What's the best way to start learning Japanese?

Gabe's approach, as a learner of Japanese

1. Start with the Japanese Pronunciation Trainer.
2. Tackle the kanji radicals at https://fluent-forever.com/japanese-radical-deck/.
3. Use the list of the 625 most frequent words and learn the kanji for each word as you go.
4. Use Kanji signatures and additional mnemonics as needed. See https://fluent-forever.com/kanjisignatures/.
5. Once you're comfortable creating simple flashcards for the words in the word list (after about 40 words), try full sentences. See https://fluent-forever.com/hacking-fluent-forever/. This will aid in retention, which is key for learning Japanese!

Tip: Use mnemonics

• Mnemonics don't take long to create and they're a breeze to memorize.
• Create one every time you encounter a new radical.
• Create one nearly every time you see two radicals combined. They'll make all future flashcards involving that radical combination a lot easier to remember.