Basic Tips to Read Books in Japanese
Since 2021, I have been reading more in Japanese to extend my vocabulary. Here are some tips I have thought about along the way.
How to Choose Your Book According to Your Level
Here I will be referring to the Japanese Language Proficiency Test levels, but please note that it is not exact science and only to give a rough idea how much language knowledge I think would be necessary.
Getting Started: The Best Books for Beginners in Japanese
I remember when I was a beginner in Japanese, someone advised me to start by reading illustrated books for small children (called “ehon” in Japanese). However, I have found out this was not the best option for me: there were often vocabulary words or onomatopoeias that, even though are very entertaining for Japanese children, were yet unknown to me and far from being on my priority list in my quest for reaching a conversational level. This tip might work for you if you carefully select your books, but I would not recommend it personally.
If you are a beginner but want to start reading, books designed for learners of the Japanese language are a good first choice. I remember having pleasure reading books from the “Reberubetsu Nihongo Tadoku Raiburarii” collection. Each pack…
