Unfortunately, in languages you can’t really expect to be able to jump in and have the basics work roughly the same way, which I’ve experienced multiple times in programming.
I'm currently on JFZ book 5 and I agree that the series is great! I'm still learning, but I'm WAY more fluent now than I ever thought I would be back when I first started. Anyone who has ever even considered trying to learn Japanese, definitely give these books a shot. Don't be afraid to just jump into learning a new language, it's super rewarding and you'll be glad that you did. Great video, and let's all keep doing our best!
Hello! How is your japanese after 2 years? In how much time did you get trough all 5 books and what JLPT level would you consider? Or did you take the JLPT exam?
@@kevitokagamine5404 learning from someone who isn't a native... thats the problem with society and discrimination across many countries in the world. Did you know foreign english teachers who don't look caucasian are actually paid less or can't even get a job compared to their caucasian looking competitor who might have less qualifications and experience in teaching
Kevito I would rather learn from someone who has actually studied the language to fluency as opposed to a native who as never studied the language in depth and has just grown into the language. Your idea that only a native knows a language and are good teachers is actually backwards.
@@zachmcfarlane7488 i got the book and its pretty good. Its definitely made specific for westerners so is written to get you out the habit of the english phoenetics. The book is written by George Trombley and Yukari Takenaka who i think is his wife
If you enjoyed the books that much, I would shoot this video of to George. He live streams very often and im sure he would love hearing your kind words
I used Japanese from zero book 1 before my first year at uni. I take Japanese as a module. I got a first on all four Japanese exams that year. I didn't continue with Japanese from zero book 2 and for semester 1 year 2 I almost failed my first 2 Japanese exams. We was using the Japanese for busy people books and concepts felt too hard to understand. I now have a month begore my final 2 exams for this year and I'm working through jfz2 to help me grasp stuff better in hope I do not fail this next set of exams. I need stuff explaining in languages paragraph by paragraph also. The way genki and jfbp throws stuff at you just doesn't work for me at all. It confuses me and then I don't understand enough to use the language. I swear by jfz. They are literally the only books I've found that really help my understanding.
hi, how has the Japanese studies been going for you ? I'm thinking of doing a bachelor in Japanese myself but I'm still hesitating... What kind of job could I have after completing it ?
Thanks for the video. I bought Japanese From Zero book 1 about two weeks ago, before I was done with lesson 3 I had ordered book 2 and 3. I am stoked to learn!
Great books. I’d STRONGLY recommend learning hiragana and katakana alone first! It helps take a load off and REALLY sinks in the sounds and look of each character as you progress through the book.
I'd say make them the focus, but also read through grammar just to grab some concepts. You'll be rereading grammar many times over anyways and same with kanji, starting a few anki reviews just to start sinking some of those common symbols in is not going to hurt, and diversification can help make it more interesting.
Math in itself is another langauge lol. I've been meaning to get into the Japanese From Zero books. I've had them on my amazon wishlist for quite some time. Whenever I have the time to learn Japanese again, I'll most certainly pick these up. Thanks for the review. :)
@@intogrey2038 I have been learning on and off for the past few years. Personally not that happy with the progress but I’m getting there The Japanese from zero books are way easier to understand than other ones and it’s very useful (:
Omg I love this review! I’m definitely going to buy this book. I’m taking online Japanese lessons at least once a week right now and this is definitely going to give me an extra boost
Hey Ginger, I’m sure George appreciates the feedback and support. Hope to see you in future streams if we haven’t already, fellow fan of the series as well!
A month ago I was searching for videos on which book is better to use for self-studying (Genki or JFZ )and I found this videowhich really helped me understand on what are the pros and cons of each book and in conclusion it made me buy JFZ and after a few weeks in to Japanese From Zero 1, I'm currently at Lesson 7 and oh boy.. The lessons were so helpful! I'd definitely buy Japanese From Zero 2 once I'm done with the first book also as an added bonus you can also watch George's videos up on his channel which really helped me get the gist of how to use certain words and phrases and I really like his personality, He's very lively I have to say haha. I would definitely buy Genki once I'm done with JFZ because I don't want to rely on just one book for studying but if anyone's reading the comments thinking on which they should buy go for Japanese From Zero, You won't regret it!
Wow just found this video after completing course 2 and im beginning course 3 tomorrow. Thank you for your detailed analysis of these courses. I love Japanese From Zero.
I've stopped learning Japanese for the time being (learning Thai instead), but JFZ was probably one of the best resources I stumbled upon. Very well laid out. It almost looks like candy compared to other textbooks.
Oh wow! Thank you so much! If you leave a review on amazon for the book you can mention I sent ya there! George (the author) and I know eachother, but it'd still be cool!
My desire to learn Japanese has been increasing the last few weeks and my biggest hesitation (besides the language being intimidating) is probably which learning material to use. I've been thinking about Genki, but I think JFZ seems very user-friendly as a starting method. Knowing myself I'll probably do both JFZ and Genki. A third learning material would probably be Minna no Nihongo, which is totally in Japanese and which sounds really appealing as a fully immersive course, but at the same time, again, intimidating. I did a similarly immersive course for Latin (Lingua Romana), which was truly fantastic, but that was Latin, a European language. Japanese is just a whole other world. Very excited to start learning it, anyway!
The really good thing about the JFZ series is the video lessons George does to aid the book lessons. I'm on book three and the whole learning experience for me has been great. The grammar is explained really well which for me is much better than the Genki book. Of course as with all things it's horses for courses. Some will find these books a bit slow. I'm 66 so I find them great, I'm also doing Genki 1 at the same time and this works for me. Maybe go look at the JFZ videos first and see what it's all about. The very first video is a welcome video by George and you will learn all about the course. Good luck to those that try to learn Japanese, it is very rewarding.
I got books 1, 2 and the Kanji books thanks to this video. They are amazing. Within 4 days I am able to say complete and coherent setences with description, possessiveness, positives, negatives and I've learnt a tonne of new words. JFZ, both the books and the videos, plus Anki is probably the most powerful tool you can use in the early stages of learning Japanese. Thank you very much for your review, as I wouldn't be where I am now without it! 私は頑張ってですよ！
I have recently hit a wall in my learning. I purchased the first two books and am preparing to really sink into them. However, I would like to know how it is you remember common phases and such? I can read them, I can write them down in Hiragana, but 24 hours later it's just gone from my memory. Feel like I'm stuck in an endless loop.
I just picked up the first book at a Japanese bookstore in LA, in little Tokyo :) I’m so excited to take this leap :) your review gave me more confidence 😊
These books are a treasure !!! I have been using them from my early steps in Japanese and I found them really useful ! I am now onto book 4 and will be taking theJLPT4 next December, I still use them for revision ! Really a must have !!!
Detailed video. These book series seems ideal for me, because I’m a slow but thorough learner, who always wants to know WHY something is the way it is. I don’t like it when people say ‘do it like this’ with no explanation.
Currently in Book 04 and I've always considered JFZ to be the best Japanese learning textbook series. Even though other books like Genki and Tobira will teach you more grammar concepts per chapter, it's not until they show up in JFZ that I feel like I really GET it, and am able to begin explaining it back to myself and applying it properly. For me, George are hit upon the method of explaining things that will make it click in place pretty quickly.Breaking everything into its simplest components. Your comparison to maths is a good one. I really hope there's a JFZ Book 06 somewhere in the future, (I know he's only just finished 05), because there's so much more to learn. I need to try the Kanji Book (soon plural), if they're as helpful as the main series has been.
Came here from georges live stream where he started watching your video had to come and finish it lol. I also bought books 1 and 2 a couple months back and ill admit im a big procrastinator lol but these books are deff fun!
i have book 1 and 2, but I'm also going through a Nihon language class online. This course is 3 months and I've not got a lot into book 1, but I 100% agree with you the way they weave hiragana makes me learn to read better.
For me, the JFZ books coupled with his youtube video series helps immensely. It's still ongoing into JFZ book 4 to date. I recommend you get to hear the author himself talk about it (if you haven't checked it out before) Trombley also made a series called 英語エッグ where he teaches Japanese people english grammar points in a similar way he taught japanese points in his videos. They're a fun watch!
thank you thank you thank you! i have been learning with duolingo and i searched for a book and saw your video! this book will be perfect for me, as i have problems processing words ( i speak 3 languages every day) so i think in 3 languages and i am really visual and need to understand everything. This book really seems to be perfect for me! I am so happy you did this video! going to buy this next week!
I just ordered Japanese from Zero 1 today and I'm very excited to start and hopefully this time see it all the way through. I've tried many times through the years to learn Japanese but the hiragana and katakana never stuck and I tried to do everything online for free. I'm a person who needs a book infront of me with everything layed out, so when I found this series, I knew I had to get it and be more serious about it 😅
I love these videos! I got a minor in Japanese at my college but I didn’t completely stick with it so I’m just going back again and studying with a friend! I used Genki for class so that’s why I use it and I’m not too confused or overwhelmed. But I also have the Japanese from zero book to just help even more like you said!
Hey, this is the first of your videos I've watched! These books are my foundation when it comes to Japanese, they're the first resource that really clicked for me and let me really understand things rather than trying to memorize translations! I can imagine it would be difficult to live in Japan without understanding Japanese easily, how easy is it too get by?
Hey I just wanted to say thank you for your videos I was confused and didn't know what to do for learning Japanese and which book to use but according to your videos I started learning Japanese with Japanese from zero and I'm making quit a big progress there and that was all because of your suggestions I'm so grateful to you
I'm surprised you moved to Japan and then afterwards took learning the language seriously. It takes a lot of courage to make that move in the first place, and then more to learn the language later.
I am currently learning Japanese and French, my french is close to intermediate level but my Japanese is very poor due to just starting recently. I am using pimsleur and other apps to learn to speak and read Japanese. Watching animes helps me practice my Japanese listening.
I just started with book 1and I agree it’s very addicting. I love the language so far. By the way, you stated you wanted to know what the authors think, they have a TH-cam channel that goes along with each section of the book. But anyway, I’ve only watched like 4 or 5 animes my whole life so I can’t wait to go back and watch and fully understand what they’re saying in Japanese and maybe even pick up some Japanese novels/manga....when I’m able to understand all of that, I think that would be the ultimate sense of accomplishment.
Thank you so much for the honest review!! This has definitely convinced me to jump into this series and learning Japanese :) I have been learning hiragana but more practice so I can read faster sounds perfect!
I love George Trombly. I actually used just his video series for the books and studied his other videos as well,then moved onto another person's videos. Now I feel like I'm somewhere near N3. I'd love to take a JLPT test once lockdown is over
@@stylosbadjapanese5127 I felt that Japanese Ammo with Misa was a good next step. She's more straightforward about teaching, but when you're already into learning, it's not too bad. She does give too many examples in my opinion, so sometimes I'll skip through them.
When I learned Italian I took 101 at Uni and I really struggled. I got a C but I really wasn't getting it. So I took 101 over and I found the 501 verbs book and it really helped. Everything totally clicked for me. So I totally relate to your story. I recently picked up the JFZ after finding his youtube channel and I'm glad I did. I had checked out the Genki book and knew instantly that wasn't going to work for me to start. Maybe I'll check it out after I go through the JFZ books like you did. Cheers.
I started kana way back at 15 yrs old, and was all over the place with grammar. Though I stopped after a few years and now I’m thinking of trying again
Ahhhhhhh I just bought the 1st book :o Hilariously, a bit ago I started learning japanese using Genki, and I made a short vlog about it on my channel called "How I Started Learning Japanese From Zero" without knowing that there's literally a book like this called "Japanese From Zero". So now, of course, especially with your glowing review, I couldn't *not* buy it
Also you’re not alone being that kid in the classroom who thought the teacher was speaking Japanese when it came to equations lol. I feel your pain. HS was a pain when it came to math
To practice learning how to write the app kanji study is awesome. You can use it to study, dictionary, practice writing, flashcards, learn kana, etc. JFZ and kanji study is an awesome combination.
I'm currently using a Japanese textbook that I used in my one year of university lessons a whole 4/5 years ago (not Genki) and I'm still not even through that book. 😅 However, I'm excited because the International Center Koryu Corner has a free-ish program with volunteer Japanese tutors. All you pay for is transportation costs for your tutor and the price of any materials. I'll be meeting my tutor for the first time this weekend! Maybe I'll look into Japanese From Zero to use with her because I think my reading speed is ok but only as long as the text strictly sticks to 1st grade kanji... I also want to learn Norwegian and Korean but I sincerely don't have enough time for that, though I do have a Norwegian textbook. 😔
Sorry if this is a late comment, but I could maybe help to some extent in norwegian if you need some help. I’m not a highly Expert but it is my native language
I will purchase this series in addition to my upcoming online class with a native woman this Sunday. I was on the fence with Genki, and at least I can trust my gut feeling, been hearing constant praise for it, but not mentioning of it being accessible for self learning. I'm 27 and tired of making excuses for not learning Japanese. I wanted to learn it at 19, my school never offered it, I got carried away in art school and IT, that I was too afraid to even try. Better to start with a fresh brain, but it will be challenging.
Thank u for the video 😀. At the moment i am studying english, german and hungarian. So after hungarian i want to pick up japanese and i will probably buy these books 🙂
Great helpful review, just ordered my copy. Wish you be more confident in japanese. I am exicted to begin this journey. As being a chinese, glad to hear that you love kanji.
Purchased book 1 recently too and couldn't agree more! Feeling pretty confident with Hiragana reading and writing already and looking forward to learning Katakana in book 2 :)
Honestly I would start from the beginning of book 1 because there are a lot of valuable lessons in every book that will help you speak naturally. It also helps to write everything out and see real examples. Good luck!
love your enthusiasm in this/for JFZ! it’s very contagious and it’s definitely sold me on buying the series soon :) i’m currently studying kanji via wanikani (which is great!), but i wanted to know what options there were aside from genki for learning grammar & it seems like Japanese From Zero are the best self-study book(s) out there!
Yeah..George and the others are awesome. I am using their korean from zero books. Japanese is just a beast of a language for me to learn maybe after I improve my Chinese and korean I will give it a try.
hi i made a comment 10 months ago and i want to tell you that i am now on book 2 lesson 3 and your video did help me a lot ( i did take a lot cuz i took my time in memorising vocab and also they had school tests and stuff *shy* ) and i got 2 other friends i recruited as learning partner and we all started to learn from the same series together then became friends thank you
Just got through the pre lessons on book one ...so super beginner here lol but thanks for the video it really gave me the confidence that I chose the right books to start with and I also really like your videos and hopefully we can talk in Japanese one day! Thanks
I got the first 3 books and they were amazing! I just didn't get to learn japanese for long because I lost motivation but after 2 years, I rember😇. It's a really good book and worth it. You can buy it from Amazon.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I too had C/D level academics, tried Genki and found it very dry and boring then picked up JFZ and enjoyed the content far more. My problem is I got so into SRS with WaniKani/BunPro/Anki that I didn’t focus enough on grammar and stopped JFZ all together. Now my Kanji and Vocab knowledge far outweighs my grammar and I need to kind of play catch up. So no more new SRS cards, just reviewing those I already know then going to start JFZ 1-3 before learning more Kanji/Vocab I think.
Recently bought Japanese from Zero 1 in a convention, so hope it is legit and helpful as a recently new Japanese self study student! Course I will use it alongside another book that is just about Hirigana and Katakana! 🧑🏽🏫💯 PS. I might buy another one alongaide Japanese from Zero 1 soon! Reason is, that I learn by writing and practicing in the moment, so if I write in the book itself, it might be harder to reuse it, personally. 🙎🏽
I already learned Hiragana and Katakana (and some Kanji for fun) but now I really wanna get into studying the language so I was wondering: would you recommend going through the whole Japanese From Zero series in a linear way and then pass on to something more advanced like Genki or MinnaNoNihongo, or would you recommend buying one of these last two books in an intermedium step throughout the JFZ volumes instead? I'm just asking to get a rough idea if you or someone else think to have a quick tip based from your experience, but I also do know that this could be something that I'll just figure out by myself at the end of the first volume, based on what I need and what I feel like I'm ready for.
So I also knew Hiragana and Katakana before JFZ, and my two questions for you would be 1. Can you write the characters really well and fast from memory... and 2. Can you read fast? JFZ helped me with these things even though I had already memorized my kana. So if you need more practice and work on them, I do recommend starting from the beginning! Extra practice is always good anyway, even on the easy stuff
@@GingerGaiden I mean, I could say that I know especially hiragana pretty well just in the perspective that it’s been a few months now that I’ve known the two alphabets, so I’ve internalized them, but I’m not fast at all at reading hahah (just haven’t practiced it). So yeah, I think JFZ1 will do just great for me for sure. Thank you for your help and for your videos, they’re so good :D
Absolutely!! Jfz’s books are the best! Unfortunately from the third book to the fourth I felt lost 😞 dunno why but it feels like the gap between these two books was too much 😞
@@randomlyaccepted5215 Flashcards, flashcards, flashcards!! Best way (i think) to learn words! repeat and once you get things wrong, wait 10 minutes and try again!
I've been with George since 2000 to his TH-cam videos are great I really watched them over and over again no matter at what stage I am in the Ceres I have booked 12 and 3 have had them for like 2 or 3 years now I just haven't been able to get up to number 3 yet however I totally agree with you and I will make a follow up video to Japanese firm 0 him but yeah I would say hes the number one way to go when learning Japanese he makes it fun and interesting and also I use Japanese anime with misa she's great as well And um I love the khanji from 0 book as well I think it's great but everything you set up video is spot on
The rewards of Japanese is why I love the language. The challenges of japanese is why I love the language. I possess an interestingly accurate and strong memory so I think that has helped me
Have done a few months of study, but using disparate sources. Super comfortable with writing & vocab, but have yet to find a good workbook to reinforce/test myself. Japanese the Manga Way is an amazing explainer for grammar btw! No workbook though :(
May I ask how long it took you to finish one book? Did you have a study/learning lesson/plan that you did? Or like a schedule? Any tips would be helpful! (I'm halfway on your video) ❤️❤️❤️
Hmmm If I remember right, I took about 2 or 3 months on Book One working very slowly! I did about a lesson a week to really remember the vocabulary and writing system. My main tip would be to get some flash cards and study the vocabulary from the book in that way to memorise them. It also helps to write your own extra sentences in a notebook.
Language is like programming. Once you learn the essentials, you're good, then you start learning all the libraries and specific stuff.
It becomes for fun the more ya learn too!
Great analogy! 👍
Unfortunately, in languages you can’t really expect to be able to jump in and have the basics work roughly the same way, which I’ve experienced multiple times in programming.
Can confirm, as a CS major
Hence programming *languages* ....
I'm currently on JFZ book 5 and I agree that the series is great! I'm still learning, but I'm WAY more fluent now than I ever thought I would be back when I first started. Anyone who has ever even considered trying to learn Japanese, definitely give these books a shot. Don't be afraid to just jump into learning a new language, it's super rewarding and you'll be glad that you did.
Great video, and let's all keep doing our best!
Any other resources you recommend as well? Im going to start with this and try out other methods as well.
@@KillerofGods Sorry for the late reply! I highly recommend Wani Kani, an online program for Kanji. It has been very helpful for my reading skills
Hello! How is your japanese after 2 years? In how much time did you get trough all 5 books and what JLPT level would you consider? Or did you take the JLPT exam?
How long did it take you?
Just recently bought Japanese from zero 1! I can't wait to start going through it :D
@@kevitokagamine5404 learning from someone who isn't a native... thats the problem with society and discrimination across many countries in the world. Did you know foreign english teachers who don't look caucasian are actually paid less or can't even get a job compared to their caucasian looking competitor who might have less qualifications and experience in teaching
Kevito I would rather learn from someone who has actually studied the language to fluency as opposed to a native who as never studied the language in depth and has just grown into the language.
Your idea that only a native knows a language and are good teachers is actually backwards.
@@zachmcfarlane7488 i got the book and its pretty good. Its definitely made specific for westerners so is written to get you out the habit of the english phoenetics.
The book is written by George Trombley and Yukari Takenaka who i think is his wife
G C Yep It’s a great series. It’s helped me a lot. Currently working through book 4
How is it going with the book?
If you enjoyed the books that much, I would shoot this video of to George. He live streams very often and im sure he would love hearing your kind words
I used Japanese from zero book 1 before my first year at uni. I take Japanese as a module. I got a first on all four Japanese exams that year. I didn't continue with Japanese from zero book 2 and for semester 1 year 2 I almost failed my first 2 Japanese exams. We was using the Japanese for busy people books and concepts felt too hard to understand. I now have a month begore my final 2 exams for this year and I'm working through jfz2 to help me grasp stuff better in hope I do not fail this next set of exams. I need stuff explaining in languages paragraph by paragraph also. The way genki and jfbp throws stuff at you just doesn't work for me at all. It confuses me and then I don't understand enough to use the language. I swear by jfz. They are literally the only books I've found that really help my understanding.
I understand this 100% and feel the same way!
hi, how has the Japanese studies been going for you ? I'm thinking of doing a bachelor in Japanese myself but I'm still hesitating... What kind of job could I have after completing it ?
Thanks for the video. I bought Japanese From Zero book 1 about two weeks ago, before I was done with lesson 3 I had ordered book 2 and 3. I am stoked to learn!
Hope you enjoy it!
Great books. I’d STRONGLY recommend learning hiragana and katakana alone first!
It helps take a load off and REALLY sinks in the sounds and look of each character as you progress through the book.
What method did you use for studying the vocab in this book at the beginning?
I agree, I learned the kana before starting the book and it made it much less stressful
I'd say make them the focus, but also read through grammar just to grab some concepts. You'll be rereading grammar many times over anyways and same with kanji, starting a few anki reviews just to start sinking some of those common symbols in is not going to hurt, and diversification can help make it more interesting.
Math in itself is another langauge lol. I've been meaning to get into the Japanese From Zero books. I've had them on my amazon wishlist for quite some time. Whenever I have the time to learn Japanese again, I'll most certainly pick these up. Thanks for the review. :)
That's exactly how math feels for sure! And yea these books are amazing, please do check them out!
her: "I love kanji"
me:... Nod twice if the Japanese PM is holding a gun to your head.
She forgot to say from Persona 4
As someone who is not good at academics and has a bad memory, hearing you talk about this makes me feel better about learning (:
did you start Japanese yet? curious because I am the same way.
❤️❤️❤️
@@intogrey2038 I have been learning on and off for the past few years. Personally not that happy with the progress but I’m getting there
The Japanese from zero books are way easier to understand than other ones and it’s very useful (:
Omg I love this review! I’m definitely going to buy this book. I’m taking online Japanese lessons at least once a week right now and this is definitely going to give me an extra boost
Hey Ginger, I’m sure George appreciates the feedback and support. Hope to see you in future streams if we haven’t already, fellow fan of the series as well!
I've attended of few of the streams, and would love to attend more! Thank you for watching Jack!
A month ago I was searching for videos on which book is better to use for self-studying (Genki or JFZ )and I found this videowhich really helped me understand on what are the pros and cons of each book and in conclusion it made me buy JFZ and after a few weeks in to Japanese From Zero 1, I'm currently at Lesson 7 and oh boy..
The lessons were so helpful! I'd definitely buy Japanese From Zero 2 once I'm done with the first book also as an added bonus you can also watch George's videos up on his channel which really helped me get the gist of how to use certain words and phrases and I really like his personality, He's very lively I have to say haha.
I would definitely buy Genki once I'm done with JFZ because I don't want to rely on just one book for studying but if anyone's reading the comments thinking on which they should buy go for Japanese From Zero, You won't regret it!
I am so happy you are enjoying it! I think book 2 is even better!
It’s crazy how much i related to you in the beginning of this video. I recently picked up JZF 1 and looking forward to my Japanese language journey.
Wow just found this video after completing course 2 and im beginning course 3 tomorrow. Thank you for your detailed analysis of these courses. I love Japanese From Zero.
I've stopped learning Japanese for the time being (learning Thai instead), but JFZ was probably one of the best resources I stumbled upon. Very well laid out. It almost looks like candy compared to other textbooks.
So inspiring. Just bought the first book because of this video. This should have been sponsored since it was so damn good!
Oh wow! Thank you so much! If you leave a review on amazon for the book you can mention I sent ya there! George (the author) and I know eachother, but it'd still be cool!
My desire to learn Japanese has been increasing the last few weeks and my biggest hesitation (besides the language being intimidating) is probably which learning material to use. I've been thinking about Genki, but I think JFZ seems very user-friendly as a starting method. Knowing myself I'll probably do both JFZ and Genki. A third learning material would probably be Minna no Nihongo, which is totally in Japanese and which sounds really appealing as a fully immersive course, but at the same time, again, intimidating. I did a similarly immersive course for Latin (Lingua Romana), which was truly fantastic, but that was Latin, a European language. Japanese is just a whole other world. Very excited to start learning it, anyway!
JFZ 1-3 covers pretty much everything in genki one so if you havent yet I'd recommend only getting genki 2 is you want is since it's not fully covered
The really good thing about the JFZ series is the video lessons George does to aid the book lessons. I'm on book three and the whole learning experience for me has been great. The grammar is explained really well which for me is much better than the Genki book. Of course as with all things it's horses for courses. Some will find these books a bit slow. I'm 66 so I find them great, I'm also doing Genki 1 at the same time and this works for me. Maybe go look at the JFZ videos first and see what it's all about. The very first video is a welcome video by George and you will learn all about the course. Good luck to those that try to learn Japanese, it is very rewarding.
66 and still motivated to learn new things? Wow. I admire that.
You cannot go wrong with that methode. My favorite as well. Slow and steady.
合格おめでとうございます！！Congratulations! I'm trying my best to learn English too! Let's keep up our best!
Good luck!
I got books 1, 2 and the Kanji books thanks to this video. They are amazing. Within 4 days I am able to say complete and coherent setences with description, possessiveness, positives, negatives and I've learnt a tonne of new words.
JFZ, both the books and the videos, plus Anki is probably the most powerful tool you can use in the early stages of learning Japanese.
Thank you very much for your review, as I wouldn't be where I am now without it! 私は頑張ってですよ！
I have recently hit a wall in my learning. I purchased the first two books and am preparing to really sink into them. However, I would like to know how it is you remember common phases and such? I can read them, I can write them down in Hiragana, but 24 hours later it's just gone from my memory. Feel like I'm stuck in an endless loop.
anki
try saying them 5 times then say them in you're head 5 times and then write it 5 times. hope i helped
I use Quizlet and it’s really helps for me to remember and learn vocab
I just picked up the first book at a Japanese bookstore in LA, in little Tokyo :) I’m so excited to take this leap :) your review gave me more confidence 😊
Thank you! I hope you enjoy the book!
These books are a treasure !!! I have been using them from my early steps in Japanese and I found them really useful ! I am now onto book 4 and will be taking theJLPT4 next December, I still use them for revision ! Really a must have !!!
I recently bought book four but havent touched it yet. I need to!
Detailed video. These book series seems ideal for me, because I’m a slow but thorough learner, who always wants to know WHY something is the way it is. I don’t like it when people say ‘do it like this’ with no explanation.
Currently in Book 04 and I've always considered JFZ to be the best Japanese learning textbook series. Even though other books like Genki and Tobira will teach you more grammar concepts per chapter, it's not until they show up in JFZ that I feel like I really GET it, and am able to begin explaining it back to myself and applying it properly.
For me, George are hit upon the method of explaining things that will make it click in place pretty quickly.Breaking everything into its simplest components. Your comparison to maths is a good one. I really hope there's a JFZ Book 06 somewhere in the future, (I know he's only just finished 05), because there's so much more to learn.
I need to try the Kanji Book (soon plural), if they're as helpful as the main series has been.
Thank you for being so raw and honest
Gotta be that way with language learning!
Hi thanks for this video. I was unsure what books to buy and you have convinced me to buy Japanese from Zero to start with.
Glad to hear it! You will love it 😀 ❤
Came here from georges live stream where he started watching your video had to come and finish it lol. I also bought books 1 and 2 a couple months back and ill admit im a big procrastinator lol but these books are deff fun!
Aww thanks for stopping by!
Great review! Im looking forward to learning!
Awesome! Thank you!
thank you for making this it convinced me to buy this book after wanting it for almost two years! Idk why I didn’t just do it before
I felt the same way!
i have book 1 and 2, but I'm also going through a Nihon language class online. This course is 3 months and I've not got a lot into book 1, but I 100% agree with you the way they weave hiragana makes me learn to read better.
Bought the first book the other day and I feel like it’s way better than apps
Thank you very much I will be buying this👍🏽 I needed a good review and this was it.
Glad to hear that! Good luck in your studies!
@@GingerGaiden appreciate it 😁 I wanna visit Japan sometime in my life hopefully once this COVID thing is over with.
100% true. I struggled for years learning Japanese. These books have turned it around
For me, the JFZ books coupled with his youtube video series helps immensely. It's still ongoing into JFZ book 4 to date. I recommend you get to hear the author himself talk about it (if you haven't checked it out before)
Trombley also made a series called 英語エッグ where he teaches Japanese people english grammar points in a similar way he taught japanese points in his videos. They're a fun watch!
thank you thank you thank you! i have been learning with duolingo and i searched for a book and saw your video! this book will be perfect for me, as i have problems processing words ( i speak 3 languages every day) so i think in 3 languages and i am really visual and need to understand everything. This book really seems to be perfect for me! I am so happy you did this video! going to buy this next week!
Awesome to hear! I think you'll love the book!
@@GingerGaiden thank you! Hope you have a lovely weekend❤❤
The books in combination with his yt videos (not locked behind a paywall) are amazing.
I just brought recently and it's good. Just invest your time in it you will never regret.Thank you for Review 😊.
Thank you for the info.
I just purchased the complete Japanese From Zero series and Genki book one.
So I'm glad to start learning Japanese for real.
I just ordered Japanese from Zero 1 today and I'm very excited to start and hopefully this time see it all the way through. I've tried many times through the years to learn Japanese but the hiragana and katakana never stuck and I tried to do everything online for free. I'm a person who needs a book infront of me with everything layed out, so when I found this series, I knew I had to get it and be more serious about it 😅
Glad this showed up on my feed! The algorithm finally works for showing me good Japanese content! Huzzah!
Glad to hear it!
I love these videos! I got a minor in Japanese at my college but I didn’t completely stick with it so I’m just going back again and studying with a friend! I used Genki for class so that’s why I use it and I’m not too confused or overwhelmed. But I also have the Japanese from zero book to just help even more like you said!
I would have loved to study Japanese in college! Mine did not offer it sadly. Good luck to you in your studies!
Thank you for this video, I took your recommendation and the books have helped me a ton.
I'm so glad! Good luck with studying
Hey, this is the first of your videos I've watched! These books are my foundation when it comes to Japanese, they're the first resource that really clicked for me and let me really understand things rather than trying to memorize translations! I can imagine it would be difficult to live in Japan without understanding Japanese easily, how easy is it too get by?
Hey I just wanted to say thank you for your videos I was confused and didn't know what to do for learning Japanese and which book to use but according to your videos I started learning Japanese with Japanese from zero and I'm making quit a big progress there and that was all because of your suggestions I'm so grateful to you
So happy I could help! good luck in your studies!
I'm surprised you moved to Japan and then afterwards took learning the language seriously. It takes a lot of courage to make that move in the first place, and then more to learn the language later.
I struggle with Learning but this book helped me so much omg
Thank you for this video!
I was really thinking of giving up before I found this.
I am currently learning Japanese and French, my french is close to intermediate level but my Japanese is very poor due to just starting recently. I am using pimsleur and other apps to learn to speak and read Japanese. Watching animes helps me practice my Japanese listening.
I just started with book 1and I agree it’s very addicting. I love the language so far. By the way, you stated you wanted to know what the authors think, they have a TH-cam channel that goes along with each section of the book. But anyway, I’ve only watched like 4 or 5 animes my whole life so I can’t wait to go back and watch and fully understand what they’re saying in Japanese and maybe even pick up some Japanese novels/manga....when I’m able to understand all of that, I think that would be the ultimate sense of accomplishment.
Thank you so much for the honest review!! This has definitely convinced me to jump into this series and learning Japanese :) I have been learning hiragana but more practice so I can read faster sounds perfect!
Awesome! Good luck in your studies!
I love George Trombly. I actually used just his video series for the books and studied his other videos as well,then moved onto another person's videos. Now I feel like I'm somewhere near N3. I'd love to take a JLPT test once lockdown is over
Just from the videos eh? If you don't mind what other videos did you switch to?
@@stylosbadjapanese5127 I felt that Japanese Ammo with Misa was a good next step. She's more straightforward about teaching, but when you're already into learning, it's not too bad. She does give too many examples in my opinion, so sometimes I'll skip through them.
When I learned Italian I took 101 at Uni and I really struggled. I got a C but I really wasn't getting it. So I took 101 over and I found the 501 verbs book and it really helped. Everything totally clicked for me. So I totally relate to your story. I recently picked up the JFZ after finding his youtube channel and I'm glad I did. I had checked out the Genki book and knew instantly that wasn't going to work for me to start. Maybe I'll check it out after I go through the JFZ books like you did. Cheers.
It's nice to see JFZ always helping people! Thanks for your comment 👍
I started kana way back at 15 yrs old, and was all over the place with grammar. Though I stopped after a few years and now I’m thinking of trying again
Good luck you can do it!
Ahhhhhhh I just bought the 1st book :o Hilariously, a bit ago I started learning japanese using Genki, and I made a short vlog about it on my channel called "How I Started Learning Japanese From Zero" without knowing that there's literally a book like this called "Japanese From Zero". So now, of course, especially with your glowing review, I couldn't *not* buy it
Also you’re not alone being that kid in the classroom who thought the teacher was speaking Japanese when it came to equations lol. I feel your pain. HS was a pain when it came to math
That’s some great review from these books! Thank you!!!
Thank you!!!!
Great video. How long did each book air you to complete?
To practice learning how to write the app kanji study is awesome. You can use it to study, dictionary, practice writing, flashcards, learn kana, etc.
JFZ and kanji study is an awesome combination.
Seems like it! I'll check that app out, thank you!
I'm currently using a Japanese textbook that I used in my one year of university lessons a whole 4/5 years ago (not Genki) and I'm still not even through that book. 😅
However, I'm excited because the International Center Koryu Corner has a free-ish program with volunteer Japanese tutors. All you pay for is transportation costs for your tutor and the price of any materials. I'll be meeting my tutor for the first time this weekend! Maybe I'll look into Japanese From Zero to use with her because I think my reading speed is ok but only as long as the text strictly sticks to 1st grade kanji...
I also want to learn Norwegian and Korean but I sincerely don't have enough time for that, though I do have a Norwegian textbook. 😔
The series introduces Kanji in book 3 so you will have time to prepare for it :)
Sorry if this is a late comment, but I could maybe help to some extent in norwegian if you need some help.
I’m not a highly Expert but it is my native language
I will purchase this series in addition to my upcoming online class with a native woman this Sunday. I was on the fence with Genki, and at least I can trust my gut feeling, been hearing constant praise for it, but not mentioning of it being accessible for self learning. I'm 27 and tired of making excuses for not learning Japanese. I wanted to learn it at 19, my school never offered it, I got carried away in art school and IT, that I was too afraid to even try. Better to start with a fresh brain, but it will be challenging.
Thank u for the video 😀. At the moment i am studying english, german and hungarian. So after hungarian i want to pick up japanese and i will probably buy these books 🙂
Great helpful review, just ordered my copy. Wish you be more confident in japanese. I am exicted to begin this journey. As being a chinese, glad to hear that you love kanji.
Kanji is so fun to write!
@@GingerGaiden and so beautiful - -!
Purchased book 1 recently too and couldn't agree more! Feeling pretty confident with Hiragana reading and writing already and looking forward to learning Katakana in book 2 :)
I felt that way when I started Duolingo in Japanese. I still might get the From zero books but starting from 3 or 4, not sure which.
Honestly I would start from the beginning of book 1 because there are a lot of valuable lessons in every book that will help you speak naturally. It also helps to write everything out and see real examples. Good luck!
Duolingo is not as intensive as JFZ books. I wouldn't even recommend Duolingo as a learning method, at least as Japanese is concerned.
love your enthusiasm in this/for JFZ! it’s very contagious and it’s definitely sold me on buying the series soon :)
i’m currently studying kanji via wanikani (which is great!), but i wanted to know what options there were aside from genki for learning grammar & it seems like Japanese From Zero are the best self-study book(s) out there!
I also do Wanikani, but yea JFZ is such a vital language tool for me!
Yeah..George and the others are awesome. I am using their korean from zero books. Japanese is just a beast of a language for me to learn maybe after I improve my Chinese and korean I will give it a try.
hi i made a comment 10 months ago and i want to tell you that i am now on book 2 lesson 3 and your video did help me a lot ( i did take a lot cuz i took my time in memorising vocab and also they had school tests and stuff *shy* ) and i got 2 other friends i recruited as learning partner and we all started to learn from the same series together then became friends
thank you
So happy to hear this! The path to learning is long, but it can be fun and is very rewarding.
Just got through the pre lessons on book one ...so super beginner here lol but thanks for the video it really gave me the confidence that I chose the right books to start with and I also really like your videos and hopefully we can talk in Japanese one day! Thanks
Thank you so so much! I hope you continue to enjoy the books and thanks for watching my vids!
thank you for your review about the book.
I was thinking to buy it too but first I want to research it. I am glad I did. :)
I’m glad I came across this video. I wasn’t sure about the book but now I am most definitely sure I am going to buy it now.
I got the first 3 books and they were amazing! I just didn't get to learn japanese for long because I lost motivation but after 2 years, I rember😇. It's a really good book and worth it. You can buy it from Amazon.
6:19 Me too but I'm not learning Japanese.
I really loved this video!
Hope it helps! Thanks for watching
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I too had C/D level academics, tried Genki and found it very dry and boring then picked up JFZ and enjoyed the content far more.
My problem is I got so into SRS with WaniKani/BunPro/Anki that I didn’t focus enough on grammar and stopped JFZ all together.
Now my Kanji and Vocab knowledge far outweighs my grammar and I need to kind of play catch up. So no more new SRS cards, just reviewing those I already know then going to start JFZ 1-3 before learning more Kanji/Vocab I think.
Felt totally the same about genki! I still go back to it sometimes but JFZ will always be number 1!
Cool, after I saw this, now I want to look in the Japanese From Zero books :)
Should you learn the hiragana and katakana characters before buying? Love the vid btw!❤️
The book teaches them too you in a good way so not needed!
Recently bought Japanese from Zero 1 in a convention, so hope it is legit and helpful as a recently new Japanese self study student! Course I will use it alongside another book that is just about Hirigana and Katakana! 🧑🏽🏫💯
PS. I might buy another one alongaide Japanese from Zero 1 soon! Reason is, that I learn by writing and practicing in the moment, so if I write in the book itself, it might be harder to reuse it, personally. 🙎🏽
I already learned Hiragana and Katakana (and some Kanji for fun) but now I really wanna get into studying the language so I was wondering: would you recommend going through the whole Japanese From Zero series in a linear way and then pass on to something more advanced like Genki or MinnaNoNihongo, or would you recommend buying one of these last two books in an intermedium step throughout the JFZ volumes instead? I'm just asking to get a rough idea if you or someone else think to have a quick tip based from your experience, but I also do know that this could be something that I'll just figure out by myself at the end of the first volume, based on what I need and what I feel like I'm ready for.
So I also knew Hiragana and Katakana before JFZ, and my two questions for you would be 1. Can you write the characters really well and fast from memory... and 2. Can you read fast?
JFZ helped me with these things even though I had already memorized my kana. So if you need more practice and work on them, I do recommend starting from the beginning! Extra practice is always good anyway, even on the easy stuff
@@GingerGaiden I mean, I could say that I know especially hiragana pretty well just in the perspective that it’s been a few months now that I’ve known the two alphabets, so I’ve internalized them, but I’m not fast at all at reading hahah (just haven’t practiced it). So yeah, I think JFZ1 will do just great for me for sure.
Thank you for your help and for your videos, they’re so good :D
@@ValerioFiorillo thanks so much! Good luck in your studies and I hope JFZ helps you out!
I used these books to prep for my trip to Japan, they are great!
They are very helpful for travel!
Absolutely!! Jfz’s books are the best! Unfortunately from the third book to the fourth I felt lost 😞 dunno why but it feels like the gap between these two books was too much 😞
Go and watch the video lessons on Japanese from zero on TH-cam 🙂 that might take care of the problem as George is so good at explaining!
I just got my Japanese from Zero 1 book a few days ago, I am picking up Japanese so fast because of it!
You will love the book! Good luck
@@GingerGaiden I am loving it! Only issue is just remembering the vocab though...
@@randomlyaccepted5215 Flashcards, flashcards, flashcards!! Best way (i think) to learn words! repeat and once you get things wrong, wait 10 minutes and try again!
I've been with George since 2000 to his TH-cam videos are great I really watched them over and over again no matter at what stage I am in the Ceres I have booked 12 and 3 have had them for like 2 or 3 years now I just haven't been able to get up to number 3 yet however I totally agree with you and I will make a follow up video to Japanese firm 0 him but yeah I would say hes the number one way to go when learning Japanese he makes it fun and interesting and also I use Japanese anime with misa she's great as well And um I love the khanji from 0 book as well I think it's great but everything you set up video is spot on
Wow! A long time JFZ huh? Thanks for watching
The rewards of Japanese is why I love the language. The challenges of japanese is why I love the language. I possess an interestingly accurate and strong memory so I think that has helped me
Love this!!! I bought JFZ last week and I'm so excited!
You won't regret it! Love the books so much
how are the study going?
I have kana from zero,I really want to buy the Japanese from zero book 1 but it’s too expensive 😢
Boy it for Christmas. It’s a book and a workbook together
@@layla7786 I’m a Muslim so we don’t have Christmas 😭but I ‘m saving money to buy some japanese textbooks
I bought the first book oh boy I’m EXCITED 😭 my goal is to be able to live in Japan one day.(Shibuya specifically) 🤍👍🏾 thanks for this review
Nice!!! Good luck in ur studying!
Thanks for making this, i feel the same way you do at studying
I'm currently on Book 4 and yes it's been a good ride. I'm more fluent than I ever was before.
good video, I was gonna start with genki but I'll do this one first, sounds perfect for me
Good luck in your studies!
What jfz books are needed for passing n5?
What does N5 mean
@@layla7786 jlpt n5
2:26 I saw your show THE BIG BANG THEORY. Happy to see you doing well in life. How is howard?
thanks for this! i just ordered this book, hopefully it works for me!
Have done a few months of study, but using disparate sources. Super comfortable with writing & vocab, but have yet to find a good workbook to reinforce/test myself. Japanese the Manga Way is an amazing explainer for grammar btw! No workbook though :(
Thinking of purchasing for highschool curriculum since I'm homeschooled.. most homeschooled courses only give Spanish and French
This would be perfect for homeschooling I think
@@GingerGaiden okay thank you for the input!
Good tip, I'll grab a copy!
I am learning Japanese right now and I actually ordered the Japanese from zero book and it’s supposed to arrive by Wednesday so...
You'll love it!!
Can you recommend reading book 🤧...I am weak in reading..
May I ask how long it took you to finish one book? Did you have a study/learning lesson/plan that you did? Or like a schedule? Any tips would be helpful! (I'm halfway on your video) ❤️❤️❤️
Hmmm If I remember right, I took about 2 or 3 months on Book One working very slowly! I did about a lesson a week to really remember the vocabulary and writing system. My main tip would be to get some flash cards and study the vocabulary from the book in that way to memorise them. It also helps to write your own extra sentences in a notebook.