In a previous post, I explained the theory behind Comprehensible Input (CI) and discussed the importance of using it in your language acquisition efforts (recap: it is probably the most important tool in your kit).
Finding high quality CI at your level is the main hurdle for learners. In this post, I’ll share some recommendations that you can try. For each, there are both free and for-fee resources available. With the exception of the first, I have subscribed to each of the others and found them valuable. A friend (Hey, Mark!) subscribed to the first and tells me he really likes it.
Note: I am not an affiliate for any of these — my recommendations are based solely on my experience with them.
Comprehensible Japanese
Well, the name says it all, doesn’t it? This resource is useful even for people who are starting from absolute zero. The creator uses illustrations, animations, gestures, body language and slow, clear speech to slowly guide students into the world of 日本語. More than 160 videos are available free on YouTube and if you subscribe to the paid site, there are more than 1100+ videos as well as transcripts, downloadable audio files and an online user community.
https://www.youtube.com/@cijapanese
Miku Real Japanese
Miku is one of the OG of online YouTube instructors. Her focus is teaching natural, spoken Japanese that you typically don’t find in textbooks. She creates great content that spans vocabulary, grammar lessons, interviews, monologues about various topics, etc. all in a fun, engaging way. In addition to the YouTube channel, she has a podcast under the same name that you can locate using the podcast player of your choice.
Her site offers a Shadowing Course which is excellent (I highly recommend shadowing as a learning technique) and a podcast transcription service where for a few dollars a month you get access to downloadable PDF Japanese and English transcripts.
https://www.youtube.com/@mikurealjapanese
https://www.mikurealjapanese.com
Akane’s Japanese Class
I first found Akane through her podcast and later subscribed to her Patreon. She has lots of useful and interesting content, including vlogs of her travels and “explainers” of Japanese culture and customs. She speaks clearly and is careful not to use overly complex vocabulary, occasionally sprinkling in definitions where needed. I’ve also purchased her online courses for N1 and N2 grammar , which I found useful (hosted through masterys.io). For the life of me, I cannot find where she’s offering these anymore but if I do I’ll update this.
https://www.youtube.com/@Akane-JapaneseClass
Podcast transcripts here: https://akanesenseijp.com
Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/akanesensei
Sayuri Saying
Yet another good teacher who presents a variety of interesting topics clearly and understandably. I believe I first ran across her via an interview on Miku’s channel as they’ve collaborated frequently. Additional content available through the subscription (I have the “Silver Penguin” option) includes vocabulary lists, transcriptions with and without furigana, conversation topics based on the lesson content, and premium video content.
https://www.youtube.com/@SayuriSaying
JapanesePod101.com
Okay, I lied – I am an affiliate for this one. I wrote about this previously here, but it bears repeating: this was one of the most useful resources I found starting out. I valued it enough that I bought a lifetime subscription. I learned things here that I used daily living in Japan that I had never seen in a textbook.
https://www.youtube.com/@JapanesePod101
JapanesePod101.com – Learn Japanese with Free Daily Podcasts
Summary
These are all excellent resources for Beginner to Intermediate level. Each has a free option and the paid versions give additional benefits (notably, accurate transcripts). Try them all, see which you like the best and subscribe!
In future posts, I’ll share how to create your own Comprehensible Input from native materials and also how I personally use CI to support my learning. Stay tuned!