When should I start reading Japanese?

After hiragana and katakana, as soon as a short beginner passage makes a scene in your head. You do not have to wait for a finished kanji deck or an official JLPT pass.

Should I wait until I finish WaniKani or a kanji textbook?

No. Kanji drills help you recognize characters. Reading is a different job: following a scene with omissions, particles, and a little unknown language. Do both if you want; do not make one a gate for the other.

Is reading enough by itself?

Not for most learners. Short passages teach language in context. Flashcards, grammar references, and kanji study still cover drills that reading will not schedule for you.

Yomigi

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Learn Japanese by Reading

Learning Japanese by reading works when texts are short enough to finish and hard enough to teach something new. You can start after hiragana and katakana—not after a finished kanji deck. Pair reading with light review; do not replace all study with passages alone. Yomigi focuses on that reading loop—Free to try.

When Should You Start Reading Japanese?

Start when you can read hiragana and katakana and follow a very short scene. You do not need to finish a kanji course first.

A useful test: open a beginner sample, use furigana if you need it, and say what happened. If the scene forms, you are ready to read. If every line collapses, stay with the scripts and a small core of words a little longer.

Newspapers and native novels are not the starting line. Short, finishable texts are. Isolated kanji study still helps; waiting for “enough kanji” delays the skill you actually want.

A Simple Reading Loop

Read once for meaning.

Look up only what blocks the scene.

Check comprehension, then move to the next short passage soon.

N3 Example

玄関げんかんを出でると、掲示板けいじばんに新あたらしいお知しらせが貼はってあった。「今週こんしゅうの土曜日どようびはエレベーターの点検てんけんを行おこないます。その間あいだは階段かいだんをご利用りようください」と書かいてある。その日ひは大おおきい荷物にもつを一階いっかいまで運はこぶつもりだった。仕方しかたなく、日曜日にちようびに運はこぶことにした。

Summary

Leaving the apartment, the narrator finds a notice: elevator inspection on Saturday, so residents should use the stairs. They had planned to carry a large load that day, and decide to do it on Sunday instead.

What Yomigi Is Not

Not a full replacement for Anki, WaniKani, Bunpro, or a textbook.

Not human-edited native Japanese before you see a passage.

Not a promise of perfect personalization on day one.

Reading-First Questions

When should I start reading Japanese?: After hiragana and katakana, as soon as a short beginner passage makes a scene in your head. You do not have to wait for a finished kanji deck or an official JLPT pass.
Should I wait until I finish WaniKani or a kanji textbook?: No. Kanji drills help you recognize characters. Reading is a different job: following a scene with omissions, particles, and a little unknown language. Do both if you want; do not make one a gate for the other.
Is reading enough by itself?: Not for most learners. Short passages teach language in context. Flashcards, grammar references, and kanji study still cover drills that reading will not schedule for you.