10 Best Books to Learn Japanese 2023 | UK Japanese Language Teacher

We promise this book is the best for those who are eager to learn Japanese but have no prior experience! From writing hiragana to learning practical phrases, you'll quickly build a solid foundation. Dialogues in this book reflect real-life scenarios as well, and with the support of online materials, you'll soon be speaking like a native.

Plus, there are plenty of exercises, so you'll be motivated to polish your skills. No kanji is used either, so you don't have to force yourself to learn them – you can always come back to do so once after you've discovered your love of the Japanese language!

Want to be proud of having read Akutagawa Ryunosuke's writing in Japanese? Then you mustn't miss this book! With traditional folktales and other works written by equally-famous modern Japanese writers, you'll enjoy these stories both in their Japanese and English translations. 

The stories are also accompanied by comprehension exercises and a detailed explanation of different vocabularies, making sure you can enjoy every single word of the story and experience the beauty of Japanese literature.

We're so excited to introduce this workbook to those who want to learn how to write kanji 'properly'! With every single stroke being demonstrated, you will remember exactly how to write it, even with your eyes closed. Plus, it's a confidence booster knowing you are writing the kanji perfectly. 

Extra vocabulary is taught while learning to write each kanji, and there are exercises which constantly test you, which may sound scary, but hey, repetition and motivation are key to conquer your fear of kanji! 

Easy to understand, logical, and informative – that's how we would describe this book! Using the simplest explanations, you can easily learn Japanese grammar without needing help from others. The separate vocabulary book contains 1300 examples that are practical in real life, and it even guides you to pronounce just like a Japanese person.

With the 'bite-size' format, the information in this book is almost as precise as notes written on a memo. You will waste no time and ace all the grammar and vocabulary tests, we just know it!

Finding kanji too intimidating to learn? This workbook teaches you to write kanji starting with the word 'one(一)' (which is a horizontal line). Stroke orders are indicated by numbers, so as long you are counting the numbers correctly, you will write perfect kanji in the boxes provided.

Kanji used between the N5 and N3 Japanese proficiency tests (with N1 being most difficult and N5 being the easiest) are all included in this book. So upon completing it, you'll be able to understand most words used in Japanese daily life!

If you have some experience watching anime (in Japanese) and finally want to learn the language properly, this book is your choice. The extensive exercises on essential grammar and vocab which progress to intermediate level, in addition to your familiarity of the language, will really help you to learn Japanese faster. 

We do want to remind you that this book is absolutely not for complete beginners as some basic grammar and vocabulary is not covered at all. But as long as you have some experience in the language, why not try this book out?

With 50 short stories included, all 8-10 sentences long, this book will enable you to challenge your Japanese comprehensive skills while still gaining a sense of achievement. Most of the stories are related to the experience of living in Japan, which can be exciting content for those who want to have a glimpse of life in the East. 

Each Japanese sentence is accompanied by the English translation, so you won't miss out on any vocab or grammar. However, comprehensive exercises aren't included in this book, so if you want to focus more on writing, you'll really need to motivate yourself to write the vocabulary in repetition. 

If you are a massive fan of learning vocabulary, then may we present this: a book with 2000 examples of Japanese vocabulary! With each accompanied by furigana and an example sentence, you can easily learn and apply them, whether in a conversation or when reading a book.

This book is best for those with some experience in Japanese grammar and self-learning kanji. Those with less experience in the language, on the other hand, may require a Japanese-speaking friend to help them out. 

This 'childish-looking' book is filled with so many colourful and cute illustrations that it's sure to get your inner child excited and eager to learn! With the kanji, furigana, romanisation and English definitions, you won't even realise you've learnt the vocabulary and begin to quickly recognise the kanji. 

Learning how to write is not the main focus of this book, so unless you have some previous experience writing simple kanji, as an absolute beginner, you might find some kanji too difficult at this stage. However, don't let this to discourage you from using this to learn vocab! 

What if we tell you you can learn to speak Japanese quickly, without having to know any kanji and kana? Well, this book uses only English and romanised Japanese, so it's ideal for those who want to conduct simple yet practical conversations with the locals while travelling in Japan. 

Some basic grammar is introduced in this book, but it might cause confusion to readers as there are not many example sentences included. So, it's best to use this book just to learn a little Japanese vocab and some simple questions to enhance your travelling experience.