There are a lot of reasons to start your kids learning a new language: preparation for a move to a new country, giving them greater ability to communicate with relatives and friends or simply to encourage a lifelong love of learning. Japanese, with its multiple alphabets, can seem daunting at first but can be incredibly fun for kids, thanks to the amount of Japanese popular culture that may interest them.
The top book for young learners is I’m Learning Japanese!: Learn to Speak, Read and Write the Basics because not only does it cover vocabulary, writing and sentence structure, it does so in a way that’s fun and encourages independent learning. Depending on your child’s age and learning style, there are many factors that might go into your choice of a Japanese language-learning resource, so here are a few things to keep in mind.
What to know before you buy a Japanese book for kids
Written vs. spoken language
While English has only one alphabet, Japanese has four: Kanji, complex Chinese-based characters; Hiragana, a phonetic alphabet for Japanese words; Katakana, a phonetic alphabet for foreign-derived words; and Romaji, the phonetic use of Latin characters similar to English. Anyone learning Japanese will eventually have to know how to use all of these, but tackling them all is far too much when starting out, and books that require kids to understand all of them from the beginning are overwhelming.
At this age, it’s most important to inspire children to want to continue learning, so focusing on spoken language is best in order to get them to use the words they learn. Any book that deals with writing should also explain how to say the words, and for additional help, you may want to try giving your child a translation device that can help them learn to say the words they most want to know.
Pictures
As these books are for children, a dry recitation of vocabulary words or repetitive writing exercises won’t impress them. They need bright, colorful illustrations not only to gain their interest but to keep them coming back. Associating words with pictures can help them remember what they’ve learned, and if a book is entertaining enough, you may find they’ll pick up some of the Japanese without even trying.
Pronunciation
While you’d like your kids to become fluent in Japanese, you might not be, and you don’t want to teach them incorrectly or have them pick up your bad habits. That’s when books with pronunciation guides are useful: to teach you how to say the words properly when reading to your kids. This is especially important with words that sound similar to English, as it may be difficult to discern the slight differences between the Japanese and English versions of a given word. Some books have phonetic pronunciation guides, while others link to audio programs so children can listen to the spoken form of the words they see on the page.
Japanese book for kids features
Writing training
Not only can reading Japanese be a challenge, but writing it is even more complicated. Characters in Japanese have a specific order of strokes in order to be written correctly, so anyone planning to enroll in a Japanese school or take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test needs to learn the proper stroke order. The best books should show readers how to write these characters and offer some blank spaces for them to practice. If your book offers some squares to practice writing Hiragana, photocopy those pages so your kids can get in lots of practice.
Audiobooks
As your kids get older, they may not want to have you read to them but may also find books aren’t stimulating enough. Because Japanese is so different from English, there’s no reason to settle on a single method for learning the language. In addition to written texts, there are many audiobooks available, as well as some audio programs that don’t have written versions, giving you a greater breadth of material to try when determining how your young student learns best.
Stories
Though it may seem like a story is a given for a children’s book, the truth is that many language-learning books lack proper stories, and are instead just lists of words and pronunciations. This may be fine for older readers who are motivated to learn, but young kids have to be inspired, and an engrossing story will make them want to hear the book read to them again and again before they even have an understanding of why they’d want to learn Japanese. Of course, if the story isn’t exciting, kids may give up early, so finding something entertaining is as important as finding something educational.
Japanese book for kids cost
Even in hardcover, the best Japanese books for kids rarely cost more than $20, making them generally affordable. If you’re interested in audiobooks, services like Audible occasionally offer free and discounted books that are quite cheap, giving kids a chance to hear a fluent speaker pronounce these new words.
Japanese book for kids FAQ
How many Japanese Kanji are there?
A. There are actually more than 50,000 Kanji characters in existence. However, most of these are not widely used, and the majority of Japanese people don’t know anywhere near this number. In Japanese schools, kids generally learn a little over 2,000 Kanji, and foreigners are tested on around 2,000 of the most common Kanji when they certify their Japanese language proficiency. Don’t worry too much about learning every Kanji, as knowing obscure written characters is not as important as learning to speak Japanese, which is much simpler.
What’s the fastest way to learn Japanese?
A. There are certainly lots of methods out there, including books, audio programs, computer games, apps and in-person or virtual lessons. They all take different approaches, and if you find one that your child likes, there’s no reason not to encourage them to use it, since ultimately you won’t want to employ just one method. The most important thing when starting out is to get them to enjoy practicing these new words, because the more they use them, the more they’ll become ingrained in their minds, and the more fun they’re having, the more they’ll want to learn. That’s why starting early with bright and entertaining books is so effective: kids can pick things up without feeling like they’re doing work or being forced, and if their curiosity is inspired, they’ll want to learn more on their own.
Which Japanese book for kids should I get?
Best of the best Japanese book for kids
I’m Learning Japanese!: Learn to Speak, Read and Write the Basics: available at Amazon
Our take: Taking the first step in Japanese (or any foreign language) can be daunting, but this book written by Christian Galan and illustrated by Florence Lerot-Calvo eases kids into the subject with a comic-book style that makes the initial confusion part of the fun.
What we like: Covers the entire Hiragana alphabet along with 23 Kanji. Features staples of Japanese culture like Zen, onsen and sumo. 128 pages of material include lessons on writing characters.
What we dislike: This title is best for older kids capable of reading on their own and will be too complex for younger students.
Best bang for your buck Japanese book for kids
First Words – Japanese: 100 Japanese Words to Learn: available at Amazon
Our take: Since this book from Lonely Planet Kids covers 100 of the most common words tourists might use while traveling (like those related to food and shopping), it’s helpful for adults as well as kids.
What we like: Includes Hiragana/Katakana, Romaji and pronunciation for each word. Bright color pictures are eye-catching. QR code provides a link to a free audio pronunciation guide.
What we dislike: While it can be extremely helpful in learning some vocabulary, it doesn’t cover sentence structure and doesn’t have any kind of story, making it more like a set of flashcards than a real book.
Honorable mention Japanese book for kids
My First Book of Japanese Words: An ABC Rhyming Book of Japanese Language and Culture: available at Amazon
Our take: You can introduce young children to the sounds of Japanese with this title from Michelle Haney Brown and Aya Padron, which has gorgeous color illustrations to match its whimsical rhyming tale about animals.
What we like: Has a pronunciation guide to help parents who aren’t Japanese speakers. Shows Kanji and Hiragana alongside the English/Romaji text and pictures to slowly ease kids into seeing Japanese written characters. Small factoids add additional educational value.
What we dislike: It’s very simple, so although this is a good book to read with young kids, it won’t get them very far into learning the language, and ultimately you’ll need more resources to teach them to speak in sentences.
Gregg Parker is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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