IS SATORI READER THE BEST APP TO PRACTICE READING JAPANESE?

[@AnnaBeatriz-ed5bn]

Satori reader is really great. I'm still a beginner and it makes a big difference to me that I can read whole texts without needing to alt+tab to other resources such as dictionaries, translators and so on. Using a single resource for a long while helps me focus. Moreover, since the pronunciation and translations are always in accordance to the context I'm reading a word/expression in, I no longer face the risk of learning the wrong pronunciation / meaning like before.

[@emanuelheard3236]

I finished the Zama 9 Murders! Right now I’m reading 壁の穴 ! I’m on way to becoming fluent. Thank you for everything! 👍🏾

[@ToKiniAndy]

Nice! I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying it! I really enjoyed 壁の穴, or rather, am enjoying. I think it's still going on (I haven't read the newest 5 or so).

[@zerroa]

Yo, never heard of this. I'll definitely recommend this to students 👍

[@ToKiniAndy]

It's so good! I hope they find it useful. =) Thanks for stopping by man!

[@flashgordon6510]

I subscribed to Satori Reader a couple of months ago but found it kind of intimidating (I've only been studying Japanese for a few months), so this explanation and tour of the site really helped! Now I'm reading Hole in the Wall. Soon, I hope I won't be on "baby level" anymore, but I'm very excited to be making progress, and the fact you can link this to your WaniKani account is SO amazing! Thank you!!

[@homerthompson416]

If you're reading 壁の穴 only a few months into your study you're doing pretty great. That's actually what I'm reading right now after having gone through Genki I & II and 2/3 of 上級へのとびら in the last couple of years plus reading some manga (mostly からかい上手の高木さん、よつばと！、 and イジらないで長瀞さん) and I'm still saving about 2-3 words per episode of 壁の穴 in the SRS (though then copy them to anki so I can have all my SRS in one place).

[@jakeblack5331]

I’m at a weird point where I have a decent amount of vocab and kanji under my belt, but still really struggle finding things to read at my level, especially among Aozora Bunko. After this video I went through a couple chapters from the Kiki-Mimi Radio set and knew this is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Signed up right then and there- thanks Andy!

[@ToKiniAndy]

I'm glad to hear that you found it useful! Enjoy! =)

[@AdamCDagg]

Great vid! I've been using Satori Reader for about 2 months now, and one super useful feature not mentioned in the video is that (at least on the website version, I don't use the mobile app) every chapter in a series has a separate comment section. From what I've seen, the creator, Brian Rak, is incredibly active in responding to questions about specific grammar or even technical issues that people might have. You can usually expect a detailed and encouraging response in just a couple hours.

[@ToKiniAndy]

It's definitely something I forgot to mention in the video! Brian works really hard answering everyone's questions. It's a really great app AND community. I still highly recommend it. =)

[@iji_k]

The mobile version has the comments section too.

[@airi8483]

After the first 3 seconds of the video I already started downloading the Satori app. :D I'm a beginner but I can actually slowly follow up the articles; it's exactly what I needed. Thank you Andy. :)

[@ToKiniAndy]

I'm happy to hear that @Airi! Thank you for watching, and I hope that it continues to be useful for you! =)

[@Mylksix]

I've been looking for a way to find Japanese stuff to read, ありがとうございます！

[@ToKiniAndy]

I hope this helps! Thank you for watching. =)

[@MrThybomb]

Thank you so much! I've been struggling to read some of my manga I imported and it's frustrating to have to look up every other kanji. This should help a lot!

[@ToKiniAndy]

I hope this can help you transition to a point where you have less of an issue with the manga. I think that it is definitely a possibility! Thank you for watching! =)

[@daria_gl]

It's pretty great, yeah! I also quite like Todai. Thanks for your work, Andy )

[@ToKiniAndy]

I never heard of Todai. Just looked it up! It looks promising. Thank you for watching! =)

[@spikensalem]

I'm super jazzed to see your review of Satori Reader! I haven't used the SRS very much because I get very overwhelmed with SRS options and already have systems that I use. I think my favorite features are the audio recordings. I love being able to listen to one sentence, or two, or the whole thing! I would loooove to read more of the critter stories

[@ToKiniAndy]

I agree! I haven't read Kona yet, but I've really enjoyed Hole in The Wall. Far more than I expected actually! Good suggestions overall, and thank you for watching!

[@1Callofdutyfan]

Just finished reading my first article on the website! Thank you for recommending this resource to me!! I really appreciate how you really broke down it's pros and cons in a clear and succinct way!

[@ToKiniAndy]

I'm glad that you found the review helpful. I hope you enjoy the stories there =) Thank you for watching!

[@PuipinM]

Back in high school I wanted to learn Japanese. We didn't have a class so i was trying to argue I could use Human Japanese; sent an email asking for an opinion from the creator, and he responded in length to try and help me out. I didn't get the gig, but used human Japanese and am now doing intensive Japanese in College! Soon I hope to study abroad and possibly pursue my Master's in Japan. Definitely picking this up! :D

[@ToKiniAndy]

Brian is awesome! =)

[@jnb2524]

I know this was done three years ago, but I want to let you know that I have been looking for something to read in Japanese and today you just gave me the answer! Thanks a lot!

[@jamesm.9285]

Great review, Andy, and thank you for the discount link! 100% will take advantage of this and give using Satori Reader a good shot in a few months when I dive more fully into Japanese.

[@krispysando576]

Just bought a a one year sub for Satori reader! This is seriously so good!!! I haven’t tried the SRS yet, but I def do like limiting the amount of new cards I review. Also, it would be awesome if they added a setting to change the font! I think it would be a good way to get used to reading in different typefaces. Thanks so much for showing us this app and for the discount code!

[@ToKiniAndy]

I hope that you find it useful! Thank you for watching!

[@satorireader]

Brian from Satori Reader here. Thanks so much for signing up! We actually are experimenting with custom fonts right now. We have a beta feature in the web version right now and we will probably be get that functionality into the apps soon (though maybe not before the holidays). Thanks and stay tuned!

[@TheOriginalSentack]

So I've had this app on my phone but I was kind of unsure. Now, I'm leaning heavily on subscribing. I do agree with the notion that the SRS portion of the app could use some daily limits.

[@ToKiniAndy]

Hopefully, that will be something that is addressed. If that gets taken care of, the sky is the limit with this app I think. If you end up subscribing, I hope that you find it useful!

[@paineretlaw3344]

Thank you sensei. You are as helpful as always!!!

[@ToKiniAndy]

Thanks for watching @Walter! Always good to see you here. =)

[@KyushuTrail]

Powerful tool! Nice review. ^_^

[@ToKiniAndy]

Thanks for watching! =) It really is!

[@moonbunny3229]

Excellent review of Satori Reader. Learned about some features that I wasn't aware of and I might have to sign up again. I was like you and a beta tester ages ago. Looks like it's become a really amazing resource! Totally onboard about the reviews and cards as well.

[@ToKiniAndy]

It really has improved so much! I hope that, if you come back to it, you find it helpful!

[@jorielaine5526]

Thank you! I’ve been searching for some type of literature to practice reading Japanese with. This will be helpful!

[@ToKiniAndy]

I hope this fits the bill! Thank you for watching, and enjoy! =)

[@gingerbreadboy]

You should do a review of their Human Japanese and Human Japanese Intermediate apps. They're miles better than any app or textbook I've come across for beginners.

[@ToKiniAndy]

I do need to revisit those at some point.

[@vincytvholic]

I finally took the jump about a week ago and subscribed. I set it from easiest story and started with the Jam Maker thinking its going to be boring but useful...boy was I wrong. The story is so emotionally charged that I am enjoying it (although ofcourse its not as seamless as reading English so i cant read for more than an hour or two). Definitely worth it

[@poof117]

I’m definitely convinced! Thanks Andy!

[@afarchangel]

I registered for a free account a couple of months ago after seeing it mentioned in the Discord. Going to take another look at it. Thanks for the explanation!

[@ToKiniAndy]

I hope you find it helpful this time around! =)

[@Bladen.]

This is so cool. Thank you for letting us know!

[@ToKiniAndy]

And thank YOU for watching! I hope you find it useful if you give it a shot! =)

[@carerforever2118]

Just went to the website, started using it. Thank you! 😁👍

[@17lordfire]

In all seriousness though, this is amazing! I have never heard of this app before! Just like you, I don't like the review con either because especially if you are a fast reader because you will be overwhelmed with the amount of reviews and new content to look through. But other than that, it looks fantastic!!

[@ToKiniAndy]

Hopefully, that con will be something that is addressed! I think it is a real possibility. =) It really is fantastic. I hope you find it useful if you give it a shot! Thank you for watching. =)

[@pauvilchez8643]

Wow, I didn't know about this resource! Thank you so much, Andy! Hopefully, this will cement what I learn in Genki 1.

[@ToKiniAndy]

I hope that you find it helpful! Thank you for watching! =)

[@meganevlogs53]

Wowowowow I really need this

[@ToKiniAndy]

It really is great!

[@kevinthesly]

Thanks for this presentation i will get it on ipad it looks amazing

[@steven54shane]

Bwah haha , I was thinking how do I get the full sentence’s meaning and you’re telling me there is ? Now I’m smiling 😀🕺🏾

[@janosKern1]

I agree with this review. Satori Reader is a great app, but I’ve just gotten to the point with it where I’m spending all my time just reviewing my vocabulary list. I’m reading with a comprehension level somewhere around 85%. I’ve read the free articles of the first ten stories so far, and my unknown vocabulary list has grown to well over 500 words. Reading the stories is part of what makes the learning fun. But now... I don’t have time to read the stories, because I have to just review instead. So I guess I’d caution to be aware that you’ll likely run into this problem at some point unless your reading comprehension is super high.

[@ToKiniAndy]

A solution to this would be, like I suggested in the video, limiting the number of new cards that show up for review. I think it is a real possibility that this could be implemented in the relatively near future, which could free up a lot of time! ☺️

[@janosKern1]

@@ToKiniAndy Maybe that could help! But... there would still be the problem of having a lot of words I haven’t learned yet, and if it turns out that I’m not reviewing some of those words as frequently as I need to to remember them, just because they were over the limit for some arbitrarily chosen “maximum number of words to review per day” limit, I’m not going to remember those words as effectively. I’m not sure there’s any way around this really. Even if it’s a reduction in the number of “new” cards that show up, it’ll be a problem if I forget those cards because they didn’t show up soon enough. Right?

[@ToKiniAndy]

@@janosKern1 Except that many of those words tend to appear frequently, so you will already be getting exposure to them by reading more.

[@satorireader]

@@ToKiniAndy @janosKern Thanks for the thoughts, guys. Andy, I'd love to sync up soon and discuss the improvements we could make in this regard in more detail. As @janosKern points out, regardless of whether you *make* the cards or not, the reality is that there was a lot of vocabulary that you didn't know. And part of me wants to say, hey, when that many cards are coming due, that's a good signal that it's time to pause and review what you've learned and re-read that material. Otherwise, you risk getting out on what my Japanese teacher used to call "thin ice" -- where you kinda-sorta-remember having seen lots of words, but can't actually quite recall their meanings. But at the same time, I am also a huge believer in the power of a story to motivate you to keep pushing forward, and being stuck in flashcard purgatory isn't fun for anyone. So there is definitely a balance there. I was out running today and thought that perhaps a solution would be to tell the user when they hit their (self-imposed) limit and remind them that it might be a good time to stop and review, but give the option to override, with or without the ability to create more cards for the day. Maybe something like that? Let's chat more offline.

[@ghostghost514]

Thank you. I really love it.

[@casualbean5401]

Thanks for the new resource !

[@ToKiniAndy]

I hope you find it useful!

[@ShinyChiaki]

Definitely will try this out in the future once I feel I am ready. I'd like to have a little more knowledge beforehand, have Hiragana and Katakana characters ingrained just a bit more in my head.

[@ToKiniAndy]

Yeah, you'll definitely want to have some study under your belt before jumping into this. They have some new series for beginners though, that will be helpful when you get more comfortable with Hiragana and Katakana. =)

[@KevinAbroad]

I've tried Satori a bit but for beginner level it's way too hard! But maybe I didn't look properly. Will give it another go soon!

[@Buenanueva1]

I think it’s meant to be used after you complete both levels of the Human Japanese app.

[@KevinAbroad]

@@Buenanueva1 Oh I see. Thanks!

[@ToKiniAndy]

It might be a little difficult for a total beginner, but upper beginners should find it very useful. Also, take a look through the articles and look for sub 2 difficulty or low 2 difficulty articles and see how that is. Some series are DEFINITELY more difficult than others (which I see as a bonus). =)

[@ToKiniAndy]

Also, thanks for watching @Kevin! =)

[@satorireader]

Hello, Kevin. Brian from Satori Reader here. We realize there's a little gap between what beginners might know and what you need to understand to get the most out of Satori Reader, and we are working to bridge it. We have a new series coming out in January called "Nutshell Grammar / Satori Reader Bridge" that will take up one topic at a time, with lots of example sentences, each topic building on the next so that only previously introduced grammar is used in the example sentences. We think you'll love it. So please do stay tuned!

[@gundampharmacist7348]

This looks like a really handy tool! I've been wanting something like this for a very long time; my only worry is that my vocabulary isn't developed enough to make the most use of it and I don't know if learning stuff beyond my class vocabulary is going to cause more problems than benefits. Overall, other than Andy's point about the potential mass of review cards, I think this is a great offering. The price might be a bit steep for some people, like university students, but at least there's a free option! Have you considered potentially partnering up with universities or schools to offer Satori Reader at a bulk discount for extensive reading classes? As for me, I just have to wait till Friday so I can do the whole year subscription!

[@ToKiniAndy]

Thank you for the feedback @Gundam Pharmacist! I hope you find it as useful as I have!

[@satorireader]

Hello, Gundam. Brian from Satori Reader here. Thanks for the kind words! Yes, we actually have done reach-outs to schools to see about using Satori Reader in classes. It's been a little tricky to make it part of the curriculum, but perhaps someday! Regarding your concern about learning vocab that is not introduced in your class, I don't think you need to worry about that unless it becomes a matter of NOT studying for class and INSTEAD focusing on Satori Reader. But if you use Satori Reader as a supplement to your class, I think it will only help to reinforce what you already know and make new connections. Thank you again for your interest!

[@mamodokod]

I have satori reader but I don't know enough to actually read anything. I have the japan news thing too and I was able to read a little bit, it was about the slam dunk anime movie in South Korea.

[@madmax8620]

Confused...ぜんぜんわかりません Sorry but im an old person...so could somebody please just make a BRIEF explanation what this app is for and for who exactly...i couldn't follow all of this video at all but interested. I AM SELF TAUGHT with a limited tutor at GENKI level 5 with occasional conjugation troubles. I also just discovered that I was supposed to have already been practicing kanji back at chapter 3?(which i have not!oops) I am trying to follow your lesson videos too now thank you!!! I have to move to Japan next year with my family. どもありがとございます

[@DennisPulido]

I just subbed to Satori. I wish they also include the meaning of the kanji used within the words so I don't have to look them up.

[@ToKiniAndy]

Since I already use Yomichan for other websites, I tend to use that on Satori if there is anything I need to look up that isn’t include when I’m using the website. This doesn’t solve the issue on mobile though, understandably. It’s certainly something I would recommend including on their feedback page which you can find by going to Discussions either on your account page or down at the bottom of the website (I can’t remember).

[@DennisPulido]

@@ToKiniAndy I'll check it out, thanks!

[@soraandrikuking]

Awesime video but i would agree that after using to for a while it would get tiresome doing that many cards every time!

[@ToKiniAndy]

I'm hoping that it's something that will be updated in the future. I really mean it when I say, if that gets modified it will be my go-to for SRS. Thanks for watching @radclaw! =)

[@iji_k]

9:52 they changed the review thing with the help of users’ feedback

[@dnhg9730]

I'm interested in your kanji comprehension approach: Having said that you read Japanese books on kindle, do you read the Kanji (without furigana) and in your mind verbalize the Japanese word or do you just "look" at the kanji as iconic symbols and you verbalize the English equivalent word? Or, third option, do you not verbalize at all but instead just "look and comprehend" the Kanji, whereas you only verbalize the kana-written part of the sentences? ありがとう！

[@dinohsu1019]

I hope I can suggest to add contents in a specific area, such as an article about go. This helps me to read about that area.

[@yuriybesarab11]

Satori Reader is so good - thanks aplenty for your advice! By the way, one can delete old cards through their website.

[@ToKiniAndy]

Thank you for watching Yuri! =)

[@seksiama]

As a beginners ,Which story is recommended for the first story to read?

[@Nyukins]

I'm excited about this, it looks great! How long is the discount code valid for?

[@ToKiniAndy]

As far as I know, there is no limit on the code. =) Glad you think so! And thank you for watching. =)

[@robertmason9279]

Great video

[@ToKiniAndy]

Thank you @Robert! Good to see you here. =)

[@colin3179]

Hi Andy, thanks for all you do - and this video as well, so good! I just found Satori Reader and was hyped to see you just reviewed it 😍 you’re so thorough and clear and we’re all the better for it. A question: I’m on level 10 of WaniKani and still quite early days in terms of comprehension. Is attempting to read at this point a waste of my time or is it still valuable? Thanks!

[@ToKiniAndy]

Starting to read is useful at any point in time. If you have only learned kanji, and no grammar or vocabulary, it may be tough going in the beginning though. Doesn't mean it isn't valuable though!

[@NoctisLux1]

I'm only 5 on Wanikani and was already wondering the same thing. I'm in the middle on Genki 1 though ! I think i'll just end this book and continue WK before starting to read so i'm not overwhelmed! :)

[@marcopiasentini99]

Hi, I saw The Japan Times Publishing, the one that produces Genki, has released a series called Quartet, and I was wondering if you are going to review it. PS: great jobs with your Genki videos

[@ToKiniAndy]

Hi Marco, Thank you for watching, and I'm happy you like the Genki videos. I do plan on giving Quartet a look around when we finish Genki 2 here on the channel.

[@hydroweapon]

Omg I forgot about this app! I also beta tested it

[@jamestays8416]

Wait.. so I been using lingq for 4 months for reading and I could have been using this? Lingq is cool and all but for japanese it doesn't really import words correctly because japanese doesn't have spaces, which can be harmful for beginners. I'm gonna be using this from now on, thank you!

[@ToKiniAndy]

I hope that you find it useful! =)

[@bitsens]

Is it possible to import ebooks into satori reader?

[@iji_k]

A “negative” one is that they’re not Netflix. They can’t add tens of new series every month. 😭

[@paperwormscat9760]

I wanted to try this weeks ago but they never send me a confirmation email... so annoying.

[@ToKiniAndy]

That's strange. Have you checked your spam box, or promotions tab if gmail? Their emails come through to me no problem.

[@eltoroluckypatientzero1355]

Satori bless I do notice a diffrence

[@HodgePodgeVids1]

What text work do you recommend after Genki 2? I'm still in Genki 1, but just think about things long term.

[@ToKiniAndy]

I'm not sure what I'm going to be recommending yet. As we get towards the end of Genki 2, I'm going to start looking at other textbooks. =)

[@noahlemanski9919]

Hey, Andy. Quick question: at what point in learning would you recommend starting to use Satori Reader? I am currently at Lesson 4 of Genki I. Is this too early to start trying the reading?

[@againagain4722]

I am not Andy :D but i would say its batter to start around Jlpt N3 lvl, but keeping interest in studying is much more important than efficiency do if u are want to start use it now, try )))

[@xtendo9946]

Would people recommend this or a kindle for Japanese ?

[@17lordfire]

Yeet!! 最初のコメント！

[@ToKiniAndy]

早い！

[@darindial8908]

I love satori reader but they don’t have a lot of informal conversations. There’s SO much keigo though

[@ToKiniAndy]

It's for learning to read books mostly. You're not going to find informal language much in normal books, except in conversations between characters. But fair. If you just want to learn casual language, this won't get you there. Heh

[@RussellCambell]

I read Hole in the Wall. Cute

[@vegnewb]

If I subscribe to Satori Reader, can I cancel any time? Will I be billed after I cancel?

[@ToKiniAndy]

You can cancel at any time as far as I am aware. You pay for the month up front, so if you cancel, I believe you will not be charged at the end of your month.

[@vegnewb]

@@ToKiniAndy Thank you!! But you are not committing to it. Where can I find out for sure?

[@ToKiniAndy]

@@vegnewb it's not my product, so I don't know for sure. I suggest sending them an email from the website or sending a Tweet to Satori Reader Support. Brian usually responds quickly.

[@vegnewb]

@@ToKiniAndy ok, I could not find their email address.

[@imxd9698]

Is this an ad?

[@ToKiniAndy]

It kinda sounds like it at points, doesn't it? But, no. I actually just like it. Hah

[@diegocabrejas6059]

I tried Satori Reader a few years ago when I was in the beginner to lower-intermediate phase and couldn't pick up real books. Unfortunately I found the content extremely boring to the point where I only lasted a couple weeks. The features are nice but ultimately the content is the most important thing when reading and I'm afraid to say Satori Reader was incredibly boring to read.

[@SPSibes]

Ways I can spend more money this month lol

[@ToKiniAndy]

Indeed! haha