LLearn Japanese

Daily Thread: for simple questions, minor posts & newcomers [contains useful links!] (February 02, 2026)

  • February 2, 2026

This thread is for all the simple questions (what does that mean?) and minor posts that don't need their own thread, as well as for first-time posters who can't create new threads yet. Feel free to share anything on your mind.

The daily thread updates every day at 9am JST, or 0am UTC.

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12 comments

  1. Hi I wanna read my first manga, but most of the ones I see on line manga either have partial or no furigana, any tips on how to search up those with no furigana? And if I should put every single new vocabulary i see into anki. I’ve finished moe n5 and kaishi 1.5k deck a while back

    Also kinda need tips on how to study grammar, I can read the text boxes but I understand very little to nothing at all. Is this normal?

    Edit: I saw someone mention renshuu, is it good to start using it? Ty in advance

  2. im at 900 vocab on wanikani but bunpro only shows 300/1100 N5 vocab do they really leave out that much

  3. Hi all. I got really into studying Japanese about 3 years ago and made it through N5 and 4 pretty much, all via Duolingo, but life happened and I stopped. Now I’ve kinda forgotten most of what I learnt, and Duolingo seems to be absolutely gutted from how it used to be (RIP forums).

    What’s a good alternative I can use? I’ve heard about wanikani and the like, but I’m not sure which to use. I would prefer something that is set out in a way where you can progress through it via lessons and such, like Duo was before it got worse.

    I am willing to pay money for a course if that makes any difference! (AKA a one time fee or something akin to that, I know a few sites have those)

  4. I’ve been doing some listening practice, however I have to focus to understand what’s being said, whereas if I get distracted I won’t. Does this matter or will I gradually pick it up as I study?

  5. https://preview.redd.it/xcpz29yc51hg1.png?width=510&format=png&auto=webp&s=c43760316f6f9f8ba00f00b4c57ba2aeedc21d65

    So how are you supposed to decide which ones to use? I’ve labeled them so it’s easier to write about them.
    I get that 1 is the most formal and 4 is the most informal, but what about 2 and 3? 4 I think I have a pretty good idea of when it is used. At what level of politeness do you use 1?

    And I always get tripped up regarding when we’re supposed to mix in different levels of politeness in the same sentence.

  6. Just looking for a bit of advice from someone with more experience than I do.

    Wondering if it’s okay for me to skip genki 2 and go straight to quartet 1. I’ve recently passed the jlpt n5, dont currently remember my exact score but I can look it up and add that in if needed. I use multiple resources, not just the textbooks. I’ve got renshuu for vocab mainly, I use bunpo for grammar despite being told not to, and I have a kanji app I use that I can’t remember the name for. According to those resources I’m about halfway through n4 except for kanji which has started on the n3 level.

    I’m not too confident on my abilities yet, but I do know for a fact that I very much struggle with the genki books and it’s really making it hard to find the motivation to study. I don’t think I’m a high enough level to skip genki 2, but I’m not sure what other options there are other than just skipping it and working through quartet and just looking up anything I run into that I’ve missed until I catch up.

    So, should i skip genki 2 and see how it goes? I own the book so I can always just go back and have a look if I get stuck. Is there another book closer to quartet’s style that covers the same stuff? Is there another option I’ve missed? I think what I like about quartet is that it’s all in japanese. Or, mostly. I don’t really like how much English is in genki. My way of learning is more of a puzzle game then a bunch of reading in English that explains it all. I like seeing stuff I don’t know and trying to figure it out without relying on English. So, quartet is easier for me than genki. I’m just not sure if I can skip genki 2.

  7. Apologies, asking another question two days in a row.

    Yesterday I was asking about Anki. As a beginner I’m starting to feel really deflated about my usage. I feel like this is the 3rd day in a row where I’m hitting again, again & again. Nothing appears to stick in my head.

    I’m trying to stop, remember the sentence. However I need to cycle through 14 other words before this one perhaps comes up again and my brain just forgets, I stare into space with nothing.

    https://preview.redd.it/cqye0mes81hg1.png?width=1267&format=png&auto=webp&s=babc78becefb236677f08472c0c51d2e99e5dec7

    I understand people learn at different rates, but this is starting to feel depressing that only a few words at best are sticking. The question I’m wanting to ask is if this normal at a beginner stage & is there anything I’m missing at trying to learn?

  9. I recently finished all cards on my core 3k deck on Anki and am just going over 90 – 100 reviews a day with no new cards. I’ve got about 150 words saved from Satori reader to import over into Anki. Should I add them on top of my core 3k deck or begin a new deck?

    Can’t tell if one is better than the other, or if there’s no real difference, but I’m not too clued up on Anki so would appreciate any suggestions!

  11. Does it look cheap or jarring to japanese people when game translations do [this](https://i.imgur.com/CiYzYAP.png) and keep names written with latin script instead of converting them to katakana? It looks so ugly to me but I have no idea how common that is, it’s the first time I see a game doing this.

  12. I’m rewatching タンポポ in japanese, and at minute 15, when they first start to stage/prepare ramen, they say this: [https://voca.ro/1hQJtumnkxfO](https://voca.ro/1hQJtumnkxfO)

    the subtitle puts it as:
    そこで客の顔見る、客が見てない時に客を観察するんだ

    Which I is accurate in terms of core meaning but, pricking up the ears, I can catch a few things which aren’t capture in the subtitle.
    **ほら！**そこで客の顔見る、客が見てない時に**（？？？）お**客を観察するんだ

    what is exactly said in the（？？？） placeholder? my first idea it was something to do 全て, and secondly 滑る, but I can’t get the gist of it.

    Any help? Thanks

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