Post by MidoriAbby on Jan 27, 2014 14:36:48 GMT
As I've gotten into my upper intermediate study, I've found that the most useful thing for me to do to practice both my reading and my vocabulary is to read books that are all in Japanese.
But this is easier said than done-- I'm sure you guys have had a similar experience; excitedly buying/borrowing a book from the library, sitting down to read it... and barely getting through one page. Depending on your level, it can be frustrating if every single sentence requires you to pick up your dictionary or dictionary app and search for the word, and even then you can have a limited comprehension of the whole sentence. It's easy to just give up, chuck the book in a corner promising to study it later... and then never touch it again.
Recently I've seemed to move past that; I've found some books that have new vocabulary but don't overwhelm me with technical words and grammar on every page, and I'd like to share that success with you guys as it might help you too. For example I tried reading Sherlock Holmes in Japanese and got quickly overwhelmed with the older language, technical words, and difficult grammar, but recently I've found some good gems at a Japanese bookstore that have been not too difficult but not too easy. I've also been encouraged by the translation practice threads on here that also give me a chance to read some Japanese.
So this thread is for us to recommend the Japanese books we've enjoyed/had success with.
1) The first book I got that has been really helpful to me is called 小学生のための「正しい日本語」トレーニング (Correct Japanese training for elementary school students), which is a textbook aimed at Japanese elementary-school age children in their Japanese classes, and it explains often mistaken grammar, kanji nuances, and vocabulary. There are three books; beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Each is written for elementary students, so the explanations of the grammar are actually very easy to understand. It is written in large print with lots of examples/pictures and makes studying grammar/kanji etc fun. There was only a bit of vocabulary I hadn't heard before, without a dictionary I managed to skim the whole thing and understand a little over 70% of the chapters, then I went back later to read the more difficult ones.
2) The next book I want to recommend is another series; ダーリンは外国人 (my darling is a foreigner). You guys may have seen the movie, about a Japanese woman who marries a foreigner and the difficulties of their cultural differences. Personally I found the movie a bit disappointing in comparison to the manga series, although still entertaining. The movie seemed to make a big deal out of cultural differences that were expressed as minor in the books, and left out some of the more important ones. Anyway, the manga series is far better in my opinion. The author is married to a foreign husband, and writes a blog as well as the manga series. The manga is fun, light, cheerful, entertaining, and very informative about culture as well. There is a degree of more complicated vocabulary when they discuss in particular language differences, but otherwise as a whole it's not unapproachable. I was able to dig into it on the airplane without my electronic dictionary and get through a lot, skipping a few sentences I couldn't get, and still enjoy the story. Then later I went back and learned new vocab and polished my understanding of course. Overall it's a very fun read and accessible to intermediate students. For advanced students it would be just something fun to read that's entertaining and also talks about culture, and it's also got some spots where you still might encounter some new vocabulary.
3) The third thing I'm going to recommend today is also a manga series, this one for me was a bit more difficult reading-level than ダーリンは外国人, but I still loved it. It's called 日本人の知らない日本語 (The Japanese Japanese People Don't Know), written by and about a Japanese teacher who teaches foreigners in Japan. It's all about the funny language/culture misunderstandings/adventures that come from teaching Japanese to foreigners. It's super interesting because you get to see the Japanese perspective on teaching Japanese, and a bit of their experience with foreigners, and I have learned a ton about Japanese language that I didn't know. The author is an actual Japanese teacher, so that's a bonus too. It's a bit more text-heavy than most manga you would think about; lots of dialogue and humor that Japanese people would understand, and a mini-essay after every chapter (although the essays are easy to read and about relatable topics), so in general it's not something you get through in a day or two. But I think it's great. Again it's a series so there's about 6 books? I think?
My recommendation is that you watch the drama series of it first, with subtitles and then without subtitles, so you know the story. The manga isn't the same exact story and is a bit more extensive, but at least you'll understand the premise for a lot of the jokes/topics. Then reading the manga is a bit less intimidating. In the drama the main character is protrayed as a new Japanese teacher who doesn't know much about foreigners and is kind of ditzy, and that's a lot of the humor, but in the manga it's much more written from the author's realistic perspective, that she loves teaching Japanese to foreigners and has for a long time, but it's still full of surprises. The drama is also a bit shortened and plot line is dramatized and turned into a cohesive storyline, whereas the manga series is full of short stories and jokes and sidenotes. So I would start with the drama and then read the manga. Very worth your time.
4) Lastly, just an 'in general' recommendation, if you're closer to upper beginner/lower intermediate or no matter where you are if your confidence in reading isn't that high, chose a shorter, less wordy manga version of an anime or drama you have already watched. That way you aren't trying to work out the plot at the same time as understanding every sentence, you sort of already know what's going on. Plus manga are chock-full of slang and cool expressions, although don't take everything literally or don't assume it's a commonly used phrase just because it's in there. Overall less wordy manga often have more furigana and are more accessible to just page through and see what you can understand, so if you're having a hard time breaking into more text filled stuff, start there. It's often a confidence boost. I watched a good anime, 好きっていいなよ、and then shortly after bought the Japanese manga, and read it in 2 weeks or so. It was a great confidence boost, I could understand most of the stuff and just had to look up some words here and there, and it was an entertaining plotline I could follow. Also since I'd seen the anime, there wasn't really pressure to not miss big pieces of plot; I already knew the ending. I read that before jumping in to some heavier translation work I've been doing, and it boosted my confidence. Just a tip.
So, what are some Japanese books you guys have had success with/would like to recommend?
But this is easier said than done-- I'm sure you guys have had a similar experience; excitedly buying/borrowing a book from the library, sitting down to read it... and barely getting through one page. Depending on your level, it can be frustrating if every single sentence requires you to pick up your dictionary or dictionary app and search for the word, and even then you can have a limited comprehension of the whole sentence. It's easy to just give up, chuck the book in a corner promising to study it later... and then never touch it again.
Recently I've seemed to move past that; I've found some books that have new vocabulary but don't overwhelm me with technical words and grammar on every page, and I'd like to share that success with you guys as it might help you too. For example I tried reading Sherlock Holmes in Japanese and got quickly overwhelmed with the older language, technical words, and difficult grammar, but recently I've found some good gems at a Japanese bookstore that have been not too difficult but not too easy. I've also been encouraged by the translation practice threads on here that also give me a chance to read some Japanese.
So this thread is for us to recommend the Japanese books we've enjoyed/had success with.
1) The first book I got that has been really helpful to me is called 小学生のための「正しい日本語」トレーニング (Correct Japanese training for elementary school students), which is a textbook aimed at Japanese elementary-school age children in their Japanese classes, and it explains often mistaken grammar, kanji nuances, and vocabulary. There are three books; beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Each is written for elementary students, so the explanations of the grammar are actually very easy to understand. It is written in large print with lots of examples/pictures and makes studying grammar/kanji etc fun. There was only a bit of vocabulary I hadn't heard before, without a dictionary I managed to skim the whole thing and understand a little over 70% of the chapters, then I went back later to read the more difficult ones.
2) The next book I want to recommend is another series; ダーリンは外国人 (my darling is a foreigner). You guys may have seen the movie, about a Japanese woman who marries a foreigner and the difficulties of their cultural differences. Personally I found the movie a bit disappointing in comparison to the manga series, although still entertaining. The movie seemed to make a big deal out of cultural differences that were expressed as minor in the books, and left out some of the more important ones. Anyway, the manga series is far better in my opinion. The author is married to a foreign husband, and writes a blog as well as the manga series. The manga is fun, light, cheerful, entertaining, and very informative about culture as well. There is a degree of more complicated vocabulary when they discuss in particular language differences, but otherwise as a whole it's not unapproachable. I was able to dig into it on the airplane without my electronic dictionary and get through a lot, skipping a few sentences I couldn't get, and still enjoy the story. Then later I went back and learned new vocab and polished my understanding of course. Overall it's a very fun read and accessible to intermediate students. For advanced students it would be just something fun to read that's entertaining and also talks about culture, and it's also got some spots where you still might encounter some new vocabulary.
3) The third thing I'm going to recommend today is also a manga series, this one for me was a bit more difficult reading-level than ダーリンは外国人, but I still loved it. It's called 日本人の知らない日本語 (The Japanese Japanese People Don't Know), written by and about a Japanese teacher who teaches foreigners in Japan. It's all about the funny language/culture misunderstandings/adventures that come from teaching Japanese to foreigners. It's super interesting because you get to see the Japanese perspective on teaching Japanese, and a bit of their experience with foreigners, and I have learned a ton about Japanese language that I didn't know. The author is an actual Japanese teacher, so that's a bonus too. It's a bit more text-heavy than most manga you would think about; lots of dialogue and humor that Japanese people would understand, and a mini-essay after every chapter (although the essays are easy to read and about relatable topics), so in general it's not something you get through in a day or two. But I think it's great. Again it's a series so there's about 6 books? I think?
My recommendation is that you watch the drama series of it first, with subtitles and then without subtitles, so you know the story. The manga isn't the same exact story and is a bit more extensive, but at least you'll understand the premise for a lot of the jokes/topics. Then reading the manga is a bit less intimidating. In the drama the main character is protrayed as a new Japanese teacher who doesn't know much about foreigners and is kind of ditzy, and that's a lot of the humor, but in the manga it's much more written from the author's realistic perspective, that she loves teaching Japanese to foreigners and has for a long time, but it's still full of surprises. The drama is also a bit shortened and plot line is dramatized and turned into a cohesive storyline, whereas the manga series is full of short stories and jokes and sidenotes. So I would start with the drama and then read the manga. Very worth your time.
4) Lastly, just an 'in general' recommendation, if you're closer to upper beginner/lower intermediate or no matter where you are if your confidence in reading isn't that high, chose a shorter, less wordy manga version of an anime or drama you have already watched. That way you aren't trying to work out the plot at the same time as understanding every sentence, you sort of already know what's going on. Plus manga are chock-full of slang and cool expressions, although don't take everything literally or don't assume it's a commonly used phrase just because it's in there. Overall less wordy manga often have more furigana and are more accessible to just page through and see what you can understand, so if you're having a hard time breaking into more text filled stuff, start there. It's often a confidence boost. I watched a good anime, 好きっていいなよ、and then shortly after bought the Japanese manga, and read it in 2 weeks or so. It was a great confidence boost, I could understand most of the stuff and just had to look up some words here and there, and it was an entertaining plotline I could follow. Also since I'd seen the anime, there wasn't really pressure to not miss big pieces of plot; I already knew the ending. I read that before jumping in to some heavier translation work I've been doing, and it boosted my confidence. Just a tip.
So, what are some Japanese books you guys have had success with/would like to recommend?
