Many students ask me if there are any books they can read when they complete the beginner level.
Some students try to read Japanese books for children because they have more hiragana and furigana, but sometimes the vocabulary and expressions in these books are much too difficult, or their stories are not interesting enough for adult students.
I use 「小説ミラーさん」for reading practice.
I recommend this novel because it is about Miller’s daily life in Japan, using basic vocabulary and grammar points for those who have finished elementary study. This book is based on the series of「みんなの日本語 Minna no Nihongo」textbooks , but even though you have never used this series it is still good to read when you finished elementary level.
I cannot deny that there are some stereotypical terms related to “being in Japan as a foreigner” in this book, but it is still good for reading practice and creates a certain sense of accomplishment at having read a whole novel in Japanese.
The Japanese language is not so strict about pluralization as English is.
Normally the word ねこ which means cat , can be a cat, some cats or cats in general. There are some specific words and suffixes to pluralize nouns, but when you are a beginner please don’t worry too much about whether they are singular or plural.
ねこが好きです。 I like cats ( in general )
あそこにねこがいます。can be “there is a cat over there” or “there are some cats over there”.
友だちと学校へ行きます。 can be ” I go to school with my friend ” or ” I go to school with my friends.”
つゆ is the word for rainy season in Japan. We have another word for the rainy season. It is うき which means “rainy period” . Japanese うき is つゆ so we use つゆ when we talk about Japanese rainy season.
“Yo” indicates mild emphasis when the speaker is very sure of what she or he is saying.
このクッキーとてもおいしいですよ。
This cookie is delicious. ( so I recommend this cookie. )
It is often used to convey informarion which the listener doesn’t know.
パーティは何時からですか。→ ３時からですよ。
What time does the party start? → It starts at 3:00.
You can use “yo” to get someone’s attention.
晩ごはんですよ！ Dinner’s ready!!
“Yo” can also be used when the speaker is making a judgment, so be careful not to put too much stress on it, and do not overuse it; otherwise you might sound aggressive.
