# A beginner Japanese path that does not start with Anki > A first-month Japanese plan for adults who are not ready to build a card system from scratch. Canonical: https://studyjapanese101.com/blog/a-beginner-path-that-does-not-start-with-anki Last updated: 2026-10-26 Anki is a powerful memory engine. It is a poor first app if you do not yet know what to put on the cards. Our team owns Inku. [Disclosures](https://studyjapanese101.com/disclosures) Published: 2026-08-13 8 min read Beginner and intermediate 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. Use [Learn kana in two weeks](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/learn-kana-in-two-weeks) if that is still the whole problem. 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](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/tae-kim) is free and complete enough. 4. Open [Jisho](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/jisho) when a word blocks you. Do not turn every lookup into a deck. [Irodori](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/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. If you want prepared Japanese cards on iPhone or the web, [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku) supplies the library and lets you add your own cards. If you already enjoy building cards, [Anki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/anki) is the flexible engine. Start with a small deck you understand. A 5,000-card import is how people quit in week two. The method is [ready-made Japanese flashcards versus a deck you build](https://studyjapanese101.com/blog/ready-made-japanese-flashcards). ## 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. For the full beginner shortlist, use [Japanese resources for beginners](https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/beginner). ## Evidence and sources Product details can change. Evidence pages and their individual check dates appear below. Page updated 2026-10-26. - [Inku official site](https://inkujapanese.com/) - official product · checked 2026-10-26 · Current prepared catalog, custom cards and decks, browser study, iPhone availability, and Android waitlist. - [Inku help center](https://inkujapanese.com/help) - official docs · checked 2026-10-26 · Lessons and due reviews, FSRS, personal decks, pronunciation audio, and platform-specific account guidance. ## Related - [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku) - Japanese flashcards on iPhone and the web, with ready-made decks, custom cards, pronunciation audio and spaced review. - [Irodori](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/irodori) - Free Japan Foundation textbooks for daily-life Japanese, with audio. - [Jisho](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/jisho) - A free Japanese-English dictionary you can search from English, romaji, or kanji. - [Tae Kim](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/tae-kim) - A free grammar guide from knowing nothing through advanced constructions. - [Japanese resources for beginners](https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/beginner) - A beginner needs a path, not a toolkit. Pick one course, one dictionary, then add short reading and audio you will finish. - [Free Japanese Learning Resources: Build a Study Routine](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/free-japanese-learning-resources) - A complete free stack can start with Irodori for sequence, Tae Kim for explanation, Jisho for lookup, Renshuu for optional review, Tadoku for reading, and Nihongo con Teppei for audio. You do not need all six on day one.