Looking for reading materials that use more complex grammar

I’m studying JLPT N3 grammar points right now but I’m not confident that I fully understand them and would be able to recognize them in the wild. I think part of it is because I never see them in my reading material (visual novels).

Can anyone recommend anything that uses more complex grammar from the N3 level and above? Like a series of novels, a blog, a particular author, etc.


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Is Tobira too easy for you?

I feel like VN language can be a bit simple at times because they want to fit text in the text-boxes. Though I’m sure plenty have more difficult language, depending on the themes and target audience.

But I recommend picking up any novel aimed at adults or older teens. There is quite a lot of grammar only used in writing, especially as you get more to N2 / N1 stuff. So novels are the way to go.

Edit: you can also use koohi.cafe while you read a book, so that unkown words and kanji won’t be as much of an issue.

BunPro has also been adding JLPT level reading exercises that exposes you to the stuff you learn.


That’s pretty strage. N3 grammar is still fundamental. It’s used all the time in sources varying from daily conversations to literature.

What kind of VNs are you reading?

As for recommendations, I like 蜘蛛ですが、なにか？ LN series. It’s not as hard as most adult novels but it uses pretty different styles and grammar for different characters. I often find N2 amd N1 grammar I recently studied in it.

But frankly if you’re still going through N3 it may be a tad difficult.


What VNs are you reading? The average vn will hard carry you through learning most grammar through n2 and a lot of N1. If you like VNs, I can give you a suggestion that will be harder if you tell me what kinda stuff you like. Visual novels definitely aren’t “simple at times” because they’re worried about a text box and it’s just a matter of what you’re reading. There are easy VNs and there are hard VNs. That’s like saying books are simple at times because they wanna fit stuff on a line.

Yeah, just looking over a list of N3 grammar, almost everything can be heard in regular everyday conversations.

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If op has an example of some stuff they’re not hearing, then I’d be curious to hear.

There are some very simple VNs out there so I wouldn’t be surprised if they played through one/part of one and didn’t see some stuff. Play through a normal game like 星織ユメミライ though and I would make the claim that if you learn all the grammar you come across, you’d be set for n2 after doing a couple routes.

Which, actually, that visual novel would probably be my recommendation to OP. Island is also a popular recommendation to people around that level.

I read パンとスープとネコ日和 over this summer and it had a lot of the grammar that I’m currently studying in Minna No Nihongo Chukyu 1, which I believe is supposed to prepare you for N3. The novel is part of a series.

As fas as grammar, most of the books in the beginner book club have plenty of N3 grammar since they are “beginner” mostly only regarding the Kanji level.

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I’ve never studied according to JLPT levels, but here are a few texts we read in uni:
Akutagawa Ryunosuke - 蜘蛛の糸 芥川龍之介 蜘蛛の糸
Akutagawa Ryunosuke - 羅生門 芥川龍之介 羅生門

And some which I only have as Word files, let me know if you want them and if yes give me an email to send them to:
Murakami Haruki - UFOが釧路に降りる
Yoshimoto Banana - 幸福の瞬間
Yoshimoto Banana - Kitchen


Thank you for all the responses. I’m not sure how to describe what I’m playing in terms of grammar, but it seems like the writer’s way of speaking and describing things is fairly straightfoward. It’s an otome visual novel aimed at a teen or young adult audience and has mature themes, so I doubt it’s dumbing itself down or anything.

And actually I just went down the list of N3 grammar points again and realized I have seen a lot of them.

I don’t know. I guess I’m confused about what I’m even talking about, so I’m going to try deleting this thread of something.


No need, there are some great answers here for others considering the topic.
Also realized I need to finally get around to reading Akutagawa Ryunosuke.

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