Some people say you should learn the written Hiragana and Katakana before learning the vocabulary, others teach without any written activities to start. How you learn best will determine which path you take I guess.

There are many, many free resources available, especially on the internet (but as I keep saying - go to your library!)

FreeJapaneselessons.com gives you 10 lessons, but I personally found them a bit complex - but as we all have different learning styles, you should check them out in case they suit your style. They include the different styles of writing used in Japanese, and some detail on grammar.

Some of you will want to practice writing, so a great Japanese word processor is JWPce. It is full of features usually found in commercial (and expensive) software. It is a little tricky to install, so make sure you read the instructions first - but it is well worth the effort.  Another totally free word processor is Wakan which can be used for both Japanese and Chinese. You can add freeware dictionaries to Wakan to increase its vocabulary as well.

TheJapanesePage.com site has many helpful links within it, though like quite a few of the Japanese sites, they can be a little confusing in their layout

Kantango is a free site dedicated to Japanese vocabulary that requires you to register to use it. You can create word lists, then the site will create flash cards for you to test yourself with

About.com has a Japanese page (plus many other languages) that includes a link to sound files to hear the correct pronunciation of many words

Talksushi.com is a subscription site, but has several free video lessons included, plus an ezine that includes free lessons

EBay has many language books (many in electronic format) offered. The e-Books are often available for a couple of dollars, so might be considered good value. I found them by searching for the words "language lessons".

When you can read and write Japanese well, have a look at Sanseido. This is a Japanese dictionary site - but it has NO English links, so when I say "well", I mean "VERY well"

Also see our Not for Free link as most of these companies have very high quality Japanese lessons - but they will cost you!

Over time, more links to Japanese resources will be added. Why not bookmark this page and come back real soon!