Japanese 101

As someone who has had his share of time trying to learn new languages, I can tell you that not all languages are created equal. Some are easy to pick up while others can be quite challenging. It all will depend on your background as well. Those who are born in the mid-east area have an easier time picking up other languages in that area than let’s say the French language. Picking up a language is more than just being able to say hello in a new language. You need to be able to read, write, speak, and somewhat understand a language before claiming that you know it.

Japanese has been one of the most difficult languages to pick up for me. The language is so different from English that it takes a while to completely get used to it. When I started my journey in the Japanese language, I only had a couple of books and a few training CDs. I wish I had access to an app such as Japanese 101: Hiragana to help me study the language more often. The app goes a long way towards helping you improve your Japanese listening comprehension, which is a big step towards mastering the language.

Japanese 101: Hiragana is very easy to use. All you have to do is listen to what the app is asking you and touch the right symbol on your iPhone. By using this app on a daily basis, you can easily improve your listening comprehension and get a better understanding for your Hiragana.

The app comes in two modes. In “Study mode,” you can go through each kana and listen how each is pronounced. In Quiz mode, you can test yourself to see whether you are making any progress with this app.  All in all, Japanese 101 is a simple app that helps you get started with the language fast. It’s very easy to use and great for beginners to the language.

Rating: 8/10

• Japanese Alphabet
• Hiragana
• Human Japanese
• iStart Japanese!
• Japanese for iPhone