Wednesday, September 28th
2022 Japanese Lesson Reviews
italki
- Online tutoring in Japanese
- Prices start at $5/hour (or less during a trial period)
- Over 1,200 tutors to choose from
- Convenient scheduling
- Excellent way to develop better spoken fluency and accent
One of the reasons Japanese can be hard to learn is because it's hard to find anyone to practice with. Let italki come to your rescue! This platform has over 1200 professional teachers and community tutors ready to help you.
Easy and fun to browse instructor profiles
Looking through all of the teacher profiles on italki is really fun! You can watch intro videos to get a feel for their personalities, their approach to teaching, and how well they speak English (because you'll need to understand them, after all!). As you browse, click on the heart to save any favorites for later, when you're ready to get started with your Japanese lessons. You can use the filters to sort instructors by other languages they speak or by type (i.e. professional teacher with formal educational experience or a community tutor), but the filters we think would be most helpful aren't there: number of lessons completed, how long they've been working on italki, or their ratings average.
No shortage of experience here
Although some teachers on italki may just be starting out or only have a few completed lessons, it's not hard to find ones that have thousands of successful sessions in their history. For instance, we found a community tutor named Kaho who had nearly 3000 lessons on the books at the time of our review. And, despite being labeled as a "community tutor" , her profile revealed that she had recently completed a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition at the University of Barcelona!
Click on instructor profiles for detailed info
Each teacher/tutor profile lets you know much more about how they provide Japanese lessons. While you'll find that they're heavily-based on conversational skills, most teachers here also include homework assignments, grammar lessons, and anything else you need to improve your Japanese - because the lessons are customized to meet your specific needs and goals. Going back to our example tutor, Kaho, her profile showed that she offers sessions to learn Japanese through anime, help with business presentations, and homework support.
Costs
- From $5/hour to $60/hour
- Discounted rates on trial lessons
Extremely affordable one-on-one Japanese lessons
If you paid for a private tutor to come to your home, it's not unreasonable to say you'd probably spend at least $25/hour or more. On italki, you can get personalized instruction for under $10/hour - and most instructors give you a shorter trial lesson for less than $5. It's true that there are Japanese tutors here that charge more than $25 per hour, but you can always select the person that best fits your budget. There's also no long-term commitments, monthly subscriptions, or any other big charges for these Japanese lessons.
Online scheduling based on your time zone
Ready to sign up for a lesson? All you have to do is click on the calendar of any italki tutor that interests you to see his or her availability. You can select any open time block: the calendar you see is based on your own time zone, according to the clock on your phone or computer. Even the most popular tutors often have next-day openings: our instructor from earlier, Kaho, was able to fit us in on several different days in the upcoming week.
Students give these Japanese lessons lots of compliments
Across the board, people love using italki to learn Japanese (and more than 100 other languages). You'll have a hard time finding anything less than a five-star review - for the tutors or for the company itself. We encourage you to read through the student reviews of the instructors you're considering; you'll feel reassured and excited at the same time, seeing how successful these Japanese lessons are for, well, practically everyone.
Who shouldn't use italki?
On the other hand, there are some Japanese students who might not find italki to be the best fit for their lessons. First, if you don't have a solid internet connection and a reasonably private space to have a video call, you're not going to be very successful here: it's difficult to practice speaking Japanese if you're in a quiet library or you're using unreliable public WiFi. Also, you'll need to have a certain level of confidence to work face-to-face with a native speaker - or, at least, you're not super-embarrassed by making mistakes! Especially for absolute newbies, italki's Japanese lessons might be a little intimidating.
Ideal Japanese lessons for building spoken fluency
Although italki does have those two minor disadvantages, this is still one of our most recommended providers of Japanese lessons. There aren't very many programs that offer the kind of spoken fluency you can get by working with an italki tutor, and the hourly pricing here is going to be much more affordable than trying to find a native speaker near you. While you may need to pair your sessions on italki with a more traditional method of learning Japanese (like another program in our review?), this service should be the first you consider if you want to speak Japanese like - and with! - a native.
More Japanese Lesson Reviews
The 9 Best Japanese Lessons
Where Can You Find the Best Japanese Lessons Online?
Lots of people ask that question because Japanese is the fifth-most studied language in the United States! What's driving its popularity? It'll come as no surprise that many learners develop an interest in Japanese because of manga, anime, and video games. Others realize that speaking Japanese can offer significant advantages in the worlds of technology and business. And, of course, many travelers like to learn at least the basics before spending time in Japan - to better appreciate the culture and to communicate more effectively in-country.
No matter what your reasons are, studying Japanese can be challenging. Because it uses a writing system that's completely different from what you already know from English, learning it can take much longer than mastering languages that use the Roman alphabet (like Spanish or German). You might even need to figure out how to use your keyboard differently!
Japanese Lesson FAQ
Continued from above...
Also, it used to be tricky just to find Japanese lessons. If you didn't live near a university or in an area with a significant Japanese-speaking population, your chances of finding classes were pretty slim.
Not anymore! Today there are many ways to take Japanese classes online, from traditional grammar lessons and flashcards for memorization, to live video sessions with a personal tutor who can help you master a flawless accent. Whether you need an app you can use on-the-go to sneak in study sessions or you have plenty of time to sit at a computer and practice, you'll have no problem finding Japanese lessons that match your availability and your budget.
As you start to explore the possibilities for taking Japanese lessons, you might feel a bit overwhelmed. How can you determine which program is right for you? You may find it helpful to keep the following criteria in mind as you consider your options:
- Teaching Style. Japanese lessons can be delivered in a variety of ways, such as game-like apps, one-on-one sessions over video, and exercises that help you speak, read, write and understand the language. Pick a platform that feels like a natural fit for the way you learn best.
- Free Trial. It's hard to know if a language program is a good match without giving it a try! Take full advantage of any sample lessons, limited-time access to the student dashboard, or any other opportunity to use the Japanese lessons before you purchase a package or subscription.
- Levels of Difficulty. Most Japanese lessons are suitable for beginners, but what about as you advance? Choosing a platform with plenty of content across fluency levels - beginner, intermediate, and advanced - means that you won't have to start the search over again as you become more proficient in Japanese.
- Satisfaction Guarantee. Once you've paid for a membership or bought a lesson package, can you get a refund if you change your mind? Read the terms carefully, especially if you're using Japanese lessons that are subscription-based.
To help you get the most out of your language studies, Top Consumer Reviews has tested, evaluated and ranked the best options for online Japanese lessons today. We know this information will give you all the info you need to choose the best program for your learning style and schedule.
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