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Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese

Book · Language learning · 36 mentions · 1 subreddit · discussed in r/LearnJapanese

Reddit take

Not enough linked mention summaries yet; the source excerpts below are the evidence.

Pros

  • IMO you should learn grammar from an actual guide (Genki, Tae Kim, etc.) and leave vocab to Anki.
  • Sometimes I dive into grammar videos and Tae Kim.
  • I rushed through Tae Kim and Kaishi 1k words from a premade deck in 3 weeks then started reading Visual Novels.
  • I also read Tae Kim a chapter or two a week. ... Re-reading tae kim slowly.
  • If grammar is important to you (very much is, if you are wanting to actually understand Japanese), supplement this method with Cure Dolly or Tae Kim example sentences.

Cons

  • Are you using any learning system for general knowledge and grammar? Genki1 or tae kim or something?
  • Tae Kim also has a lot of questionable remarks and at the end of the day he's just written a beginner resource for people just starting out with Japanese. I have things I disagree with both with Tae Kim and Cure Dolly but realistically s...
  • I think a lot of people are looking for The Final Word on は and latch onto the first mostly functional guideline they come across. It used to be Tae Kim, then Cure Dolly, now it's whatever YouTuber.
  • Tae Kim is fine, but not a learning resource. It is a grammar guide. Just like a lexicon, you do not "study" it.
  • But Tae Kim, though he never seems to explicitly define them, refers to clauses as 'relative' that aren't structured that way?

Sentiment

24 positive (67%) · 11 mixed (31%) · 1 negative (3%)

Trust + time weighted score: +58% · raw score 64%

What redditors said (10 of 36)

Are you using any learning system for general knowledge and grammar? Genki1 or tae kim or something?
mixed · u/e****m · r/LearnJapanese · comment · Aug 28, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
Tae Kim also has a lot of questionable remarks and at the end of the day he's just written a beginner resource for people just starting out with Japanese. I have things I disagree with both with Tae Kim and Cure Dolly but realistically speaking Cure Dolly's explanations are more incorrect than Tae Kim's on this matter.
mixed · u/m****_ · r/LearnJapanese · comment · Feb 12, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
I think a lot of people are looking for The Final Word on は and latch onto the first mostly functional guideline they come across. It used to be Tae Kim, then Cure Dolly, now it's whatever YouTuber.
mixed · u/M****r · r/LearnJapanese · comment · Feb 10, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
IMO you should learn grammar from an actual guide (Genki, Tae Kim, etc.) and leave vocab to Anki.
positive · u/S****e · r/LearnJapanese · comment · Feb 5, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
Tae Kim is fine, but not a learning resource. It is a grammar guide. Just like a lexicon, you do not "study" it.
mixed · u/T****y · r/LearnJapanese · comment · Dec 27, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
Sometimes I dive into grammar videos and Tae Kim.
positive · u/t****s · r/LearnJapanese · comment · Jul 4, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
But Tae Kim, though he never seems to explicitly define them, refers to clauses as 'relative' that aren't structured that way?
mixed · u/A****e · r/LearnJapanese · comment · Jan 23, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
Tae Kim mentions the usage of の as taking 'the role of a noun'. Given that this is the entirety of the explanation, I'm not really sure how の takes the role of a noun, or how it affects それ, これ or あれ. I would really appreciate some guidance or resources on what exactly is happening here.
mixed · u/A****e · r/LearnJapanese · comment · Jan 1, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
I rushed through Tae Kim and Kaishi 1k words from a premade deck in 3 weeks then started reading Visual Novels.
positive · u/L****r · r/LearnJapanese · Jul 14, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗
I also read Tae Kim a chapter or two a week. ... Re-reading tae kim slowly.
positive · u/S****9 · r/LearnJapanese · Jan 20, 2025 · open on Reddit ↗ · attribution unverified

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