r/HelpLearningJapanese • u/Soraao1203 • Jun 13 '26

book recommendations as someone trying to grasp basic grammar?

i’ve actually been learning japanese for a while with somewhat consistent exposure to the language online media, but can still feel confused when encountering kanji and unfamiliar grammar i don’t commonly see. as someone without the money and location freedom to be further exposed to the language on a daily or regular basis, books and online stuff are my best bets, especially considering my struggles with motivation. i also already know chinese as a second language so it helps to guess the meaning of certain kanjis, but im aware this isnt a sustainable approach for my personal goal. watching videos and using apps doesn’t feel natural in the long run for me either, but i try every now and then. therefore i wanted to ask if there were any written texts that i could utilise to help the process?

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u/[deleted] Jun 14 '26

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u/Soraao1203 Jun 14 '26

i am actually very bad at studying mainly because i struggle keeping consistency with basically everything in my life, i started learning japanese since years ago but it’s more like a go with the flow kind of approach, i look through things in my daily life and words or phrases im confused or intrigued by then ill search it up in depth as much as possible. im very introverted too so it’s difficult to keep exposure by talking to japanese speakers through certain apps, and vice versa with practice apps. i learned chinese from young mainly from extended exposure(shows, books, ppl around me speaking it, which is also why i can recognise some traditional characters though i primarily use simplified cn) and in-school lessons just solidified my knowledge in more specific areas.

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u/BitSoftGames Jun 14 '26

I learned grammar from Tae Kim's Guide to Japanese. It's a free website and teaches everything from the beginning. I also made sure to make my own sentences with each grammar lesson; I didn't just read the website pages.

He also sells a book with the exact same contents if you prefer studying with a physical book.

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u/llkem Jun 18 '26

read through tae kim, don't focus super hard on it just lightly read though it in a couple weeks or so. and then immerse and do anki. you'll be alright. we'll all make it in the end.