# What to use after Duolingo for Japanese > Keep Duolingo as a five-minute habit or drop it. Add one course, a dictionary, and short Japanese you can finish. Canonical: https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/what-to-use-after-duolingo Last updated: 2026-09-01 After Duolingo, keep at most a five-minute streak. Give the week to one course, Jisho, and a page or audio segment you will actually finish. Our team owns Inku. [Disclosures](https://studyjapanese101.com/disclosures) Published: 2026-09-01 7 min read beginner ## How to follow this guide 1. Decide whether Duolingo stays as a five-minute warmup or leaves. 2. Choose one course that explains grammar and chooses the next lesson. 3. Add Jisho for lookups instead of a second habit app. 4. Finish one short reading or listening item several days a week. 5. Add a review loop only after the course is producing material worth remembering. After Duolingo, the next useful move is a course that explains why a sentence works, plus Japanese that is not shaped like a streak. Keep [Duolingo](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/duolingo) only if it still gets you into the chair for five minutes. Drop it if protecting the streak is the study. Official character practice can introduce hiragana, katakana, and kanji. That does not make Duolingo a grammar course or a reading habit. If kana is still shaky, finish that job first with [Learn kana in two weeks](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/learn-kana-in-two-weeks). Then come back here. ## Pick one next owner | If this is the gap | Use | Limit | | --- | --- | --- | | You finish lessons and still cannot explain the grammar | [LingoDeer](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/lingodeer) | Paid course; do not also keep Duolingo as a second tree | | You want a free structured path | [Irodori](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/irodori) | Feels like lessons and worksheets, not a game | | You will sit with a book and workbook | [Genki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/genki) | Buy the workbook; kana is early, not the whole series | Use [Duolingo vs LingoDeer](https://studyjapanese101.com/compare/duolingo-vs-lingodeer) if those two apps are the actual decision. Do not add both. The [beginner apps shortlist](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/japanese-learning-apps-for-beginners) is the broader menu. This page is the exit from Duolingo as the whole method. ## Add lookup and input, not another tree [Jisho](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/jisho) is enough for words that block you. Do not install a second dictionary in week one of the transition. Then finish Japanese you did not author: - one [NHK News Web Easy](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nhk-news-web-easy) article, or - one [Nihongo con Teppei](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nihongo-con-teppei) episode. Opening a library is not practice. The [beginner hub](https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/beginner) is the stack once the course is chosen. ## What not to add this month - A second streak app. - Anki with a 5,000-card import. - A kanji SRS while you still cannot read kana comfortably. A review loop can wait until the new course is producing words and sentences you already met. [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku) offers prepared Japanese decks and personal cards on iPhone and the web. [Anki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/anki) fits when you need imports or detailed card templates. If the week is already a pile of apps, use [Too many Japanese apps](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/too-many-japanese-apps) before you buy anything else. ## Frequently asked questions ### What should I use after Duolingo Japanese? One structured course such as LingoDeer, Irodori, or Genki, plus Jisho and short input you can finish. Duolingo can remain a warmup. It should not remain the plan. ### Can I keep Duolingo and add LingoDeer? Only if Duolingo is a short warmup. Do not run both as full courses. They compete for the same sequence job. ## Evidence and sources Product details can change. Evidence pages and their individual check dates appear below. Page updated 2026-09-01. - [Duolingo Japanese character guide](https://blog.duolingo.com/learning-to-read-japanese-characters/) - official docs · checked 2026-09-01 · Official character-practice description used to bound Duolingo's kana role. - [LingoDeer official site](https://www.lingodeer.com/) - official product · checked 2026-08-30 · Official grammar-led app course used as one post-Duolingo sequence option. - [Irodori official site](https://www.irodori.jpf.go.jp/en/) - official product · checked 2026-09-01 · Official free structured course used as a post-Duolingo path. - [Genki official site](https://genki3.japantimes.co.jp/en/) - official publisher · checked 2026-09-01 · Official beginner textbook used as a post-Duolingo path. ## 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. - [Duolingo](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/duolingo) - A free habit app that can introduce Japanese, but not a complete course. - [Genki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/genki) - A beginner textbook series covering the four skills, with audio and a workbook. - [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. - [LingoDeer](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/lingodeer) - A structured Japanese app course with clearer grammar notes than most gamified apps.