Japan With Adi
The free resources, books and apps, a 40-minute daily routine, a note-taking system, and how to fit Japanese around college or work, all the way from N5 to N2.
Want to go from absolute zero to JLPT N2 on your own? Grab a notebook. Here are the free resources, the structure and the habits that get you there.
First, the right mindset 🧠
Japanese is a long game, not a sprint. From zero, reaching N2 takes at least two years, and up to four if you go slowly. You don't need to be perfect to start. You need to start, and stay consistent, even if it's only 30 minutes a day.
Most people don't lack the capacity to learn. They lack the discipline.
Your first four steps (start today) 🚀
- Hiragana and katakana in two weeks. Japanese has three scripts: hiragana, katakana and kanji (the hardest). Use free mnemonic charts online (Tofugu's are popular), a kana app, or our hiragana and katakana charts. Set a strict two-week deadline.
- Download Anki (or any flashcard app) and start a basic N5 vocabulary deck. Look at it every day.
- Pick ONE textbook. I recommend Genki: it's foreigner-friendly and explains clearly how Japanese works. But don't run Genki, Minna no Nihongo and three others at once. Every book has its own pattern, and you'll end up confused.
- Set a daily timer. Same time, every day, 30–35 minutes minimum.
Books, sites and apps 📚
| Stage | Use |
|---|---|
| Foundation (N5–N4) | Genki I and II, the most structured grammar books I've seen |
| Free grammar and vocabulary lists, practice tests | JLPT Sensei (website) |
| N3–N2 | Nihongo Sō Matome drill books, essential |
| Listening | NHK news and programs (many on YouTube), podcasts |
| JLPT practice | JLPT practice apps such as Todaii |
| Speaking with natives | HelloTalk, Tandem (language exchange; avoid the weird ones, talk to genuine people) |
Practise until it sticks
Learning a concept once isn't enough. You need to be able to use it, and still remember it on day six. So:
- Review everything you learned after about six days.
- Keep doing that for two months, and by the third month it becomes permanent.
A 40-minute daily routine ⏱️
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| 10 min | Anki vocabulary review |
| 10 min | One new grammar point |
| 10 min | Listening: a podcast, YouTube or NHK audio |
| 10 min | Writing: copy sentences, make your own notes |
Bonus: shadowing. When you hear a native speaker, say on NHK, repeat their sentence straight away with the same rhythm and pitch. It pulls you deep into the language.
How to take notes that work ✍️
- Write by hand. It builds muscle memory. Don't just type.
- One grammar point per page. Clean and spacious, not everything crammed together.
- Always add example sentences. A note without an example doesn't feel real, so you won't understand it.
- Make your own examples. Learned how は works? Swap the nouns and write sentences about your own life.
- Use colours for kanji readings and meanings.
- Review your notes every Sunday.
- Make them beautiful, so you actually want to open them.
Balancing Japanese with college or work 🎒
- Commute time: Japanese songs, NHK audio, conversations.
- Lunch break: an anime episode with Japanese subtitles.
- Replace one social media session a day. We all lose an hour or two scrolling. Swap one session for Japanese.
- Weekend deep study: block two hours. The party can wait.
- Protect the habit. Skip day four and your motivation drops on day five. Break any promise to the world, but never one you've made to yourself.
- Use semester breaks for intensive study, and take small breaks: 15 days on, one day off, then back at full energy.
- Anki on your phone, not the computer. Your phone is always with you.
- Tell a friend your goal. "In 30 days I'll be able to do this." People say don't share your goals; use it for accountability instead.
- Work backwards from a JLPT date. The JLPT is held in July and December. Pick one, and plan month by month.
Find your people 👥
Self-study in isolation is hard. With the right circle, you go faster:
- Language exchange apps with native speakers.
- A self-study group with friends on WhatsApp or Instagram, studying together at a fixed time.
- Or a batch of learners at exactly your level with the same goal.
Self-study vs a mentor: an honest comparison ⚖️
| Self-study | With a mentor and batch | |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | You set it, and only you know if you slack | Others push you past what you thought you could do |
| Getting stuck | Easy to get stuck on grammar | Corrections and doubts cleared all the time |
| Cost | Free or nearly free | Paid |
| Best for | Highly disciplined learners | Anyone who wants structure and accountability |
Both can get you to N2. What matters is that you start, and that you don't stop.
Next: my beginner roadmap, why your Japanese isn't improving, and our guides to JLPT N5 and N4.
