Hi Rainey!

Yes, I think the Japanese from Zero 1 book is great for for absolute beginners. The “Hiragana and Katakana for Beginners” is also a awesome book. If you can I would get both, but the Japanese from Zero 1 I believe teaches you how to write Hiragana if I remember correctly. So if you only can get one book, go with the Japanese from Zero book. The Hiragana and Katakana for Beginners goes into more detail, which will be helpful if you plan on study Japanese long-term, and especially if you are doing a lot of self-studying. Hope this helps. Have fun on your journey learning Japanese!

Hi Madison. I hope you’re doing great.

Yup. If you complete the Japanese from Zero 1 book, Genki 1 would be a good follow-up book. There will be some overlap in the material you learn however. It’s just that if you’re a complete beginner, I think starting off with Genki I is too difficult. If you know some basic hiragana and grammar, Genki I would be okay. But if you’re starting without any knowledge of Japanese, go for the Japanese from Zero 1 book. If you can’t afford to get both books, learn the basics of Japanese for free from our guide here: Absolute Beginners Guide to Learning Japanese. If you learn the material in that guide, you should be able to use Genki I without much problems. Or, if you can only afford to get one thing to learn Japanese, I really like the lessons on Japanesepod101. The only problem with that is you have to pay a monthly fee (unless you get a yearly or lifetime deal), which costs more than most books. But it is the most complete resource I have found.

Hope this helps! If you have any other questions please ask anytime!

*best

Hi Keeley! The Japanese from Zero book does teach you how to write the hiragana characters. It also has spaces for you to practice writing the characters in the book. However, all of the characters are not taught together. The hiragana lessons are spread out throughout the entire book. Each set of hiragana characters are taught at different parts of the book to match up with new words/grammar using those characters. If you just want to focus on learning hiragana/katakana, Japanese from Zero might not be the best option. But if don’t mind studying grammar and vocabulary at the same time, the Japanese from Zero book is great.

Hi Isabella. If you’re an absolute beginner, I don’t recommend the Genki book. The Genki book is a good book for learning Japanese, however, I think it’s a little too difficult for someone just starting. I would learn the basics first, then move on to the Genki books. The Japanese from Zero book you got is great. I think the information presented is easy to understand, and fun to study. So good choice! We also published a guide for absolute beginners who want to learn Japanese. We go over the basics and list resources to teach you hiragana, vocabulary words, and basic grammar. You can check out the guide here: The Complete Guide to Learning Japanese for Absolute Beginners. Good luck in your studies and have fun!