Don't mind the super awesome anime-Aaron. He is here to set the mood of how fun (and important) language learning is. In fact, you should call him エイくん (say the letter "A" and then "kun" from "racoon"). Boom! You are already learning Japanese reading and pronunciation.
So much of what we do is built upon our ability to communicate. The Bible calls us to go and make disciples, teaching them to obey all that Jesus has taught us. Being able to speak is foundational for making disciples. I mean, you can't really teach without speaking.
If you are not familiar with our four core pillars of ministry, our third pillar is "Language". For us, it is a joy and privilege (and sometimes burden) to learn the language of the local people. We care deeply about speaking to them in ways that they understand and are moved by. Speaking their literal language does that!
We dream of creating a resource (and one day a school) where believers can be equipped to share the Gospel with those God has given them grace to reach. GOEN (pronounced "Go"-"N") will be a humble beginning of mostly references, links, and tips, but we pray it will bless you and prepare you to grow in your ability to preach the Good News and to "goen" make disciples... yes, I went for it, and no, that was not actually intenional when picking the name.
MY PERSONAL FAVORITES
Bunpro
Fluent Forever
WaniKani
Bunpro is the equivalent of the PC in the "PC vs Mac" debate. Bunpro is all business, with a focus on passing the various JLPT levels. It is not designed to be the simplest UI, but it is extremely powerful and is, in my opinion, the strongest grammar-equipping service out there.
*One month free
**Japanese only
WaniKani
Fluent Forever
WaniKani
Arguably, the most intimidating aspect of Japanese is its writing system. Kanji, specifically, is one of the great "gatekeepers" preventing many from wanting to study. If Bunpro is the PC, then WaniKani is the Mac in our metaphor, designed to make learning Kanji easy, fun, and approachable.
*Free to level 4
**Japanese only
CIJ
Fluent Forever
Fluent Forever
The single most effective way to learn a language is with "comprehensible input". This is when the language is not translated, but the meaning is understood thanks to the context in which you are hearing, or reading. This site continues to grow in excellence and has many videos available for free.
*Free videos, but most are locked behind subscription
**Japanese only
Fluent Forever
Fluent Forever
Fluent Forever
Apps and language learning are like a peanut butter and cheese sandwich. It works for a very few "special" cases, but it mostly does not work well together. However, Fluent Forever is an app worth using. The content is actually useful and actually memorable. My personal love for this app is that it firsts begins with training you in hearing your target languge.
*14 day free trial