Most Japanese novels use a combination of hiragana, kanji, and sometimes katakana. Kanji is commonly used for key nouns and verbs, hiragana for grammar and function words, and katakana for foreign words or onomatopoeia.
Well, typically, Japanese novels incorporate all three - hiragana, kanji, and katakana. Hiragana is for grammar and function words, kanji for nouns and important concepts, and katakana for foreign words or names. But the balance varies depending on the style and genre of the novel.
Stories make the learning process more interesting. Instead of just memorizing individual characters in isolation, you see them in context. For example, if you read a story about a family, words like 'お父さん' (otousan - father) and 'お母さん' (okaasan - mother) will be more memorable because they are part of a real - life - like scenario.
One way is to start with simple stories. Read the story slowly, focusing on each hiragana and katakana character. For example, if the story has basic words like 'こんにちは' (konnichiwa), first recognize the individual characters 'こ', 'ん', 'に', 'ち', 'は' and their sounds. Then, try to read the whole word smoothly. Repeat this process for all the words in the story.
Most manga incorporate a mix of kanji, hiragana, and katakana. Hiragana is used for certain parts like particles and inflections, but it's not the sole script. Kanji conveys meaning precisely, and katakana is for foreign words or onomatopoeia.