This book is a super handy guide if you’re gearing up for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), especially at the N4 level. It helps you brush up on essential vocabulary, grammar, and kanji that tend to pop up on the exam.
The structure of the book is set up for fairly routine revision methods. The way this works is by setting a routine for students to practice their Japanese skills. Set out by weeks and days, Shin Nihongo 500 mon lays out 15 questions a day for students across 4 weeks, helping keep their skills sharp and fresh.
Each question also has a checkbox for students to mark what they got right or wrong. With 3 tickboxes per question, the book is designed for students to go through multiple times and gives them room to reflect on what their weak points might be.
Rather than hiding the answers in the back of the book like most textbooks, here the answers are on the opposite page to the questions. This way you can quickly check what you got right and what you got wrong. The answers are fairly detailed, even providing translations for the incorrect answers for the vocabulary to remove any sense of doubt.
The questions are entirely in Japanese as expected from a JLPT prep book, offering furigana for the more difficult vocabulary, and skipping it for where it likely isn’t need (with words like 今日 for example). English and Vietnamese translations are then found on the answer page.
Overall, while not as in depth as the Try series of books, Shin Nihongo 500 is ideal for those looking for repetition and a paced approach to bashing through JLPT focused revision. You will need a separate resource for listening however as that isn’t covered here.
