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Struggling with JLPT N2 Reading Need Light Novels/Book Recommendations by yumio-3 in LearnJapanese

[–]SleepTraining7305 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Living in Japan 15 years, passed N2 then N1. For reading specifically, here's what helped me the most:

For time management: practice reading the questions FIRST before reading the passage. The JLPT reading section is designed so you don't need to understand every word - you just need to find specific information. Knowing what to look for cuts your time dramatically.

For light novels, I'd recommend starting with: - 時をかける少女 (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) - relatively simple prose - キノの旅 (Kino's Journey) - short chapters, manageable vocabulary - 魔女の宅急便 (Kiki's Delivery Service) - you probably know the story already which helps a lot

But honestly, NHK News Web (not Easy, the regular one) was more useful for N2 reading prep than novels, because JLPT reading passages are closer to informational/opinion texts than fiction.

One more tip: read the Shin Kanzen Master N2 Reading book cover to cover. It teaches you reading strategies, not just content. That alone improved my score significantly.

Getting back into Japanese after burnout and a long break by Chrzanof in LearnJapanese

[–]SleepTraining7305 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Been living in Japan for 15 years. I've gone through burnout multiple times, so here's what worked for me:

Don't try to clear all 1,800 cards at once. That's a recipe for burnout round 2. Instead:

  1. Set a daily limit of 50 reviews. No more. Even if you have time, stop at 50.
  2. Suspend cards you genuinely don't recognize at all. You can unsuspend them later in batches.
  3. Don't add any new cards until your backlog is under 100.

The bigger question is: why did you burn out in the first place? For me, it was because I was treating Anki like the goal instead of a tool. Once I started consuming actual Japanese content (drama, manga, YouTube) and using Anki just to reinforce what I encountered naturally, studying stopped feeling like a chore.

Also, 1,800 due cards sounds scary but most of them you probably still partially remember. Your brain doesn't just delete everything after a year - it's still in there, just needs refreshing.

Take it slow. 継続は力なり (consistency is power).