Preparing for the Absolute Beginner Book Club: A Guide for First-Time Readers
Joining the Absolute Beginner Book Club is an exciting step for anyone learning Japanese and eager to dive into native material for the first time. This guide answers key questions to help you prepare: What level of Japanese should you know? How should you spend your time before the club starts? And what can you expect when reading your first native material? By setting clear expectations and offering practical advice, this article aims to make your experience with the Absolute Beginner Book Club both rewarding and manageable.
Before the Club Starts
Once the Absolute Beginner Book Club votes on its next book, there’s typically a six- to eight-week period before reading begins. This delay allows participants to purchase physical copies of the book and gives first-time readers a valuable window to assess and build their readiness. Below, I outline the key areas to focus on during this time: mastering Japanese writing systems, building vocabulary, and getting familiar with basic grammar.
Mastering Japanese Writing Systems
Reading native Japanese material means engaging with three writing systems: ひらがな (hiragana), カタカナ (katakana), and 漢字 (kanji). Here’s what you need to know about each.
ひらがな (Hiragana)
Hiragana is the foundation of reading Japanese, and fluency in it is essential for the Absolute Beginner Book Club. Most text in the club’s selected materials will either be in hiragana or include hiragana readings (ふりがな) for kanji. If you struggle to read hiragana quickly, keeping up with the club’s reading schedule will be challenging. Spend time practicing hiragana recognition to ensure you can read it without hesitation.
カタカナ (Katakana)
Katakana is often used for loanwords, but it’s also common in native Japanese words and stylistic choices by authors. For example, the Japanese word だめ (meaning “no good”) is frequently written as ダメ in katakana, and 学校 (school) might appear as ガッコ. Ensure you’re comfortable reading katakana, as it appears regularly in native materials.
Examples of カタカナ
バイト is a loanword from German.
Although a Japanese word, だめ is usually written as ダメ.
学校 (school) is often written with 漢字, but the author here opted to write it out as ガッコ.
漢字 (Kanji)
For Absolute Beginner Book Club picks, kanji recognition is generally not required, as ふりがな (furigana) provides hiragana readings alongside kanji. However, familiarizing yourself with common kanji, such as 先生 (せんせい, teacher), can enhance your reading experience.
Common kanji appears often, making it easier to learn kanji alongside reading.
WaniKani includes the kanji for 先生 (teacher) by level 4. This is a common word, even outside of a school setting.
Building Vocabulary
Reading words you don’t know can be a real drag. All you want to do is understand a simple sentence, and you need to figure out each. word. you. come. across.
A solid vocabulary foundation makes reading native material less daunting. Encountering unknown words can slow you down, so use the weeks before the club to expand your word bank. Here are some strategies:
- Study JLPT N5 and N4 Vocabulary Lists: These lists, available online, cover essential beginner-level words.
- Use WaniKani: Work through the early levels to learn common vocabulary alongside kanji.
- Check Frequency Lists: If the book club pick has a frequency list, prioritize learning the most common words.
To learn vocabulary effectively:
- Write down a few words and their meanings daily.
- Use Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS) like Anki (free) or Kitsun (subscription) to reinforce recognition. Focus on recognizing the meaning from the hiragana rather than the kanji, as this is sufficient for your first read.
- Understand that familiarity takes time. Repeated exposure during reading will help words stick.
Even knowing the meaning of a word, your brain isn’t prepared to read words smoothly until you build up familiarity with them. Seeing common words often as you read improves your ability to recognize and read them.
Learning Basic Grammar
A grammar knowledge equivalent to JLPT N5 (the lowest level) is recommended before starting with the club. While you can begin with minimal grammar, it will be extremely challenging without some foundation. Aim for exposure to basic grammar rather than mastery. A shallow understanding across a broad range of topics will help you recognize grammar in context, even if you don’t fully understand it yet.
Grammar Study Plan
Over four weeks, aim to cover one grammar topic every one to two days. Here are some recommended resources:
- Genki I + ToKini Andy’s Genki Series: Read one chapter of the Genki I textbook and watch the corresponding ToKini Andy video (available on YouTube) every two days.
- Tae Kim’s Basic Grammar Guide: Read one chapter every two days from this online text-based guide.
- CureDolly’s Japanese from Scratch: Watch one subtitled video every two days, increasing to one per day as you grow comfortable.
If a resource doesn’t suit you, try another, but give each a fair chance before switching. This approach will give you a fighting chance when reading begins, even if it doesn’t make the process easy.
Can I skip pre-learning grammar? 🤔
Pre-learning grammar before you start reading is not required.
It’s really not.
You can start reading with almost no grammar knowledge.
But it’ll be hard.
Very hard.
As you try to read the club material, you’ll end up spending hours reading up on grammar, trying to learn it as best you can, hoping you’ll at least vaguely understand what’s happening in a scene.
Deciphering at this pace, it’s very easy to lose all motivation.
At a minimum, expose yourself to grammar-teaching material. A shallow understanding will get you a wide breadth of knowledge, increasing the chances you’ll recognize grammar when you see it, even if you don’t understand it. It gives you a greater scaffolding, from which you can refer back to lesson material later and build your understanding.
Four weeks is all you need to expose yourself to the basics.
Will that make reading your first native material easy?
No.
But you’ll feel you have a fighting chance.
What to Expect During the Club
When the Absolute Beginner Book Club starts, you may feel prepared after studying hiragana, katakana, vocabulary, and grammar. However, your first encounter with native material can be overwhelming. This section prepares you for the realities of reading your first native Japanese book or manga, emphasizing the difference between reading and deciphering, the importance of tolerating ambiguity, and how to handle context and grammar challenges.
Your first native-material reading experience. 🫠
Preparing for a month can leave you feeling overconfident.
You can read ひらがな and カタカナ. You know common vocabulary words. You’ve read up on basic grammar. You’re ready to jump right into reading.
As your eyes scan the first few sentences, the joy of reading your first native material abruptly halts.
You have no idea what you’re looking at.
There are words you don’t know.
And you don’t recognize the ones you should know.
The kanji looks so complex you feel you’ll never learn it.
There’s grammar you haven’t seen before.
And the grammar you did learn, you can’t even remember.
You realize you’ve dived into the pool’s deep end, and the water’s over your head. All you can do is flail around, hoping to reach the ladder and climb out.
You can always spend another year learning the basics before you try again, right?
Actually, your first native material will be complex, no matter how much time you spend learning in advance.
The longer you spend learning, the more material you learn without applying it, and the more likely you will forget it.
This results in wasted time.
It’s time for a reframe.
You don’t read your first native material.
You decipher it.
Deciphering, Not Reading
Your first native material won’t feel like reading—it will feel like deciphering. Reading is when you understand text effortlessly. Deciphering is when you painstakingly look up vocabulary and grammar to piece together meaning. This is normal, and expecting it prevents frustration. It may take multiple volumes before you truly “read” even a single line. Embrace this process as part of learning.
It may even take reading multiple volumes of native material before encountering even one line of text you feel you actually read. This is normal. This is what you must expect going in.
Tolerating Ambiguity
Learning Japanese involves constant uncertainty, especially early on. You’ll encounter unfamiliar grammar, vocabulary, and language concepts. Trying to understand everything perfectly will slow you down and risk burnout, while ignoring too much will hinder learning. The key is a moderate tolerance for ambiguity—accepting that some things are too complex to grasp immediately but trusting you’ll understand them with future exposure.
The book club supports this balance. Weekly discussion threads allow you to ask questions and gain insights, while the reading schedule keeps you moving forward. If the selected material has self-contained chapters, you don’t need to fully understand each chapter before moving on—just aim to grasp the gist and learn key grammar and vocabulary along the way.
When you first start reading, you will encounter many things you do not know. Grammar constructs, vocabulary words, language concepts, and so on. There will be too many elements to learn all at once. And many of those elements will take repeated exposure to fully grasp.
Understanding Context and Missing Words
Japanese often omits information that’s clear from context, similar to how English uses pronouns (e.g., “He told me to give it to him when she gets in”). In Japanese dialogue, subjects and objects may be absent, leaving sentences like “Ate—!” (e.g., 食べた！). To understand these, rely on context from surrounding panels, dialogue, or narration.
Reading a one-word sentence 🕵️
Consider this panel:
A sentence containing an action (a verb) must also contain who or what (the subject) is doing the action. Some actions are performed on something else (an object). In the above scene, the subject and the object are not spoken, leaving only the verb.
“Ate—!”
If we want to understand what she’s saying, this surely leaves much to be desired!
This lack of words can seem problematic for beginning learners of Japanese, as short sentences appear to be missing vital information. However, consider the same sentence in English:
Filling in the pronoun “he” for the subject and “it” for the object, we find this has not introduced any new information into the sentence.
The subject is still unknown. (Who is “he” that ate it?)
The object is still unknown. (What is “it” that he ate?)
These words, which are unspoken in Japanese, and are filled with pronouns in English, are expected to be known from context. The context consists of the panels before and/or the panel containing the dialogue.
Watch what happens to the dialogue when it is viewed in context. Irrelevant dialogue has been removed, leaving only the artwork to provide the context:
“He” is an elephant. “It” is an apple.
(My apologies to the elephant if it is female. Using “it ate it” for the English would have been a bit more difficult to work with.)
If you find a sentence is missing vital information, chances are you’re missing part of the context. In the above example, the context is provided entirely by the artwork. In other cases, the context is provided by either dialogue or narration.
When a sentence feels incomplete, ask:
- Who or what is doing something?
- Are they doing it to something or someone?
These questions apply to verb, noun, and adjective sentences, helping you use context to fill in gaps.
Forgetting and Relearning Grammar
You’ll encounter unfamiliar grammar and forget grammar you’ve studied. This is expected. Repeatedly looking up the same grammar in different contexts builds recognition over time. Some grammar clicks quickly, while other points take multiple exposures. Be patient and use the book club’s weekly threads to ask about grammar, even if it was discussed before. You may receive a fresh explanation or a link to prior discussions, and you can always request clarification.
Participating in the Absolute Beginner Book Club
The Absolute Beginner Book Club is not just about reading native Japanese material—it’s a community of learners who support each other through the challenges of deciphering their first book or manga. Engaging with the community can deepen your understanding, clarify confusing elements, and make the experience more enjoyable. By actively participating in discussions, asking questions about grammar, vocabulary, and story context, and sharing your thoughts on the material, you’ll maximize your learning and feel connected to others on the same journey. Here’s how to make the most of the club’s community.
Join Weekly Discussion Threads
Each week, the club hosts discussion threads for sharing insights, asking questions, and talking about the assigned reading. These threads are your go-to place for support. To get started:
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Read the Thread: Skim the week’s discussion to see what others are asking or explaining. You might find answers to questions you didn’t know you had, such as breakdowns of tricky grammar or explanations of a character’s actions.
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Contribute Your Thoughts: Share your reactions to the story, even if they’re simple. For example, “I loved how the character reacted in this scene!” or “I’m confused about what’s happening on page 10.” This opens the door to deeper discussions.
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Stay Regular: Check the thread each dayto stay engaged. Even if you’re behind on reading, browsing discussions can motivate you to catch up.
Tip: Set each thread to “Tracking” or “Watching” so you are aware when new replies are made. Engaging consistently keeps you connected and helps you learn from others’ perspectives.
Ask Specific Questions
When you’re stuck on grammar, vocabulary, or understanding the story, don’t hesitate to ask for help. The community is full of learners and more experienced readers eager to assist. To get clear, helpful responses:
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Be Specific: Include the sentence, phrase, or panel you’re questioning. For example, “In this panel, why is 食べた used? Who is eating what?” or “I don’t understand the grammar in よく噛んで食べるんだよ. Can someone break it down?”
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Ask About Anything: Questions about grammar (e.g., “What does the て-form do here?”), vocabulary (e.g., “Is ダメ a loanword or a Japanese word?”), or story context (e.g., “Why is the character upset on this page?”) are all welcome.
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Don’t Worry About Repetition: If you’re unsure about grammar or a word that was discussed in a previous week, ask again. The community understands that beginners need repeated exposure. You might get a fresh explanation tailored to the current context or a link to a prior discussion.
Tip: When asking about a specific page or panel, note the page number or chapter to help others find it. If you’re reading digitally, a screenshot can make your question even clearer.
Discuss the Material
Beyond asking questions, discussing the story itself—its characters, plot, themes, or humor—can make the reading experience more rewarding and help you understand the material on a deeper level. Here’s how to join the conversation:
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Share Your Impressions: Talk about what you enjoyed or found surprising. For example, “I thought the way the elephant ate the apple was so funny!” or “This chapter’s ending was intense—what do you think happens next?”
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Explore Character Motivations: Ask or comment on why characters act the way they do. For instance, “Why does the main character seem so hesitant in this scene? Is it because of something earlier?”
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Connect to the Culture: If you notice cultural elements (e.g., a festival, a phrase, or a behavior), ask about them. For example, “Is eating apples a common trope in Japanese stories?”
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Speculate and Predict: Share your guesses about where the story is going. This sparks fun discussions and helps you engage with the narrative, even if you don’t understand every word.
Tip: If you’re shy about posting, start by replying to someone else’s comment with a short agreement or follow-up question. This eases you into the conversation.
Learn from Others’ Questions
The discussion threads are a goldmine of knowledge, as other members ask about the same grammar, vocabulary, or story elements you’re encountering. By reading their questions and the responses, you’ll pick up explanations you didn’t realize you needed. For example:
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Someone might ask about a grammar point like the particle は versus が, clarifying a distinction you’ve been struggling with.
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A question about a word’s nuance (e.g., why ガッコ is used instead of 学校) might reveal stylistic choices by the author.
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A discussion about a confusing scene might explain context you missed, like a character’s backstory from an earlier chapter.
Tip: If a question or answer is particularly helpful, save it in your notes for future reference. This builds a personal resource library as you read.
Build Connections and Stay Motivated
The community is a source of encouragement, especially when reading feels tough. To stay motivated:
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Introduce Yourself: Each club has a home thread. Use it to introduce yourself and share a bit about your Japanese learning journey and why you joined. This helps you connect with others and feel like part of the group.
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Celebrate Small Wins: Post about your progress, like understanding a full sentence without a dictionary or recognizing a grammar point from your studies. The community’s positive feedback can boost your confidence.
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Support Others: Answer a question if you know the answer, or offer encouragement like “I found that sentence tough too, but your question helped me understand it!” This builds camaraderie.
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Be Patient: Responses may take a day or two. If your question doesn’t get an answer, try to rephrase it for clarity and post it a few days later.
Why Engage?
Active participation in the community does more than clarify grammar or story details—it transforms the Absolute Beginner Book Club from a solo challenge into a shared adventure. Asking questions helps you overcome obstacles, discussing the material makes the story come alive, and connecting with others keeps you motivated. Even if you feel shy or worry your questions are “basic,” remember that every member was a beginner once, and the community is there to support you.
Final Tip: Treat the discussion threads like a classroom where everyone’s learning together. The more you engage—whether by asking, answering, or just sharing your thoughts—the more you’ll gain from the club and the more confident you’ll become in reading native Japanese material.
Managing Your Time and Reading Approach
Reading native material as a beginner is slow, so plan your time and approach to stay on track:
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Set Realistic Goals: Expect to spend at least 1–2 hours per week, especially early on. Break this into daily sessions of 20–30 minutes to avoid burnout.
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Prioritize Key Elements: Focus on understanding the main idea of each page or chapter. Don’t get stuck on every unknown word—use your tolerance for ambiguity to move forward.
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Skim First, Then Dive In: Skim a page or section to get the gist (e.g., who’s speaking, what’s happening), then go back to look up critical words or grammar.
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Balance Lookup and Flow: Limit yourself to looking up 2–3 key words or one grammar point per page to maintain momentum. Note others for later review.
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Schedule Catch-Up Time: If you fall behind the club’s schedule, dedicate a weekend session to catch up.
Tip: Create a weekly reading plan, allocating specific days for reading, looking up terms, and reviewing discussion threads.
Staying Motivated Through Challenges
Reading your first native material can feel like climbing a mountain. Here’s how to stay motivated:
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Reframe Struggles as Progress: Every word you look up or grammar point you learn is a step forward, even if it feels slow.
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Celebrate Small Wins: Did you understand a sentence without a dictionary? Recognize a grammar point from your studies? These are victories worth celebrating.
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Take Breaks: If you’re frustrated, step away for a day or two. Returning with a fresh mind often makes things clearer.
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Connect with the Story: Focus on the parts you enjoy—like a funny character or a cool plot twist. This makes the effort feel worthwhile.
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Lean on the Community: Share your struggles in the club’s threads. Others likely feel the same, and their encouragement can keep you going.
Tip: Keep a “progress log” to track what you’ve learned each week (e.g., new words, grammar, or story insights). Reviewing this reminds you how far you’ve come.
After the Club—What’s Next?
Completing your first native material is a huge achievement! Here’s how to build on it:
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Reflect on Progress: Review your progress log or notes to see how much you’ve learned. Compare your understanding of the first chapter to the last.
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Revisit the Material: Re-read a favorite chapter to see how much easier it feels now. This reinforces learning and boosts confidence.
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Join Another Club: Consider continuing with the Absolute Beginner Book Club or moving to the Beginner Book Club when you feel ready.
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Explore Similar Materials: Pick another book or manga at a similar level to keep practicing. Ask the club community for recommendations. Use resources such as Natively, jpdb, and Manga Kotoba to find material appropriate for your level and vocabulary.
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Deepen Your Study: Focus on areas you struggled with (e.g., specific grammar or kanji).
Tip: Share your experience in the club’s final discussion thread. Reflecting publicly and hearing others’ journeys can inspire your next steps.
Conclusion
Joining the Absolute Beginner Book Club is a bold step toward reading native Japanese material. By preparing during the six- to eight-week lead-up—mastering hiragana and katakana, building vocabulary, and exposing yourself to basic grammar—you’ll set yourself up for success. During the club, expect to decipher rather than read, tolerate ambiguity, rely on context, and revisit grammar as needed. The club’s community and structure will support you through this challenging but rewarding process. Dive in, stay curious, and enjoy the journey of reading your first native Japanese material!
Changelog
| Date | Changes |
|---|---|
| 2023-07-07 | Added section: Forgetting and re-learning the same grammar |
| 2025-04-25 | Cleaned up everything. |
| Added section: Participating in a Book Club | |
| Added section: Managing Your Time and Reading Approach | |
| Added section: Staying Motivated Through Challenges | |
| Added section: After the Club—What’s Next? |
