Throughout your language learning journey, you’ll likely come across a number of learning plateaus. In the beginning, gaining vocabulary and the basics of grammar will be relatively easy when learning Japanese. Learning to read and write hiragana and katakana won’t be too bad, and even the first 100 or so kanji will be relatively easy to learn. However, right as you’re entering the intermediate stage of learning Japanese, you’ll begin to hit a point where basic Japanese is far too easy, but more complicated passages and phrases will be becoming increasingly more frustrating to read. It’s hard to find the balance between challenging and engaging content when your vocabulary is limited. Studying flash cards and reading textbooks are great but there comes the point when you’ll eventually need to put your knowledge of Japanese to actual use. Reading is one of the best ways to improve your overall language comprehension and is a quick way to accelerate into Japanese native fluency.
For native English speakers, reading Japanese is likely one of the biggest obstacles to overall Japanese fluency. While European languages like Spanish, French, and German share a similar alphabet and vocabulary with English, this allows new learners to quickly identify words on the page. However, in Japanese, the kanji ideograms make it harder o make the jump from reading with guidance from a teacher to reading freely on your own. In this context, Japanese is more or less an “all or nothing” language where basic fluency is achieved through memorizing at least 2,000 kanji. Those failing to do so will remain in a limbo of semi-literate understanding of the Japanese language and culture.
Easy NHK: JLPT- N4/N3
For many new learners of the Japanese language, the Easy NHK website will be one of your primary sources for improving fluency. The site is targeted toward Japanese elementary school students to help present the news in a simplified way for children to understand. For non-native speakers, the articles are good for N4/N3 level readers since there are explanations for vocabulary and show good examples of everyday grammar in use. For those who are making the jump to N2, it can also be a good starting point to read the simplified summary and then follow the link to the actual NHK site with the actual news story.
Furigana Japan: JLPT – N3/N2
Written by the translator James M. Vardaman, the Furigana Japan series features several books with short essays on different topics about Japan. The books are bilingually presenting Japanese with furigana reading for all the kanji with the English translation on the next page to help readers with comprehension without relying on translation tools. The books can be found at any bookstore and cost JPY 1,500.
Satori Reader: JLPT N3/N2
Developed by an Australian company, Satori Reader has made its way around the Japanese language learning community as a good and engaging way to increase comprehension. While most resources tend to focus on politics and non-fiction, Satori Reader features a number of creative stories at different levels for everyone to enjoy. There are also explanations for vocabulary and grammar to also help build comprehension. There are thousands of stories available, but to unlock the entire library of the app, members must pay a monthly fee of $8.99.
MatchaJapan: JLPT N4/N3
Many people visit Matcha for a bit of travel inspiration around Japan. There are over 10 languages hosted on the website, and for Japanese learners, Matcha has a page called “Yasashi Nihongo” focused on introducing Japanese culture to non-native Japanese learners. Some of the articles feature fun comics about unique Japanese vocabulary, while other articles discuss a bit about fashion, events, and new special edition releases. Their Japanese is beginner-friendly and an excellent way to prepare for reading longer paragraphs and sentences.
Amy Sensei’s Blog: All JLPT Levels
Run by a Japanese language teacher, Amy-Sensei has a deep understanding of how language acquisition works and the different challenges non-native speakers face along their journey. She writes a blog updated monthly on her adventures as she travels around Japan. Each entry is targeted at different levels of Japanese learners to allow readers to read across different levels without making others feel as if they’re missing out on the content.
Nippon: JLPT N2/N1
While newspapers are always a good source to practice reading, sometimes you need a little more context for the articles you’re reading. Nippon offers well-researched and in-depth articles in Japanese, including topics such as race relations on the islands or interviewing college students about how they’re tackling the SDGs.
Reading in your target language can be difficult, but to achieve fluency in Japanese, it’s important to develop a daily reading habit to help acquire new vocabulary and grammar. While you can’t avoid the language plateau, especially in the first few years of learning Japanese, you’ll find yourself quickly moving past those mental blocks as you become more fluent.
Please also check the details article about how to study for JLPT.
