A Very Different Approach To Learning Japanese

Hi there! My name is Koichi, I'm the author (and founder) of TextFugu. Before we kick things off, I want to start by saying that TextFugu isn't going to be for everyone (and if it's not for you, please let me help you find something that is for you!). That being said, TextFugu was made for a specific type of person, so if you're that type of person, then you're going to have a fabulous experience (and learn Japanese so, so, so fast and effectively).

I created TextFugu for the self-learners out there. Sure, there are other resources out there that say they're good for the solo artist, but I think they're missing the point. When you're learning on your own, motivation and simplicity are top priority. Language learning is 99% sticking with it and 1% everything else, so I wrote a Japanese textbook around these concepts.

There are so many things that makes TextFugu different (definitely read about the features below... or try out the free lessons to see what makes TextFugu unique), but when it comes down to it, here are the top few:

1. Keep people motivated. If you're not motivated, you're not going to continue learning. TextFugu includes your own personal interests in your studies, things are laid out so you are always achieving little victories (which snowball into bigger and bigger victories), and content is made to be interesting. If you don't stay motivated to learn Japanese two weeks, months, or years from now, everyone loses.

2. Keep things simple. If you're studying on your own, simplicity is so important. Just imagine - if you're on your own, and you run into something that doesn't make sense, you're just... stuck! Sometimes you'll be able to get out, but sometimes you won't. Minimizing these "stuck" experiences is incredibly important. The problem with a lot of teachers and resources is that they have the "curse of knowledge." They don't realize that what they're saying is abstract and complicated, either because they know too much already (and don't remember what it was like to learn Japanese a long, long time ago), or they're native speakers of Japanese (which means they've never had any idea what it's like to learn Japanese). TextFugu tries to avoid this as much as possible. Simplifying is just as innovative (if not more innovative) as adding new features. That feels bloaty to me, and distracts you from your real goal, learning Japanese.

3. Keep it real. I grew up wishing Textbooks would quit trying to sound so smart. I don't care if the textbook uses big words. You need to be able to understand what your Japanese textbook is trying to teach you, not be impressed by the big words it uses! Actually, TextFugu's #1 most-loved feature is its "down-to-earth" learning style, which uses concrete examples with a heavy dose of simplicity. Can you dig it?

4. Use brain science! Brain science is a bit of a hobby of mine. Memory and taking advantage of your memory is such an incredibly interesting subject. There are so many great tricks out there that will help you remember things for much, much longer, and you'll get to apply a lot of them in TextFugu. On top of that, every lesson and every section of a lesson builds upong things you already know. This is so important. The goal is to make sure you don't have to outright memorize anything. That's just not how your brain works (think back to the last time you had to memorize something you had absolutely no associations with... was it painful?). Your brain likes to remember things by associating those things with things you already know. TextFugu is all about that. Learning shouldn't cause your brain to sweat.

Back a long time ago, when I was learning Japanese, those are the things I wanted so badly. After referring a lot of people to other, sub-par Japanese textbooks, I finally decided to work on my own, and TextFugu was born. TextFugu, I think, is made for very normal people. It's not made for intellectuals. It's not made for people with PhDs in Linguistics. It's made for regular folk, like you and me. I know exactly what didn't work in my Japanese language education, and I'm hoping to change all of that for you (so you don't have to experience the same amount of pain that I did).

Anyways, if all this doesn't sound like it's right for you, then I'm more than happy to help you find another Japanese learning resource. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to hit the "contact" button and e-mail me. Good luck in your quest to learn Japanese, and talk to you soon, I hope!

The "Big" TextFugu Features

TextFugu is Aliiivvve!

TextFugu won't end up rotting on a shelf somewhere. TextFugu gets updated multiple times a week with new lessons, practice sheets, and more!

Down To Earth Learning

"Real People" don't have PhDs in linguistics, so why should your textbook talk to you like you do? Down to earth explanations makes everything easier.

Kanji That Isn't Painful

TextFugu doesn't follow the "traditional" path when it comes to kanji learning. We've done something different, which means you'll learn kanji faster. Get started with kanji, free!

Simplicity is a Feature

As Einstein once said: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Simple means easy to understand, which means you can be a lot happier.

Time is Precious

There's a finite amount of time you have to study Japanese and TextFugu respects that. TextFugu "cuts the fluff" to make sure you focus on what's really important.

Need Help? Ask The Author

TextFugu doesn't have a huge support team. In fact, whenever you need help, you'll get a response right from the author. It's so much better without a middle-man.

"I know a little bit of Japanese, but TextFugu doesn't just help with Japanese, it's teaching me the most effective way to study, and that's awesome."