nihongobooks

初級日本語 げんき II

Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese II

坂野永理 · 池田庸子 · 大野裕 · 品川恭子 · 渡嘉敷恭子 — The Japan Times Publishing, 2020 · 3rd edition

BeginnerGenki seriesIn-depth analysis · 2026-08-26

Verdict

The harder half of the default course — and still worth finishing.

Volume 2 completes the elementary grammar arc — potential through passive, causative and the two-lesson keigo block — in the same scaffolded rhythm that made Volume 1 the standard, with the best third-party support of any textbook at this level. It is also the slower half: the publisher's ~99 study hours stretch to three to nine real months in learner reports, and honorifics in Lessons 19–20 are the steepest stretch in the whole series. Community consensus says finish it — Genki I alone leaves you unable to build real sentences — but treat it as the last book you complete cover to cover before reading real Japanese takes over.

Best for

  • Anyone who finished Genki I and wants the same lesson rhythm carried to JLPT N4
  • Self-studiers leaning on the surviving support stack — a complete free video companion series and official SRS decks
  • Learners headed for Quartet or a university track, which assume this exact grammar base

Not ideal for

  • Anyone who stalled early in Genki I — the format won't change, and Volume 2 is denser
  • Immersion-first learners — even the community's textbook fans start reading real Japanese alongside this volume, not after it
  • Anyone expecting exam-ready N4 kanji and vocabulary from the book alone — independent SRS work is assumed

Workload 学習量

Pages
390, plus a separately sold workbook
Lessons
11 (Lessons 13–23) + reading & writing lessons
Coverage
172 kanji · about JLPT N4 / CEFR A2
Audio
6 h 40 min via the free OTO Navi app (no CD)
Realistic pace
a lesson every 1–2 weeks — three to nine months in learner reports

What's inside 目次

  1. 01会話・文法編 第13課〜第23課Conversation & Grammar · Lessons 13–23
    • The elementary endgame in sequence: potential (L13), volitional (L15), giving & receiving, hearsay, honorific and humble language (L19–20), passive (L21), causative (L22), causative-passive (L23)
    • Situations move off campus — part-time jobs, meeting the boss, a burglary, education in Japan
  2. 02読み書き編 第13課〜第23課Reading & Writing · Lessons 13–23
    • Graded readings that reach real cultural artifacts — a Doraemon manga excerpt, a rakugo story, Yoko Ono
  3. 03別売 — ワークブック・解答Sold separately · workbook and answer key
    • 132-page workbook with tear-out drill sheets; the official answer key covers both volumes

Strengths & weaknesses 長所と短所

  • Finishes the entire elementary grammar core in the same predictable lesson rhythm — nothing on the N4 grammar list is left for another book.
  • The strongest support ecosystem at this level, and it survived 2025's shutdown of the standard free exercise site — a complete free video series covers every lesson, and official SRS decks track the book chapter by chapter.
  • The 2020 third edition modernized dialogues and vocabulary and moved all audio to a free app with speed control.
  • Lessons 19–20 compress honorific, humble and extra-modest speech into two lessons — learner reports consistently name keeping them straight as the hardest stretch of the series.
  • The audio never speeds up between volumes, and listening exercises reach for off-list vocabulary — the listening skill lags exactly when passive and causative arrive.
  • Finishing the book does not leave the kanji and vocabulary automaticity that N3-level materials assume; learners report the jump to Quartet requires independent reading and SRS work regardless.
Finished it — or close? The After Genki guide maps exactly what comes next, including the 2025 Tobira relaunch.Read the comparison →

Bibliographic details 書誌情報

書名Title初級日本語 げんき II
著者Authors坂野永理・池田庸子・大野裕・品川恭子・渡嘉敷恭子
出版社Publisherジャパンタイムズ出版 (The Japan Times Publishing)
発行PublishedOctober 2020 · 3rd edition
頁数Pages390 pp.
定価List price¥3,600 + tax
ISBNISBN978-4-7890-1732-9

Bibliographic source: NDL Search by ISBN.

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