Learning Japanese on you DS

As I have recently purchased a Nintendo DS LL I have began to start a collection of Japanese learning games for the system. So far I have only purchased a couple of games in this category, although I did buy the Japanese version of Zelda: Spirit Tracks but it's not necessarily teaching me Japanese. Included is a short list (very short) of games I've been using so far.








My Japanese Coach is a good game for complete beginners and advanced learners. It includes lesson reviews, games, and teaches the Japanese Kana and Kanji. All the explanations are in English so it's very easy to navigate. Most lessons include vocabulary and others include grammar points. Each lesson is recorded so you can hear the words spoken in natural Japanese.

Kakitori-kun: Tadashii Kanji is a Japanese
game for elementary kids to practice and learn
Kanji for years 1-6. This game is all in Japanese
so it's verydifficult to navigate when using the
games and tests, but the overall Kanji writing
section is very intuitive. The major missing
element in this game is it contains no Kanji
readings unless you use a sort of hint guide
within one of the tests. Even though, it's a
very good resource for practicing writing Kanji
without using a lot of paper.

Both of these games have arbitrary recognition rules for the Kana and Kanji on the correct way it should be written. Kakitori-kun has a traditional approach to writing Kana that I have a lot of difficulty with, but the Kanji is pretty straightforward that I have no problems with. I recommend these games for the avid and motivated Japanese learner of any age.

Both of these games can also be purchased at Play-Asia.com, see the banner below.

Happy Learning!

ジョシュア