My Experience with Japanese From Zero!: A Genuine Look at Learning Japanese

When I first decided to learn Japanese, I was honestly terrified. Those beautiful but alien characters, the completely different sentence structure, the tales of impossible keigo politeness levels… it all seemed like climbing Mount Fuji without any training. Then a friend recommended Japanese From Zero!, and something clicked for me in a way other resources hadn’t.

What Japanese From Zero! Actually Is

At its heart, Japanese From Zero! is a learning system that doesn’t assume you already know anything about Japanese (which, let’s be honest, most of us don’t when we start). Created by George Trombley—an American who became fluent in Japanese as an adult—and his Japanese co-author Yukari Takenaka, it feels like it was designed by people who remember what it’s like to be confused.

The series combines physical textbooks with free YouTube video lessons where George walks you through each concept. There’s something reassuring about learning from someone who once struggled with the same things you’re struggling with now.

Why It Worked For Me

What immediately drew me in was how the series eases you into the language. Instead of forcing you to memorize all hiragana before learning a single word (which had killed my motivation previously), Japanese From Zero! gradually introduces characters while teaching you useful phrases.

I remember the satisfaction of writing my first complete sentence in hiragana after just a few lessons. That early win kept me going when things got tougher.

The explanations are refreshingly straightforward. When George explains particles like は and が, he doesn’t get lost in linguistic terminology—he tells you how real Japanese people actually use them, with examples you might actually say.

And the video lessons? They were a lifesaver for me. Sometimes reading an explanation in the book wouldn’t click, but watching George demonstrate it with his enthusiasm and occasional dad jokes made everything clearer. There were lessons I replayed multiple times while doing chores until concepts finally sank in.

Who This Series Is Perfect For

If you’re anything like me—someone who gets overwhelmed easily and has abandoned language learning attempts before—this series feels tailor-made for you. It’s designed for:

People who need concepts broken down into bite-sized pieces (my language learning nemesis has always been courses that throw too much at you at once)

Self-learners who don’t have access to a classroom or tutor (the videos feel like having a personal teacher)

Visual learners who benefit from seeing concepts demonstrated (raising my hand here)

Anyone who’s tried and given up on Japanese before because it seemed too hard (definitely me)

A Look at the Books

The five books in the series build on each other in a way that feels natural. I never experienced that awful feeling of “wait, when did we learn this?” that I’ve had with other language programs.

Book 1 was where I finally conquered hiragana without wanting to tear my hair out. By the end, I could introduce myself and handle super basic conversations.

Book 2 introduced katakana, and suddenly I could read all those Japanese words that are actually English loanwords. Ordering at restaurants got a whole lot easier!

Book 3 was where things started feeling “real” to me—learning past tense meant I could actually tell stories, not just state facts.

Books 4 and 5 expanded my abilities to the point where I could have simple but genuine conversations with Japanese friends without constantly reaching for a dictionary.

The Online Component

The YesJapan website became my go-to for quiz practice. Something about the immediate feedback helped cement concepts in my mind. The digital flashcards were perfect for quick practice sessions during lunch breaks at work.

The Good and the Less-Than-Perfect

No resource is perfect, and Japanese From Zero! does have some quirks. The pace sometimes felt too slow, especially in the early books. There were days I’d zoom through multiple lessons because I was ready for more challenges.

The heavy reliance on English explanations is a double-edged sword. It made concepts crystal clear to me as a beginner, but eventually I needed to “cut the cord” and immerse myself more fully in Japanese-only materials to progress further.

And yes, once you finish Book 5, you’ll need to find other resources to continue advancing. But by then, you’ll have the foundation to tackle those more advanced materials without feeling lost.

Final Thoughts From Someone Who’s Been There

Japanese From Zero! won’t make you fluent on its own—no single resource can. But what it did for me was invaluable: it gave me confidence. It took Japanese from “impossible foreign language” to “challenging but learnable skill.”

Three years after starting Book 1, I traveled to Japan and successfully navigated trains, ordered food, and had simple conversations with locals. The look of surprise and appreciation on people’s faces when I spoke Japanese instead of assuming they knew English made all those hours of study worthwhile.

If you’re standing at the starting line of your Japanese learning journey, feeling intimidated but excited, I can’t think of a better first step than this series. It won’t take you all the way to fluency, but it will build the foundation that makes fluency possible someday.

And sometimes, that first step is the hardest one to take.