10 Best Books to Learn Japanese in the UK 2021- Reviewed by Japanese Language Teacher

Emi Tamai is a renowned Japanese Language teacher and tutor from Fukuoka, Japan. Currently based in Greater Manchester, she has a background in teaching GCSE to A2 Japanese at colleges as well as advanced courses online. Emi is PGCE qualified.

If you are interested in working with Emi either to start your learning in Japanese or looking for someone to check your intermediate or advanced Japanese, you can contact her via Emi's mybest UK creator profile here.

Did you know that the Japanese language uses a combination of 3 different writing systems? They are hiragana ひらがな, katakana カタカナ and kanji 漢字 (Chinese characters). Both hiragana and katakana use 'syllabograms', which means each symbol represents a different syllable. 

Hiragana is the most commonly used, as it presents grammatical particles and 'Japanese' words, whereas katakana is used to indicate words that have originated from foreign countries (loan words).

Kanji are Chinese characters, whereby each has a definition and a Japanese pronunciation. There are as many as 2000 kanji that are commonly used within Japanese society, so it's actually rather important for you to learn them! 

It can be both exciting and scary when learning a new language, and you wouldn't want fear to overtake your determination of learning Japanese. Here are some guidelines for choosing the perfect book to make sure you're all ready to go on this exciting journey!

The first step is to identify your level of understanding of the language. If you're an absolute beginner, you can basically choose any beginners book and it will teach you the basics from the very start.

For those who have some experience, or even regularly watch anime in Japanese but have never learnt the language properly, you might want to go for advanced beginner books. This way, you won't waste time relearning the basics – instead, you'll build on your knowledge and progress as fast as a rocket.

If you have a decent level of understanding, speaking, or even reading Japanese, you might want to challenge yourself with intermediate level books. That way, you can make sure you're learning newly-introduced language skills all the way. 

Everyone has different goals when learning, and in this case, you might want to buy a book that focuses on a certain aspect of Japanese or Japan. Below are the main options available to you, and don't forget, you can always go for multiple books to hone each and every skill! 

Though there are many books that combine several different focuses, for those wanting to build a general foundation of the language, it's generally recommended that you pick books that have a good proportion of grammar and vocabulary content.

Similarly, go for a Japanese conversation book if your aim is to communicate with the locals while travelling in Japan, whether just for a holiday or for longer-term stays. 

Meanwhile, opting for a story or vocabulary book (or both, for that matter) will be an invaluable resource if you want to strengthen your understanding of the language and expand your vocabulary beyond the basics.

It's probably universally agreed that kanji is the most difficult aspect of the Japanese language to learn, as it's not something you can simply remember through spelling, but more by learning every single kanji by heart. 

To effectively learn to write kanji, especially for beginners, it's best to purchase kanji exercise books. These books specifically teach you the general rules of writing, and the correct order of writing them. 

Plus, you'll have loads of opportunity to practise writing kanji with these books, while being guided by the carefully-demonstrated examples provided. Once you feel confident enough, you won't have to rely on these exercise books, as you'll soon be learning new kanji by yourself!

Some of the inclusions below are specific to Japanese learning titles, whilst others are more general, but either way, you'll need to ensure you have the resources you need to succeed. And remember, there isn't a right or wrong way to learn a language, as long as it's the best way for you to achieve your specific goals!

What is furigana, you might ask, and is it important? Well, essentially, furigana are small hiragana (or sometimes katakana) that are printed above the kanji to indicate the pronunciation. 

This can be incredibly useful as a Japanese learner – even if you forget the kanji, as long as you remember the pronunciation, you'll be fine writing and speaking Japanese.

Most books aimed towards beginners include the use of furigana, but some might have romanisation instead. While it has almost no effect on learning the kanji and pronunciation, some people do actually refer to furigana for a better flow of learning, so you may want to check for this.

If you don't want to waste all the effort you've made to learn the various aspects of Japanese, you might want to consider buying a book with plenty of writing exercises. 

This not only gives you an extra opportunity to write the characters, but it also tests out your knowledge for each chapter, making sure you are keeping up as it progresses. 

Repetition is one of the key factors to learning a language properly, so the more exercises you complete, the more comfortable you'll be speaking the language. Then you won't be too shy to use it in real life situations!

Visual aids and audio materials are especially important for those who have just started learning Japanese, as they can stimulate and motivate you to continue challenging yourself.

Colourful or even simple illustrations make the learning process less formal and more entertaining, which can help you to be inspired by, and most importantly, to enjoy the journey of learning a language.

For those without much experience of watching anime, you might want to look for included audio materials, which give you the opportunity to listen to and learn Japanese pronunciations. It'll help you speak the language like a native as you go!

By now, you're probably excited to get started learning Japanese, and can't wait to see which books we'll recommend. Here we go, our top 10 titles, at least one of which we think will help you to reach your goal of learning Japanese like a pro! 

With your books sorted, we thought these stationary-related products would help you on your journey to mastering the Japanese language! Whether you want to draw cute illustrations with colour pens for visual stimulation, or practice writing kanji with mechanical pens, we've got you covered.

You'll know all the effort was worth it the moment you realise you understand some Japanese through conversations with locals or watching anime. Let this sense of achievement and your passion be your motivation for learning Japanese! We'd love to see you succeed too!

Author: Angina Chow

Buying Guide Reviewed by Emi Tamai