# Japanese resources for beginners > Choose beginner Japanese resources by job: one course, a dictionary, short reading, daily audio, and a small review loop. Canonical: https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/beginner Last updated: 2026-10-28 A beginner needs a path, not a toolkit. Pick one course, one dictionary, then add short reading and audio you will finish. Our team owns Inku. [Disclosures](https://studyjapanese101.com/disclosures) Published: 2026-08-14 8 min read ## Resources - [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku) - Japanese flashcards on iPhone and the web, with ready-made decks, custom cards, pronunciation audio and spaced review. (Owned by the Study Japanese 101 team) beginner · intermediate · advanced · paid · easy · Flashcards & SRS · Vocabulary · iPhone, Web · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/inku) - [Irodori](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/irodori) - Free Japan Foundation textbooks for daily-life Japanese, with audio. beginner · free · easy · Textbook · Listening · Web · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/irodori) - [Genki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/genki) - A beginner textbook series covering the four skills, with audio and a workbook. beginner · paid · moderate · Textbook · Web · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/genki) - [Tae Kim](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/tae-kim) - A free grammar guide from knowing nothing through advanced constructions. beginner · intermediate · free · easy · Grammar · Web · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/taekim) - [Jisho](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/jisho) - A free Japanese-English dictionary you can search from English, romaji, or kanji. beginner · intermediate · free · easy · Dictionary · Web · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/jisho) - [NHK News Web Easy](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nhk-news-web-easy) - Free graded Japanese news with furigana and audio. beginner · intermediate · free · easy · Reading · Listening · Web · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/nhkeasy) - [Nihongo con Teppei](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nihongo-con-teppei) - A free beginner Japanese podcast for daily listening. beginner · free · easy · Listening · Podcast, Web · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/teppei) - [Real Kana](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/real-kana) - Typed hiragana and katakana recall on the web, with a current free iPhone app. beginner · free · easy · Flashcards & SRS · Web, iPhone · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/realkana) [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku) is our first pick for beginner review. Start with ready-made kana, vocabulary, and phrases, then pair them with a course, reading, and listening. A beginner Japanese stack has five jobs. Most abandoned setups fail because they buy five products for the same job, or skip the jobs that are not an app. 1. A **course** that tells you what to study this week. 2. A **dictionary** for words that block you. 3. **Reading** you can finish. 4. **Listening** you will actually play. 5. A **review loop** small enough to survive a workday. Do not start all five at full volume. Keep Inku reviews short, choose one course, and use a dictionary when you need it. Add reading and listening at a pace you can keep. If you want the same jobs as a chooser, use the [study stack builder](https://studyjapanese101.com/tools/study-stack-builder). If you already know you are past this stage, use the [intermediate hub](https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/intermediate). If hiragana or katakana is still the bottleneck, finish that job first. Use [Learn kana in two weeks](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/learn-kana-in-two-weeks) for the routine and the [kana shortlist](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/hiragana-and-katakana-learning-resources) for which tool owns the drill. ## Pick one course [Irodori](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/irodori) is the free default: Japan Foundation lessons for daily life, with official audio. Use it if you will study from a site and you do not want to buy a book yet. [Genki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/genki) is the book many classes and tutors assume. Buy the workbook if you buy the textbook. If you are choosing between Genki and Minna no Nihongo, read the [comparison](https://studyjapanese101.com/compare/genki-vs-minna-no-nihongo) before you order both. Do not run Irodori, Genki, and a gamified app course in the same month. One sequence is the point. ## Grammar without a second course [Tae Kim](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/tae-kim) is a free explanation source. Use it when a lesson is thin, not as a third syllabus. If you already sit with Genki or Irodori, you do not need a second grammar product on day one. ## Look words up. Do not collect them yet [Jisho](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/jisho) is enough. Search English, romaji, or a pasted word. A popup dictionary such as [Yomitan](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/yomitan) can wait until kana is comfortable and you are reading real pages. See the [reading shortlist](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/japanese-reading-resources-for-beginners) when that day comes. ## Reading and listening that finish [NHK News Web Easy](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nhk-news-web-easy) is a short daily article with furigana and audio. [Nihongo con Teppei](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nihongo-con-teppei) is free beginner audio you can play on a commute. Finish the article or the episode. Opening a library is not practice. A longer workflow lives in [How to start reading Japanese before you feel ready](https://studyjapanese101.com/blog/read-japanese-before-you-feel-ready). ## Use Inku for review [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku) gives you ready-made kana, vocabulary, kanji, and phrase cards with audio on iPhone or the web. Choose a beginner deck and return for reviews. You can also make cards for words you meet in a lesson or a book. Keep the daily queue small. Inku supports recall; it does not replace a grammar course, reading, or listening. If reviews start eating the week, read [How to use SRS without burning out](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/how-to-use-srs-without-burning-out). ## A first month that can survive | Job | Pick one | Skip until later | | --- | --- | --- | | Course | Irodori or Genki | A second textbook, MaruMori plus Duolingo plus Genki | | Dictionary | Jisho | Mining pipelines | | Input | NHK Easy or Teppei | Native news, untranslated novels | | Review | Inku or workbook recall | Three SRS products | When those four rows are stable, combine them on purpose with [How to combine a textbook, SRS, reading, and listening](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/how-to-combine-a-textbook-srs-reading-and-listening). If you already registered for N5, look at [official sample questions](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/jlpt-official-practice) after the course is moving. Do not replace the beginner path with a mock-test app. The exam map is [JLPT study resources](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/japanese-jlpt-study-resources). Split the hours you already have with the [JLPT study planner](https://studyjapanese101.com/tools/jlpt-planner). It does not estimate hours to pass. ## Frequently asked questions ### What Japanese resources should a beginner use first? Start with kana, one course, and a short review routine such as Inku. Add a dictionary and short reading or listening you can finish. ### Can beginners use Inku? Yes. Start with kana or a ready-made beginner deck, then review a little each day. Use a course for grammar and reading alongside your reviews. ### Is Duolingo enough to learn Japanese? No. It can introduce kana and some vocabulary. Adults still need grammar, reading, and a review loop that matches real Japanese. ## Evidence and sources Product details can change. Evidence pages and their individual check dates appear below. Page updated 2026-10-28. - [Inku official site](https://inkujapanese.com/) - official product · checked 2026-10-28 · Ready-made Japanese decks, kana, audio, personal cards, and scheduled reviews. - [Irodori official site](https://www.irodori.jpf.go.jp/en/) - official product · checked 2026-08-13 · Official free beginner course and audio offering. - [Genki official site](https://genki3.japantimes.co.jp/en/) - official publisher · checked 2026-08-13 · Official beginner textbook course and publisher information. - [Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese](https://guidetojapanese.org/learn/complete/) - official product · checked 2026-08-13 · Official grammar guide structure and current availability. - [Jisho](https://jisho.org/) - official product · checked 2026-08-13 · Official Japanese-English web dictionary used in the beginner stack. - [NHK News Web Easy](https://news.web.nhk/news/easy/) - official product · checked 2026-08-28 · Official easy-news reading and audio source. ## Related - [Hiragana and Katakana Resources for a Two-Week Start](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/hiragana-and-katakana-learning-resources) - Learn hiragana, then katakana, with one drill and one review loop. Inku fits prepared cards with audio on iPhone. Real Kana fits typed recall. A textbook or Irodori can teach the same script inside a course. - [Learn kana in two weeks](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/learn-kana-in-two-weeks) - Learn hiragana in week one and katakana in week two. Use one drill and one review loop. Two weeks is a schedule, not a guarantee. - [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. - [Hiragana and katakana quiz](https://studyjapanese101.com/tools/kana-quiz) - Drill hiragana and katakana in the browser. No account. Misses stay on this device so you can review the weak rows next. - [How to combine a textbook, SRS, reading, and listening](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/how-to-combine-a-textbook-srs-reading-and-listening) - Four jobs, one week. The textbook sequences. SRS remembers. Reading and listening give the language somewhere to live. None of them should become a second course. - [Genki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/genki) - A beginner textbook series covering the four skills, with audio and a workbook.