for all the people that want to learn japanese 
a guide to getting started ft. Sana from Twice
this is not a in depth guide, considering i don’t have time and am doing this for free. if you want more tips ask me, if you want a detailed resource pay me or ask if I have any more in depth guides on hand… or even better use google.
i. phonetics
first off, one thing that is important to learn the language is communicatin. honestly one of the most important things to me in learning Japanese is phonetics and pronunciation. Duolingo is not going to help you 
you have to learn how to listen and understand japanese phonetics. if you speak english, your pronounciation will be close enough that Japanese people will understand you. You will just sound like a foreigner. For those who speak Spanish, you have a one up if you can pronounce r sounds, but again you will also sound like foreigner
you will have to learn how to shape your mouth and vocal cords to properly produce the sounds of the japanese language (if accentless is what you’re going for) you can do this by learning the IPA alphabet and using it to pronounce Japanese syllables. Romaji is not your friend here!
In addition Japanese has something called pitch accent. The sentences and words have pitch patterns an dyou will have to learn the rules. You might think that you can go by without learning pitch accent and people suffice without knowing it however – you will sound foreign AND you will most likely botch some words which changes the meaning of your sentence. so after you get pronounciation – study the different types of pitch accents.
Listen to Japanese people speak, not only does it improve your vocabulary but it will help you pronounce japanese better. the more you are exposed to peple speaking it the better you will get at the language.
extra: also I reccomend picking a Japanese nickname if you plan to go to Japan or speak Japanese. Particuarly if your name is hard to speak in Japanese, you can ask a Japanese friend or hire a Japanese person to give you one! my name is hard to say in Japanese so when I go abroad to Japan in 2023 I will ask my host family to pick a Japanese name for me
ii. writing system
Japanese has three writing systems, katakana, hiragana and kanji. Hiragana is used to grammar, particles, verb ending and native words for where there are no kanji. Katakana is for foreign words and soudns and Kanji is for words, ideas and pretty much everything else. Kanji helps break up the hiragana so it’s actually readable or else you’d get stuck with a bunch of sounds.
Spend no more than a 1 - 3 days learning katakana and hiragana. You will see it so much there’s no point is forcing yourself to memorize them before moving on. I honestly can’t read all the hiragana but like whatever 
I can understand enough for now. I am exposed to it enough that I recognize like a bunch, I’ll probably do a in depth study over the weekend tho…
Kanji is thousands of characters and to be literate you need to learn 2,000 of the most used ones. You need a workbbook to learn this one and will probably take up a bunch of your time. RTK (remeber the kanji) is said to be the most efficient way to learn. Youtube channels will also teach you the kanji as well. Kanji is a bunch of Chinse characters integrated into Japanese and is absolutely necessary. YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS.
iii. grammar
now you need to learn your grammar. The JLPT (Official Japanese Level Proficiency Test) has 5 fluency levels, N5 (beginner) - N1 (native). Most grammar books will be ranged on this scale. For N5 & N4 Genki or Minna no Nihongo (use Genki because Minna is very hard) is the holy grail, so start with that. The Japanese Foundation also has free pdf textbooks but they are ranked on another scale (A1 - C3). Tobira, Sou Matome, and Shin Kanzen master are often used for higher levels such as N3 - N1. You will need to use more then textbooks. Youtube channels, and apps are also important. Some grammar points are not elaborated enough in books. Some youtube channels: Minori Education (My holy grail), Japanese with Misa Ammo and more. Find what works for you!
iv. reading and writing
start immediately after you learn some kanji and vocab. Use graded readers and children’s books and move up. Buy books to read and struggle through in your free time. this is important, try your best to become proficient in reading in writing. It’s a monster but the sooner you start the faster you advance. Use books with kanji, with furigana. Use books to learn about Japanese thinking and culture. Write summaries of each book you read, write your opinions on them in Japanese. Read NHK or Todai news which is in Japanese. Read up on current events and opinion pieces. Write your own opinion pieces. Writing can get you very far. If you want to be super special, translate Japanee fanfiction. Learn word connotations and attitude. Read Japanese stories on wattpad + japanese sites, read Japanee fanfics and try to write your own. Learn to type in Japanese, text people on Japanese discords or make friends on hello talk.
v. input and output
finally, input and output. LISTEN to Japanese. SPEAK Japanese. WATCH Japanese. Get lost on Japanese tiktok instead of regular. set your youtube to Japan. Listen to Japanese songs and sing them yourself. Chat to people on Hellotalk, pay for Italki tutors. It’s rough at first, even if all you know are random phrases. Expose yourself to Japanese and try to speak it. try shadowing native speakers and mimicking them as well.
*that’s my conclusion for my mini guide <3 if you want a detailed step by step outline on how to learn japanese within a year, check out this study bible. It’s so helpful and will force you to progress faster! Are you learning Japanese? Do you have any tips? @Discussions
I will keep this thread updated with tips and progress ~ Ganbatte!!
