# Japanese resources for intermediate learners > Intermediate Japanese resources for learners who outgrew apps: a next textbook, reading volume, listening, grammar retrieval, and lookup. Canonical: https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/intermediate Last updated: 2026-10-28 Intermediate study is more input and fewer stacked beginner apps. Keep one review loop. Add reading, listening, and a grammar reference you will actually open. 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) - [Tobira](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/tobira) - An intermediate Japanese textbook often used after Genki or Minna no Nihongo. intermediate · paid · involved · Textbook · Print, Web · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/tobira) - [Quartet](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/quartet) - An intermediate Japanese textbook series often used after a beginner course. intermediate · paid · involved · Textbook · Print · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/quartet) - [Bunpro](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/bunpro) - Typed grammar and vocabulary reviews inside changing sentence prompts. beginner · intermediate · freemium · moderate · Grammar · Web, iPhone, Android · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/bunpro) - [Satori Reader](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/satori-reader) - Annotated Japanese articles and dialogues with audio and inline notes. beginner · intermediate · freemium · easy · Reading · Web, iPhone · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/satori) - [Tadoku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/tadoku) - Graded Japanese readers for extensive reading, including a free library. beginner · intermediate · freemium · easy · Reading · Web, Print · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/tadoku) - [Natively](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/natively) - Community-graded Japanese books, movies, and TV by relative difficulty. beginner · intermediate · advanced · free · easy · Reading · Web · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/natively) - [Yomitan](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/yomitan) - A browser popup dictionary for looking up Japanese while you read. intermediate · free · involved · Dictionary · Web · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/yomitan) - [WaniKani](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/wanikani) - A prepared kanji and vocabulary sequence with memory stories and scheduled reviews. beginner · paid · easy · Kanji · Vocabulary · Web · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/wanikani) - [Language Reactor](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/language-reactor) - Dual Japanese subtitles and lookup for YouTube and Netflix in the browser. intermediate · freemium · moderate · Listening · Browser · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/languagereactor) - [A Dictionary of Japanese Grammar](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/dictionary-of-japanese-grammar) - A three-volume grammar dictionary for looking up patterns you already met. beginner · intermediate · advanced · paid · moderate · Grammar · Textbook · Print, Digital · [Visit](https://studyjapanese101.com/go/dojg) Intermediate Japanese is usually not a missing app. It is not enough Japanese on the page. If you still need a first course, kana, and a dictionary habit, use the [beginner hub](https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/beginner). This page is for people who finished a beginner series, or who have been circling beginner apps for a year. If you are ready for longer native material and more precise usage, see the [advanced path](https://studyjapanese101.com/levels/advanced). The jobs change: 1. **Input volume:** pages and audio you can finish at a stretch. 2. **Retrieval:** grammar and words that appear when a sentence asks, not only when an app shows a prompt. 3. **Lookup infrastructure:** a dictionary that lives on the text, not a separate homework step. 4. **One review loop:** keep it. Do not restart it. ## Keep one review loop [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku) offers ready-made Japanese decks and personal cards for words and phrases you meet in books, lessons, or daily life. Choose a level that fits and keep the queue small enough to leave time for reading and listening. Inku is a review tool, not a complete grammar course. ## A next course, not a new beginner path [Tobira](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/tobira) is the usual textbook after [Genki](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/genki) or [Minna no Nihongo](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/minna-no-nihongo). It is heavy. Open it after you actually finished a beginner series. Jumping early is how chapters stall. If the other next book is [Quartet](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/quartet), use [Tobira vs Quartet](https://studyjapanese101.com/compare/tobira-vs-quartet) and buy only one. If a second textbook would sit closed, skip it. Spend that time on reading. A course is useful only if the exercises happen. ## Grammar you can retrieve Explanations you have read are not the same as patterns you can produce. [Bunpro](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/bunpro) is for typed retrieval in sentences. Keep reading beside it so the pattern exists outside a blank. [A Dictionary of Japanese Grammar](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/dictionary-of-japanese-grammar) is a lookup shelf, not a syllabus. Buy it to check entries, not to read three volumes in order. Do not add Bunpro, a new textbook, and a third grammar SRS in the same week. Details are in [How to move from beginner apps to intermediate Japanese](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/how-to-move-from-beginner-apps-to-intermediate-japanese). ## Reading until it is ordinary Pick the reading job, then one source. - Graded books: [Tadoku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/tadoku) when you will finish an easy title. - Annotated text: [Satori Reader](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/satori-reader). Use the free chapters before paying. - Native material: [Natively](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/natively) to choose a book or show by community difficulty. It does not teach the title. [NHK News Web Easy](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/nhk-news-web-easy) still works if a daily article is the habit that actually happens. The shortlist is [Japanese reading resources for beginners](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/japanese-reading-resources-for-beginners). Intermediate readers still use those sources. They just finish more of them, then step to native titles. ## Lookup on the page [Yomitan](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/yomitan) is the hover dictionary for browser text. It is setup-heavy and worth it once you can scan kana. It is not a course. Pair it with pages you already intend to finish. ## Listening that is not another lesson app [Language Reactor](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/language-reactor) helps if you already watch Japanese video and want dual subtitles. It is a poor replacement for a podcast or news audio you never press play on. Keep one daily audio source. Add video tools only if the show is already in your life. ## Kanji without rebuilding your whole stack [WaniKani](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/wanikani) is a sequenced kanji path. Add it if the absence of a kanji plan is the bottleneck, not if you want a full Japanese course. Compare it with Anki in [Anki vs WaniKani](https://studyjapanese101.com/compare/anki-vs-wanikani) before paying for a second review identity. The limit case is [Is WaniKani enough?](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/is-wanikani-enough). If you already have a working SRS, read [How to use SRS without burning out](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/how-to-use-srs-without-burning-out) before stacking WaniKani on top. ## If you registered for the JLPT Exam practice is a separate job from input volume. Start with [official sample questions](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/jlpt-official-practice), then use the [JLPT study resources shortlist](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/japanese-jlpt-study-resources). Do not add a mock-test app and a new textbook in the same week. ## Output without a new course If written Japanese is the bottleneck, use the [writing-feedback shortlist](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/japanese-writing-feedback-resources). If the problem is pitch or recorded pronunciation, use the [pronunciation and pitch-accent shortlist](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/japanese-pronunciation-and-pitch-accent-resources). Do not add a journal, a coach, and a tutor marketplace in the same week. ## What to stop Stop collecting beginner apps that still teach hiragana proudly. Stop restarting Genki from lesson one as a comfort ritual. Stop running three review queues that all claim to be the main event. Keep the review system you already use if it fits an ordinary day. Add input. Combine the pieces 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). ## Frequently asked questions ### How do I know I am an intermediate Japanese learner? You can finish beginner textbook chapters, read graded news with help, and you are blocked by volume, speed, or retrieval rather than kana. If every app still feels like lesson one, stay on the beginner hub. ### Should I keep using Duolingo at intermediate? Not as the main study. Keep it only if it is a five-minute warmup you already finish. Replace the core with reading, listening, and a course that uses real sentences. ### Do I need Tobira after Genki? Tobira is a common next textbook if you will do the chapters. It is not mandatory. Reading volume plus a grammar reference can replace a second heavy book if the book would sit closed. ## 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 · Level-based Japanese decks, personal cards, audio, and scheduled reviews. - [Tobira web](https://tobiraweb.9640.jp/) - official product · checked 2026-08-14 · Official intermediate textbook support site. - [Satori Reader](https://www.satorireader.com/) - official product · checked 2026-08-13 · Official supported-reading library and contextual note offering. - [Tadoku Japanese graded readers](https://tadoku.org/japanese/en/) - official product · checked 2026-08-14 · Official graded-reader library and extensive-reading guidance. - [Yomitan documentation](https://yomitan.wiki/) - official docs · checked 2026-08-13 · Official popup lookup documentation for browser reading. - [WaniKani](https://www.wanikani.com/) - official product · checked 2026-08-13 · Official guided kanji and vocabulary course description. ## Related - [Japanese reading resources for beginners](https://studyjapanese101.com/best/japanese-reading-resources-for-beginners) - There is no useful overall winner. Pick a finishable source for the job you have: graded books, annotated text, or a native title. This is not a ranked top five. - [How to move from beginner apps to intermediate Japanese](https://studyjapanese101.com/guides/how-to-move-from-beginner-apps-to-intermediate-japanese) - Intermediate Japanese starts when apps stop being the whole method. Keep the review habit that still fits. Replace extra beginner products with pages and audio you finish. - [Bunpro](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/bunpro) - Typed grammar and vocabulary reviews inside changing sentence prompts. - [A Dictionary of Japanese Grammar](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/dictionary-of-japanese-grammar) - A three-volume grammar dictionary for looking up patterns you already met. - [Inku](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/inku) - Japanese flashcards on iPhone and the web, with ready-made decks, custom cards, pronunciation audio and spaced review. - [Language Reactor](https://studyjapanese101.com/resources/language-reactor) - Dual Japanese subtitles and lookup for YouTube and Netflix in the browser.