DS3 wants to learn Japanese

[AFingerofFudge]

Does anyone have any experience of which apps or websites would be good for DS3 who is 14 as he would like to start teaching himself please?

NHK have really good free resources aimed at uni students going to Japan which are really accessible.

www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/en/

I don't recommend Duolingo - there is no context to the learning which makes it really difficult with a multi-script, multi faceted language like Japanese.

頑張っ！

It's a hard language to learn, and you really do get what you pay for with tricky languages like this - there are three different writing writing systems alone! Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. If I was going it alone, I would sign up for Pimsleur - it'll get him hearing and speaking it fast (but be aware it's a steep learning curve for a teen - it really dives in!), and then Duolingo or a textbook to get him recognising words.

There's a beginners textbook that my kids liked - it has a fox on the cover. Check amazon?

Check reddit for subreddits on learning japanese.

It's a really difficult language to learn, I'm not sure how much progress you could make from websites. My DH has lessons with a Japanese tutor once a fortnight. He's had to learn two or three types of characters as well as speaking it. He's been having lessons for about 7 years and is roughly at gcse level.

That's such a great site! My daughter is learning Japanese and I wish I'd known about that sooner.

Depending on where you are there might be classes nearby. One of my children goes to weekly classes and is prepping for her GCSE right now.

(I thought from the title that your son is 3 years old and wants to learn Japanese.)

Good Luck to your son!
I have a friend who started to learn Japanese when he was 18 years old. He worked really hard, and also lived in Japan for some years. He is fairly fluent now.

My DH is japanese and I have been learning for many years now (progress is slow, such a hard language!)

I have found evening classes at a university on a weekly basis to be the most efficient way of learning, as having homework and structure keeps me on track. I am not sure if teens can sign up for something similar, but either way the point is I think regular, teacher-led learning is key considering it is a tricky language to self teach.

Thank you to everyone who has replied. He has started looking at the 3 different systems but @FedUpWithBriiiiick thank you for pointing me to that website!

Hello, I'm originally from Japan and I used to teach Japanese. Now, I manage a YouTube channel called "Bocchi & Pocchi," where kids can learn Japanese with the help of Bocchi and Pocchi, a friendly pair of socks! Here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/@bocchipocchi

I hope it helps!