How Do I Know if a Group Language Class is For Me?

How Do I Know if a Group Language Class is For Me?

If you’re thinking about taking Japanese lessons, one of the first things you’ll have to decide is whether you want to join a group class, or take one-to-one lessons.

There are pros and cons to all methods of learning a language. Here, I’ll look at some of the key advantages of joining a group.

Read More

The Five Best Books for Learning Kanji

The Five Best Books for Learning Kanji

When I started teaching Japanese, I thought that beginner classes would be a kanji-free zone. I thought we'd be totally focused on speaking as much as possible, and reading and writing would be a homework-only activity for my students.

But, two things happened:

1) Students sometimes need help in class with reading and writing; and
2) It turns out lots of students are really interested in the Japanese writing system.

Which makes sense to me, as the writing system is kind of what got me interested in Japanese in the first place, too!
Anyway, I have a lot of kanji books. And today, I'd like to share some of them with you! So here are my top five kanji books, for beginners up to advanced.

Read More