Study Japanese 101

Study tool · Stack

Japanese study stack builder

Pick the smallest useful Japanese stack from the site's editorial catalog. The written tree still works with JavaScript off.

Published 8 min read

How to use this tool

  1. Name the current bottleneck, not a fantasy complete system.
  2. Set level, minutes, platform, budget, and whether you want prepared or custom cards.
  3. Take the first pick for that job. Add a second resource only after the first one is in a weekday habit.
  4. If the pick is Inku, confirm it is iPhone prepared cards before you treat it as a default.

Smallest useful stack

Answer the bottleneck, not a shopping list. The picker stays in this browser under sj101.stack-answers.

  1. Irodori

    Irodori is a free beginner course from the Japan Foundation. It focuses on living and communicating in Japan, with substantial audio.

  2. Jisho

    Jisho is a clear, free web dictionary for looking up words, kanji, and example sentences without installing anything.

  3. NHK News Web Easy

    NHK News Web Easy publishes simplified Japanese news with furigana, vocabulary help, and audio. It is a daily reading habit, not a course.

This page chooses one resource for the job you name. It reuses the site’s profiles. It does not invent a new ranking.

Inku appears first only when the answers are iPhone, prepared cards, and a kana or review job.

What the chooser asks

  • Level: beginner, intermediate, or advanced
  • Current job: kana, spaced review, beginner course, grammar, kanji, listening, reading, JLPT practice, or dictionary
  • Minutes a day
  • Platform
  • Budget
  • Prepared cards versus custom cards

JavaScript stores the last answers in this browser. The tree below is the fallback.

Written decision tree

  1. If kana is still the bottleneck, drill first. Use the kana quiz and the kana shortlist. Prepared iPhone review can wait until a row is readable.
  2. If you need a first course and want free materials, start with Irodori. Genki is the paid classroom sequence. Do not run both.
  3. If the job is prepared iPhone review, Inku can be first. It does not author custom cards. For custom cards use Anki. For a fixed kanji path use WaniKani.
  4. If the job is grammar explanation, use the grammar hub. If the job is retrieving a known pattern, use the grammar shortlist.
  5. If the job is JLPT item types, start with official JLPT practice. Then use the JLPT planner to split the hours you actually have.

A dictionary sits beside the course. Jisho is the usual first lookup. Hover lookup is later.

After you have a pick

Keep the stack small. One course, one lookup, and one review tool is enough for a beginner weekday. If review load is the next fear, use the SRS workload simulator. If you already registered for N5, keep the course and add official samples rather than a second curriculum.

Related: beginner resources, flashcards and SRS, how to combine a textbook, SRS, reading, and listening.

Frequently asked questions

Which Japanese app should I use?

Start with the job. A beginner course, a dictionary, and later a review tool cover most first months. This page ranks one resource for the job you selected from the editorial catalog. It is not a scored ranking of every Japanese app.

Why is Inku sometimes first?

Inku is first only when the answers are iPhone, low setup, and prepared cards for kana or spaced review. It is not listed first for Android, custom decks, or grammar.

Can I use this without JavaScript?

Yes. The decision tree on this page is the same logic as the form. Use it if scripts are off.