TextFugu is an online Japanese textbook made by Koichi (from Tofugu, the site you’re looking at right now) for beginners of Japanese. It’s made especially for self-learners of Japanese and focuses on fixing a lot of the problems self-learners tend to face (burn-out, getting stuck, staying motivated, etc). Because TextFugu is an online textbook, it makes use of things like audio, video, worksheets, and other fancy things that make the learning experience better. If you’re the right kind of learner (self-learner+beginner) TextFugu’s made exactly for you. If you’re another kind of learner, it might be worth taking a look at some of the other resources you can find in the Japanese Resources section! (Of course, you’re always welcome to email Koichi if you have questions, too).
Pros
- Helps you to stay motivated with a mix of psychology, inspiration, humor, and simplicity.
- You can email the author to get questions answered (and your questions also help to shape changes as well!)
- Weekly updates, new lessons, etc.
- Use of audio and video with lessons (don’t know how to pronounce something in the textbook? Just hit the audio button to find out!).
- Complicated concepts are made simple.
- You’re told exactly what you need to do to learn Japanese (think of it like the difference between going to a gym without a personal trainer vs. with a personal trainer … sometimes it’s just really nice to be told what to do in order to move forward and learn some Japanese!).
- Kanji is tackled in a way that actually makes learning kanji easy. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. You’ll wonder why anyone learns kanji in another way.
- Member forums are a great way to get questions answered, get motivation, and learn a lot about Japanese outside the regular lessons. The community is really active, welcoming and helpful!
Cons
- Not made for groups / classrooms.
- Still mostly only beginner content (if you’re a newbie or beginner, then it’s perfect for you). If you’re intermediate or advanced, there isn’t much content for you (yet, though that will eventually change).
- Not great for people who love fancy grammar terms and or are linguistics nerds.
Final Word?
I think TextFugu is a great resource, but it’s not for everyone. If it was made for you, however… well, then it’s like TextFugu was made for you ;) I made (and am still making!) TextFugu to be a sort of anti-textbook… It makes complicated things incredibly simple, it is incredibly personal (email the author and give it a try!), and it’s always improving and getting new lessons. Basically, it won’t become a doorstop. If you like the writing of Tofugu, then you’ll surely like TextFugu as well. Try out the free lessons to see if it’s for you!