JLPT N3 Archives | Japanese Talk Online

5 Japanese Light Novels for JLPT N3 Level Learners

What makes a Japanese light novels a “light” novel? I honestly don’t know. I used to think it was because they were written with easier to understand Japanese for younger readers, but that’s really not the case! (You have light novels like Overlord or Tanya which have very difficult Japanese.) Which was why finding five Japanese light novels for JLPT N3 level learners was a challenge! I purposefully picked five light novels that also have anime. Why? Because you’ll probably already be familiar with the story if you’ve watched the anime. Watching anime and reading light novels from the same… Read More…

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Light Novel Comedy「はめふら」(Bakarina)

By Niffer May 8, 2020 October 3, 2020 JLPT N2, JLPT N3, Reading Japanese, Reading Japanese Novels

乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった… is a Japanese light novel from 2015 which also has a manga release and just got an anime (which is airing Spring 2020). First off, let me clarify the names for this series: Japanese official title: 乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった… Japanese unofficial title: はめふら English official title: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! English unofficial title: Bakarina As we’re talking about the Japanese novel, which even the author’s editor said had one of the longest titles ever, I’ll be referring to it as はめふら. Author: Satoru Yamaguchi Genre: light novel, comedy, isekai, reverse-harem, romance, otome games… Read More…

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Study Beginners Japanese With Science!

By Niffer April 28, 2020 April 28, 2020 Beginner Japanese, JLPT N3, JLPT N4, Reading Japanese, Resources, Review

By study beginners Japanese with science, I don’t mean Matrix-level download the language to your brain (although I wish I did!) I mean, using science books aimed at young Japanese people to learn a wide variety of general knowledge and Japanese vocabulary. The science books I’m talking about in particular are なぜ？どうして？科学のお話 or “Why? How? Science Stories”. Here’s a review of these science books aimed at children and how you can use them to boost your Japanese! なぜ？どうして？科学のお話 (Why? How? Science Stories) Genre: science, textbook, for children Great for: Beginners (JLPT N4-N3) Length: about 180 pages per book (total… Read More…

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How to Use Manga to Study Japanese

By Niffer April 9, 2018 June 13, 2018 JLPT N3, JLPT N4, Reading Japanese Manga

A lot of us study Japanese because we want to be able to understand anime without subtitles or read manga in Japanese. Being able to do either of these is incredibly rewarding, but many beginners think you need to be ‘fluent’ or that you need to live in Japan for a certain number of years before you reach this level. They convince themselves that being able to read manga is beyond their abilities, so why even try?! Well, what if I told you it is possible to be able to understand manga a lot sooner than you thought? Why… Read More…

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JLPT Practice Questions with JPDrills

By Niffer November 15, 2017 December 18, 2017 Advanced Japanese, Beginner Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), JLPT N1, JLPT N2, JLPT N3, JLPT N4, JLPT N5

With less than a month before the December JLPT it’s time to start doing some JLPT practice questions! Many people will go to the JLPT website and try their tiny quantity of sample questions. But these are often easier than what you’ll actually be given on the day. Then there are JLPT practice questions from textbooks you can use. Although these are useful they also cost a fair amount because they’re imported from Japan. Another solution is to use online quiz programs that test you with practice questions. Although there are a few out there I’d have to say JPDrills… Read More…

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The Best Way to Study Grammar for the JLPT

By Niffer December 5, 2016 December 13, 2017 Japanese Grammar, JLPT N1, JLPT N2, JLPT N3

I have this bad habit of avoiding grammar every time I study for the JLPT. I’ll either avoid it altogether or leave it until the last minute. But now I’ve found a great way to study grammar for the exam! It takes a lot of work but is really effective. This is, I think, the best way to study grammar for the JLPT. 1. Buy Yourself a JLPT Grammar Drill Book Even if you don’t like spending money it’s well worth buying yourself a grammar drill book. Do this asap! I suggest starting this at least a month before the exam… Read More…

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Review of Japanese Kanji Study Android App

By Niffer September 21, 2016 December 13, 2017 Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), JLPT N1, JLPT N2, JLPT N3, JLPT N4, JLPT N5, Kanji, Teach Yourself Japanese

Japanese Kanji Study is probably the best app I’ve ever used for studying kanji. I’ve studied kanji in many different ways over the years. Books, classes, apps, drilled kanji, read kanji, my own flashcards, etc. But nothings worked in quite the same way as Kanji Study has. Here’s why… Japanese Kanji Study Android App Features This app has a LOT going on. I love how much it has. The creator, Chase, worked incredible hard to create an app that would suit how he wanted to learn. He was using the White Rabbit kanji flashcards but found they weren’t practical… Read More…

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Review of Nihongo Tango Speed Master

By Niffer September 13, 2016 March 14, 2018 Advanced Japanese, Beginner Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), JLPT N1, JLPT N2, JLPT N3, JLPT N4, JLPT N5, Review

日本語単語スピードマスター (Nihongo Tango Speed Master) is a relatively unknown series of books which focus just on Japanese vocabulary. And I’m surprised it’s unknown because all the books contain a lot of vocabulary, and lots of vocabulary that doesn’t appear in other books! There are 4 日本語単語スピードマスター books: Basic, Standard, Intermediate and Advanced. These books are based vocabulary that appears in the new JPLT. Basic (1800 vocabulary for N5 and N4) Standard (2400 vocabulary for N3) Intermediate (2500 vocabulary for N2) Advanced (2800 vocabulary for N1) (Each range between $27-$31) I like this series because they are simple. Each chapter is… Read More…

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How to Prepare for the JLPT

By Niffer July 9, 2016 December 14, 2017 Advanced Japanese, Beginner Japanese, Intermediate Japanese, Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), JLPT N1, JLPT N2, JLPT N3, JLPT N4, JLPT N5, Teach Yourself Japanese

Another session of JLPTs are over in some countries which means the next ones are only 6 months away in December! Whether you’ve just taken an exam or are taking one for the first time it’s good to start preparing for the next batch of tests now. What you study specifically for each exam will be different, but here are some tips for preparing for the JLPT. How to Prepare for the JLPT Have The Basics Covered It’s time to go back over the basics. It doesn’t matter what level you’re studying going over the basics can always give… Read More…

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JLPT N3 – Study Methods and Resources

By Niffer August 5, 2015 January 4, 2018 Intermediate Japanese, Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), JLPT N3

A long time ago I talked about taking the JLPT, but I felt like I was a bit vague when it came to beginners as there aren’t actually that many specific text books for the lower levels because there are plenty of others that cover the basics of Japanese. As a result I wrote this post on taking the JLPT N5 and another for JLPT N4 with what the exam is, resources and study methods (which is why the posts are very similar, and by very similar I mean practically identical but with the links updated and text changed slightly). This guide is exactly… Read More…

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JLPT – Hitting the Wall

By Niffer June 17, 2015 December 19, 2017 Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), JLPT N1, JLPT N2, JLPT N3, JLPT N4, JLPT N5, Learning Methods

With only two and a half weeks before the JLPT for July 2015 some of you may be feeling a number of things. Stress, anxiety, boredom. Keeping yourself motivated is something I’ve written about in the past but I feel like at this point it would help to go over some points, and bring forth some new ones specifically for the JLPT. First of all DON’T PANIC You’re probably behind schedule and have found another 100 things or more that you need to study, but first thing is not to panic. Panicking causes stress and anxiety which begins to interfere… Read More…

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Translating from Japanese to English for Beginners

By Niffer January 14, 2015 April 24, 2017 Advanced Japanese, Becoming a Japanese Translator, Intermediate Japanese, JLPT N1, JLPT N2, JLPT N3

“I want to be able to translate…” This post is for people interested in Japanese translating but don’t know how to because they haven’t had any formal training. I am assuming that the people interested in translating are at a skill level of between N3-N1 Japanese. Understanding Japanese, and understanding Japanese to then turn it into English are two different skill sets. This is because you not only need to understand the languages you’re translating from, but you need to know the appropriate language to use in the language you’re translating to (which I’m assuming is English). For example, although… Read More…

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