FreeMdict_Request for Japanese Learning Book List

Can be considered a guide for extensive reading/listening in Japanese.

FreeMdict_Recommended Reading List for Learning Japanese_Backup of Answers#

This is a backup of my answer on Recommended Reading List for Learning Japanese.

Question#

After graduating, I work in a Japanese company and am striving to improve my Japanese for the language allowance. The Japanese dictionaries downloaded from this site have been quite helpful. I have been studying for half a year and have grasped the basics. However, I am a bit lost regarding my next learning goals, and memorizing textbooks is not yielding good results. So I am seeking help here. My current needs are as follows:

Main requirement: I need some simple, basic Japanese materials or book recommendations that I can read extensively.
Self-study materials for correcting pronunciation; since I am completely self-taught, my pronunciation issues are quite serious. Although I work in a Japanese company, there aren't many opportunities to speak Japanese daily, unless I am talking to my supervisor. It wouldn't be appropriate to seek my supervisor out just to practice Japanese...
Since I am currently aiming for a certification, starting directly from N2, I would appreciate recommendations for exam-related materials. The sooner I can get certified, the sooner I can earn money, and my progress in the Japanese company will be faster.
In any case, thank you all, and I would be even more grateful if you could send electronic materials directly.

Answer#

Learning Materials#

Main requirement: I need some simple, basic Japanese materials or book recommendations that I can read extensively.

How to find suitable Japanese materials and books for learning
1. Moe's Japanese: Not only tells you how to find them but also what constitutes "good materials."
2. Tatsumoto's guide to learning Japanese: Only recommends open-source, free resources.
3. Saigo's Japanese Learning Tools: A Japanese learning guide aimed at Chinese learners. In addition to translating [[Moe's Japanese]], it also shares good articles about learning Japanese from domestic and international platforms.
Recommended books:
1. I strongly do not recommend "Aozora Bunko," but if you have read the Chinese translated version repeatedly, you can challenge yourself to read the corresponding pieces.
  1. It’s not that I oppose reading "Japanese Modern Literature," but I oppose reading the "original texts" included in Aozora Bunko. The vocabulary difficulty of the originals is not only very high but also consists of expressions that are rarely used today.
2. For N3 and below: Start by "reading" the "Japanese subtitles" of anime/dramas you have seen. The following shares subtitles in srt and ass formats, not discussing image formats (as looking up words can be quite troublesome).
  1. Anime:
    1. Since I haven't watched much Japanese drama or manga, I won't list them; you can find them on the two resource websites recommended in point 1.
    2. Silver Bullet Data Site: Only does "Detective Conan," updated every Sunday.
    3. Gods Subtitle Group: Has both documentaries and anime, but not many recent series.
    4. Mikan Project: A search tool aggregating resources released by major subtitle groups, use "simple Japanese" as a keyword to find mkv format (some mp4 may also have subtitles).
      1. Meow Meow Milk Tea House: Basically does all new series, and may have external subtitles when collaborating with other groups; subtitles can be downloaded from Github.
    5. https://jimaku.cc/ If you find Japanese-Chinese bilingual subtitles easier, you can come here to find pure Japanese subtitles to read. If you only find Chinese subtitles, you can also look for Japanese subtitles here, although the timelines may not match.
  2. How to "read" subtitles: Download the video and external subtitles, use jidoujisho, click to automatically look up words in the subtitles, and you can directly add them to Anki, saving a lot of time.
  3. If you can understand about 70% of anime/drama/manga even without having seen the Chinese version, you can move on to the next stage.
3. For N2 and above: Start by "reading" the original works of the anime you have seen.
  1. If it’s a relatively new novel, you may need to buy the official version from Amazon Japan.
    1. Payment method https://www.zhihu.com/question/427084661/answer/2337004493
  2. ZLibrary
    1. Access method: Z-library Full Guide, No Restrictions, Directly Access 31T Resources
4. If you find the speed of anime and dramas not fast enough, you can look for talk shows on [[TVer]].
  1. Our Era https://tver.jp/series/srfb2taet8: A program where three people chat, covering a wide range of topics.
  2. Stories to Accompany Alcohol https://tver.jp/series/srvqbemjx1: A talk show after drinking, with many people and a fast pace (possibly due to the alcohol 2333).
  3. Remember to set your IP to Japan; you can use Downie on Mac to directly download videos and subtitles.

Judging Article Difficulty#

If you really can't find content you like or don't know what is "suitable" for you, you can use the tools below to find "difficulty" that suits you. Generally speaking, extensive reading materials should be slightly below your current level.

Chuta's Toolbox
- Determines the difficulty of the vocabulary used in the article, categorized by JLPT difficulty.
Japanese Article Difficulty Judgment System
- Can also determine the difficulty of the vocabulary used in the article, but not categorized by JLPT difficulty, will return more data.
Learning Item Analysis System
- Can determine the difficulty of the grammar used in the article, but not categorized by JLPT difficulty.

About Pronunciation#

Self-study materials for correcting pronunciation; since I am completely self-taught, my pronunciation issues are quite serious. Although I work in a Japanese company, there aren't many opportunities to speak Japanese daily, unless I am talking to my supervisor. It wouldn't be appropriate to seek my supervisor out just to practice Japanese...

3B: Pronunciation - Ye Junyao's article - Zhihu https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/580682047 Although it is in English, it is also applicable to Japanese; however, during the foundational stage, it is still better to attend classes.

About Certification#

Since I am currently aiming for a certification, starting directly from N2, I would appreciate recommendations for exam-related materials. The sooner I can get certified, the sooner I can earn money, and my progress in the Japanese company will be faster.

With a foundation in N3, you can skip buying textbooks.
1. Red treasure book for vocabulary.
2. Blue treasure book for grammar.
3. Green treasure book for grammar exercises.
Be sure to do past papers: Buy organized question banks from MOJi Test, or buy high-definition printed versions online, or find scanned PDF versions yourself.
If you are in a hurry to get certified, directly enroll in N1 or N2 classes; if not in a hurry, it is still better to enroll in N3 classes (if you have a foundation in N3, you can skip it), and then rely on extensive reading + doing past papers yourself.
For which institution's classes to enroll in, you can refer to [[Which Japanese Online School is Better?]] https://www.zhihu.com/question/40309204/answer/1125981412 Although it is an article from 2020, it is still very valuable for reference.

Finally: [[Remember, you will never learn a foreign language]] https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/564422318

Happy studying, and I hope you find joy in learning Japanese!