Konnichiwa (Hello) language learners! Looking to dive into the fascinating world of Japanese, from its intricate writing systems to complex sentence structures? Well, you’ve come to the right place! Today, we’ll explore the 13 YouTube channels for learning Japanese in a fun, engaging, and achievable way for learners of all levels and interests.
But first, a quick shout out to the Ling app – it’s one of the best apps to improve your Japanese language skills. Its lessons, designed by language experts, make learning feel like a game. Mix it up with YouTube for a killer combo! Now, let’s get into the channels that are like your own personal sensei… just a click away.
13 YouTube Channels For Learning Japanese
YouTube is a goldmine for Japanese learners. With countless channels offering lessons that go way beyond textbooks, it’s easy to find content tailored to your exact needs and interests.
These YouTube channels teach everything from basic greetings and travel phrases to advanced lessons on pitch accent and cultural insights. Each offers its unique approach, but they all have one thing in common – making Japanese stick!
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1. Japanese Ammo With Misa – Personalized And Comprehensive Lessons
If you’re looking for comprehensive, structured lessons explained in a personal, engaging way, Misa from Japanese Ammo has got your back. She offers detailed breakdowns of grammar and vocabulary, starting with basic Japanese grammar, like particles and verb conjugations, and going all the way to advanced concepts like conditionals and honorifics.
Her lessons incorporate visual elements, clear examples, and fun quizzes for retention. Whether you’re an absolute beginner or an advanced learner, Misa has hundreds of YouTube videos tackling the intricacies of Japanese. With her guidance, you’ll expand your understanding from textbook Japanese to real, natural conversations.
2. Nihongonomori – Your Gateway To Japanese Language Proficiency Test
Aiming to pass the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test)? Then Nihongonomori is your go-to, with hundreds of lessons created specifically for the JLPT N5 (most basic level) to N1 (advanced level).
The channel explains grammar forms in detail, giving you a strong grasp of how Japanese sentence structure works. This sets you up to recognize and use various patterns, from polite speech to expressing abilities.
The videos also cover plenty of vocabulary, kanji, and strategies to help you conquer the JLPT. With short quizzes and worksheet downloads, the channel really drives home each concept. If structured learning focused on proficiency tests is your style, Nihongonomori has everything you need to study your way to passing the JLPT at your target level.
3. Dogen – Helps You Master Japanese Pronunciation
While grammar and vocabulary are fundamental, sounding like a native goes beyond knowing what to say. This is where Dogen comes in! The channel focuses on Japanese pronunciation, particularly pitch accent – the melodic, intonational aspect of Japanese. With dozens of videos analyzing pitch patterns in words and sentences, you’ll learn to pronounce words correctly and say them with proper accent and rhythm.
Dogen supplements extremely detailed breakdowns with humor and relatable examples, making the content engaging and approachable. If you’re an advanced learner looking to level up your speaking skills, Dogen is essential viewing.
4. Easy Languages – Learn From Immersive Street Interviews
One of the best ways to get an ear for conversational Japanese and absorb how locals really speak is through Easy Language’s Japanese street interviews. The channel shares hundreds of interviews on every topic imaginable, from food and travel to careers and daily life.
With Easy Language videos, you’re immersed in natural speech – hesitations, exclamations, and all. The best part is that you can follow along with Japanese captions and then switch to English if needed.
Listening to the language used spontaneously gives you a huge leg up in understanding the pace and quirks of real conversations. And you pick up new vocabulary and cultural insights along the way.
5. JapanesePod101 YouTube Channel – Complete Japanese Learning
When it comes to creating a fully comprehensive learning experience, few YouTube channels for learning Japanese deliver like JapanesePod101. With over 500 video and audio lessons by native teachers, the channel lives up to its promise of being the most complete resource for learners.
Their lessons cover speaking, reading, writing, and grammar for all levels while exploring cultural topics. Core lesson series give you a solid grounding, while vocabulary lists, line-by-line dialogues, live streams, and more provide endless options for study.
6. That Japanese Man Yuta – Real-World Conversational Japanese
Yuta of That Japanese Man provides a fun, casual approach to intermediate and advanced Japanese. The videos focus on getting language learners comfortable with real-world speaking.
Like Easy Languages, Yuta’s videos feature street interviews with everyday people around Japan, touching on topics from social issues to pop culture and beliefs. This exposes you to various conversational speech from different ages, regions, and backgrounds.
Along the way, Yuta shares plenty of insights into Japanese culture and trends and breaks down complex concepts in clear ways. With nearly 900 videos to peruse, the channel is perfect for listening comprehension practice while expanding your understanding of what everyday life is really like in Japan.
7. Learn Japanese From Zero! – Builds Foundations From Scratch
Starting Japanese from absolute zero? Then Anthony’s channel Learn Japanese from Zero! has you covered every step of the way. With lessons that correspond to the textbook series of the same name, the channel breaks Japanese down into approachable building blocks. You get clear explanations of foundational grammar and vocabulary, helping you wrap your head around concepts and usage without feeling overwhelmed.
The focus is on active listening and speaking skills, so you pick up practical conversational skills from the start. With 340+ videos, you can progress lesson by lesson until you have the basics down pat and are ready for intermediate content.
8. Comprehensible Japanese – Learn Through Storytelling
Not everyone learns best from grammar lectures and vocabulary drills. If you prefer a more immersive, natural approach, Comprehensible Japanese is your channel.
Run by seasoned Japanese teachers, the lessons use “TPRS” – teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling. Vocabulary and grammar concepts are presented by a Japanese teacher through stories acted out with props, keeping things engaging while demonstrating how the language is used in context.
Paired with gestures and visuals, this method helps you intuitively pick up on patterns and meanings based on the situations depicted. Since Japanese is used conversationally, you learn actively rather than trying to memorize textbook dialogues.
9. Reina Scully – Merges Anime And Pop Culture With Language Learning
If anime, J-pop, and gaming are your jam, Reina Scully blends Japanese lessons with fun explorations of pop culture. Along with teaching Japanese vocabulary words and grammar points, Reina shares personal stories, reviews anime and Japanese television shows, and discusses internet lingo and slang you’ll actually hear.
With over 600 videos to pick through, you can learn relevant Japanese tailored to your own hobbies and interests. Reina keeps things lively in quick-hit lessons on sentence structure, causatives, and more.
With knowledge of the context and in-jokes behind the words, your understanding blossoms from memorizing lists. Love learning through entertainment? Reina has you covered.
10. Tae Kim – Simplify Complex Japanese Grammar
When it comes to getting explanations for the trickier aspects of Japanese grammar, Tae Kim’s YouTube channel has you covered. As a supplement to his in-depth grammar guide, Kim breaks down grammar points and concepts in short, easy-to-follow videos. With visuals and straightforward descriptions, he covers everything from essential particles and sentence order to more complex ideas like relative clauses, te-form verbs, and honorifics.
With almost 200 videos tackling grammar and vocabulary, you’ll gain an intuitive sense of how Japanese structures work. Kim also responds helpfully to commenters, making it an excellent resource for getting your specific grammar questions answered.
11. Bilingirl Chika – Bilingual Insights Into Japanese Life
One excellent way to learn natural, everyday Japanese is through bilingual vloggers like Bilingirl Chika. A native Japanese speaker raised in the UK, Chika makes videos in both English and Japanese, covering topics from cooking to travel, games, and life in Japan.
Hearing authentic bilingual dialogue makes grasping vocabulary and grammar intuitive, and you pick up conversational skills from her real-life speaking style. Her Japanese videos include Japanese subtitles, allowing you to follow along.
Chika also shares insight into Japanese traditions and mindset and offers plenty of language tips sprinkled throughout. If you enjoy learning through real-world vlogs, Chika is sure to help expand your Japanese in an engaging way.
12. Organic Japanese With Cure Dolly – Teaches Grammar With Animation
For Japanese learners who enjoy a methodical, conceptual approach, Organic Japanese with Cure Dolly hits the spot. Using an animated character, Dolly breaks down the logic behind Japanese grammar in a structured, visually engaging way.
She explains principles, forms, and patterns while supplementing with plenty of example sentences so you build intuition around how Japanese works. The videos focus on helping you understand grammar on a deeper level rather than just memorizing conjugation charts.
With grammatical concepts like politeness levels, conditionals, particles, and more broken down step-by-step, you’ll gain an entirely new perspective on the mechanics of Japanese. Sadly, Cure Dolly’s last video was from May 2021. But don’t worry because you can still watch her content on YouTube forever.
13. NHK WORLD-JAPAN – Advanced Content For Japanese Learners
Once you’re ready for more advanced content, news, and educational programs from Japan’s national broadcasting network, NHK (Nippon Hoso Kyokai) is just the ticket. With hundreds of segments on topics spanning Japanese politics, economics, history, pop culture, and nature, you can significantly expand your vocabulary and listening comprehension.
Hearing formal Japanese on the news challenges your ear, and getting cultural and societal context helps the language come to life. Programs like “Journeys in Japan” explore traditions, crafts, and contemporary society, broadening understanding beyond just language. Content with English subtitles provides a great opportunity to challenge yourself before looking at the translations.
Why Learn Japanese With YouTube Videos?
Looking to add some sauce to your Japanese studies? Well, YouTube’s got all the ingredients to whip up engaging language learning. It blends convenience with authentic cultural flavor and makes studying way more delicious. Let’s see why:
- Learning Flexibility: With YouTube, you dictate the schedule – learn during your commute, on lunch break, or while winding down before bed. Short lessons fit into pockets of time, like waiting for coffee to brew.
- Cultural Immersion: Step beyond sterile textbooks and dive right into Japanese culture and daily life. Tag along on vlogs as YouTubers visit markets, practice ordering sushi, and interview locals on the streets.
- Hear How People Really Talk: YouTube opens your ears to diverse accents, casual speech, and regional phrases beyond textbook Japanese. Listen as vloggers chat with shop owners in Kansai dialects or teens joke around in slang on the streets of Shibuya. You’ll sound legit.
- Makes Grammar Click with Visuals: Struggling with tricky tenses or kanji? YouTube educators use pictures, charts, animations, and examples to explain concepts in memorable ways.
- Build a Personalized Program: With endless content spanning music, lessons, interviews, anime breakdowns, and more – you can handpick videos tailored to your goals and interests. Learn Japanese your way.
- Join a Global Community: Discuss videos, ask questions, and swap language learning tips with fellow students and teachers from around the world in the comment section. Education goes interactive!
Textbooks alone can’t match the cultural vibes and real-life language that Japanese language learning channels provide. Combining structured lessons with authentic insights engages learners, unlike any traditional classroom.
So embrace YouTube to spice up your studies and master Japanese in a memorable way! But wait, is watching videos from YouTube channels enough to learn Japanese? I don’t think so.
Supplement Your Japanese Learning With The Ling App!
YouTube opens up a world of Japanese language learning, and that’s a fact, I know – but why stop there? To turn passive viewing into active skills, the Ling app can help you achieve your fluency goals.
After discovering awesome YouTube channels for learning Japanese, the Ling app boosts retention and takes abilities to the next level. How? By transforming studying into an engaging quest.
The Ling app’s interactive games and chatbot conversations bring textbook concepts to life. You’ll master grammar through fun quizzes and perfect pronunciation with voice exercises.
And the intelligent chatbot provides a safe space to try out the Japanese you’ve learned. Chatting with an AI chatbot feels like conversing with a real person!
So, get everything you can from YouTube channels to learn Japanese. Then, let the Ling app actively cement skills through practical conversations and games.
It’s the one-two punch for achieving local-like fluency! Combining video immersion with interactive practice, you and the Ling app can conquer the Japanese language together.
Devices: Android, iOS, Web
Features
- Created by the Pros: Lessons crafted by real-deal language experts and native speakers so you only learn legit, authentic Japanese.
- Gamified Lessons: Interactive games and lessons make mastering grammar and vocabulary feel like going on an adventure, not an exam.
- Grammar Quizzes: Test yourself with the Ling app’s pop quizzes to see what grammar points need more practice. It’s a helpful study hack!
- AI Chatbot Conversations: The Ling app’s AI bot lets you try out your new Japanese conversation skills in a no-stress environment. Great confidence booster!
Pricing
- Free with beginner lessons and an introductory Chatbot.
- Monthly: $14.99
- Yearly: $79.99 (7-day free trial)
- Lifetime: $149.99
With the Ling app, you don’t just watch others speak Japanese – you speak it, write it, and breathe it!! Combining YouTube’s cultural knowledge with the Ling app’s interactive magic blends the best of both worlds.
So why not supplement your passive viewing of YouTube channels for learning Japanese with active mastery? Download the Ling app on Google Play and the App Store now and get the free 7 days of language learning magic. Say sayonara (goodbye) to just observing Japanese and konnichiwa (hello) to living it!
