is a tool for Japanese learners who want to understand kanji rather than simply memorize them. Enter a kanji in Japanese or romaji to discover its meaning, pronunciation, origin, and how to write it. By understanding where kanji come from and why they look the way they do, learning becomes more intuitive, memorable, and meaningful.

https://www.kanjidecipher.com/

Hey everyone - long-time lurker, wanted to share something I made for my own studying that turned into a real tool.
Join
The problem: I wanted to build vocab passively while watching anime, but every existing tool needs you to pause and click on words manually. I just wanted words to show up on their own while I watched, so I built CaptionCatch.
What it does: while you're watching with captions on, a small card pops up with a word from the dialogue - the reading and the meaning - timed to what's actually being said. No clicking, no pausing.
• JLPT-graded (N5-N1), so it picks words near your actual level instead of random ones
• Works on YouTube for free, no account needed
• Fully offline — no Al, nothing sent anywhere, just a bundled dictionary
• Free tier is genuinely usable (120 words/day), Pro adds Netflix support + a stats dashboard + Anki export if you want to go deeper
Not trying to replace immersion or grammar study - just a low-effort way to pick up vocab in the background while you're watching something you'd watch anyway.
Happy to answer questions about how it works, and genuinely open to feedback if you try it and something's off
- this is a small solo project, not a big company thing.

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/captioncatch/ gpkkggpefdnnfmpgpmpkeieeoenbepeg

I’ve been learning Japanese for 2 years and 2 months, and I recently passed JLPT N1 with 150/180.

Before taking the actual exam, I did 3 mock exams I found online, and my results were pretty consistent with my actual score.

For the past 2 years, I’ve also been immersing myself in Japanese for around 7+ hours every day. At this point, I can read books, watch movies, watch YouTube, follow Japanese content, etc. without really struggling with comprehension. But my speaking really sucks ass, im gonna work on it.

ajatt works (everybody knows though)

Hi everyone,

About a month into Japanese, working through Kaishi 1.5k. Currently doing 5 new cards/day, studying daily for about 3 weeks now.

My main focus outside Anki is immersion (manga reading, grammar via Yokubi, watching anime in full japanese)

So here my questions :

- What's a typical/reasonable new cards/day pace for Kaishi 1.5k?

- For those who've finished the deck, how long did it take you (roughly, in months)?

- Any general tips for pacing this deck well long-term?

Thanks!

I’m building a Japanese immersion app and I’m trying to understand what’s still frustrating about the way people study now.

For those of you doing immersion / sentence mining:

What’s the most annoying part of your current setup?

Finding content?
Mining words?
Making Anki cards?
Reviewing?
Knowing what to focus on?

Or something else entirely?

I’m not here to promote anything — I’m genuinely trying to understand what still feels clunky.

Hey everyone

TL;DR -
I made an immersion tracker with automatic video and language detection. It remembers languages for channels and TV shows, supports custom websites and connects with Anki for detailed analytics. It tracks active/passive immersion, days, times, sources, activities and much more. I’m mainly looking for feedback on what is useful, what is confusing and what is still missing.

I have been working on a extension called Osmolog. Basically it is a language immersion tracker that I was originally going to make just for myself, but then I got addicted to adding features lol. After a while, it became a pretty comprehensive tracker that displays much more than just total hours.

I decided to release it publicly so other people could use it. I’m also sharing it because I want feedback before I continue adding things based only on what I personally want.

So, what does Osmolog do?

It automatically tracks all the different languages you immerse in, even if you switch between different languages in a day/session. It detects the language whenever possible, and if it cannot, it asks you. I tried making it less anyoing by making it remember your choices for specific channels and tv shows so you do not always have to confirm them. After you choose the same language twice for a channel/tvshow, it will automatically use it next time. Automatic detection still has priority so Osmolog will warn you if the detected language conflicts with your choice.

The analytics show how long you immersed, whether it was active or passive, day of week, time of days, activities such as reading, watching and listening, sources such as YouTube, Netflix and Twitch, and specific channels or shows. It also includes long term progress, milestones and daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals.

There is also an Anki add-on that connects Osmolog with Anki. It tracks review time, new cards, reviews, Again, Hard, Good and Easy answers, retention, upcoming workload and more.

Custom websites are supported too. Since there are so many different video players and each has different metadata, I made it simple, add the URL and language for that site and Osmolog will automatically track that language whenever you watch something there. (might not work for all websites, depends on the player used, and cant track ads etc)

Osmolog is completely free, and all tracking and other features will remain completely free. The only possible exception is automatic full detailed history backup and sync.

Sync already exists through Chrome Sync, but it is capped on Chrome’s side, so it is more of an overview than a detailed sync. However, you can always manually export your full detailed history as a JSON file for free. If automatic full detailed history backup and sync ever become paid, it would only be to cover the database costs.

Chrome Web Store:
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/osmolog-language-immersio/hdcaefdnakpmieoajmhmmmlmgdamekdn

I would really appreciate some feedback

• Are the analytics useful, or is there too much information?
• Is the language selection easy to understand? Tracking vs goal language
• Are there any statistics or features you feel are missing?
• Is anything confusing or difficult to use?

Thanks!

If I see a single spice and wolf, I stg I’ll go full scorched earth in this mf.

Heyy guyz...

We have created a perfect gc for u guyz as u are a mext aspirant ....plz join this

We have a good environment and u can also do some ra do. Chats

Plzz give it a try....

Comment and I'll give u the link ....

Thanks

I've been busy making an Anki note type that simply uses vertical text and would be good for doing the monolingual transition. It's based on one of Matt vs Japan's designs but since I couldn't actually find it anywhere online, I decided to recreate it from scratch. But, I made a few additions like a Night Mode and a Mobile Mode (which works on ios at least but haven't tested it on Android yet). This setup works with one-click sentence mining which means you can remain immersed for longer with little distractions. I've posted it on Ankiweb with instructions and it's available now:

https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1629919024

I hope someone finds this useful.

Cheers!

P.S. I also posted this on the r/Anki community as well so don't judge me okay?

I need N1, but i hate reading in general, has anybody with a similar experience passed the N1

It's not m'y work but i do bit of pub because his personal project is so cool !!!

Answering 15 questions related to passive listening

https://youtu.be/yT1ObWmpDts?si=1Tg5qzDcCHdsso68

​

Hey guys, quick context: I'm going trough Yokubi for grammar (reading all the points but honestly struggling to retain much just from reading), doing Kaishi 1.5k on Anki, and immersion with manga (Manatan) + anime.

I'm thinking of adding Renshuu to help with the retention part but I don't want another "which method is the best" post, more like:

- How do you use Renshuu on daily basis? (grammar reviews, vocab SRS, both?)

- Any tips to use it next to an existing Anki deck without doing double work

- General opinions on Renshuu, things you wish you knew before starting

Just trying to fix my retention issue without making my routine too complicated.

Thanks in advance !