Do you want to learn to type written Japanese? Are you looking for apps – websites and other tools that will improve your Japanese writing composition skill?
You may never have the time to master the handwriting of each individual kanji – but thanks to computer input methods – you are now able to compose writing in Japanese without the need of a calligraphy brush.
This week we will share a list of tools that we recommend to our students studying with us at our Japanese language school in Tokyo.
Question and Answer Sites (HiNative, Quora)
Community Correction / Notebook Services
Kanji Writing Apps and PDF Worksheet Workbooks
With computers – it has never been easier to be able to compose writing in Japanese. In the old days – you would need to learn each individual kanji and write it by hand.
But no longer! This has lead to many people being able to learn how to write articles and publish blogs in Japanese without having to have thousands of hours of classroom instruction in writing.
This article is all about how you can type written Japanese – and the tools that we recommend to get feedback on your writing and correction.
Japanese Question and Answer Websites
The first tool that we recommend is Question and Answer sites:
If you have been on the internet recently – you may have heard of the website called Quora or Yahoo answers. These websites specialize in crowdsourcing answers for general questions.
But did you know that Quora has a Japanese language specific section?
Below is a list of Q and A sites with where you can get answers about specific usage of Japanese. And at some of these site syou can even have your Japanese proofed by native speakers.
For example – I could type something in Japanese and on Hi Native – A native Japanese speaker can explain to me the correct usage or nuance of the statement that I am trying to make.
Quora is the largest question and answer site on the internet and their Japanese language section has around 250,000 followers on it. You can ask questions here and also search for questions similar to yours.
A big warning here is that the people answering the question can often be anonymous and might not be a native speaker. So be careful to check the responses that you get with a native speaker.
italki.com has a question and answer section that is typically staffed by Japanese teachers that are willing to answer your questions for free! This is a nice tool that you can use.
Community Notebook Tools
There are several websites online that offer a community sourced proofreading solution.
Hinative
Italki
On these websites – you have the ability to write something in Japanese and then have it proofread by native speakers where they will offer you the corrections.
This is different from a question and answer tool in the sense that it allows you to have free correction of your writing. This is a powerful and free way to improve your Japanese writing ability.
Kanji Writing Applications / Workbooks
Many people can obtain a very high level of comprehension in Japanese listening, speaking, reading, and typing – without ever actually learning how to write Kanji characters for themselves.
There are several applications that will help you to write in Japanese by learning the stroke order from scratch.
At Coto – we have also begun producing a series of Japanese Kanji writing workbooks that you can download and print for very low cost!
Wondering how to read Shinkansen Tickets? We prepare for you the key vocabulary that you will find on the Shinkansen ticket to ensure a wonderful experience.
Japanese bullet train tickets hold a lot of information on them. Sadly, almost all of this information is in Japanese. This can be very inconvenient if you are not fluent in reading Japanese.
In this blog, we will provide you with the key vocabulary that you will find while reading your Shinkansen ticket. We will also give you a visual breakdown of the ticket and a list of the Kanji that you will need to understand.
On the ticket, you will find several key pieces of information related to your train reservation. Below we provide a list of the Kanji and Vocabulary needed for both of the reserved and non-reserved tickets.
Want to Learn Japanese? Take a Free Level Assessment and Consultation
Learning the Japanese days of the week and months of the year is probably one of the easiest lessons that you will have. Let’s start with the days of the week.
The easiest thing to remember is that each day of the week ends with the kanji “曜日” and each day is represented by a different element of nature.
Learning the months are even easier as once you know how to count from 1 to 12 you simply add the counter がつ (月) after the number.
How to list Months in Japanese
1月: January 2月: February 3月: March 4月: April 5月: May 6月: June 7月: July 8月: August 9月: September 10月: October 11月: November 12月: December
Let’s finish the lesson with the days of the month. The counter is にち (日) and you can simply add the number of the day. There are a few exceptions that are marked in red that you should pay attention to.
Coto Japanese Academy is a unique Japanese Language School in Iidabashi Tokyo, we offer relaxed and fun conversational lessons for all levels of Japanese learner. Coto Japanese Academy prides itself on its community atmosphere and fun lessons that focus on creation of opportunities to speak and learn Japanese. If you are interested in studying Japanese in Tokyo – please visit our contact page here.
If you are interested in studying Japanese in Tokyo, find out more about our school by filling out the form below.
