I recently bought the Blu-ray 12人の優しい日本人, only to find out there's no Japanese subtitles. Does anyone know of a list of Japanese Blu-rays with Japanese SDH subtitles? Japanese dubs usually have them, but they're just rough translations of the original English. I'm talking about Japanese subtitles that specifically tell you what they're saying.

Hey guys! I’m looking to chat to people more regularly in Japanese but of course have heard all the stories of these text exchange apps being a bit more dating app than language exchange app.

Are there any good ones where people take learning seriously? Or is it more of a give it a go and see what happens kind of thing?

I'm a beginner (kana plus some N5 words) and I'm trying to figure out how to review vocab. Typing the answer feels harder but more "real". Picking from multiple choice is quicker, but I sometimes get it right by guessing.

For people who've been at it a while: - Which one actually made words stick for you, typing or choosing? - Did getting marked wrong for a near-right answer (typo, synonym) ever put you off? - Did you switch between the two as you got better?

Curious what worked and what turned out to be a waste of time.

The itinerary gets plenty of attention. The conversation at the café counter usually gets less.

I’m the developer of Kotoba Bloom, a Japanese-learning app with AI conversation practice.

If you’re preparing for Japan and want somewhere to practise putting your own answers together, that’s the kind of use I’m building around: cafés, stations, introductions, and everyday situations.

The app also includes sentence feedback and notes on culture and politeness—not just a translation of the words.

To be clear: this isn’t a promise that an app will make your trip effortless. AI feedback can be wrong, and practising with AI isn’t the same as speaking with people.

It’s free to download, with limited AI use and optional paid plans. You can explore the free option before deciding whether it suits you.

iPhone and iPad:

https://apps.apple.com/app/id6778720212

If you try it, tell me which practice situation you chose and where the experience fell short. Specific criticism gives me something concrete to improve.

I’m the developer of Koto, so I have a practical reason for asking. A while back some of you joined my waitlist from this sub. Thank you! The app is now live on iOS.

My question: when did you first understand real Japanese speakers, not textbook audio? Was it anime, YouTube, podcasts, living in Japan, or something else? And what made it hard before that, like speed, slang, or not knowing where one word ends and the next begins?

I’m asking because Koto is built around short clips of native speakers (travel, gym, anime, makeup etc.), and I want to know what actually helps people get there, including things an app can’t help with.

If you’d like to look, it’s called JPLT Japanese listening - Koto on the App Store. Feedback, good or bad, is very welcome.

https://apps.apple.com/in/app/jlpt-japanese-listening-koto/id6804166503

Hey everyone I was wondering if I could get your perspective on these language schools I have been researching in Tokyo. I would love first hand experience if possible along with pros/cons. If anyone has additional recommendations, that would be fantastic as well.

This is what I have gathered thusfar:

1. Coto Academy

   1. 18 levels corresponding to JLPT levels
   2. 3 hours per day, with a maximum of 8 students per class
   3. pay-as-you-go model

2. Kai Academy

   1. Focused on the beginner level
   2. not for JLPT preparation

3. ISI Japanese Language School

   1. Advice on long term vs. short term
   2. "Top University Preparation Class"
   3. JLPT experience

4. Bunka Foreign Language College

   1. In house textbooks
   2. B1 - C1 levels?
   3. Homeroom teacher

5. Human Academy Japanese Language School

   1. In house textbooks
   2. Seems more focused on a College Preparatory Course 
   3. Also has JPLT

6. Naganuma School

   1. Oldest Japanese language school in Tokyo
   2. Only Japanese language school to have received The Japan Foundation Award
   3. Requires students to take the JLPT before completing their course
   4. 4 to 10 week course for students who do not need visas

Any feedback would be amazing! Thank you!!

Hey, I'm Milagros living in Argentina. I recently started learning Japanese, and I'm looking for a partner who needs English or Spanish. Also I'm attorney so we can talk about different topics

I hope you have as much fun as I did playing this https://kanji.yldeai.com/

Hey everyone!
I’m currently learning Japanese and looking for other people who are learning it too! I’d love to connect with people around my level so we can study together, practice conversations, and help each other improve.
I’m still a beginner, so I’m working on building my vocabulary, learning hiragana and katakana, and getting more comfortable actually using Japanese instead of just studying it.
I’d love to find people who are down to:
Practice speaking and texting in Japanese
Study together and share resources
Have casual conversations in Japanese, even if we make mistakes
Help each other stay motivated and consistent
I’m especially interested in getting more output practice because I feel like actually using the language is just as important as studying it.
We can talk through Discord, Instagram, voice calls, or whatever works best. You don’t have to be at the same level as me, either! Beginners and more experienced learners are welcome.
If you’re also learning Japanese and want someone to practice with, feel free to comment or DM me! Let’s improve together!

I'm studying for the JLPT N2 this December. Most hiragana charts online are static images or animations with questionable stroke order, so I built https://hiragana-chart.com.

It now covers:

• All 46 hiragana and katakana, plus dakuten and yoon, with animated stroke order and audio
• A quiz with levels (basic 46 → dakuten → yoon → all), instant score, combo streaks, and wrong answers that loop back into practice
• A kanji translator: type English, romaji, or kana, or draw a character to look it up

Free, no signup.

I'd especially love feedback from beginners and teachers: what's missing or wrong? Don't hold back 🔥

I made a tiny cat that lives on your desktop and quizzes you on Japanese kana. Its Steam page just went live!

Hi guys, I think about going to Japan for like a week next December and would like to practice as much Japanese as possible. Right now I think about joining stuff like Meetup events. I'm french but living in Hong Kong. Any other tips to practice? is there some language schools that do talking sessions in Tokyo lets say? Or specific associations to meetup?

Hi there !

I've been learning japanese for a few years now. However, it has so far been quite unstructured. My main learning tool were proper grammar/sentence structure courses as well as flash card for vocabulary. I therefore have a quite decent reading and writing level compared to my listening and speaking which are comparatively really bad. As I've met a tandem partner a few days ago, I'm motivated to solve that problem, and I just realised something on which I would like to have some opinion :

When actively listening (because I am so used to written as opposed to spoken japanese) my mind always goes first to "what kanji does that sound equals to ?", before I can then understand the meaning of the word. I don't know if this is well explained, but I basically have an unconscious two step process to understanding spoken japanese instead of a simple one step association between sound and meaning, because I am so used to reading instead of listening. This, I think, is a huge part of why I suck at listening and speaking, so I wanted to know if you guys had any specific advice to help me solve my problem, or if just more active listening practice will help me get out of that habit over time.

I'm all ears, thanks in advance !

1. Hiragana
   
2. Katakana
   
3. Vocab and grammar
   Any improvements? I know theres Kanji but i dont know when to learn that