Japanese Study Book
Welcome to the Susume Nihongo Study Book. This comprehensive guide is designed to take you from the zero to essential N5/N4 grammar proficiency. Each chapter covers a specific topic with clear grammatical breakdowns, real-world examples, cultural notes, and interactive quizzes to test your understanding.
Before you begin, read the Getting Started page to set up your study plan.
The Japanese Writing System
Learn the three Japanese writing systems — Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji — and understand how they work together.
Greetings & Numbers
Master essential Japanese greetings, self-introductions, and the number system.
Making Friends — Basic Sentences
Learn to build your first Japanese sentences with wa, desu, ka, and no particles.
Shopping — Kore, Sore, Are
Learn how to refer to objects and locations, ask for prices, and talk about possessions.
Making a Date — Verb Basics
Start exploring Japanese verbs, particles, and how to suggest plans with others.
The First Date — Existence & Past Tense
Learn how to say something exists, describe locations accurately, and talk about the past.
Trip to Okinawa — Adjectives
Master Japanese adjectives, express likes and dislikes, and learn basic counting.
Robert's Day — The Te-form
Master the most versatile verb form in Japanese — the Te-form — and learn how to make requests and give permissions.
Family Picture — Ongoing Actions
Learn how to describe ongoing actions, physical traits, and how to combine multiple adjectives in one sentence.
Barbecue — Short Forms & Opinions
Learn the casual 'Short Forms' of Japanese verbs and adjectives, which are used for informal speech and complex sentence structures.
Kabuki — Past Tense Short Forms
Expand your casual speech and learn how to use entire sentences to describe nouns.
Winter Vacation — Comparisons
Learn how to compare things, express future intentions, and describe changes in state.
After the Vacation — Experience & Desire
Learn how to talk about things you want to do, your past experiences, and how to list activities.