Absolutely go through one of the textbooks--I'd say Japanese in Mangaland, since it has a good reputation (I've never used either).  They're likely to have much much better explanations than Tae Kim does for grammar, so they're worth it.  Basically, just read through them, and if there are activities you can do, do them.

You can choose to SRS the vocab from the textbook, or just start with something premade like Core.  I think making your own cards helps you enjoy SRSing, but the nice thing about Core is that it has sound and pictures, so it's a toss up.  You can indeed SRS common words--there's no reason not to.  Paper flashcards can be a nice way to reinforce that vocab, but they aren't really necessary, as you'll get them through exposure and SRS anyway.

Last edited by Tzadeck (2013 June 25, 11:13 pm)

My textbooks are pretty useless compared to the high standards we have here at koohii

The one book I recommend is Japanese the Manga Way. It has a lot of great grammar points that Tae Kim doesn't really touch on.

I used the Japanese for Everyone textbook, and it was a great first step on the path to learning Japanese.  Honestly, you probably won't need to SRS the vocabulary and grammar points as a good text will repeat what you've learned over the course of the textbook.  Just seeing what you've learned in various contexts will help reinforce the material.

Going to echo Japanese: The Manga Way. I found it more interesting than Tae Kim's Grammar Guide, and also more useful in the way it breaks the language into yummy little bites.

However I am of the general opinion that most text books, such as Genki, etc. are excellent for any beginner, and you get what you pay for. While there are great free online resources, for a complete beginner, a textbook (and if possible, a teacher to help you along the way) provides the sort of structured approach which can provide a solid base understanding. Useful for using to get a foothold in a wider range of grammatical descriptions, etc.

I am with uisukii on this one. I personally started with textbooks (Minna no Nihongo and Nihongo Shoho - I don't know if this one is still published). Japanese was my first foreign language and as a beginner, I needed a more structured approach to studying. Back then, I didn't have a lot of access to great resources like Koohii -- certainly we didn't have apps then

drdunlap wrote:

Whatever you choose- my only advice is to remember that textbooks (and/or Tae Kim's guide etc.) are only steps to get into the pool. Once you're there you'll realize that it's actually an ocean- and at some point you're going to have to just suck it up and swim.

I like the analogy a lot and I also get the feeling that this is the general consensus.  I think I will use the textbooks as a more of a reference rather than real studying.  The good thing about Japanese From Zero is they have kana excercises to help reinforce it.  I memorized all the kana before starting RTK but for not seeing it for so long it needs a little brushing up on.  I will do the kana excercises, go through and take a look at any chapters I find particularly interesting and just man up and start Core/Tae Kim/Children Books etc.

Thanks for all the replies everyone.  I read them all and took them in to consideration.

By the way, (almost?) all of the Genki I and II vocabulary can be found here!

language learning can really be split into 2 phases, the beginner phase during which complete gibberish becomes something that your brain reacts to and attempts to comprehend and succeeds at least somewhat. The next phase is the hard trek of filling in thousands and thousands of blanks. Phase 2 is easy but takes ages. Phase 1 requires some perseverance at first. It's a bit like a sudoku puzzle in a way.
During phase one, you need some traction, like the first few numbers in a sudoku puzzle. That's where textbooks or anything else with translations come in handy as they help you establish those first words and pattern by looking at two languages side by side and making connections for the first time. Those first connections become more deeply rooted through repeated use and exposure and act as an anchor to help you slowly pick up more words and phrases.

You get better at japanese by constantly chipping away at the huge remaining unknown mass. I don't think there's much value in knowing a small amount of words or grammar deeply while the that great mass is still unknown. It's like starting a drawing by focusing on the details rather than sketching out the whole picture. You may think you're nailing the details only to discover later that your proportions, perspective etc are way off and need to be redrawn anyway. For that reason I wouldn't bother with textbook exercises and things and instead focus on getting the overall picture quickly. Accurately filling in the details later on will be much easier.

off topic, @drdunlop nice music. Are you in the games industry?

nadiatims wrote:

off topic, @drdunlop nice music. Are you in the games industry?

Off topic part the second!
It's just a hobby for now. I considered the game industry but wanting to stay in Kansai severely limits my choices. I applied to one place a while back but no-go. One day.. one day.

PS- I'm in the restaurant business. Haha.

drdunlap wrote:

nadiatims wrote:

off topic, @drdunlop nice music. Are you in the games industry?

Off topic part the second!
It's just a hobby for now. I considered the game industry but wanting to stay in Kansai severely limits my choices. I applied to one place a while back but no-go. One day.. one day.

PS- I'm in the restaurant business. Haha.

Offtopic part the third.

That's some nice music you've got up on SC. Just finished reviewing a deck in Anki while listening to it. One day for sure.