How should I target N3 grammar?

Japanese Language Questions
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I used the So-Matome books and found them effective paired with other material. (In my case, I had access to the JET program’s upper-level intermediate online course, which was dialogue-based and, I found, pretty effective.) After finishing that course, I went back and finished up So-Matome.

For N2, I’m doing the opposite: So-Matome first, and then I’ll grab Kanzen Master or another more detailed book for review. I think either way is fine. If you’re like me and benefit from having pre-structured material (a section and a quiz a day, in this case), So-Matome + something else seems like a solid approach.

The way I’ve structured my study, between apps like Wanikani and iKnow, and books like the So-Matome series, I don’t have to fuss over selecting my own material: I just try to clear out the app ques once a day, and get through a section of each test-prep book I’m working on (usually one or two at a time), taking notes into a Word Document for later reference. It makes study very automatic, very structured, and includes daily quizzing, all of which fits my preferences. It’s led to steady progress, though I should note I’m also in Japan, so I guess I can’t fully speak for how effective it would be without the daily exposure.

I also recommend building in reading and listening time no matter what materials you use. Find some easy Japanese-language news; read some manga or prose; watch videos with Japanese captions on, etc. And take notes on anything that stands out as being particularly useful for you while you do it. Really, I feel like no matter what, between apps, books, and native reading/listening material, the most important thing is just to have a set daily routine.

Last note – Grammar is fun! Vocabulary is rote memorization, but grammar is where you actually get to learn how to say what you want to say. It’s also amazing to watch grammar study opening up comprehension for you. You can always look up an unknown word on the fly, but unless you understand how everything’s fitting together in the sentence, you won’t be able to get the proper meaning. The logic of Japanese is so different from English, but consistent in its own way, that it’s fun just to start to get a lock on.

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Thanks for the detailed response; it’s super helpful!

^^this is what I was really wanting to know. Although, I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at sample pages online (whiterabbitjapan.com was better for this than Amazon), and between what I’ve seen and what you said, I think neither Soumatome nor Kanzen Master have quite as much explanation as I want.

I think I’m going to go through Try!N3 and then after that choose supplemental materials based on where I feel the weakest. Also, I have the Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar as an additional explanatory resource, but I wonder if it has all of the N3 grammar, or if I should get the intermediate dictionary, too?

@IanD, I like your advice!

Definitely, although I’m not sure I’m dedicated/disciplined enough/have enough time to take notes on stuff outside the textbook.

Do you think graded readers are still useful for N3 level? I would really like to engage more with native content rather than materials specifically designed for learners, but realistically, easy news and recipes are the only things that I’ve found to be understandable without a discouraging amount of struggle. So I wonder if graded readers could help me get past that…

For sure! And that’s what attracted me to Soumatome, since it’s already designed with a study plan in mind. But it looks like it doesn’t have as much explanation as I want, and I will probably get frustrated if I have to keep looking up supplemental explanations for lots of grammar points.

Yes, I have noticed this in my studies already, and I’m looking forward to unlocking more of that puzzle!

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I have used the 500 questions book for N4-5 and now N3. (I mean I’ve studied the books but not actually written the tests). It’s true that the grammar explanations are brief, and so supplemental instruction is probably a must.

But I still like them a whole lot. They (and an the Soumatome books) use very natural-sounding Japanese with a wide range of situations and politeness levels which I appreciate compared to other resources I have used. Also, the way they’re built on daily schedules makes knowing how much to tackle in one day easy.

The 500 question books are designed so that there are on each page 1 kanji, 1 vocabulary, and 1 grammar question. These days I’m getting all the kanji questions right for some reason (haha). Each question is of the “which of these is correct” variety. So it’s a great way to test your previously acquired knowledge.

They’re also designed so that you can go through all the questions 3 times at different points in your studies and compare how you’ve improved. (I mean they have 3 check boxes next to each question to mark whether you got it right or wrong, so you go through the whole book once, then later try again using the second check box, etc.)

While the explanations are brief. they have taught me a whole lot in addition to the Japanese classes I have taken. You might not fully understand the point, but you’ll come away with more understanding.

I have only started using the Soumatome N3 books, but so far, I like them a lot. I think they seem to provide great practice for all the areas covered in N3 and at just the right level for that test.

My only caveat is that if you don’t know the grammar (or kanji, or vocabulary) at all, you might do better picking that up from an actual textbook rather than a study guide (although I think WK is the best bet for kanji and vocab).

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Throwing in another recommendation for the 500 questions book. After completing the main So-Matome books, it made a great way to continue daily study in the months before the test. Really, just doing practice quizzes/questions of any kind makes good study if you’ve already got the foundation. Not just in a “learning the test” sense, but because they’re genuinely good learning material as you review your mistakes.

I’ve never used a graded reader. I jumped straight into easy news and manga (okay, and also the stream of work materials you get handed in Japan, but obviously that’s hard to recommend as a learning resource). I did use the So-Matome reading comprehension book as well, which I’d recommend.

Just pick something that’s interesting for you and feels like good n+1 (or even n+2) material. Maybe that’s a graded reader; maybe it’s something you think will be more interesting even if it’s slower at first. I’ve spent an embarrassing of time reading even the easiest magazine articles and interviews, but got through them. Reading is like ripping off a band-aid: At some point, you just have to do it. No matter what you start with, it’s only going to get easier from there.

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I got this book recently and I’m doing a couple of chapters a week - well I’m up to chapter 3 so far. (It takes me about an hour to go through one chapter.) At my current WK level (currently 27 and I passed N4 last year) I can read most of it but still encounter words and kanji occasionally that I don’t know (yet). Also I have seen some of the grammar points via other sources, but that doesn’t matter because it’s still good.
All of that said, I’m enjoying it because it’s a good stretch - that is, it’s not easy so it’s good mental exercise, but it’s not too hard that I feel like throwing it aside, so it gets the thumbs up from me for now.

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I’m in the same boat as you. I’m going to try and approach it with Bunpro; used it almost exclusively for N4 grammar so I have faith in it.

Just noticed that this thread is 6 months old, care to share your experiences?

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I passed N4 last December 2017 and started studying N3, 3 months before the exam last July. I finished Tobira along with the Workbook (This is important) within a month (2 days per chapter), Sou Matome N3 Kanji and Grammar (doable in a month but is recommended to be completed in 2 months.) That’s it. I had no problem with the Moji Goi (I was doing SRS of Tobira and Sou Matome), I had also no problem with the Reading (Tobira has a lot of reading materials that will improve your reading skills), but I am not that confident with my Listening (I think I got enough though). Waiting for the results next month.

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When you say an hour per chapter, do you mean both parts of the chapter or just one part? I saw that it has 11 chapters, but each chapter is divided into two parts, so it looks more like 22 chapters.

I only have 30 min/day to devote to the book, but I’m not planning to take the test until Dec. 2019.

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Just one part. The structure seems to be a short piece of reading with about 5 grammar points. It then has a very short explanation of one of the grammar points, about 4 example sentences, then about 5 multiple choice questions about the grammar point. It then repeats for each of the grammar points. Then at the end of that “half-chapter” there are 6 or so questions related to the grammar points. It takes me about an hour but maybe you could do it quicker if you can read fast. :man_shrugging:
To be honest I haven’t been timing exactly how long it takes and haven’t been trying to go as fast as possible. Next time I do a “half-chapter” I’ll check how long it takes.

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Thanks for offering, but who knows if we would go at similar speeds, so I’m not sure if that information would help me much :woman_shrugging: I’ll just have to figure out my own pace. If I need to clump my study sessions together so that I do an hour every other day, I can make that work, or just do fewer grammar points every day.

I haven’t ordered the book yet, but as of now my plan is to do that - and then follow up with 500 questions and whichever Kanzen Master or Soumatome to target my weakest skill(s). (and of course keeping up with WK for kanji)

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