Reading manga can greatly help a Japanese language student improve their learning of the language and get to know Japanese culture. Manga has an informal language, requiring a bit of care. They also have images and furigana that help with reading and understanding the text.
In Japan, it is very common to find people of all ages reading manga; there are thousands of stories for all tastes. In this article, I will give tips on how you can use reading manga to help in learning the Japanese language.
Table of Contents
Choosing and getting familiar with manga
You should read the entire manga without help! For that, it is necessary to choose a manga at your level. If you are a beginner, choose children’s works like Yotsubato!, Doraemon, and Sazae-san.
If you are already advanced in the language, you can pick famous works that have simple dialogue, without fiction or complicated words. Manga that depicts life and daily life in Japan, school life, culture, etc.
You can read the manga and make notes of some words within the manga to help understand unknown words. Keep in mind that to benefit from learning with manga, it will be necessary to read it several times, do research with a dictionary, etc.
What to do and not do when studying with manga
Do not read what you do not know – If you start a manga and spend all your time chasing meanings in the dictionary, we recommend that you choose another manga at your level. You will only delay your learning and will not be able to memorize anything.
Read again – If you find any word or phrase that you know, read it again. The more you repeat, the harder it will be to forget, and the faster your reading will be.
Make the reading short and fun – You will only benefit from reading manga if you find it enjoyable. Many people have difficulty or laziness to read; for such people, it is recommended to read little so it doesn’t become tedious or strain the mind.
Copy Phrases – If you use Anki or another memorization tool, copy the phrases and meanings that you find interesting into the app. Also, use a notebook to write the phrases if you intend to practice writing.
Be careful with informal language – Manga is full of slang, dialects, abbreviations, and informal words. So extra care is necessary; avoid using expressions from manga in inappropriate places. If you have difficulty discerning these things, choose a more mature and formal work.
How to learn Japanese with manga?
To study a manga, you will need some tools and books to accompany your long journey. There are some good books that can help you study with manga; see some below: Besides the books, you will need some tools like:
Jisho – A complete online Japanese dictionary; it is in English but has translations into Portuguese. Perfect for finding the different meanings of words and kanji.
Anki – If you do not use Anki or another spaced repetition program, start using it now! Throughout the reading of the manga, copy the sentences to put in the app and help with memorization.
Capture2Text – If you intend to read manga online, and come across any kanji without furigana, this tool can help. It allows you to capture text from images, making it easy to translate.
Now just have a notebook and a pen handy, preferably the manga in hand, and start your studies.
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