If you've tried learning Japanese before, maybe you've been frustrated by the complex grammar descriptions in textbooks and language learning websites. To you, the grammar rules of Japanese may look just as complicated as that of English, not to mention the countless exceptions to those rules that appear to be scattered throughout the language at random. It might seem impossible to learn such a complicated language, especially when it's written with all those confusing Chinese symbols.

But what if we told you that Japanese is, in fact, one of the most straightforward, easily-understandable, and clear languages in the world? Look at the facts: countless people speak Japanese all across the world. Moreover, for hundreds of years, millions of schoolchildren in Japan have learned how to speak Japanese just fine.

"But how?" you might ask, thinking back to all those complicated grammar rules. "Are Japanese second graders just that much smarter than me?"

Not impossible. But since you made it to this website, we have to assume that you're at least as smart as some of them.

On the contrary, the truth is that many western learners of Japanese struggle with the language because it is taught to them in the wrong way.

You see, in a second grade class in Japan, they don't teach the language through certain phrases because they are easy to translate. They don't use western grammatical terms like "passive voice" and "conjugation" to talk about concepts that arose in a language where those words don't even exist. They don't cover how all the grammar rules function "mostly" like they do in English, except for a wide set of exceptions where they're different.

Believe it or not, most Japanese second graders don't know anything about passive voice or conjugation. Therefore, unlike many textbooks and Japanese learning websites you may be familiar with, they are taught Japanese without any references to English or any other western languages at all.

And think about it: isn't that actually... simpler?

Doesn't it make more sense to learn a language without viewing it through the lens of a completely different language, from a completely different continent, with a completely different set of grammar rules that, of course, don't map 1:1?

Doesn't it seem better, not to mention easier, to just learn Japanese as it actually exists?

Here at nihonkarano.com, our mission is to avoid complicated and irrelevant explanations of western grammar and instead connect you with native educational and media resources from Japan. Our lessons, tools, and resources will speed your language acquisition and enable you to transition to authentic reading, writing, and speaking as you learn Japanese from Japan.

In our very first lesson, we look at a real worksheet used to teach basic grammar in a Japanese second grade classroom and learn some Japanese at a level that even an eight-year-old can understand. Still, by the end of the lesson, you will be familiar with how to approach native learning resources, as well as several Japanese concepts that are never even explained in many western textbooks. And we'll do it all without relying on forced translations or complicated explanations of English grammar.

If written lessons aren't your thing, you can check out our many learning resources sourced from Japan or the variety of Japanese educational tools developed in house by our team.