Been working through Genki 2 with a teacher on iTalki, we’re almost through, and Im beginning to think of which text I should choose for my next step. I’ve heard Tobira has a bit of a difficulty spike, but is it exaggerated? I see that Quartet is made by the company that makes Genki, which would be good for consistency (but man o man some of the explanations in Genki are pretentious and wordy af). Tokini Andy also has a Quartet Section, which I’ve been using his site and youtube channels for genki 2. But Bunpro (which I also use) has a Tobira path but no quartet one (not that it’s a dealbreaker, but man that Genki path is convenient)
Pros and Cons that users (who’ve used multiple texts) here have had with them? I anticipate being done by July, and some big review going through my weak points and the reading/kanji segments in the back.
​
EDIT: totally forgot to add this part, I did ask my teacher, she has Tobira and An Integrated Course In Japanese (i think the title is called? Haven’t yet looked into that one) and is going to look into Quartet this week. She’s fine with going along with whatever I choose, but I would like to hear from those who have used any of the N4 / Intermediate level texts what your thoughts were/are
11 comments
Are you done with your tutor? Could just ask them which they’re more comfortable or have more experience going through.
I think people are preferring quartet. I have tobira and the readings vary from interesting (geography chapter) to stupid (technology chapter), but the grammar explanations are all pretty bad.
The vocab is presented in a nice table (good!) but is weirdly interspersed. Before the reading? After? What? At least Genki was consistent.
I may get quartet…
I am using both and my opinion is.
Quartet:
+Good grammar explanations.
+Good reading sections.
-Bad vocabulary coverage (would need to do Tango N3 or something to supplement it).
Tobira:
+Harder Quizzes so probably better practice for JLPT.
+Much better vocab coverage.
-Grammar explanations are often lacking and a person might need to do lookups using Imabi or other resources.
-Reading sections are boring.
For Kanji they are roughly the same.
If I would have to recommend you one to get it would be get Quartet and get JLPT Tango N3 to supplement the lack of vocab in quartet.
You could also pick up an additional resource like Kanzen Master for extra practice.
[My review of Quartet](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/oqjjzs/quartet_textbook_series_review/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1)
Quartet from what I heard is newer and therefore has more time relevant example content.
Tokini Andy actually made a video about this exact topic.
https://youtu.be/_MQjh9B-ZLg
Tokini Andy actually made a video about this exact topic.
https://youtu.be/_MQjh9B-ZLg
Tokini Andy already made a fairly comprehensive review of both textbooks. Did you see it? I only own Tobira but flipping between pages, small text, and algorithmic grammar explanations kinda ruin the experience.
I haven’t used it, but Bunpro does have a Quartet I & II path under the deck feature. I think you have to opt into the beta to see it.
Opt into Beta: Settings → Account → Opt In = Yes
View the Quartet I & II Decks: Decks → Path Decks → Quartet I & II Grammar
Once you finish Genki 2, I’d suggest looking for some easier native Japanese content in addition to using a textbook. It is likely to be more interesting and have more natural Japanese, and you can see all of the Japanese you’ve learned so far in context!
If you’re not sure where to start, I really like LearnNatively to see the difficulty level of material. End of Genki 2 is around N4 level I think?
https://learnnatively.com/
It’ll be a bit of a struggle at first, but I feel like it’s also a lot more enjoyable.
For easier manga, I’d recommend Yotsuba to!, Flying Witch, Girls Last Tour, and New Game!
Don’t forget to get some listening practice in too! There’s a lot of good beginner oriented podcasts. I listened to Japanese with Shun right after finishing Genki 2 and I found it to be a good fit for my skill level at that time.
Tbh I think using both is the best way. Both habe pros and cons. I also love kanzen master and I always switch between the 3 books. I prefer studying by readings texts and then explore everything from there so I love the long texts in both quartet and tobira and to get really deep into each sentence and study all the info there is about it. For kanzen master I only have the reading book and I try to get better at reading fluently.
That being said: I highly recommend to learn kanji by other means (for example wanikani). This will be a day and night difference for readability of texts.