Quartet

Quartet is an intermediate Japanese series for learners who have finished a beginner course. The official site describes two textbooks, matching workbooks, and four skill sections on the same theme in each lesson. It is meant to take intermediate learners toward advanced study, not to replace a beginner book.

Who it fits

It fits a class that assigned it, or a self-studier who will do chapter work. The FAQ, checked 10 Sep 2026, says English grammar notes, reading-strategy notes, and vocabulary translations make self-study possible, and that the workbook plus the series vocab and kanji apps make that more effective. It is still a book. Skipping exercises wastes the purchase.

The homepage prerequisite is around 250 to 300 hours of elementary study. The about page assumes the kanji from Genki. Jumping in earlier is how chapters stall.

Workload

The FAQ’s classroom guide is about 100 hours per volume, or about 200 hours for all 12 lessons. Each lesson is sketched as 16 hours: 8 reading (including patterns), 2 writing, 3 speaking, 1 listening, and 2 brush-up. Teachers can assign reading notes as homework if class time is shorter. Self-study will not match that clock, but it is an honest picture of how much work a lesson contains.

Limits

Tobira occupies the same next-textbook slot. Pick the book your tutor already knows. The pair decision is Tobira vs Quartet. This page does not rerun that comparison.

Quartet is not an app course. Related apps exist for vocabulary and kanji. They do not replace the textbook.

What comes after Quartet

If you finished Quartet 1, the official next book in the series is Quartet 2. The FAQ places volume 1 after beginning study (250 to 300 hours) and volume 2 after the early intermediate stage (350 to 400 hours including the beginning). The about page centers volume 1 on JLPT N3 material and volume 2 on N2, with both volumes aimed at CEFR B1 and the start of B2.

If you finished both volumes, you can work toward advanced Japanese, not a second intermediate series. That usually means more pages and audio you can finish, plus a grammar reference you will open. Buy another heavy textbook only if a class assigned it. Do not buy Tobira as a parallel path after Quartet unless you are changing books on purpose.

How to test it

Open lesson 1’s four sections and the matching workbook pages. If you can finish that loop in a week without abandoning the reading, continue. If the chapter sits closed, spend the time on reading instead. The offer path is /go/quartet.