Two of my biggest regrets when I first started studying Japanese were:
- Not knowing which textbooks to buy.
- Not knowing that the best way to tackle the JLPT N3 and onwards is by using multiple textbooks.
Which is why I’ve decided to add this new section to my blog–to share the wealth of knowledge I’ve gained during my language learning journey.
Today, I will be reviewing the Nihongo Soumatome N3 Grammar book of the ever popular albeit divisive Nihongo Soumatome series.
A Quick Overview
Unlike most JLPT textbooks, the books in the Nihongo Soumatome series are typically on the thin-ish side. The grammar book of the N3 level is no exception to this.
The Nihongo Soumatome N3 Grammar book is concise and jam-packed with grammar points. It is also fairly easy to understand even if you’re very new to N3–and if you don’t understand, it comes with English, Chinese and Korean translations too!
Additionally, the layout is fairly clean and is accompanied with cute illustrations. The chapters of the book are divided by week, with a set number of grammar points to study each day, short exercises and weekly review tests. If you study according to plan, you should be done with the book in 6 weeks.
(Of course, no one is going to stop you if you decide to do more than the set daily amount!)
Weighing In…
The Nihongo Soumatome series is divisive for a reason. Ironically, it is disliked for the same reasons that it is very well loved. This doesn’t apply to all books in the series, but it certainly does for this one.
Here is the breakdown on the Nihongo Soumatome N3 Grammar book.
Pros:
- Concise: No fuss or frills with this textbook. Everything is written clearly and as concisely as possible. Perfect if you’re short on time and need to get a quick study session in.
- Easy to understand: The textbook is written in relatively simple Japanese that it’s easy to follow and in turn, easy to understand how the grammar points are used. Yes, even with scarce explanations around.
- Translations available: If there’s a word or two that you don’t understand, you can always refer to the English translation right below it! It helps save time and sure beats taking out your dictionary every single time.
- Study plan arranged neatly for you: Sometimes, it can be hard to decide when to stop studying, especially with a language as demanding as Japanese. Taking on this language is no joke; it is a massive long-term project that requires almost unwavering commitment. Thus, it is nice when at least the study planning portion of it is taking off your hands.
Cons:
- Some of the translations are a bit strange: They’re not all bad. It is just that sometimes, though comprehensible, you’d come across a few strange sentences here and there that could’ve been worded better. This is just my take on the English translations in the book; I have no idea how well the Chinese and Korean translations fare.
- Not enough explanations: The thing about this book is that it immediately dives into dishing out example sentences rather than providing explanations about each grammar point. To be fair, the sentences are constructed in a way that allows you to understand how to use the grammar points, but that’s not always enough. Explanations are needed, and the extremely brief explanations that exist are very few and far between. This means that more often than not, you’d have to look up the meanings on Google or in another textbook.
- Very few exercises: The exercises in the book are good, but not enough to properly reinforce what you’ve learned. It’s best to grab another book that’s precisely made for reviewing material.
My Thoughts on This Textbook
I love this book. It is perfect for whenever you’re too busy for a proper study session and easier to understand than other N3-level books! It certainly saved me whenever I was too occupied with chasing deadlines 🙂 Even though it doesn’t challenge me vocabulary-wise, I could at least get the grammar points down pat.
I would not, however, recommend this as the main pillar of your JLPT N3 studies. This book should either be used to supplement your studies (with lots of crosschecking on Google) or to review what you’ve learned.
But yeah, definitely add this to your N3 study materials.
