A beginner Japanese path that does not start with Anki

Anki shows up in every “how I got fluent” post because people who finished something remember the tool they used at the end. Beginners copy the ending.

If you cannot yet name a word you want to keep, a blank card system will ask you to become a curriculum designer. That is a second job.

First month, four jobs

1. Learn hiragana, then katakana, well enough to sound out menus and app screens.
2. Start a tiny set of useful words and phrases you will actually meet.
3. Read one grammar explanation that starts from zero. Tae Kim is free and complete enough.
4. Open Jisho when a word blocks you. Do not turn every lookup into a deck.

Irodori can supply daily-life lessons and audio if you want a course shape without buying Genki on day one.

Where review fits

Once kana is readable, add a review loop with a hard cap. Inku is the lower-setup option we make for iPhone: prepared Japanese cards, local progress, no account. It is not a grammar teacher and it is not an Android app.

If you already enjoy building cards, Anki is the flexible engine. Start with a small deck you understand. A 5,000-card import is how people quit in week two.

What to ignore

Ignore “best app” lists that rank twenty products. Ignore any plan that requires a new subscription every Sunday. Ignore kanji courses until you can read kana without bargaining with yourself.

The first month succeeds when you still have the same two tools on Friday.