I just passed N3, my next goal is passing N2, ideally this year. My weakest section was reading and grammar with 35, (Kanji and Vocabulary 40, Listening 51) I reckon this is probably where I should focus more time and effort.
To pass N3, I mostly read news from the NHK easy news, plus some relatively easy mangas (mostly slice of life or comedy stuff), and some texts from mock tests and previous exams.
Based on previous posts addressing similar questions, I started reading native material, while also studying grammar and vocabulary from other sources. To get me started, I bought a couple of digital light novels (Konosuba for those interested) and video games in Japanese. I’m having fun but unsurprisingly, my reading speed and progress is very slow, lots of kanjis and words I’m not familiar with, plus some grammar I haven’t studied yet. On top of that, reading from my iPad is a bit painful, can only handle a couple of hours before my head and eyes start hurting a bit.
Should I get the printed versions of those books? At the expense of having the convenience of easily looking for the vocab and kanjis I don’t know (I’m using book walker for reading those novels). Perhaps I should start with easier novels instead? If that’s the case, which ones would you recommend? I’m not picky in terms of genres, as long as the story is fun and relatively easy to follow).
Lastly, is kindle a better alternative for reading digital books? I’ve never owned one, I’m not too fond of buying more gadgets, but if it gonna help me getting the job done, I’m willing to consider it.
Many thanks in advance!
4 comments
>Perhaps I should start with easier novels instead? If that’s the case, which ones would you recommend?
This is really good for choosing which books to read:
[https://learnnatively.com/resources/search/?min=27&max=33&jlpt=n2&type=light_novel,novel&exclude_temp=1](https://learnnatively.com/resources/search/?min=27&max=33&jlpt=n2&type=light_novel,novel&exclude_temp=1)
Get parallel books!
I would highly recommend a kindle if you don’t enjoy reading on your iPad. The instant look ups make reading a lot more pleasant than with a paper book.
To find some long form reading material you can check out the catalog of children’s book publishers such as 角川つばさ文庫、青い鳥文庫、初学館.
Here are some more ideas of popular authors who have interesting and easier to read books (you can read samples of any of their books that appeal to you on kindle or iPad to gauge if the level is appropriate for you):
住野よる
辻村美月
今村夏子
瀬尾まいこ
I can really recommend going for easier books at first for a while, I’ve seen how effective it is in book clubs with an extensive reading approach.
Choose a book that is below your current reading level, e.g. a graded reader and just practice reading for a longer time without any breaks. Don’t pause to look up words or grammar. It will train you to both read faster and for longer in Japanese. Good luck and happy reading.