3 Best Japanese Textbooks for Self Study (Beginners)

I studied Nihongo online for over a year through Kumon. If you haven’t heard about it, it’s just one of the many language schools here in Japan. You can also find it in some selected areas in the Philippines. Due to an agreement, I’m not at liberty to share the details in terms of their teaching techniques. But for what it’s worth, I learned a lot. It was a bit tough and it got to a point where I felt exhausted. I reckoned I needed to take a breather. Up until now I haven’t made up my mind whether to start again or enroll myself in a different school.

When I’m away from the blogging world, I go about my life as a housewife. I flip through the pages of these books to learn Japanese at my leisure. They have helped me recall what I previously learned and at the same time enlightened me with new useful things. I got them from the local bookstore. You can spot them at the language learning section. Please note that this isn’t a sponsored post. I’m only recommending these books so to help those Japanese language learners out there.

If you just want to study Nihongo with no pressure at all, check out these books.

Based on experience and as a language instructor myself, the very first step to learning a foreign language that has its own special writing system is to familiarize its characters. In this case, you should start by getting yourself acquainted with hiragana and katakana. This book will definitely do the tricks for you. It lets you practice writing and reading both with ease.

Once you’ve mastered hiragana and katakana, you can now start using books that help you learn practical Nihongo for daily conversations. This book’s cover says it all. I’m actually using this one these days and I’m glad I chose this over the others. It doesn’t talk too much about grammar or technical matters. It’s more on giving examples and tips which won’t be too overwhelming for beginners. Once I’m done with this, I’ll begin with the 3rd one below.

I should say this one is like the upgraded version of the second one with regard to introducing words, expressions, and the likes. Furthermore, it has the grammar section that’s easy to comprehend. This is also the friendly version of the popular Japanese textbook that’s written only in Japanese that’s commonly used in community language centers with volunteer teachers. Before moving on to that one, you might want to stick around with this one first in order to avoid frustrations. It’s like preparing yourself for the real battle. Kidding, but it seems like it.
Don’t hesitate to ask if you want further details of these books. If you’re currently learning Nihongo, 頑張ってください!

How do you study Nihongo? Do you have textbooks to recommend?

Stay updated! Not a WordPress user? Subscribe via email. Your email address will not be published.