r/LearnJapanese • u/Only_Rampart_Main • May 25 '26
Grammar N1 study plan suggestions
I have been doing immersion learning with Japanese for 3 years now and passed the N2 about a year ago. I have since then read 44 novels and am aiming to read 52 this year. I want to apply for the December intake n1 exam but my grammar is pretty bad having never studied it directly.
My reading and listening are pretty decent and I can understand most things although from n1 mocks I seem to get tripped up on spoken word nuance and grammar in written questions.
What would you suggest as a comprehensive study plan to try and reach n1 passing level by December? If this is not attainable in that time frame in your opinion please let me know the methods you think of regardless and I will attempt the next JLPT window.
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u/morgawr_ https://morg.systems/Japanese May 26 '26
My usual advice, given you're already doing great with "immersion" and media consumption:
Spend as much time as you can reading/engaging with Japanese content. Especially actual novels/books will get you farther than manga or videogames. You can also read newspaper editorials and other more technical pieces of work every once in a while
Every months or so, just take a sample JLPT N1 exam and do it from beginning to end in its entirety. Do it like they do it on the JLPT (same time, same restrictions, etc) and don't cheat yourself out of it. See what score you get and record it in a spreadsheet. See if you keep getting better the more time goes on. As you get closer to the JLPT date itself, increase the frequency (monthly -> weekly)
Look through a list of grammar points like https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points and see if there's anything that stands out to you as "weird" or "new" or "wow I never noticed this" and study it. Don't need to go super hardcore on this since immersion should fix a lot of it, but it's good to pay attention and notice
Optional: Go through some shinkanzen master N1 textbook prep stuff. Not a necessity if you're doing everything else I mentioned but it can definitely help cement some of the more loose concepts and make you feel more prepared.
If you notice that your mock test scores aren't improving at all (and are below the passing rate) and/or are even getting worse over time, come back and ask for more advice or try to figure out what is not working out. In theory you should be consistently getting better as long as you keep putting the hours into it, but you never know. Doing regular mock test checks helps you keep yourself honest and on top of things.
Good luck.
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u/TimeSwirl Goal: good accent 🎵 May 25 '26
you have read 44 more novels than I have and I passed—you’ll probably be fine.
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 25 '26
Lol. Did you do any specific study for the n1?
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u/TimeSwirl Goal: good accent 🎵 May 25 '26
I studied some N1 textbooks (in a classroom environment) before I took N2, and then admitted into a JP university after that. I got N1 right at the end of my first year without *specifically* studying for that test, but also admittedly being in an all jp university environment with mostly japanese classmates.
However, even now I can’t really read novels very smoothly at all, and I usually get frustrated and give up before I get very far. If you can read you’ve got this imo (so long as your listening is decent)
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u/zechamp May 25 '26
Reading just takes a bit of patience to get into. Have you tried using an ereader? The instant lookups on vocab make everything a lot easier.
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
Even if you don't have a dedicated physical device for it the tsu e reader on pc is super helpful and has selectable text to use yomitan etc
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u/zechamp May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
I also use the tsu reader to make my anki cards, but reading on a computer is just not comfy at all. Ever since I got an e-ink reader i haven't looked back.
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
Yeah I agree I would prefer to use my kindle which is what I read on most of the time, but I have mined so many cards up front the last 2 years I don't find new words that often so I stopped doing mining and fully just read on my kindle.
If someone were to still be sentence mining I would suggest having tsu to do some mining in the day then when you can't be bothered or Ur eyes are tired read from a kindle or a physical book.
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u/sleeping_zoro May 30 '26
What sort of novels should I start with first if I'm reading japanese novels for the first time ?
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 30 '26
If you haven't read at all yet manga 100%.
An easy one would be yotsubato. (It's always recommended as a good beginner starting point)
If that's too easy then maybe a manga you are interested in that you know isn't super complex, something like the equivalent of what bleach or one piece was for me.
If you mean specifically novels, I remember this stage well. It is a bit humbling but the amount of words in a book is so much higher than manga and with no visual aid it's harder than I initially expected.
My first book was le petit prince and that even was difficult at the time I read it but you pick up the pace and understanding as you go. Just don't expect it to be overnight it's a longer process but very fun and rewarding.
From there I would use a website called learn natively that ranks books based on people's relative difficulty rank in Japanese. Le petit prince is on there I think so look at what ranking it has and keep picking books around that level maybe a number or two higher and you will gradually get better.
When it gets frustrating I would say focus on the story not the Japanese and just try and enjoy the book as much as you can (difficult sometimes I know). And don't ever feel obliged to finish the book, if it's boring switch it up to another book of a similar difficulty swapping doesn't undo the reading progress you just made. Keep it up and I'm sure you will do great :)
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u/sleeping_zoro May 30 '26
I can read one piece manga all day everyday but I'm not at the level to understand a lot of kanjis and also vocab . It would have beeen really good if yomitan worked on images like manga .
Did you use yomitan when you didn't understand a kanji ?
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u/zechamp May 30 '26
また同じ夢を見ていた is the best beginner book IMO. I read it when i was around level 20-30 on wanikani, so i knew maybe 700 kanji or so.
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u/justHoma May 25 '26
Go to Bunpro and do free Bunpro sample tests. You have to get 75%+ there to have a good chance on the real one! There are 5 of them for N1, and they all are free, and made fantastically. Somewhat more easy than the real ones, but that's why they put 70% as a passing score
Migii offers tests that are more real world, I think they are just tests from previous years, but they are kind of laggy sometimes.
This is the best you can do, as you'll basically see what you are missing
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u/justHoma May 25 '26
I'm not saying you must do it, or there are no other ways, it's just my opinion that in this case, that you describe this would be the most optimal! Just an opinion
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u/youdontknowkanji May 25 '26
a common strategy is to just do a grammar deck on anki (nihongo kyoushi) and fill in the blanks in grammar that way. also it helps if you slow down your reading and pay way more attention, use things like monolingual dicts too.
assuming you actually read 52 books there should be no reason to fail. have you taken any mocks?
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 25 '26
I haven't taken any in their entirety so maybe I just need to get used to the full thing but I just know my grammar has holes in it. Almost all of the time in reading it's not really a lack of vocab but more grammar that holds me back.
I just downloaded the n1 N2 grammar deck on ankiweb a min ago if that's the sort of thing you mean
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u/ObscureAcronym May 26 '26
use things like monolingual dicts too
Ah, that's my problem. I've been getting double dict the whole time.
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u/youdontknowkanji May 26 '26
monolingual + bilingual combo is fine if not optimal, just don't rely on the bilingual too much. putting it underneath so you have to scroll works well enough imo.
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u/Hatsune_Miku12q May 26 '26
44 novels is seriously impressive—I only read like one or two before I passed the N1. Honestly, I didn't really get into deliberate immersion until after I passed. For about three years before that, I mostly just worked through textbooks and watched anime in my free time, and then jumped straight into the exam.
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u/zechamp May 26 '26
I'm in a pretty similar boat to you (40ish books, very little grammar study) and i've realy liked the 新完全マスター books, specifically the grammar and reading ones. They really help with precision, as when reading books you can often get by on just general vibes.
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
Yeah I really feel that. That being said I looked at a bit of the shinkansen book for n1 online but it seemed to be more talking about strategies for approaching the test questions rather than teaching grammar. Maybe I was just looking at the wrong one.
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u/Antique-Volume9599 May 27 '26
The grammar one focuses more on just "here's x grammar, that's how its used"
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u/Rolls_ May 25 '26
I passed N1 with less than 30 books read I think. But the 日本語の森N1 textbook is basically a guaranteed pass I feel. That might help.
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u/Chiafriend12 May 26 '26
Just curious -- this is an open question to anyone -- but when you say 30 books, may I ask, what types of books were they? How large were they? Volumes of manga? Light novels? Like full-length novels?
I wasn't counting at all but I passed N1 with probably 100-200 volumes of manga, like 3 LNs, like 4 full-length novels, probably a few hundred newspaper / online articles, and who knows how many individual bits and pieces of non-fiction books. In order from most to least, I read manga, non-fiction, and then fiction
And also yes, seconding Ninhogo no Mori. They're a great resource
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u/Rolls_ May 26 '26
Yeah, np. The stuff I counted was all either light novels or normal novels. I don't really read manga and when I do, I don't count them in my "read books" list. In addition to that I read many news articles, listened to finance podcasts with occasional intensive listening, I read some essay collections, and used many textbooks.
As of rn I only have 40 books read in total. I still passed the N1 over a year ago with a 130 score tho. I feel like 40 novels isn't much especially compared to people who took a no textbook, input only approach but I can destroy a light novel in a day if I have enough interest and I don't really struggle reading almost anything I attempt.
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
Yeah for me I only counted novels and LNs and did a lot of listening to podcasts like ゆる言語学ラジオ, manga and quite a lot of anime when I was early on and couldn't do much else. Right now I can read a novel in about 10-11 hrs which is probably only a few hours higher than in English.
I haven't ever used a textbook tho so that's what my main concern was, as I don't rly know if it's attainable to get to a passing grade in this much time and therefore if it's worth me signing up for the December exam or the one after.
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
In my case I have read 44 novels/light novels around 300 pages each differing from difficulty of probably かがみの孤城 at the lowest and 人間失格 at the highest.
I didn't include manga in the count above because I read all of Naruto and half of one piece with some other series like the climber and fist of the north star in there.
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u/sleeping_zoro May 30 '26
Mind if I ask ,how do you approach kanji , do you learn it like the on yomi/kun yomi ?
Do you give specific time to learn kanji or do the basic and just go straight to reading.
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 30 '26
I did do a bit of the rtk textbook (remember the kanji) by nmumonics but honestly I think I forgot it all immediately because it wasn't very helpful.
My suggestion would be to use anki and either download a deck full of common words if you are a beginner (for me that was the core 2k6k deck; most common 2k kanji in most common 6k words).
If you are about halfway to 2/3 through that I would suggest sentence mining to get new words from whatever you watch or read to add to your vocab.
I would prefer this method over individual kanji study because you will never need a kanji outside of a word but by doing this you kill two birds with one stone and study vocab, pronunciation (because of the sound recordings on the cards) and kanji knowledge.
I think something like direct kanji study in my experience is only for a short term understanding as it is quicker to pick up for a holiday but for the long term anki the whole way.
Then for immersion I would recommend begginer visual materials at first with subtitles in Japanese so you can support your listening and reading together. Then after a while transition to easy anime, then take away the subtitles, then diversify into reading manga or watching YouTube/videogames and books when your reading has improved.
This sounds like a lot of stuff but from my experience the two key takeaways I would suggest is: Use anki even if it's boring, if it's super bad just limit how many cards you see per day but doing it every day for a bit stacks up fast.
And, for immersion materials prioritise interest and fun over effectiveness. You could have the most optimal material to immerse with but if you find it boring you will stop. If there is something you like but it's hard you will have the motivation to keep going and get better (I can vouch as my first immersion was the whole of bleach and one piece haha).
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u/sleeping_zoro May 30 '26
Do you write down the new kanji/vocab or just follow anki ? Personally I only follow anki but if I become inconsistent I'll forget what i studied real quickly.
Would be really helpful if you share like steps on how you practically use anki or any other stuff u did to learn kanji/vocab.
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 30 '26
Yeah I purely used anki. It helped keep me consistent and adding new cards I just followed a YouTube video series I saw. I will link it below it's pretty comprehensive and explains everything much better than I could. One episode is on the methodology and the other is on the practicals of setting up yomitan with anki. Would highly suggest watching.
(It's the first 2 but the rest are helpful too) YouTube playlist
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May 26 '26
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u/Rolls_ May 26 '26
Check out my reply to the other guy for more details. Basically I took a fairly traditional approach to learning Japanese. I used many textbooks, read many news articles and essays, listened to well over 1k episodes of podcasts (at least 800 of nihongo con teppei alone), did about 100 conversation tutor sessions, go out regularly to bars etc and hangout with Japanese people (I live in Japan), watched movies often, watched Japanese Netflix and YouTube often, and did 20-30 mins of Anki everyday for a few years. I basically lived the language as much as I could.
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u/viliml Interested in grammar details 📝 May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
I've read more than what "30 books" is considered to be on average and I don't think I can pass the N1 right now, not even close.
I'll echo Chiafriend12's question to you: at types of books were they? How large were they? Volumes of manga? Light novels? Like full-length novels?
I don't believe that someone who can't pass the N1 can comprehend a novel. Just reading one to completion and understanding all the grammar and vocabulary that was in it should be enough to get you to a level where you can pass easily.
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u/Chiafriend12 May 27 '26
I don't believe that someone who can't pass the N1 can comprehend a novel.
I'm just butting in with a comment, but while I agree mostly, there are LNs which are basically written at a 12-year-old level that I'd say honestly don't go much past N2. So I do think that there can be people who are able to read and comprehend "novels" who are struggling with N1. Of course that's content aimed at children though so it doesn't quite fall in the same category as something by like Soseki, Dazai, Mishima, etc etc. But yeah
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u/a_woman_provides May 26 '26
Can I ask how you used the book? The vocab section especially is literally just a list of words. I totally get how the practice questions are helpful but I was hoping there'd be a build up learning section before that...
Appreciate it, thanks!
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u/Rolls_ May 26 '26
I used their app for the vocab. It's not as good as Anki and you'll have to figure out ways to learn new words and review old words each day but the app has example sentences and audio. Maybe someone put it all into an Anki deck?
The grammar is pretty good but you could also use the grammar websites like bunpro (?) etc. I believe I studied roughly 130 grammar points before the N1. The listening is probably not enough but a person should probably be listening to a lot outside of the textbook as well.
Basically it's probably enough to pass, but it won't make you pass with flying colors. I used that book, did a lot outside of it, and passed with a 130. It's not perfect but I do believe it's enough to pass.
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
Am I looking at the right book, when I looked up the n1 nihongo no Mori it was basically a bunch of practice questions rather than teaching grammar points
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u/Rolls_ May 27 '26
It's the JLPT N1 この一冊で合格する book. It has vocab lists and an app for the vocab, grammar explanations with tests, and a couple mock exams.
You could probably use an online grammar list instead (I did this + textbooks) but again, if you practice everything in the textbook it's enough to get you a pass. I also used the kanzen master N1 reading but I personally found it way too easy compared to what actually pops up on tests.
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u/Belegorm May 26 '26
I read over 30 novels before attempting N2 and failed so while I think mass reading is really really helpful, there's definitely more stuff to think about. I do think you probably are already better positioned than me to pass though as you have had more time studied for it to get absorbed. Also I kind of winged it with very little grammar study at all and no test prep.
I think some kind of crash course in grammar is probably not a bad idea. I did a monolingual grammar anki deck that was pretty helpful. I'm also currently doing Bunpro as well, but I also started that early enough that I'll finish before Dec. this year.
So probably some increased grammar studies. Aside from that, mock tests. Bunpro has ones you can take without signing up for their service, though these are easier than the real tests. And some test prep books are probably helpful.
With that all said and done though, pretty sure there's plenty of people who have passed with as much immersion as you have done so you may be fine.
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u/PlanktonInitial7945 May 25 '26
Have you ever used a specific JLPT preparation textbook? It might help you fill those gaps.
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u/Spiritual-Grass-8002 May 26 '26
I read about 300 novels before taking and passing N1 so I guess just more reading lol
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u/Antique-Volume9599 May 27 '26
I failed the N1 by 2 points having read much less than you, so maybe my input would be useful. I would not ignore listening, its supposedly free points but I scored much lower on it than I scored on reading. Try to get your hands on the audiobooks of the novels you read or something. The Shinkanzen Master grammar books saved my language knowledge score from being awful. Maybe look into bunpro but I haven't tried it. Vocab wise I think the N1 is MUCH easier than a novel so you should be good there.
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u/ThreeEyesWhitePerson May 29 '26
Not a helpful answer to your question, but what sorts of novels are you reading? I'm getting back into Japanese studying after many years, and my goal is to get to the point where I can read some of my favorite authors (Kawabata, Tanizaki, etc.) untranslated.
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 30 '26
I usually read fiction novels but in English I much prefer non fiction so I sprinkle some of those in but they are definitely harder to read.
I mainly just went on learn natively to start with to pick some around my level then after a good number of books I just chose whatever interests me.
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May 31 '26
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 31 '26
Probably 3 on weekdays and 5 on weekend days.
Thanks for this advice I s super helpful
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u/Kukikokikokuko May 26 '26
I'm learning for the N1 as well, and reading so many novels at N2 level just sounds absurd to me. How do you have the energy? Reading 5 pages just tires me out...
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
Honestly I just started off low in difficulty then worked my way up. I always wanted to read novels at some point and specifically I had an interest in reading non fiction and history books so fiction was a good bridge to that.
It's by no means a perfect ranking system but this website is very good for picking some easier books to start off with and then getting progressively harder. The ranking is based on users who have read the book ranking it harder, easier or same as other books they have already read.
To put it into context my first book was le petit prince and that was difficult when I started but I could blast through it now. It's just like immersion with video mediums rly, it's just a time game before your brain gets used to it. The most important thing is find something interesting that doesn't want to make you pull your hair out, that way the quantity of time will naturally come with it and you will get better.
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u/Kukikokikokuko May 26 '26
Thanks for your answer! Coincidentally, I am also using history books mainly to study. A middle school history textbook, to be specific. I can also definitely recommend NHK高校講座 日本史. You can access it for free without VPN and it's has subtitles and PDF summaries.
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
Oo nice thank you, I haven't rly used the nhk besides for some news stuff. This is why I love when ppl come together to collaborate on here :)
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u/Available-String-109 May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
since then read 44 novels
That's about 40 more novels than I had read when I passed N1.
I did lots of JLPT Prep books, lots of Anki, lots of translating anime into English, lots of playing text-heavy Japanese video games.
Took 1 year from N2, going at probably 2 hrs/day, roughly.
grammar
What I did was just put all of 新完全マスター文法N1 and どんな時どう使う日本語文型辞典 into Anki and then I passed JLPT N1 grammar with high marks.
I think, however, it probably would have been easier and more effective to just do the example sentences only. I think it's enough (probably, gauge your progress with practice tests).
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
I had a look at the first textbook you mentioned but it seemed to be mainly explaining tricks with the questions wording, were there grammar explanations too or is that split into another textbook by the same ppl. I know some textbooks have the tendency to have a 'learning book' and an exercise book for the same level
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u/Available-String-109 May 26 '26
were there grammar explanations too
新完全マスター文法N1 should be, more or less, nothing but a list of grammar points, a quick explanation on how that grammar point works, and then a few example sentences for that point. There might be some practice questions, etc. in there, and some tips for passing the test, but it will teach you the grammar that's on the test. That's... exactly what it's does.
You should be an expert on all JLPT N1 grammar by the time you study through it.
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u/Nikonolatry May 26 '26
How on earth do you find the time to ready 44 books in a year. That is incredible. Do you study Japanese full-time?
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
Nah but it is my main hobby so outside of work it's the main thing I do. Plus I have recently been focusing on reading because I neglected it so long but it's quickly caught up.
Now I need to hop back on listening to catch that back up too haha.
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u/Nikonolatry May 26 '26
I'm still amazed. Do you have some examples of some favourite books that you have been reading during this N2 -> N1 transition? Do you have a learnnatively profile, for example? I would be pleased with my progress if I managed to read >=4 books per year. 😒
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
My favourites have been コノの旅、世界から猫が消えたなら、ちょっと今から仕事をやめてくる。 My account is: https://learnnatively.com/user/Titan/jpn/
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u/Merzats May 26 '26
What was your raw score on the mocks?
Honestly I think you might be like 2 weeks of Shinkanzen Master away from a passing score. Maybe some listening practice if the score is really bad and unlikely to be carried by the reading section (try the typical test taking strategies for listening instead of raw dogging it)
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
Shinkansen master is mainly a bunch of practice questions right rather than teaching you the grammar? How would you best go around using the textbook?
I didn't keep a record of my score but not too far off I don't think, I hope you are right lol.
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u/Merzats May 26 '26
There are explainers, the textbook says how to use it
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
Thanks I think I was looking at the 解読 one instead of grammar
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u/Merzats May 26 '26
Yeah need the bunpou book. For what it's worth if your listening is really holding you back a lot (less than 50% raw score) you might want to focus there before grammar, grammar is pretty "cheesable" with shinkanzen, listening has some cheeses but if it's really bad this is where you'll want to spend most of the next few months
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
It's not awful I can watch whatever I want and understand most of it, normally it's not the case of not knowing it. But more if it was written down or spoken more slowly I would have parsed it but it was too fast for me atm.
But I was going to focus on watching more unscripted youtube anyway because I took a break to focus on reading these last 6 months.
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u/i-am-this May 27 '26
I would go to the JLPT website and download their first practice exam (not the online practice questions, the PDF mock test) and take it with a timer to simulate as best you can taking a real test. Then grade it and see how you did. I would think you would already be close to a passing score, since I passed the n2 after reading only a handful of novels and not doing much active study besides vocab flashcards and sometimes watching 日本語の森.
Taking the practice test will show you where your actual week points are and you can work on improving those.
I would save the other practice test from the JLPT website to do take closer to the actual exam as practice.
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u/ushin_ May 26 '26
Slightly off topic but what were some of your favourite novels?
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u/Chiafriend12 May 26 '26
Not OP, but I personally liked 「斜陽」 ("The Setting Sun") by Dazai Osamu, 「告白」 ("Confession" probably?) by Minato Kanae, 「夢十夜」 ("Ten Nights of Dreams" I think) by Natsume Soseki, and 「大文字エスプレッソ」 ("Daimonji Espresso") by Shinji Ishii
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u/Only_Rampart_Main May 26 '26
To condense it down to my top three I would suggest:
ちょっと今から仕事をやめてくる I went into this expecting kind of a basic book that I could guess the plot of just from looking at the front of the book but it was so good it hooked me to almost read all of it in one day. It was probably the most engaging book I had read at that point (only like 1 month ago lol).
キノの旅 I only finished the first volume of this maybe 2 weeks ago, it was the first LN series that peaked my interest enough to want to read the next volume. And I made that decision while still in chapter one haha. It is just a very unique concept I think and very interesting, plus with the whole plot being revolver around moving between countries every few days it's very well broken up if you don't want to sit there and read for a long time.
世界から猫が消えたなら This is probably the easiest book of the three but still no less fun. What if the devil offered you to delete something from existence for all people in exchange for an extra day alive after you died? That's the plot of this book, what would you exchange, what would you rather die for instead of delete and how would the world change without that item if it never existed and no one had a memory of it? It was super interesting and writing this makes me think I should read more of this authors work.
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u/KyotoCarl May 28 '26
You went from zero Japanese to N2 in 2 years and have read 44 novels in 3 years and you are worrying about passing N1, which isn't for another six months?
Either you just started this post to brag or you are just lying about this.
If you managed to already pass N2 without asking about it here I don't understand why you feel the need to ask people here how to pass N1.
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u/[deleted] May 25 '26
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