Japanese language learning software

Hajimemashite! (attemtps to show off his kindergarten level of ability!)

Hey you lot. Saisho ni (firstly) I've been using some software called "BYKI" (I think its before you know it) and it seems to be going great. I'm mostly using it because its free though

The learning is great (I know all my colours and animals)...and since I'm not particularly interested in reading Kanji/haringana etc I can focus on repeating the sounds I hear and then watch some Japanese anime and pick out things I've learnt etc

I was wondering if anyone who'd used it had found any problems with it. Really I just wanted to make sure the whole thing was reliable.

Saigo ni (lastly) This software I'm using I'm sure will only take me so far...whats the next stop on the list for a free only language learner?

Cheers for your help everyone...I'll probably run colours, animals etc by you on later posts

Ato de!
Pablo

はじめまして！

Alright! I learned two new phrases today! 最初にと最後に (saisho ni and saigo ni)
I've been learning mostly through podcasts, which is great if you're only looking for listening comprehension (since most podcasts are audio only) and it makes it easy tot learn Japanese if you already have an iPod. There are dozens of free Japanese learning podcasts. Particularly JapanesePod101 (japanesepod101.com) is an excellent resource especially for learning common phrases, etc. If you're a big anime/manga buff, there's Paul and Hitomi's podcast (Japancast.net) whose lessons are more or less revolved around anime. The third biggie is Learn Japanese with Beb and Alex (japanese.libsyn.com).

Hope that helps! And がんばってね！(good luck!)

There are a ton of free learn japanese podcasts that I like using. Especially if you're only aiming for listening comprehension and oral communication, I think podcasts would be a great way to learn. The best one that I've stumbled upon is JapanesePod101. They have free audio lessons every day and a variety of proficiency levels (newbie, beginner, intermediate, advanced) and bonus "premium" content for paying subscribers. You should check it out! It really helped me to get exposed to the language and culture.

Another helpful one is Learn Japanese with Beb and Alex. It's less formal and classroom-like than JapanesePod101. The host of the podcast is much more fun and casual with his listeners which makes the podcast more entertaining.

If you're a big anime and manga fan, there's Learn Japanese @ Japancast. It's more or less centered on anime and manga. But it's not nearly as structured as the previous two podcasts that I mentioned.
I hope that helps and がんばって！ (good luck)