Strong reading comprehension is built through smart strategies, not just vocabulary. These 5 techniques will help you approach any N2 reading passage with confidence.
Before reading carefully, skim the passage in 30–60 seconds. Look at the first and last sentence of each paragraph — these often contain the main point. Identify the topic (何について？) and the writer's stance.
When you encounter an unknown word, look at surrounding sentences to infer meaning. Japanese often provides hints through parallel structure, examples (例えば), and clarification phrases (つまり, すなわち).
Break unfamiliar compound words into their kanji parts. Often you can guess the meaning from the individual characters. For example, 読書 = 読 (read) + 書 (write/book) = reading books.
Japanese text uses specific connective words that signal the logical structure. Recognizing these helps you predict what comes next and understand how ideas relate.
JLPT reading questions often test whether you understood the main point, a specific detail, or the author's opinion. Use an elimination strategy — cross out obviously wrong answers first.
For each passage: (1) read the questions first, (2) skim for main ideas, (3) read carefully noting discourse markers, (4) answer using elimination. Time yourself — N2 allows about 7–8 minutes per medium passage.